:00:00. > :00:24.and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.
:00:25. > :00:31.Convicted drug smuggler, Melissa Reid, could soon be back
:00:32. > :00:33.in Scotland after spending almost three years in prison in Peru.
:00:34. > :00:36.A woman dies after being attacked at a house to the south of Glasgow.
:00:37. > :00:40.Also on tonight's extended election special, just one week
:00:41. > :00:47.Labour launches its manifesto, saying it marks a return
:00:48. > :00:51.The Conservatives' Ruth Davidson joins me live in the studio
:00:52. > :00:53.for the latest in our series of leader interviews.
:00:54. > :00:55.And after floods from storm Frank ruined people's homes,
:00:56. > :00:57.businesses and infrastructure, how the army is still
:00:58. > :01:22.A convicted drug smuggler, Melissa Reid, could soon be back
:01:23. > :01:32.in Scotland after spending almost three years in prison in Peru.
:01:33. > :01:34.Reid, from Lenzie near Glasgow, was jailed in 2013
:01:35. > :01:37.for trying to smuggle cocaine worth one and a half million
:01:38. > :01:41.A Peruvian judge will decide in the next few days whether she'll
:01:42. > :01:43.be released and expelled from the country, or transferred
:01:44. > :01:46.Here's our home affairs correspondent, Reevel Alderson.
:01:47. > :01:55.It began on the Spanish island of IB is, where Melissa Reid on the left
:01:56. > :02:00.and Michaela McCollum from Northern Ireland were recruited to smuggle
:02:01. > :02:08.drugs. The women were arrested in August 2013 in Lima with cocaine
:02:09. > :02:12.valued at ?1.5 million. The pair claimed they had been coerced to act
:02:13. > :02:19.as treadmills but later pled guilty in approving court. McCollum was
:02:20. > :02:22.freed from jail last month but was ordered to spend part of her parole
:02:23. > :02:28.in Carew. Melissa Reid opted to take a different approach. She returned
:02:29. > :02:38.to court where a judge considered whether she should be expelled from
:02:39. > :02:42.Peru. While it is unclear exactly what is happening to Melissa Reid,
:02:43. > :02:46.her family are hoping it will not be long before they can welcome her
:02:47. > :02:50.back home. 18 months ago her father took part in a Foreign Office video
:02:51. > :02:54.warning of the consequences of taking part in drug smuggling around
:02:55. > :02:58.the world. It is horrendous to see your daughter in handcuffs, the
:02:59. > :03:03.living conditions she has to put up with. Events such as Christmas are
:03:04. > :03:07.nonexistent for us, there will be no celebrations in our house, no
:03:08. > :03:11.Christmas tree, until we get her back and. If Melissa Reid is
:03:12. > :03:13.expelled from Peru she will be able to come home here, without spending
:03:14. > :03:17.any more time in prison. Well our reporter in the Peruvian
:03:18. > :03:29.capital Lima is Dan Collyns To be perfectly honest there's not
:03:30. > :03:34.much more that we can add at this stage to the report that we have
:03:35. > :03:36.just heard. We still don't know the decision of the judge. As we heard,
:03:37. > :03:43.Melissa Reid attended the hearing decision of the judge. As we heard,
:03:44. > :03:47.yesterday, and that decision, we are yet to hear the decision on that,
:03:48. > :03:49.and the Foreign Office has also confirmed that we are still waiting
:03:50. > :03:55.to hear that decision from the judge. We do understand, though,
:03:56. > :04:00.that if that decision is confirmed by the judge, Melissa Reid will be
:04:01. > :04:03.able to return home a free woman. Previously we'd understood that the
:04:04. > :04:06.legal team had applied for a transfer back to the UK under a
:04:07. > :04:11.separate agreement which would have meant that she would have had to
:04:12. > :04:16.serve the remainder of her sentence, having to serve 30% of her sentence
:04:17. > :04:18.in Peru in a UK prison. We understand that this could be
:04:19. > :04:22.in Peru in a UK prison. We superseded by this other agreement
:04:23. > :04:29.which would allow her to return home a free woman. Michaela McCollum, her
:04:30. > :04:39.friend and partner in this drug smuggling crime which they committed
:04:40. > :04:43.in 2013 is now at liberty in Peru. She has to sign in at a police
:04:44. > :04:46.officer every month, and she has two remain in contact with the
:04:47. > :04:53.authorities. She will have to serve the remainder of her sentence which
:04:54. > :04:57.is a little more than three years in Peru. Melissa wanted to return home
:04:58. > :05:01.to be reunited with her family, and hopefully this will come off for
:05:02. > :05:09.her. If she is released she will return home as soon as possible. She
:05:10. > :05:15.may even be remanded to the plane at Lima's remain a -- main airport to
:05:16. > :05:17.take her home. A 39-year-old woman has died
:05:18. > :05:19.after being attacked at a house in Newton Mearns in East
:05:20. > :05:21.Renfrewshire. Police say the woman died following
:05:22. > :05:23.a disturbance at the property Officers are thought to be following
:05:24. > :05:38.a definite line of inquiry. Forensics team has spent much of
:05:39. > :05:42.today at this home in Beech Avenue. Police were called at around
:05:43. > :05:46.midnight after a disturbance. The 39-year-old woman who lived here
:05:47. > :05:50.died. It is understood she was the mother of two young children and had
:05:51. > :05:54.lived here with her husband and children for some years. Neighbours
:05:55. > :06:02.expressed sadness and disbelief at what had happened. One had written a
:06:03. > :06:06.note on this bouquet. I just felt I had to do something. It is such a
:06:07. > :06:11.small neighbourhood. You only hear about it in other places. When it
:06:12. > :06:16.happens on your own street it hits you. I am really shocked. This is a
:06:17. > :06:21.very quiet area. You never hear of anything like that here, I am badly
:06:22. > :06:24.shocked. Police have been following a definite line of enquiry and it is
:06:25. > :06:26.understood that robbery is not thought to be a motive in this case.
:06:27. > :06:28.This is the kind of quiet suburban street where
:06:29. > :06:37.people not wave and For a young mother to lose her life
:06:38. > :06:40.in such circumstances has shocked and upset people here.
:06:41. > :06:44.The Scottish Labour Party has launched its manifesto
:06:45. > :06:46.for the Holyrood election, saying it's "a return
:06:47. > :06:54.Labour plans to increase income tax in Scotland to boost
:06:55. > :06:56.spending on schools, the NHS and other services.
:06:57. > :06:59.Party leaders say the richest will pay most - while the low paid
:07:00. > :07:02.will be helped by a UK increase in the point at which
:07:03. > :07:05.Here's our political editor Brian Taylor.
:07:06. > :07:13.Grassmarket, awaiting the latest manifesto. Into the mix
:07:14. > :07:23.deliberately bland, even iced onto cupcakes. Scottish Labour has
:07:24. > :07:33.struggled of late. links to a pledge to protect health
:07:34. > :07:37.spending, passing on all UK increases. This is a manifesto in
:07:38. > :07:41.the best traditions of the Labour Party. A key policy, 1% of all tax
:07:42. > :07:46.rates plus a new 50p top rate to boost
:07:47. > :07:49.public spending, particularly education.
:07:50. > :07:56.You cannot get a world-class education system on the cheap.
:07:57. > :07:59.Somebody has to pay. We are going to ask the richest 1% to pay more tax
:08:00. > :08:04.so that we can invest in our schools. We will also put a penny on
:08:05. > :08:08.the basic rate of income tax that we can generate the revenue is we need
:08:09. > :08:13.to stop the cuts. If we choose not to do that, we are faced with ?3
:08:14. > :08:17.billion worth of cuts yet to come to our schools, community centres,
:08:18. > :08:21.libraries, care for the elderly. All those public services we hold dear.
:08:22. > :08:25.We have a chance to stop the cuts, to invest in the future. Within the
:08:26. > :08:29.package that comprises Labour's education policy they are
:08:30. > :08:31.breakfast club for every primary school.
:08:32. > :08:40.guaranteed GP appointment within 48 hours, although that is not
:08:41. > :08:45.necessarily with a GP. 60,000 affordable homes plus extra help for
:08:46. > :08:48.first-time buyers. Among other policies, Labour plans police
:08:49. > :08:55.re-form with greater local accountability. They'd ban fracking,
:08:56. > :08:59.unconventional drilling for gas. And they'd used Holyrood powers to top
:09:00. > :09:04.up pensions for women is born in the early 1950s who have lost out on UK
:09:05. > :09:06.changes. Kezia Dugdale rules out another referendum on independence
:09:07. > :09:13.jarring the lifetime of the next Holyrood parliament. The manifesto
:09:14. > :09:16.reflects Scottish Labour's decision that Trident should
:09:17. > :09:22.A sign, she says, that this is about different line.
:09:23. > :09:23.A sign, she says, that this is about party policy, not the personal
:09:24. > :09:29.A sign, she says, that this is about choice of the leader. Final major
:09:30. > :09:38.manifesto, finally launched, final We now have a complete set. Complete
:09:39. > :09:45.set of the major manifesto is indeed. In our end is our beginning.
:09:46. > :09:47.The fundamental division that has been there from the outset of this
:09:48. > :09:48.prolonged election campaign remains there with
:09:49. > :09:56.only one week to go. That is on tax and spending.
:09:57. > :09:59.Labour's offer is a penny across all bands, whereas the SNP say they will
:10:00. > :10:02.reverse a planned tax cut for higher earners but would not impose an
:10:03. > :10:06.increase on the standard rate, arguing that it
:10:07. > :10:07.would be penalising the poor for cuts imposed elsewhere.
:10:08. > :10:12.The Tories say people in Scotland should not pay more than people
:10:13. > :10:19.UK, and the Liberal Democrats are also in favour of a penny across all
:10:20. > :10:21.bands. A fundamental choice and a fundamental series of offers.
:10:22. > :10:24.A poll this evening suggesting a setback, electoral
:10:25. > :10:29.It's not exactly good news for Labour, coming on the day of their
:10:30. > :10:30.manifesto launch. This poll suggesting that
:10:31. > :10:37.a 1-point lead on the constituency, but is two points
:10:38. > :10:45.behind the Conservatives on the list vote.
:10:46. > :10:47.Given the importance of the top up list vote it could be the case that
:10:48. > :10:56.it would leave Labour, in terms of conservative in third place. Labour
:10:57. > :10:56.discounts that, you would expect them
:10:57. > :11:01.so, but they are able to counter any trend in that direction.
