Improving Scotland’s health and social care will remain a top Government priority, Health Secretary Shona Robison will tell Holyrood today. Continue reading Improving health ‘a top priority’ for Scottish Government
Tag: Holyrood
Be bolder, urge Greens
Scottish Green MSPs will use this afternoon’s (1 June) Holyrood debate on Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform to push the Scottish Government to be bolder on community energy, fracking and democratic ownership of land. Continue reading Be bolder, urge Greens
The Great Divide
Queen’s Speech highlights ‘fundamental disagreements’
Yesterday’s Queen’s Speech set out the Conservative government’s agenda for the next session at Westminster, but Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says the statement ‘could not demonstrate more clearly the divergent priorities of the two governments.’ Continue reading The Great Divide
Ben Macpherson sworn in as Northern Leith MSP
First surgery details announced
New MSP Ben McPherson was sworn in as the new member for Edinburgh Northern & Leith MSP yesterday, one of five new Edinburgh constituency MSPs voted in last week. Continue reading Ben Macpherson sworn in as Northern Leith MSP
ELECTION: SNP falls just short of majority
With all the results now in, the final state of the parties is:
SNP 63 (-6 on 2011 Holyrood election result)
CON 31 (+16)
LAB 24 (-13)
GRN 6 (+4)
LD 5 (no change)
The SNP has fallen two seats short of forming a majority government and must now decide whether to go it alone as a minority government or enter into an agreement with one of the other parties.
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Election results: Edinburgh
Edinburgh results in full:
EDINBURGH CENTRAL
RUTH DAVIDSON (CON) 10, 399
Alison Dickie (SNP) 9789
Sarah Boyack (LAB) 7546
Alison Johnstone (GRN) 4644
Hannah Bettswoth (LD) 1672
Tom Laird (SLD) 119
Majority 610
CONSERVATIVE GAIN
EDINBURGH EASTERN
ASH DENHAM (SNP) 16,760
Kezia Dugdale (LAB) 11 673
Nick Cook (CON) 5 700
Cospatric D’Inverno (LD) 1 264
Majority 5087
Turnout 56.3%
SNP HOLD
EDINBURGH NORTHERN & LEITH
BEN MacPHERSON (SNP) 17,322
Lesley Hinds (LAB) 10 576
Iain McGill (CON) 6 781
Martin Veart (LD) 1779
Jack Caldwell (IND) 1344
Majority 6746
Turnout 55.2%%
SNP GAIN
EDINBURGH PENTLANDS
GORDON MacDONALD (SNP) 13, 181
Gordon Lindhurst (CON) 10 725
Blair Heary (LAB) 7 811
Emma Farthing-Sykes (LD) 1 636
Majority 2456
Turnout 60.4%
SNP HOLD
EDINBURGH SOUTHERN
DANIEL JOHNSON (LAB) 13, 597
Jim Eadie (SNP) 12 474
Miles Briggs (CON) 9 972
Pramod Subbaraman (LD) 2 216
Majority 1123
Turnout 64.2%
LABOUR GAIN
EDINBURGH WESTERN
ALEX COLE-HAMILTON (LD) 16, 645
Toni Giugliano (SNP) 13 685
Sandy Batho (CON) 5 686
Cat Headley (LAB) 3 750
Majority 2960
Turnout 64.5%
LIB DEM GAIN
LOTHIAN LIST MSPs (7)
Jeremy Balfour (Con)
Miles Briggs (Con)
Kezia Dugdale (Lab)
Neil Findlay (Lab)
Alison Johnstone (Grn)
Gordon Lindhurst (Con)
Andy Wightman (Grn)
SNP landslide looking likely
No results declared yet, but it’s looking clear cut – Nicola Sturgeon will be back as First Minister with a majority.
As predicted, Lib Dems looking good to win back Edinburgh Western.
It’s looking like a bleak night for Labour …
more in the morning
And now … the only poll that counts
SNP landslide predicted
The polls have closed. The exhausted candidates and their campaign teams have done all they can. They’ll fret and wonder if they’ve done enough. Could we have chapped more doors? Delivered more leaflets? Attended more events? It’s too late now – the polls have closed, and the voters have made their minds up. Continue reading And now … the only poll that counts
Holyrood 2016: factfile
The Scottish Parliament elections take place on Thursday 5 May – one week to go! See below for all the information you could ever wish for!
