Commenting as it’s reported that 78% of delegates at the Scottish Police Federation Annual Conference vote to oppose the creation of a single national police force, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott said:
“This landslide police vote has sounded the death knell for the planned single police force. No new Scottish Government can impose a single police force against the wishes of rank and file police officers.
“Having spoken to officers in Aviemore at the conference and across the whole of the country during this election campaign, I’m not at all surprised at this landslide vote against a single force.
“I told delegates that I wanted to keep politics out of policing and keep our police local.
“Labour, the SNP and the Tories all want to centralise our police. But Chief Constables warn that a single force could cost 3,000 officers their jobs. The Chief Constable of a single force would never be out of the Justice Secretary’s office. That’s no way to run our police.
“Only the Liberal Democrats will keep policing local. We are listening to officers. The others should too.”
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Liberal Democrat proposals for the creation of new Regional Development Banks could play a vital role in ensuring Highland business can grow and create jobs, according to Danny Alexander, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey. Speaking during a visit to Harry Gow’s bakery in Inverness with local Liberal Democrat candidates Christine Jardine and Alan MacRae, Mr Alexander said that he was deeply concerned that many companies are still failing to get the help they need to create vital jobs. Scottish Liberal Democrats proposals for new Regional Development Banks would provide more accessible and personalised support for 1,000 businesses. The new institutions would work with colleges, universities and local authorities to deliver business lending, skills, training and tourism functions shaped around the needs of the area. Mr Alexander said: "At a time when money is tight it is vital that government does everything possible to create the conditions to allow businesses to grow and generate the jobs that we need to keep Highland communities alive. It is deeply concerning that so many viable companies are still not getting the financial support they need from their banks. "This is something that Labour failed to address when they were in power at Westminster and I see no evidence to suggest that the SNP would make any difference at Holyrood. For four years, Alex Salmond has failed to provide small businesses with respite from rate increases and has refused to consider proposals for transitional relief. The SNP are again talking big on support for business but why should local firms trust them now?" Commenting as GDP figures are published which show the Scottish economy contracted by 0.4 per cent between October and December last year, Liberal Democrat Finance spokesperson Jeremy Purvis said: “For the SNP to try and claim these are somehow positive figures for Scotland is insulting to the Scottish businesses who continue to struggle. “We desperately need more direct support for businesses through our Regional Development bank proposals. This form of grotesque gloating from the SNP is pathetically out of touch.” Mr Purvis also commented on the CPPR analysis of the parties’ manifestos, saying: "Our proposal for Scottish Water has been vindicated. This justifies our view that if we are to invest in the future for jobs, early years, sustainability and science, then we have to identify where the money is coming from. We stated that clearly in our manifesto and I am pleased this has been independently verified by the CPPR. "What has to be deeply worrying for the SNP is the utter demolition of their wild claims about resources being freed from the Forth Crossing. In essence the CPPR have said that the SNP claimed ‘savings’ are from a project that is yet to be built, from a budget that wasn’t set and figures that were never published. And in a further embarrassment for the SNP, the CPPR states clearly that if there any savings at all then they would be available to any party taking office after 5 May anyway."Related posts: