Lottery Looting

Local community initiatives and good causes in Scotland were dealt a severe blow last week by Scottish Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs. Casting their constituents’ interests to one side, these MPs voted to effectively raid a further £675 million from National Lottery Funds in order to meet the spiralling costs of the 2012 London Olympics.

What this boils down to for Scotland is a loss of lottery money which will now be diverted to finance the London Olympics. Good causes such as community projects, community halls, sports groups and charities, of which I am pleased to say there are many in Banff & Buchan, rely heavily upon regular lottery funding. This loss will be acutely felt by these organisations. In total, communities across the UK are set to lose over £2 billion to the games – around £35 per person. Locally, Aberdeenshire will lose out on about £8.5 million in key lottery funding.

While I have no doubt of the positive impact of the Olympics itself, and indeed I would even hope to see local athletes competing in the games, good causes in Scotland cannot be jeopardised to cover its rising costs. Labour and the Lib Dems must learn that we cannot rob Peter to pay Paul.

Though this move by Labour and the Lib Dems is inexcusable it is not surprising. Time and again these parties exhibit a major lack of ambition for Scotland and a failure to focus on and prioritise Scottish interests in the UK context. This is just another example. Does the regeneration of east London matter more to these MPs than good causes in their own constituencies in Scotland? The SNP will not compromise Scotland’s best interests, not in Westminster nor in Holyrood.

Celebrating our National Bard
On a lighter note, I had the pleasure over the past fortnight of attending three Burns suppers – in Strichen, in Peterhead and, slightly farther a field, in Paris.

I thoroughly enjoyed the festivities both at home and abroad. Amongst the guests at the high-profile Paris event were Scottish singer Eddi Reader and the head honcho from Louis Vuitton, a friend of the French President. I was very proud to represent Scotland at this international celebration of our country and our culture. And it was clear from the evening that the worldwide curiosity and interest in Scotland now that the SNP are in Government is immense.

Indeed, I always enjoy this time of year which affords us the chance to come together in our communities and in our homes to celebrate our much loved national Bard; to celebrate Scotland's rich culture and history. And this year the festivities were all the more memorable as we had the opportunity to reflect upon what has been a truly momentous year for Scotland.
In the SNP’s short time in power we have seen enormous progress, nationally and locally. In Banff & Buchan we have secured the future of Peterhead Prison, cut business rates for small businesses, secured a landmark deal for fishermen in Brussels and opened the way for a historic council tax freeze, to mention but a few achievements.
And we've seen things not happen. Westminster has conceded our strength, and the strength of wider Scottish opinion, when its plans for new nuclear power stations included precisely none on our soil.
Burns was a true visionary before his time, and now more than two hundred years on, the SNP are realising his vision for a fair, just and free society for Scotland.