I consider myself, before political bias, a social libertarian.

Whatever the political allegiance of the candidates, my vote usually ends up going to whoever offers me the closest thing to freedom, allowing me to live my life in the way I choose and unshackled by the chains and straight jackets of unnecessary law and legislature.

I think there is a general trend towards social libertarianism in British, and particularly Scottish, political thinking. I reckon we were all pretty appalled by Republican candidate Rick Santorum’s policies to govern people’s love lives. It is important in elections, and particularly in the very important one we’ll have in 2014, to think of all the possible implications your vote holds; and so I feel it is important to point out some things that seem to have slipped by the main Independence discourse.

The biggest elephant in the Independence room is the state of the New Britain sans Scotland. The most immediately worrying is the political state of Westminster once the 53 Scottish seats are removed. It has been a matter of great amusement that there are now more pandas in Scotland than Tory MPs, (although now a bit well-worn! Ed.) but if the Union were to separate, the loss to Labour of their 41 MPs and the loss to the Liberal Democrats of their 11, as well as the subtraction of the 53 Scottish seats from the total, would mean that the 306 Tory seats were enough for a majority. Generally speaking, and barring a 1997-esque landslide, newly independent Scotland would potentially find herself with a permanently Conservative southern neighbour.

The possible implications for the rest of the Union are also interesting, as a successful independent Scotland could seal the deal for Welsh independence. It surprises me that I haven’t read much about this in the Independence coverage, especially as a part of the Labour ‘No’ campaign. An independent Scotland would be a death sentence for Labour in Westminster.

The other matter which has received press coverage, and rightly so, is the state of British nuclear-equipped submarines stationed on the Clyde. The SNP has not made their position clear but probably will do so in the full agenda which is promised. At present the Trident nuclear missile system represents Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent in its entirety. A Scotsman article highlights the options.

As it stands, nowhere else in the UK is capable of berthing the submarines. An independent Scotland determined to banish the British military, would essentially eliminate the UK nuclear ability. The SNP is also still to announce their position on British nuclear submarines at Faslane, but if they insist on removal then my vote goes to full independence regardless of any other policy. Along with many others, I was sickened by the huge expenditure and the very real world-ending capability of renewal of the Trident system, and any policy that promotes slowing, stopping or reversal of nuclear arms creation gets my wholehearted support. The nuclear sword of Damocles which swings overhead needs to be removed permanently, and if the SNP choose this option they will have a unprecedented chance to disarm a nuclear nation. Just as an independent Scotland could increase support for an independent Wales, so could a disarmed Britain bring other nations round to the same sane realisation.

As a born-and-bred Scot, it has been hard not to get caught up in the romanticism of the Independence debate and focus on facts and possibilities, and I’m still undecided myself as to how my vote will swing. If my ballot could help the world towards nuclear disarmament, the 2014 vote can’t come quickly enough. It is in my view important to consider all of the implications of such a momentous decision and consider fates other than our own.

As it stands, an independent Scotland would change the UK political landscape, and if they really care about doing the right thing, could remove Britain as a nuclear power. Keep an eye on all the facts, as I am going to, and we can all make an informed decision come referendum day.

She was elected to Parliament in May 2010, and is now parliamentary Private Secretary to Jon Trickett as Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office. She is also a member of two select committees on Political and Constitutional Reform and Work and Pensions. She previously represented the Moredun ward on The City of Edinburgh Council from 1991-2007, and her interests lie in housing, women’s issues, the environment, higher education and work and pensions.

Previously Sheila was a solicitor dealing mainly with family related matters such as divorce and housing.

The Reporter met her at Westminster just after Prime Minister’s Questions. It was only supposed to be a quick meeting, but you will hear from the interview that she is very passionate about her role as an MP!

Mark Lazarowicz was first elected as an MP in 2001. He has represented the Edinburgh North and Leith consituency since then.

His website tells us:-

 ”Mark is an active member of the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) – a House of Commons Select Committee which examines Government policies on the environment and produces independent reports which often set the agenda for change.

The EAC has produced reports on issues as diverse as green jobs and skills, air pollution, and deforestation.

