Home Secretary Charles Clarke last night flatly rejected appeals for him to intervene to secure permission for G8 protesters to march past Gleneagles.Surely policing matters are fully devolved to the Scottish parliament and if that is not the case one would have expected Mr Salmond to be protesting accordingly. But no, just more politically correct posturing about the G8 business. It's no wonder that the politically incorrect silent majority are wary about independence.Asked if he would accept the plea from SNP leader Alex Salmond, leading left-wing campaigner Tony Benn and protest groups for permission to march past the gates of Gleneagles, he gave an abrupt: "No."
(UPDATE: There's more here about the joined-up government planning that's going on at the moment.)
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Neil Craig
Re the G8 demo being banned I am with Voltaire on this - I disagree with everything (well a lot) they say but will defend to the death (or at least considerably beyond the length of an insurance policy) their right to say it.
The introduction of insurance policies here is the thin end of a deliberately inserted wedge.
18 June 2005, 20:38:40 GMT+01:00
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Stuart Dickson
- "Q: Michael Weir (Angus, SNP) Hansard source
"To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer -
(1) what estimate his Department has made of the costs of policing the G8 summit in Perthshire;
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the additional costs to policing of the G8 summit across Scotland."
A. Des Browne (Chief Secretary, HM Treasury) Hansard source
"Policing arrangements for the G8 summit are a devolved responsibility of the Scottish Executive and its police authorities."
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2005-06-09.2336.h&s=speaker%3A11312#g2336.q0
- "Q: Michael Weir (Angus, SNP) Hansard source
"To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the costs will be to his Department of policing the G8 summit."
A: Des Browne (Chief Secretary, HM Treasury) Hansard source
"The Government have agreed to provide £20 million towards the policing costs of the G8 summit."
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2005-06-09.2338.h&s=speaker%3A11312#g2338.q0
Mmmm... that's a bit odd: the G8 policing is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive, but Westminster is footing (part of?) the bill?
Roll on fiscal independence. Ergo real "responsibility".
He who pays the piper calls the tune.
17 June 2005, 21:54:20 GMT+01:00
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