 | 'We are linked to a state with an immoral defence and foreign affairs policy. In terms of the arms trade the UK is in the top three. Dealers sell to anyone willing to pay and the customers are quite often dictators.' SNP President Dr Winnie Ewing at the 2000 SNP Conference. |  |
The two parties chose the day of First Minister Henry McLeish's visit to the constituency, held for Labour by his late predecessor, Mr Donald Dewar, to launch their criticisms. SNP challenger Grant Thoms who is fighting the Westminster seat, claimed the Scottish Parliament's block grant from the Treasury could be cut if the housing stock transfer being planned by Labour went ahead.
Mr Thoms said 45% of Glasgow's housing was municipal and that 80% of council homes received benefits to help with high rental charges. If the city council's housing stock was transferred to the private sector then tenants stood to lose some or all of their benefits which are funded by the block grant, he claimed.
"I want the Scottish Executive to say if the Scottish block grant will be reduced after the transfer of resources, and if that money will just be handed back to the Treasury in London," he said.
Housing spokeswoman Fiona Hyslop said the city received £220m in rent but had to spend £120m of it servicing the housing debt. She said the council should instead spend the £120m on investing in the housing stock and the Executive should service the debt.
Mr Tom Chalmers, the SNP's challenger in the Holyrood seat, said the council was a "terrible" landlord but that did not mean its tenants should be punished. He mocked Labour challenger William Butler's opposition to the stock transfer, claiming Mr Butler - a city councillor - had changed his mind only when offered the party's nomination for the seat.
"There should be a public debate in Drumchapel about this - but I don't think Mr Butler has the guts to join us," said Mr Chalmers.
Earlier, Lib Dem candidate Chris McGinty, contesting the Westminster seat, claimed voters in Anniesland were opposed to the means testing of pensioners."To have a liveable pension you have to fill in a 40-page form just to get the pension up from £68 to the minimum income guarantee level of £74.85," he claimed.
Lib Dem Holyrood candidate Judith Fryer claimed voters welcomed her party's role in the abolition of up-front tuition fees and she attacked Labour for delaying its promise to provide nursery places for three and four-year-olds."Its just not happening," she complained.
But Mr McLeish swept aside the attacks as he toured an old folks' day-care centre in Drumchapel, claiming Labour's series of initiatives for aiding older people - "our priority group" - had been welcomed everywhere. He said the minimum income guarantee was being supplemented by a rise from £150 to £200 in winter fuel payments. Such initiatives complemented Labour's social justice policy against poverty and in particular against pensioner poverty.
-Nov 14 th
Return to home page