:11:02. > :11:07.Other suggestions, a comfortable lead in first place for the SNP, and
:11:08. > :11:11.just possibly the Greens ousting the Liberal Democrats in fourth. The
:11:12. > :11:17.caution, though, it is one pole and the vote that matters comes in a
:11:18. > :11:19.week. But it might put a smile on Ruth Davidson's face when she is
:11:20. > :11:23.interviewed on this programme. Union leaders from shipyards
:11:24. > :11:25.on the Clyde have been lobbying MPs at Westminster over fears that
:11:26. > :11:28.a delay in Royal Navy work Our correspondent David Porter
:11:29. > :11:31.is at Wesminster for us tonight. David did any of the lobbies
:11:32. > :11:34.or politicians thrown any light they may disagree on, all sides
:11:35. > :11:44.agree on one thing. Royal Navy orders are vital, not
:11:45. > :11:47.just for the prosperity of the yards, but more fundamentally
:11:48. > :11:51.for their survival. Originally the UK Government said
:11:52. > :11:53.that it wanted to order 13 of the so-called type 26
:11:54. > :12:05.frigates. government and ministers have said
:12:06. > :12:06.that they are committed. That those vessels will be built and
:12:07. > :12:15.constructed. The language they are using is quite
:12:16. > :12:16.stark. They say the future of Scottish
:12:17. > :12:19.shipbuilding is hanging by a thread. They say they fear that if those
:12:20. > :12:25.orders are delayed or some work is moved down
:12:26. > :12:25.south to England, that that would have
:12:26. > :12:34.very worried that the workers on the Clyde are perhaps
:12:35. > :12:47.A lot of promises have been made about building frigates. The huge
:12:48. > :12:48.amount of investment that has not happened.
:12:49. > :12:57.constant slippage in the frigate building programme. What we are
:12:58. > :12:59.being told is that the government are pushing BAE Systems to cut the
:13:00. > :13:02.work and outsource some of the work are pushing BAE Systems to cut the
:13:03. > :13:07.that was planned for the Clyde down to England. The issue was raised by
:13:08. > :13:10.the SNP at Prime Minister's Questions? It was, the Nationalists
:13:11. > :13:12.raised the issue together with what they said was the ongoing crisis in
:13:13. > :13:17.the UK steel industry, and they they said was the ongoing crisis in
:13:18. > :13:20.accused David Cameron of basically selling the UK and Scottish steel
:13:21. > :13:24.industries and Scottish shipbuilding industry short. They did Cameron
:13:25. > :13:27.said that this was a very good example of where the UK and the
:13:28. > :13:32.Scottish governments should work together. Particularly on areas like
:13:33. > :13:36.procurement. And he queried how much Scottish steel was being used in the
:13:37. > :13:41.new Forth Road Bridge crossing. He also made the point as well back if
:13:42. > :13:46.it was an independent Scotland, there would be no UK warships being
:13:47. > :13:48.built on the Clyde. Thank you very much.
:13:49. > :13:50.Well it's time now for the latest in our series of interviews
:13:51. > :13:54.Tonight it's the turn of Ruth Davidson the leader
:13:55. > :14:08.Ruth Davidson wasn't an MSP at the time of the last Scottish election.
:14:09. > :14:13.As a former journalist, she knows the meaning of a photo opportunity.
:14:14. > :14:18.And like so many Scottish Conservatives, she is trying to
:14:19. > :14:22.reach out to those who believe the party is more of a sewer flume
:14:23. > :14:29.banner bonbon, even when they find the policies more pleasant on the
:14:30. > :14:32.planet. Unusually for the leader of a major party, she is not even
:14:33. > :14:37.pretending she has a chance of becoming First Minister. Instead her
:14:38. > :14:42.aim is to turn the Tories into the main opposition party at Holyrood,
:14:43. > :14:46.to make things sticky for the Scottish Government. In the party's
:14:47. > :14:50.manifesto, she says she is applying for the job of Leader of the
:14:51. > :14:56.Opposition. One thing Ruth Davidson would strongly oppose is any renewed
:14:57. > :14:59.drive for independence. The party says its commitment to keeping
:15:00. > :15:04.Scotland in the UK is beyond question. But how would it use the
:15:05. > :15:07.powers of the Scottish Parliament? Top priorities include what is
:15:08. > :15:14.described as a competitive rate of income tax, and more money for
:15:15. > :15:17.mental health services. Winning won't be the measure of success for
:15:18. > :15:21.Ruth Davidson, it will be coming second. But is this realistic, and
:15:22. > :15:24.what might a strong Tory opposition be like? Can she take the bull by
:15:25. > :15:36.the horns? Some interesting photocalls there.
:15:37. > :15:39.At the buffalo farm, we were talking about the rural economy and rural
:15:40. > :15:43.businesses, so I thought I would go to one that was a little bit
:15:44. > :15:49.different, in Fife, not far from where I grew up, in fact. You have
:15:50. > :15:54.made the defence of the Union one of the key part of this campaign, and
:15:55. > :15:59.one of the pivotal issues of the independence referendum was Scottish
:16:00. > :16:04.shipbuilding. And yet, we here tonight, there are very real fears
:16:05. > :16:09.that the industry that you said would be safe is facing some very
:16:10. > :16:13.real problems. Well, I have heard the concerns from the unions, I
:16:14. > :16:16.spoke to the Defence Secretary at the weekend, and there is a
:16:17. > :16:21.comprehensive guarantee of the work coming in terms of the Type 26
:16:22. > :16:25.programme, the offshore patrol vessels that were promised in
:16:26. > :16:29.November of last year. That is ?8 billion worth of investment in the
:16:30. > :16:33.Clyde, and I think it is worth pointing out that although the SNP
:16:34. > :16:37.have been ramping up the rhetoric on this, the UK Government does not
:16:38. > :16:40.build complex warships outside the UK. If Scotland had been
:16:41. > :16:46.independent, none of this work would have come to the Clyde. But there
:16:47. > :16:52.was a guarantee, and we're not talking about orders not coming to
:16:53. > :16:54.the Clyde... Hang on a second, we're talking about delays that will cost
:16:55. > :17:00.jobs. Two, outsourcing of some of the work. Can you give us a
:17:01. > :17:05.guarantee, you heard the unions, they say they are still in the dark,
:17:06. > :17:09.David Cameron was asked at Prime Minister's Questions, he did not
:17:10. > :17:15.answer the question. Here and now, can you tell us there will be no
:17:16. > :17:19.delays and no outsourcing? These are the questions I asked the Defence
:17:20. > :17:23.Secretary at the weekend, and his answer to me was absolutely. What
:17:24. > :17:27.was in the SDSR is what the UK Government is going out with, no
