 | 'In the absence of news conferences by the other parties in the Falkirk West by-election, the SNP put up seven MSPs and four senior party officials to bolster their campaign to snatch the Westminster seat vacated by Dennis Canavan. Mr Russell scorned Labour for again refusing to hold regular news conferences and said it showed the party was scared to put up its candidate, Eric Joyce, for scrutiny.' Murray Ritchie in the Herald,, 6 th December 2000. |  |
Michael Russell, Shadow education minister, accused Mr Wilson of "junketing" his way through seven different countries last October alone, including Croatia when Scotland was playing a world cup qualifier.
Mr Wilson, who is minister of state at the Scotland office, chairs the cabinet office committee on trade policy across Whitehall, and is a former trade minister at the Department of Trade and Industry, condemned the SNP's tactics as "pathetic". Of his trip to Croatia, he retorted that he had been selling Scotland and had not attended the game.
In the absence of news conferences by the other parties in the Falkirk West by-election, the SNP put up seven MSPs and four senior party officials to bolster their campaign to snatch the Westminster seat vacated by Dennis Canavan. Mr Russell scorned Labour for again refusing to hold regular news conferences and said it showed the party was scared to put up its candidate, Eric Joyce, for scrutiny.
He accused the two Scotland Office ministers of being desperate to find a role to justify their post-home rule existence.
Mr Wilson's October travels took him to Denmark, Sweden, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Canada and Cuba. "Brian Wilson deserves an award for being king of the junketeers," he said.
When it came to wasting taxpayers' money, said Mr Russell, John Reid was "every bit as bad as his sidekick. He and Wilson are doing non-jobs, either flying around the globe or working for the Labour Party by attacking Scotland's party, the SNP."
Mr Russell said only the SNP candidate, David Kerr, would genuinely represent the interests of Scotland on matters including taxation, social security, defence and foreign affairs.
Mr Wilson responded: "This is pathetic stuff, even by SNP standards." He added: "Travelling in support of Scottish and UK industry is a major part of my work and every visit is translated into orders and jobs. Are the SNP really saying that they would not use ministers in this way?"
Mr Wilson yesterday attended a seminar in London to mark the fifth anniversary of the Cuba Initiative. He said: "The last few years have brought dramatic improvements in Britain's links with Cuba and I am committed to doing whatever I can to ensure these continue to go from strength to strength."
-Dec 6th
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