Kenneth Gibson: Is it not the case that policies should be based on principles other than the speaker's-
Kenneth Gibson: Johann Lamont hit the nail squarely on the head when she talked about the ministerial team as being Labour's team, not a Labour-Liberal Democrat team. Over the next weeks and months we will hear more and more about Labour's team and Labour's policies, and less and less about the Liberal Democrats in that partnership. The saddest comment this morning came from Lord Watson, who told this...
Kenneth Gibson: I asked for a yes or no answer, Mr Smith. Please give that answer.
Kenneth Gibson: Yes, I am. I ended by asking the question to which I did not receive an answer.
Kenneth Gibson: SNP members welcome a local government ethical standards bill to restore public confidence in local government. The bill is necessitated by alleged sleaze and mismanagement in a number of Labour councils in recent years.
Kenneth Gibson: Will Hugh Henry give any examples?
Kenneth Gibson: Yes, I will accept it.
Kenneth Gibson: Can Hugh Henry name the council or the councillor? As he is not prepared to name a councillor or any council, I will continue. Under the principle of subsidiarity, each council should be free to establish its own code of conduct, albeit within a national framework in consultation with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and other interested parties. We are keen to know whether the...
Kenneth Gibson: On a point of order, Deputy Presiding Officer. Mr McConnell seemed somewhat shocked that my colleague Mr Neil would not take his intervention. He should remember that, last week, he failed to take interventions from five SNP members-
Kenneth Gibson: When Des talked about £500 million being added to the public sector through PFI, was he aware that, according to Scottish Office outturn figures, £494 million has been cut from capital expenditure in local authorities since the Labour Government took office in 1997? I want to nail the lie about why SNP councils have been forced down the PFI route. In 1995-96, Government support for local...
Kenneth Gibson: The Skye toll bridge.
Kenneth Gibson: The important issue is the option to buy. Mr McConnell talks about the option of being able to buy, but he is asking the public sector to buy at the very end of the contract after it has paid through the nose throughout the contract period. The truth is that, to guarantee lower taxes today, PFI means higher taxes tomorrow-when the bill that Peter Williams talked about finally presents...
Kenneth Gibson: Not at present. I have a long speech and I think that the Deputy Presiding Officer will cut me off if I take too many interventions. Back in the early 1980s, one of the infamous inner-London boroughs got into trouble for its involvement in a scheme whereby, to bridge the yawning chasm in its annual budget, it sold all its parking meters to a foreign bank and then leased them back from the...
Kenneth Gibson: As that is something that we cannot discuss today-it is a policy that the Scottish Parliament cannot deliver on-that is a distraction from the subject at hand. I believe that PFI has had its day. If Liberal Democrat and Labour members agree, they should vote with us today to hasten its demise. If they vote on a party whip with coalition partners against what they know to be right, they will...
Kenneth Gibson: As I said, we will support those partnerships if there is no alternative and it is that or nothing. Labour has forced us into a position where there is no alternative.
Kenneth Gibson: Has Mr Raffan moved party? Is he still the Conservative member for Delyn?
Kenneth Gibson: Not at this time.
Kenneth Gibson: Okay, go on then.
Kenneth Gibson: The Liberal Democrats are the ones who have sold out. Every member of this Parliament knows that-even Liberal Democrats know it. My colleagues will specify-
Kenneth Gibson: I am just about to finish. We have had seven years of this, Frank, and we will have plenty more opportunities over the next four. I have a word of warning to those who vote for PFI today. The people of Scotland have demonstrated time after time that they will have no truck with the privatisation of public services. We will ensure that every member who votes in favour of PFI today will be...