:17:28. > :17:31.changes since November. I have said we need to make sure the workforce
:17:32. > :17:36.feel secure, and there are issues about that. If there is an issue
:17:37. > :17:41.regarding wind down of work on the carrier programme, mostly being done
:17:42. > :17:45.and recite, and work starting on the Type 26 frigates, that is where the
:17:46. > :17:48.company and government and the unions need to work together to
:17:49. > :17:56.smooth the transition, but in terms of the eight frigates being built at
:17:57. > :18:00.Scotstoun and Govan, in terms of the patrol vessels, I have assurances
:18:01. > :18:07.from the Defence Secretary that the work is going ahead. No delays, no
:18:08. > :18:12.outsourcing, yes or no? It is my third time of telling you, that is
:18:13. > :18:15.what the Defence Secretary told me. At the very least, Ruth Davidson,
:18:16. > :18:20.one week before the Scottish election campaign, the fact that
:18:21. > :18:24.fears were allowed to be raised over such a totemic industry that played
:18:25. > :18:28.such a part in the independence referendum, do you ever look down
:18:29. > :18:35.south, to Number Ten and number 11 Downing Street and think, thanks,
:18:36. > :18:40.guys?! I have to say, there is no coincidence that the SNP has sought
:18:41. > :18:44.to raise this... I'm not talking about the SNP, and talking about the
:18:45. > :18:48.Treasury and David Cameron. It is integral to the question you are
:18:49. > :18:52.vast me, there is no question they have ramped up this rhetoric before
:18:53. > :18:56.the election, because creating a grievance with Westminster, real or
:18:57. > :19:01.imagined, has never served them badly. But people understand that
:19:02. > :19:05.the country voted to stay part of the United Kingdom, we voted to be
:19:06. > :19:09.part of the UK, to have a Royal Navy, for ships to be built within
:19:10. > :19:15.the UK. If Scotland was not in the UK, they would not be being built in
:19:16. > :19:20.Scotland. No-one the complexities and obfuscation of David Cameron's
:19:21. > :19:26.tax returns, of a party riven by infighting over the EU referendum.
:19:27. > :19:30.And yet this is your party, and you are trying to get the Scottish
:19:31. > :19:34.electorate to trust you, and perhaps, more importantly, trying to
:19:35. > :19:40.lose the label of Tory toxicity. It seems to be that every time you make
:19:41. > :19:45.one step forward, what happens? South of the border you get knocked
:19:46. > :19:48.back. You are doing a disservice to the electorate in Scotland, they
:19:49. > :19:51.know they are voting for who will be First Minister and who will be a
:19:52. > :19:55.strong opposition that we have not seen in Scotland, and that is the
:19:56. > :20:00.job I am asking to fulfil. I can do a job for the people of Scotland, I
:20:01. > :20:04.can hold the SNP to account in a way that, with Labour, they have not
:20:05. > :20:08.been able to. But forward scrutiny they have never had before,
:20:09. > :20:11.challenge and debate in a way we have not seen. You even had your
:20:12. > :20:14.cheap political correspondent, your political editor, saying we are at
:20:15. > :20:18.cheap political correspondent, your record levels in the polls since
:20:19. > :20:22.devolution, so that messages getting through. People want somebody to
:20:23. > :20:27.hold the SNP to account, and that is a job I can do. You are low tax
:20:28. > :20:30.party, so why are you not campaigning for tax cuts? We have
:20:31. > :20:35.been honest over the medium term we would like to be able to cut taxes
:20:36. > :20:38.in Scotland, but we cannot go into an election next week and say that
:20:39. > :20:42.we can cut taxes next week and have the level of service provision that
:20:43. > :20:46.you enjoy right now. Those tax cuts have to be earned, and I have been
:20:47. > :20:51.doing this all week, businesses north and south and all sorts of
:20:52. > :20:54.sectors, talking of how we grow the Scottish economy, how we can earn
:20:55. > :20:58.those future tax cuts. No other party is doing that in Scotland,
:20:59. > :21:03.they are all talking about how much money they can take out of the pay
:21:04. > :21:06.packets of workers. Some workers and quite low wages. What we are seeing
:21:07. > :21:11.is that we do not benefit as a country from saying we are the high
:21:12. > :21:15.tax part of the UK. I was interested to watch last night that you had on
:21:16. > :21:18.your programme the chairman of the chamber of commerce who said that
:21:19. > :21:22.the Scottish economy is on a knife edge, we could slip back into
:21:23. > :21:26.recession, we have a bigger gap in unemployment than down south, and
:21:27. > :21:29.our economy is growing out of the pace. That is why we need to
:21:30. > :21:34.concentrate on growing the Scottish economy. You want tax levels here to
:21:35. > :21:38.be the same as the rest of the UK? Our clear policy is that there
:21:39. > :21:43.should be no higher, but a business rate we would reduce them. In the
:21:44. > :21:47.Welsh elections, why are they campaigning for tax cuts? That is
:21:48. > :21:50.something they say they can sort, perhaps they won't commensurate cuts
:21:51. > :21:58.to public services. I am saying we can work towards tax cuts in future,
:21:59. > :22:02.but if you want to invest in the health service and in schools, those
:22:03. > :22:06.tax cuts have to be earned by growing the economy. To make round
:22:07. > :22:10.in the campaign, you will have to get people who have never thought of
:22:11. > :22:14.voting Conservative to vote for you, so how is making students basic
:22:15. > :22:19.thousand pounds and reintroducing prescription fees, how is that
:22:20. > :22:24.playing out on the doorsteps? -- pay ?6,000. People understand what we
:22:25. > :22:27.are offering, and I know that some of my opponents have tried to scare
:22:28. > :22:32.people at home, but pensioners would never paper prescriptions, neither
:22:33. > :22:36.would people with long-term conditions, low incomes, students,
:22:37. > :22:39.pregnant women. When we scrap prescription charges, only 10% of
:22:40. > :22:44.prescriptions were ever paid for, by people like you and me, who have
:22:45. > :22:49.jobs and wages and can afford it. The decision we made is this - that
:22:50. > :22:58.takes ?65 million out of the NHS budget in Scotland, to have free
:22:59. > :23:00.descriptions. The choice I make is that instead of having somebody like
:23:01. > :23:03.a First Minister on ?150,000 able to get free paracetamol, somebody with
:23:04. > :23:06.cancer being told they cannot get the joke they could get down south,
:23:07. > :23:14.that is not right, we would put it back into the NHS. -- the drugs.