In the last Parliament he was also a member of the House of Commons Modernisation Committee which looked at ways of modernising the way Parliament works to bring it closer to the people that elect it.

Before becoming an MP, Mark already served as Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council from 1986 to 1993, and was the Council’s Executive Member with responsibility for transport from 1999 to 2001.

During his term as Leader of the Council, he initiated Edinburgh’s biggest ever programme of housing regeneration and also played a leading part in the development of the Edinburgh Festival Theatre and the Edinburgh Tourist Board.

As Executive member for transport, he started the largest programme of 20 mph zones in any Scottish council. He also won £20 million extra funding from the Scottish Executive to promote road and pavement repairs, bus route improvements and safer routes for pedestrians and cyclists.”

The Reporter caught up with him on Friday morning when he was in his office on Leith Walk to meet up with some locals who consult him on a range of issues.

 

The Reporter took the opportunity of meeting up with Ian Murray MP for Edinburgh South at his usual place of business in Westminster. Ian is a young energetic MP and when we met he had just returned from The Falklands, after a gruelling schedule of meetings there over six days. He looked as fresh as a daisy!

Murray has represented Edinburgh South since last year. Brought up in Wester Hailes, Ian went to Dumbryden primary school, then Wester Hailes Education Centre. He then enrolled at Edinburgh University at the age of 16. He supported his studies with part-time job in a local fish & chip shop, where he then set up and ran a pizza delivery service. Ian studied Social Policy and Law and graduated with an Honours degree at the age of 20. He went on to work at the Royal Blind Asylum and then in pensions management after graduating.

We met him just as he was about to go back to Edinburgh as usual on a Thursday evening.

Edinburgh’s Third Sector encompasses a broad range of voluntary activity. Essential to citizens’ health and well-being and vital to the city’s economic social and environmental sustainability, the city’s Third Sector includes about 2000 voluntary organisations, thousands of individual volunteers and hundreds of active social entrepreneurs.

The City of Edinburgh Council delivers a range of services via Third Sector organisations – some of which feel they are increasingly under threat. EVOC represents the interests of the Sector on the Edinburgh Partnership Board, led by the City Council, and aims to shape and influence strategic planning to take account of the needs of the most disadvantaged people and communities.

Harriet Eadie, Director of the Volunteer Centre Edinburgh, said: “Volunteering is at the heart of the Third Sector and volunteers are passionate about creating a just society and breaking down inequalities and social divides.  We ask politicians, policy makers and practitioners to act on this Manifesto so that together we can build a strong sustainable and resilient Civil Society in Edinburgh where everyone has a voice and the opportunity to contribute.”

Maureen Munro, Co-ordinator of the Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network, said: “Socially Enterprising activity can unleash people’s creativity and their desire to make change happen. The Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network aims to promote social enterprise and encourage networking. Now more than ever we should be stimulating and encouraging entrepreneurship for social good.”

This Manifesto urges politicians to ‘think outside the box,’ for example by considering the potential of Social Impact Bonds, by setting up a Petitions Process for Local Government, and by seriously considering Asset Transfers to the Third Sector. You can read it here.

Edinburgh Interface Manifesto

Writing on Labour Hame, the former minister says that some senior Labour politicians now favour independence to the Calman proposals, and calls for the party to drop the “corrosive negativity” that has characterised the SNP since 2007, to put forward real priorities and to back devolution max.

Chisholm writes:-

“I believe that Devo Max in some form is the right position for the good governance of Scotland and the best way of ensuring that Scottish priorities are to the fore in all domestic policy areas.  Those who are not convinced of that should perhaps reflect that nailing our colours to Calman and the Scotland Bill will boost the independence vote in the forthcoming referendum, as evidenced a few weeks ago when two well-known Labour figures told me they would vote for independence if the alternative was Calman. We need a three question referendum and Labour has to define what Devo Max means as a matter of urgency.”

Mr Chisholm is the first serving Labour MSP to openly support devolution max.

Scotland Bill Committee member Stewart Maxwell SNP MSP said:-

“Malcolm Chisholm’s comments will cut to the core of many Labour MSPs who know that the only way forward for their party is to support the ambitions of the Scottish people for more powers for the parliament.