Your local constituency candidates are:
EDINBURGH CENTRAL
BETTSWORTH, Hannah (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
BOYACK, Sarah (Scottish Labour Party)
DAVIDSON, Ruth (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party)
DICKIE, Alison (Scottish National Party (SNP))
JOHNSTONE, Alison (Scottish Green Party)
LAIRD, Tom (Scottish Libertarian Party)
EDINBURGH NORTHERN & LEITH
CALDWELL, Jack (Independent)
HINDS, Lesley (Scottish Labour Party)
MACPHERSON, Ben (Scottish National Party (SNP))
MCGILL, Iain (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party)
VEART, Martin (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
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Jack Caldwell IndependentLesley Hinds Labour PartyBen Macpherson Scottish National Party (SNP)Iain McGill Conservative and Unionist PartyMartin Veart Liberal Democrats
EDINBURGH WESTERN
BATHO, Sandy (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party)
COLE-HAMILTON, Alex (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
GIUGLIANO, Toni (Scottish National Party (SNP))
HEADLEY, Cat (Scottish Labour Party)
Other Edinburgh Constituencies:
Edinburgh Eastern
COOK, Nick (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party)
DENHAM, Ash (Scottish National Party (SNP))
D’INVERNO, Cospatric (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
DUGDALE, Kezia (Scottish Labour Party)
Edinburgh Pentlands
FARTHING-SYKES, Emma (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
HEARY, Blair (Scottish Labour Party)
LINDHURST, Gordon (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party)
MACDONALD, Gordon (Scottish National Party (SNP)
Edinburgh Southern
BRIGGS, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party)
EADIE, Jim (Scottish National Party (SNP))
JOHNSON, Daniel (Scottish Labour Party)
SUBBARAMAN, Pramod (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
LIST VOTE
The names of the parties for the Lothian Region are listed below in the order that they appear on the ballot paper.
Seven candidates will be elected to the Lothian Region as Members of the Scottish Parliament, from the following list:
RISE – Respect, Independence, Socialism and Environmentalism
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Scottish Green Party
Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Liberal Democrats
Scottish National Party (SNP)
Scottish Women’s Equality Party
Solidarity – Scotland’s Socialist Movement
UK Independence Party (UKIP)
THE VOTING SYSTEM
The Additional Member System (AMS) is used to elect members to the Scottish Parliament.
How it works:
There are 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
There are two ways an MSP can be elected.
Each elector (voter) has two votes.
Scotland is divided into 73 constituencies and each constituency elects one MSP. These are known as constituency MSPs and are elected by ‘first past the post’ in exactly the same way as MPs are elected to Westminster. This is the elector’s constituency vote.
The regional vote is used to elect 56 additional members. Scotland is divided into 8 parliamentary Regions and each region elects seven regional MSPs.
In the second vote the voter votes for a party rather than a candidate. The parties are then allocated a number of additional members to make the overall result more proportional. The regional MSPs are selected from lists compiled by the parties. These MSPs are also sometimes referred to as List MSPs.
HOW DO I VOTE?
Always read the instructions for filling in the ballot papers carefully, even if you have voted before.
You will receive two ballot papers.
On the lilac coloured ballot paper you will vote for your constituency MSP. The ballot paper lists the name of each candidate along with their party name and party logo.
Simply put a cross (X) next to the one candidate that you wish to vote for.
On the peach coloured ballot paper you vote for a party or independent candidate competing for the seven regional seats for your region of Scotland. The ballot paper lists political parties and independent candidates.
Simply put a cross (X) next to the one party or independent candidate that you wish to vote for.
If you make a mistake then you can ask the polling staff to give you another ballot paper.
WHERE DO I VOTE?
Your polling place will be noted on your Poll Card, or you can check it online. You should go to your polling place to vote on 5 May, between 7am and 10pm.
WHO DO I VOTE FOR? THE MANIFESTOS …
What do they stand for? What are they offering?