:23:15. > :23:17.Your opponents say these are stealth taxes, taxing people through the
:23:18. > :23:21.back door. This is clearly showing people what it is, and you forget
:23:22. > :23:24.that we always used to pay for things like prescriptions, and
:23:25. > :23:29.people were willing to do so because they know that it helps the NHS, and
:23:30. > :23:32.it helped as care for people, and it was a situation where somebody on a
:23:33. > :23:34.cancer ward was able to get the drugs available to someone somewhere
:23:35. > :23:41.cancer ward was able to get the else in the UK. So it is about
:23:42. > :23:44.choices. If I a leader of a strong opposition, which I hope I will be,
:23:45. > :23:47.I will have to persuade other people to support me on this. At the moment
:23:48. > :23:53.I am not having much luck, but it is one of the ways we need to look at
:23:54. > :23:57.investing and looking after our NHS. Your campaign has had you front and
:23:58. > :24:03.centre, you are the face on the pamphlets and all the literature.
:24:04. > :24:10.However, isn't there a need in any party for team Tory? And it is a
:24:11. > :24:13.case of needing more than just a charismatic leader, you need
:24:14. > :24:18.strength in depth. It doesn't seem that you have that. On the contrary,
:24:19. > :24:22.the reason we have put me front and centre is because we knew the SNP
:24:23. > :24:26.would run a presidential style campaign starring Nicola Sturgeon.
:24:27. > :24:30.Do you have to do everything they do? I want to match a stride for
:24:31. > :24:37.stride, and we can take them on and fight them on their ground. We knew,
:24:38. > :24:39.because we had seen them register names with the Electoral Commission,
:24:40. > :24:42.that we knew they would do this, and I want to take Nicola Sturgeon on
:24:43. > :24:46.every week at First Minister's Questions doing that. It is a big
:24:47. > :24:49.transition for the Scottish Conservatives, more than half of our
:24:50. > :24:54.number are retiring, so more than half of our MSPs are going to be new
:24:55. > :24:56.faces, people from outside politics that bring expertise into the
:24:57. > :25:02.parliament, can raise the level of debate and do a job for Scotland.
:25:03. > :25:06.Will you work with the SNP in Parliament if their policies call
:25:07. > :25:09.for decentralisation, restructuring local government? Well, the problem
:25:10. > :25:14.with what they have done in the past is that they are centralised almost
:25:15. > :25:17.everything in Scotland, from a centralised police force to
:25:18. > :25:21.amalgamating colleges. My worry is that the system they have raised
:25:22. > :25:26.about local government... So no matter what they do, even if you
:25:27. > :25:30.agree? We have always been instructive and able to put forward
:25:31. > :25:35.alternatives, we are not like the Labour Party moaning from the
:25:36. > :25:38.sidelines, we always put forward alternatives that we think would
:25:39. > :25:42.make Scotland work better. I will continue to do that and seek to gain
:25:43. > :25:45.people on my side. My worry with the LOCOG and reorganisation that has
:25:46. > :25:53.come from nowhere, since the manifesto was published, and that it
:25:54. > :25:57.is about centralisation too, so places like Angus into Dundee. There
:25:58. > :26:01.is more work that local authorities can do behind the scenes,
:26:02. > :26:09.back-office staff... We are running out of time. I want local people to
:26:10. > :26:12.feel they have a sense of ownership. Are you proud of David Cameron's
:26:13. > :26:17.record? We have done a tremendous job of getting the economy back on
:26:18. > :26:21.track. So why, with that record that you are proud of, why is he not
:26:22. > :26:26.coming up to campaign? You launched our campaign at the party conference
:26:27. > :26:31.last month. Why is he not campaigning with you? He is not in
:26:32. > :26:35.any of the literature. Do you see him as a liability? With respect,
:26:36. > :26:38.his name is not on the ballot paper, he will not be serving in Hollywood,
:26:39. > :26:45.and you will not find Jeremy Corbyn's name on the Labour
:26:46. > :26:49.manifesto. He is not a double term Prime Minister. He is a party leader
:26:50. > :26:52.down south, and his name is not on the ballot paper. This would be a
:26:53. > :26:54.strong opposition that can take the fight to the SNP, it is a job
:26:55. > :26:56.strong opposition that can take the think I can do for the people of
:26:57. > :26:58.Scotland. Thank you for your time. And our interviews
:26:59. > :27:00.with the party leaders continue tomorrow night
:27:01. > :27:02.on Reporting Scotland with the Scottish Labour
:27:03. > :27:03.leader, Kezia Dugdale. Elsewhere in the Holyrood
:27:04. > :27:05.election campaign, there's been an outbreak
:27:06. > :27:07.of agreement. Five party leaders have called
:27:08. > :27:10.on Royal Troon golf club to stop excluding women from membership,
:27:11. > :27:12.as it prepares to host and will make
:27:13. > :27:33.a decision this autumn. At Royal Troon, they are getting
:27:34. > :27:37.ready to host the open for the ninth time. But it is a controversial