“Malcolm Chisholm is spot on that the Calman powers are a poor deal that do not deliver the real improvements Scotland needs.  It is no surprise some Labour members would rather see independence than be caught in the Tories tax trap.

“An overwhelming majority of Scots want to see Holyrood have more fiscal responsibility. The Social Attitudes Survey shows that three-quarters of Scots believe that the Scottish Parliament rather than Westminster should have key powers, at the same time as the polls show independence moving ahead both north and south of the Border.

“The ambitions of the people of Scotland go far beyond those of the current Labour, Lib Dem or Tory parties, and it should be welcomed that leading figures in Labour agree with the SNP that the Scotland Bill simply doesn’t go far enough.

“Malcolm Chisholm now joins Henry McLeish, Eric Joyce and even Lord Foulkes in demanding a new deal with devolution max for the Scottish Parliament.

“The question that Margaret Curran, the new Shadow Scottish Secretary, has to answer is where Labour actually stands.

“In the referendum, will Labour stand with the Tories in rejecting any new powers for Scotland – or will they join with the vast majority of people in Scotland in calling for financial and economic clout for Scotland’s Parliament and Government?”

Pic – Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament

The PQ also revealed that the cost of subsequent improvements to the CS2 system, used by the CSA, have totalled more than £117 million extra on top of the development costs since 2006.

The cost of the CSA system follows revelations over recent weeks that the cost of the Libra IT scheme used by the Department of Justice had trebled from its original budget of £146 million to more than £444 million; while another IT system, purchased for the Passport Agency, had quadrupled to £365 million.

Commenting, SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP, whose question uncovered the figures, said:-

“Given the catalogue of IT cost overruns, we would all be better off if Westminster got a calculator rather than another computer. It seems the Westminster government is incapable of delivering big projects on time or on budget. At a time when household budgets are under real pressure, revelations over how wasteful Westminster has been with taxpayers’ money are an absolute scandal.

“Serious questions must be asked about how the cost of the CSA computer system was able to more than double – and the first of those questions should be raised with the former Labour Ministers who signed the contracts.

“When it comes to efficiency, Westminster needs to take a leaf out of the Scottish Government’s book. The SNP Government has pursued a vigorous programme of efficiency and public sector reform that is delivering results and driving improvements. In the first two years of the programme, it has exceeded its targets by £300 million and £400 million. Last year, £2.276 billion of efficiency savings were made - £673 million above the target – through new ways of using resources, collaborating across public services or improving procurement. That money is being reinvested in the public sector to deliver frontline services or lever in new efficiencies. This is a level of delivery that wasteful Westminster should learn from.”

The service provided through Deaf Action in collaboration with SignVideo, an award winning service developed by Significan’t, a deaf-led Social Enterprise, means that Deaf BSL constituents are able to visit Mike to discuss their concerns without having to worry about a language barrier. The latest technology means that a translator joins the meeting via a webcam and provides simultaneous translation.

The online interpreting service for deaf people will provide instant access to experienced SASLI registered BSL/English interpreters using the most advanced technology in the field.

Commenting Mr Crockart said:

“Throughout the UK there is a shortage of British Sign Language/English interpreters; this is a particular problem throughout Scotland with the ratio of qualified interpreters to sign language users estimated at around 1 interpreter for every 200 sign language users.

“This shortage means that interpreters are booked up in advance and many interpreters are unable to accept bookings at short notice.  Commonly, sign language interpreters are booked for a minimum of two hours, even for an appointment that may only last 15 minutes.  Clearly, this booking process is not very convenient for deaf users of the service.

“SignVideo will allow Deaf Action to deliver the same high quality interpreting service, for which Deaf Action’s Communication Support Agency is renowned, as an online service.   Deaf Action’s SignVideo will provide deaf people with access to video interpreters within seconds – over the last six months the average wait for a SignVideo interpreter has been 30.6 seconds!

“This technology will revolutionise the way that I can communicate with Deaf BSL constituents. I hope other elected representatives across Scotland will think about adopting SignVideo.”

Deaf Action offers a full time online interpreting service throughout Scotland.