RISE
SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVE & UNIONIST PARTY
Scottish-Conservative-Manifesto_2016
SCOTTISH GREEN PARTY
Scottish Greens Manifesto_Online
SCOTTISH LABOUR PARTY
Scottish Labour Manifesto 2016
SCOTTISH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
Manifesto_-_Be_The_Best_Again-_Scottish_Liberal_Democrats_2016
SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY
SCOTTISH WOMEN’S EQUALITY PARTY
SOLIDARITY – Scotland’s Socialist Movement
Manifesto available on Solidarity website
UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY (UKIP)
FURTHER READING
Keep up on Twitter:
#SP16 #VoteSocialEnterprise #Holyrood2016 #SP2016
#VoteRISE #GreenHolyrood #VoteGreen2016 #BothVotesSNP #BothVotesLabour #VoteLibDemTwice #TeamRuth
PPP: chickens coming home to roost?
Edinburgh schools closures: now it’s the blame game
News of the extended closure of 17 Edinburgh buildings built under the controversial Public Private Partnership arrangements has reopened the debate on using private finance schemes to fund public projects. And, with an election looming, the PPP issue is a heaven-sent for political parties: an unmissable opportunity to play the blame game, finger-pointing and point scoring.
The strictly non-partisan Cockburn Association, Edinburgh’s civic trust, has previously expressed disquiet over the quality and design of PPP schools. The Cockburn Association wrote to councillors regarding school provision and building quality back in January 2012:
“… we would encourage the Planning Department to work with their colleagues in Education to realize a better outcome both for the quality of teaching space and design of the buildings following a proper appraisal of the capacity for the physical expansion of existing primary schools.
“Perhaps a new primary school built in the north of Edinburgh on the proposed budget of £2200 per sq m would be a far more wise option? The City has a fine history of school building by the Edinburgh School Board from 1870 and their quality is a standard we should return to in the 21st century.”
Teachers’ trade union the EIS is calling for an urgent review of all PPP/PFI deals in light of the schools closures.
General Secretary Larry Flanagan said: “The EIS welcomes that the safety of pupils and staff is being treated as a priority, while recognising that these short-notice closures will be highly inconvenient for pupils and parents.
“However, we must also question how such significant defaults could escape normal building control scrutiny and we believe it is now necessary for an urgent review of all PPP/PFI contracts, including the terms of the private maintenance contracts which are often both expensive and extremely restrictive.”
With the 5 May Holyrood elections just around the corner, opponents of both Conservatives (who introduced PPP) and Labour (who adopted it) have wasted little time in apportioning blame for the ‘fiasco’. Who would have thought that the PPP debate would raise it’s head again and become an election battleground?
Over the weekend both the Greens and RISE damned their political opponents and today it’s the turn of the SNP to fire a broadside – and the Lib Dems are in their sights, too.
The SNP candidate in Edinburgh Western Tony Giugliano said: ” “This is a critical time for many pupils, as they enter exam period, and everything must be done to minimise disruption and find alternative safe studying environments. I would also encourage Edinburgh Council to do more to support parents with childcare arrangements.
“It’s clear that we need an immediate inquiry into the construction and safety of these schools. We know that the previous Lib Dem – Labour government at Holyrood bullied councils into rolling out PFI – and the result is exactly what we all feared: unsafe, substandard schools.
“PFI has been a disaster for the city of Edinburgh, with taxpayers contributing £40 million each year in repayments for buildings that are crumbling after only 10 years. Not to mention the debt legacy that the construction of PFI hospitals has had on the NHS. It’s utterly unacceptable and parents and pupils deserve better.
“Edinburgh taxpayers can no longer afford to keep paying for substandard buildings and the City Council should re-consider the future of these contracts.”
Meanwhile, efforts by council officials to resolve the problems go on. City council chief exective Andrew Kerr assured anxious parents: ““Officers are continuing to work on contingency arrangements and we will provide regular updates to parents and carers as and when further information becomes available.”
Parents, however, are growing increasingly angry. Thousands of familes are affected by the school closures and they want answers – now.
We’ll keep you posted.