:27:38. > :27:44.venue because the club does not allow women to join. The Labour
:27:45. > :27:49.leader is against the men only rule and, like others in a party, will
:27:50. > :27:54.stay away from the championship. I don't think I would personally go,
:27:55. > :27:59.no. I welcome the investment coming to Scotland, but the onus will be on
:28:00. > :28:02.the club now to maybe change its policy before this competition
:28:03. > :28:08.comes. I think people across Scotland would really welcome the
:28:09. > :28:15.change. For the Greens, tradition is no excuse for excluding women. The
:28:16. > :28:20.fact that we have male only golf courses belongs in the 19th century,
:28:21. > :28:22.and it is iconic of just how far we have got to go in terms of gender
:28:23. > :28:35.equality. Gender equality is one of the things
:28:36. > :28:39.that really matters to me. I did think in this day and age it is
:28:40. > :28:46.acceptable to have anywhere off-limits to women. The open was
:28:47. > :28:51.posted here three years ago, Alex Salmond turned down his invitation
:28:52. > :28:56.to attend in protest at the club's mail only membership policy. At
:28:57. > :29:00.Royal Troon the circumstances are different. It's hosting this year's
:29:01. > :29:06.championship together with the ladies golf club, Troon. And it has
:29:07. > :29:13.announced the compounds of review of its own membership policy. Royal
:29:14. > :29:16.Troon would go up in the Liberal Democrat leader's estimation if it
:29:17. > :29:23.speeded up a decision on admitting female members. This is regrettable
:29:24. > :29:27.and I think true need to come into the 21st century. I think they need
:29:28. > :29:31.to bring forward a vote on whether to allow women into the club and
:29:32. > :29:35.then they can send a very clear signal, not just to people of
:29:36. > :29:40.Scotland, but across the world, that they are a modern club. Royal
:29:41. > :29:43.Troon's membership is a matter for the club according to the executive
:29:44. > :29:50.member for championships at golf's governing body. The Conservative
:29:51. > :29:53.leader is happy to toast the move 's golf has made towards gender
:29:54. > :29:59.equality, but she wants the game to go further. I think the RMT have
:30:00. > :30:05.come a long way, they had their own referendum about allowing women
:30:06. > :30:11.members -- the R have come a long way. I tell you something, if Troon
:30:12. > :30:16.don't let women in, there may not be a national boycott but I certainly
:30:17. > :30:22.will not be going to watch. Troon stresses that it is reviewing rules
:30:23. > :30:27.but that current arrangements worked well for male and female golfers. I
:30:28. > :30:30.always say it is one venue, two clubhouses and fully shared
:30:31. > :30:36.facilities. The ladies can play the old course at any day of the week
:30:37. > :30:39.free of charge and can come across and use this clubhouse. So we are
:30:40. > :30:42.very close in working relationships between the two clubs. Getting ready
:30:43. > :30:47.very close in working relationships for the open is not the only
:30:48. > :30:48.activity at Royal Troon. The policy on female membership is work in
:30:49. > :30:50.progress, too. The Liam Fee murder trial has heard
:30:51. > :30:53.claims that two women accused of murdering the toddler
:30:54. > :30:54.were "panicking" in which they allegedly
:30:55. > :31:00.imprisoned another boy. The evidence was from a child
:31:01. > :31:04.witness who was in the house near Glenrothes when Nyomi
:31:05. > :31:17.and Rachel Fee realised that This was the third day of recorded
:31:18. > :31:24.evidence from the second child witness, who was asked about the day
:31:25. > :31:29.that happened on the day that Liam Fee died. He spoke about a makeshift
:31:30. > :31:33.cage in which it is alleged another boy was imprisoned by Rachel and
:31:34. > :31:37.Nyomi Fee. He said they were panicking about the cage and kept
:31:38. > :31:44.asking where it could go. He was asked what happened to the cage. The
:31:45. > :31:47.court heard allegations that the child and another boy had been
:31:48. > :31:52.forced to hit each other. The young witness said that one of the
:31:53. > :31:57.accused, Nyomi Fee had encouraged the other boy to strike him with a
:31:58. > :32:00.shoe and a tube of skin cream. He said the other boy kept whacking him
:32:01. > :32:05.and made him bleed. The young witness also said before the police
:32:06. > :32:10.came, the accused told him he would go to prison if he didn't tell them
:32:11. > :32:15.what the other boy had done to him. Nyomi and Rachel Fee and I murdering
:32:16. > :32:20.Lee and mistreating two other boys. We all remember the damage done
:32:21. > :32:25.by Storm Frank in December. Much of that was to Aberdeenshires
:32:26. > :32:26.bridges, and the debris left behind
:32:27. > :32:29.has been a big problem. Today the Army have been in Ballater
:32:30. > :32:41.lending a hand to clear it, The raging torrent caused by storm
:32:42. > :32:46.Frank didn't just flood houses, even caravans were carried away. Many of
:32:47. > :32:53.them damaging bridges and leaving huge amounts of debris behind.
