LITTLE FOR SCOTLAND FROM LABOUR LEADERSHIP TALKS

LITTLE FOR SCOTLAND FROM LABOUR LEADERSHIP TALKS

BALLS PLANS SCOTTISH POWER GRAB

The SNP today said Labour’s candidates offered little for Scotland at
their leadership hustings after the candidates failed to take
responsibility for Labour’s disastrous handling of the economy and claimed
the UK’s foreign policy was all the fault of George Bush.

The SNP also condemned plans by Ed Balls to take planning powers back to
the UK over nuclear power stations.

During the hustings Ed Balls said that the Scottish Parliament could not
be allowed to block nuclear power stations – ignoring the fact that
planning powers are devolved.

SNP MSP Angela Constance said:

“There was little difference between them and little on offer to the
Scottish public.

“Despite sensible questions on the banking crisis, the recession and how
Labour would handle the economy there was no sense of any ideas or any
alternatives and no acceptance of responsibility for what went wrong.

“Arguments over internal party structures from the 1980s, whether Iain
Gray should be promoted to the shadow cabinet while the rest of Scotland
is wondering who he is, and the self congratulatory back slapping over the
last 13 years of failed government are hardly a sign of a party reaching
out to the public.

“The ludicrous claim from one candidate that the problem with UK foreign
policy under Labour was George W Bush – rather than accepting the
decisions for the disastrous and illegal war in Iraq made by a Labour
Prime Minister, a Labour Chancellor, and Labour MPs is one of the most
bizarre excuses yet.

“And yet again the London centric Labour party reared its head as one of
the Eds called for planning powers to be taken back so he could build
nuclear power stations in Scotland instead of supporting the essential
investment in our renewable energy industry.

“It is clear from today’s outing that whoever is elected will have
littleto say to Scotland and that instead of devolving more power at least
one candidate plans on claiming it back”