SNP AND PLAID CYMRU TO LEAD COMMONS DEBATE ON IRAQ WAR
Posted on Thursday, October 26 2006
he SNP and Plaid Cymru will use an allotted opposition day in the House of Commons on Tuesday 31st October to debate the war in Iraq.The debate is entitled: "The conduct of Government Policy in relation to the war in Iraq and its aftermath". The motion concerning the debate will be published over the weekend.SNP leader Alex Salmond MP said of the debate:"This is the first time since the invasion of Iraq that the government can be held to account over this illegal and unwanted war. It is vital that time is made to debate such an important issue, the SNP and Plaid Cymru have given Parliament that opportunity."Plaid Cymru's defence spokesperson, Adam Price MP added:"This debate next Tuesday is not about revisiting the events of 2002 and 2003; it is an urgent attempt to restore trust and credibility in our democracy. For the first time in three and a half years we will take the Iraq war matter into the House of Commons Chamber, and will give MPs the chance to vote."ENDS.
SNP OFFER SUPPORT FOR POST OFFICE RALLY
Posted on Tuesday, October 24 2006
Scottish National Party MPs have voiced strong support for today's (Wednesday) lobby of parliament by the National Federation of Sub Post Masters to highlight the growing concerns over the future of the post office network. The Federation are set to present a petition to 10 Downing Street with more than four million signatures.SNP spokesperson on Trade and Industry Mike Weir MP criticised the government for regarding the post office as a business.Mr Weir said:"The present government are obsessed with looking at the post office purely as a business venture, whilst the Liberal Democrats have come up with a hare-brained scheme to privatise the mail delivery, which will undermine the universal service obligation and lead to further loss of services in rural Scotland.Member of Parliament for Moray, Angus Robertson, praised the work of post office workers under difficult circumstances:"Sub posts masters and mistresses are doing a fantastic job in an increasingly difficult situation. They need to know now what the future holds for the network to enable them to plan for their own future and the future of the network.Angus MacNeil MP, SNP spokesperson on Rural Affairs commented:"The four million signature petition illustrates starkly the different attitudes between the public and the government on the future of the Post Office network. The Post Office network is vital to people, especially in rural and more deprived areas of Scotland, yet the government is looking at a mass cull of the existing sub post offices.SNP leader Alex Salmond MP added:"The size of the petition eloquently demonstrates the place that post offices have in the hearts of people, a fact that the government ignores at its peril.Next May the people of Scotland will have the opportunity to elect an SNP- led government that will ensure post offices have a future by opposing Westminster's privatisation and competition plans."ENDS.
SNP CONDEMNS BARONESS AMOS AND GOVERNMENT FOR BEING "OUT OF TOUCH"
Posted on Tuesday, October 24 2006
Angus Robertson MP has criticised Baroness Amos for comments she made on the Daily Politics today (Wednesday) in which she admitted she "can't remember the last time she was in a post office".Mr Robertson said:"This admission from a government minister in the House of Lords provides a damning insight into how this government views the hardship faced by the rural post office network throughout the country."These comments are even more remarkable given the fact that there is a lobby of parliament today by the National Federation of Sub Post Masters to highlight the growing concerns over the future of the post office network."The four million signature petition that the Federation has gained illustrates the place that post offices have hold in the hearts of people, a fact that the government continues to ignore at its peril.SNP spokesperson for Rural Affairs, Angus MacNeil MP added:"These comments illustrate just how out of touch with reality the government is. I wonder whether the next time Baroness Amos opens her mouth it will be to say 'let them eat cake'."ENDS.
T'S TIME FOR A FAIRER DEAL FOR STUDENTS
Posted on Tuesday, October 24 2006
SNP Shadow Education and Lifelong Learning Minister Fiona Hyslop MSP today (Wednesday) called for a fairer deal for Scottish students after the latest application figures published by UCAS show that there has been a 3.5 per cent drop in the number of Scottish students going into higher education courses.The figures stated that:-The number of Scots accepted for university has gone down 3.5 per cent in 2005/2006 which is the second year in a row it has dropped.-The number of English students coming to Scotland has dropped by 14.5 per cent this year which is in contrast with the number of English students going to English universities has only dropped by 4.1 per cent-The number of EU students is up by 31.3 per cent, and the number of overseas students is up by 21.6 per cent.Ms Hyslop said:"It is extremely worrying that Scottish students are thinking twice about going into higher education when they see a generation of graduates around them struggling with huge levels of debt."It's time that education is based on a person's ability to learn, not their ability to pay, which is why next year an SNP government will abolish the Graduate Endowment, which places an unacceptably heavy burden of debt on the shoulders of graduates. We will cancel the debt still owed by Scottish domiciled graduates and replace student loans with a fairer system of grants."The number of English students coming to Scotland has dropped by 14.5 per cent this year after the imposition of differential fees by the Labour and Lib Dem Government. It is quite clear that the McConnell administration's scare mongering about a flood of English fee refugees has been a complete over-reaction."Next year it's straight choice between Mr McConnell's administration which has put Scottish students in debt as a price for their education or the SNP led by Alex Salmond who will make sure Scottish students get a fairer deal."Commenting on the rise in EU and overseas students, Ms Hyslop added:"We welcome the performance of Scottish universities in the global market, attracting increased numbers of students from the EU and overseas which shows that our universities can perform on the world stage with the very best."ENDS.
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