:32:54. > :32:56.Clearing it is a logistical problem. Some jobs require that extra bit of
:32:57. > :33:04.muscle and that's why the Army have come here to help clear debris from
:33:05. > :33:10.this bridge. Soldiers from two support the town used a winch and a
:33:11. > :33:14.vehicle to do the heavy work. It is a slow job, though, which requires a
:33:15. > :33:19.lot of patients. We need to finish the task off. We are about five
:33:20. > :33:24.hours into our first day, managed to make quite a lot of progress. Once
:33:25. > :33:29.we are done with the caravan behind us, on the far side, we are going to
:33:30. > :33:37.try to remove that as well. This is just one place that storm Frank has
:33:38. > :33:40.left its Mark. Aberdeenshire Council has over 300 damaged bridges from
:33:41. > :33:49.storm Frank. We are slowly making our way through that prioritised
:33:50. > :33:50.programme of repairs. We started with the Inver Corbridge, we were
:33:51. > :33:56.programme of repairs. We started able to get opened within a week. We
:33:57. > :34:00.are now working our way through, and this is one of the major ones we are
:34:01. > :34:05.keen and we are very pleased the Army has tackled. There's only so
:34:06. > :34:10.much a winch can do, though. Sometimes you just need to get hands
:34:11. > :34:12.on to finish the job. Or even a good old-fashioned boot.
:34:13. > :34:15.Prince Charles was in the Highlands today to present medals to soldiers
:34:16. > :34:21.The Prince is Royal Colonel of the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion
:34:22. > :34:26.of the regiment, which is based at Fort George near Inverness.
:34:27. > :34:29.Seven members of the regiment as well as one civil servant
:34:30. > :34:32.received medals during a ceremony at the base.
:34:33. > :34:36.A look at other stories from across the country.
:34:37. > :34:39.The transport company First Bus has ordered more than 300 new vehicles.
:34:40. > :34:44.and will be built by Alexander Dennis of Falkirk.
:34:45. > :34:46.The rest will be produced in Northern Ireland.
:34:47. > :34:54.says the deals are worth a total of ?70 million.
:34:55. > :34:58.Hargreaves, the operator of opencast coal mines in Scotland,
:34:59. > :35:01.is to accelerate the closure of six out of its seven sites,
:35:02. > :35:06.leaving only the House of Water site in Ayrshire.
:35:07. > :35:09.The company says it plans to spend more than ?3 million
:35:10. > :35:10.on the Scots closures, across Lanarkshire,
:35:11. > :35:16.and the closure of coal-burning power stations.
:35:17. > :35:19.Three Scotch whisky distilleries and a bottling plant have been sold
:35:20. > :35:24.to the Jack Daniels maker Brown-Forman for ?285 million.
:35:25. > :35:27.The Kentucky based company is acquiring the Ben Riach,
:35:28. > :35:31.Glen Dronach and Glen Glassoch single-malt brands.
:35:32. > :35:33.The company's Edinburgh headquarters, which has 165
:35:34. > :35:38.employees, will operate as a subsidiary of Brown-Forman.
:35:39. > :35:42.A campaign is being launched to save two ancient trees thought
:35:43. > :35:45.to be from the forest immortalised in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
:35:46. > :35:48.The Birnam Oak and Sycamore were damaged when Storm Desmond
:35:49. > :35:53.The storm caused severe flooding in the Birnam Woods
:35:54. > :35:56.Ultrasound scans have revealed damage to the trees
:35:57. > :36:02.The programme for the 2016 Borders Book Festival
:36:03. > :36:08.Appearing in Melrose this June will be veteran thriller
:36:09. > :36:10.writer Frederick Forsyth, acclaimed percussionist
:36:11. > :36:14.Evelyn Glennie, and Genesis founder Mike Rutherford.
:36:15. > :36:16.The winner of the ?25,000 Walter Scott Prize
:36:17. > :36:25.for historical fiction will also be announced.
:36:26. > :36:29.David is here which means he either just wants to be near me, or he's
:36:30. > :36:38.got the sport. Or both! Scottish Olympians have been set
:36:39. > :36:42.ambitious targets by the performance sport director.
:36:43. > :36:45.With 100 days to go until Rio, we've been speaking to the man
:36:46. > :36:47.who's set these ambitious targets and who believes
:36:48. > :36:50.the Scottish athletes competing at the Olympic will deliver.
:36:51. > :36:59.The GB team will be dressed to impress in Rio. Designer Stella
:37:00. > :37:04.McCartney has seen to that. But will the athletes impress on other
:37:05. > :37:09.fronts? For Scottish athletes, this man has set the bar high. More Scots
:37:10. > :37:15.in the team and more names for the Olympic roll of honour. In Beijing
:37:16. > :37:21.in 2008, 31 Scots were part of Team GB, the most ever named in an away
:37:22. > :37:25.Olympics, winning six medals. But there was greater medal success at
:37:26. > :37:30.the Sydney games in 2000, when eight medals were won by Scottish
:37:31. > :37:35.athletes. Scotland is contributing massively to the world-class system.
:37:36. > :37:38.We've got a record number of athletes on world-class programmes.
:37:39. > :37:42.I think we're on track to have really successful games. We want to
:37:43. > :37:49.get more than 31 Scots on Team GB for the Olympics. The eight medals
:37:50. > :37:53.is a challenge, but at the moment it's looking pretty good. So far 14
:37:54. > :38:00.Scots have booked their seats on the plane to Rio. Laura Muir is going to
:38:01. > :38:03.finish... Others will follow as more teams are confirmed, with the
:38:04. > :38:07.athletics squad likely to boost numbers considerably. Just great to
:38:08. > :38:11.know we can support each other in terms of GB and Scotland as well.
:38:12. > :38:15.It's great that a lot of Scottish athletes are in the ratio of
:38:16. > :38:17.Scottish athletes, it is looking good. So, it is looking good. The
:38:18. > :38:22.bigger wall might just be required. Who would be your Premiership Player
:38:23. > :38:31.of the Year? I'm sure you have your Who would be your Premiership Player
:38:32. > :38:32.own favourites. The players themselves have voted for who they
:38:33. > :38:35.think is best. Here's our senior football
:38:36. > :38:42.reporter, Chris McLaughlin. Three of the four men vying to be
:38:43. > :38:50.named Scotland's best footballer for this season. An award voted for by
:38:51. > :38:55.their fellow players. No surprises with this one, Celtic's top striker
:38:56. > :38:59.has been their main man this term. Personally it has been the best
:39:00. > :39:03.season of my career. I can't really complain with 38 goals. And
:39:04. > :39:08.hopefully there's a lot more to come. I got myself back in the
:39:09. > :39:13.Scotland squad which is good. And hopefully I can add another league
:39:14. > :39:17.title to my collection. The man that missed today's photocall has rarely
:39:18. > :39:20.missed this season. Aberdeen winger Johnny Haynes scoring here against
:39:21. > :39:26.Celtic and showing why he's made the cut. The other two come from Dundee
:39:27. > :39:30.side who failed to make the top six but has impressed for most of the.
:39:31. > :39:36.So take it away, Stuart on Hemmings and Hemmings on Stewart. To score 25
:39:37. > :39:41.goals for a team not in the top six is obviously brilliant. Delighted
:39:42. > :39:47.for him to reach that mark and he still has time to get more, no
:39:48. > :39:51.pressure. If I had a left foot like his, I could take on more people and
:39:52. > :39:55.put them in the bottom corner, I'd expect to be nominated as well. This
:39:56. > :40:00.is the list of those nominated from the young players of the year. And
:40:01. > :40:04.the winners will be announced The race for second place
:40:05. > :40:06.in the Championship, and with it one fewer
:40:07. > :40:08.round of matches in the Premiership promotion play offs,
:40:09. > :40:11.is going down to the wire. Hibs beat Dumbarton 4-0 last night.
:40:12. > :40:18.with Falkirk going into the final But a win against Queen of the South
:40:19. > :40:20.on Sunday because Falkirk, who play Morton,
:40:21. > :40:31.have a better goal difference. If they manage to do the business
:40:32. > :40:36.and get three points then they fully deserved to finish in second place.
:40:37. > :40:42.It's not through luck or anything like that. We've let ourselves down
:40:43. > :40:46.over the course of March and April. To be in this position. Six games to
:40:47. > :40:51.get promoted. We are willing to do what ever it takes.
:40:52. > :40:54.John Higgins has the advantage over fellow Scot Alan McManus
:40:55. > :40:56.in the all Scottish semi-final at the World Snooker Championship.
:40:57. > :40:58.The Wizard of Wishaw, winning the final frame
:40:59. > :41:00.of this afternoon's session for a 9-7 lead.
:41:01. > :41:01.They're back on the table shortly,
:41:02. > :41:06.Glasgow Warriors have announced that ten players will be leaving the club
:41:07. > :41:12.Fijian forward Leone Nakarawa is one of the most notable departures.
:41:13. > :41:13.Another Fijian Jerry Yanuyanutawa also leaves,
:41:14. > :41:16.as will back-rower Tyrone Holmes, meaning this team huddle
:41:17. > :41:26.will be considerably smaller for the time being.
:41:27. > :41:34.Let's see what the weather is up to with Christopher.
:41:35. > :41:39.Further wintry showers across the country today. As you can see by
:41:40. > :41:44.this picture from one of our weather watchers. Daffodils getting pelted.
:41:45. > :41:49.There was sunshine out with the showers, as you can see here. But it
:41:50. > :41:53.was not warm. Tonight the showers ease, it will be cold and frosty,
:41:54. > :41:58.and still there will be some showers around the west coast of the islands
:41:59. > :42:03.and the far north. Wintry mix. For most of the mainland, dry, cold, and
:42:04. > :42:06.it will be a sharp frost. Temperatures even in towns and
:42:07. > :42:12.cities down close to freezing, in the countryside more like -3, or
:42:13. > :42:16.four. Cold starts tomorrow, but plenty of sunshine once it comes up.
:42:17. > :42:22.Number of light showers around. As we had food was late morning, this
:42:23. > :42:23.system arrives off the Atlantic -- as we had food towards late morning.
:42:24. > :42:33.Jenny Allen along the central belt On the hills on higher ground it
:42:34. > :42:36.will be falling with snow. Rain foremost at low levels. And it will
:42:37. > :42:44.be chilly when the wet weather arrives. Milder in the morning.
:42:45. > :42:46.North of here, from Arbroath westwards reasonably dry. Just about
:42:47. > :42:58.Some sunshine, one or two light rain showers, Orkney and Shetland.
:42:59. > :43:01.Through the afternoon into the evening, the system marching
:43:02. > :43:05.north-eastwards. Yellow warning from the Met office for risk of snow,
:43:06. > :43:09.Angus and Aberdeenshire in particular. All courtesy of this
:43:10. > :43:14.area of low pressure swirling its particular. All courtesy of this
:43:15. > :43:17.way around. We will see several centimetres of snow, not only on
:43:18. > :43:20.high ground but occasionally to lower levels. Still with us Friday
:43:21. > :43:25.morning. Potential travel disruption. Through the course of
:43:26. > :43:30.the morning, south again through the central belt. Wintry weather could
:43:31. > :43:33.spread further south. North and west always driest and brightest with
:43:34. > :43:35.spells of sunshine, feeling a touch milder, too.
:43:36. > :43:37.You're watching a Reporting Scotland election special.
:43:38. > :43:39.Here's a reminder of tonight's top stories.
:43:40. > :43:41.Convicted drug smuggler Melissa Reid could soon be back
:43:42. > :43:46.in Scotland after spending almost three years in prison in Peru.
:43:47. > :43:52.saying it marks a return to the party's roots.
:43:53. > :43:55.And still to come on tonight's programme:
:43:56. > :44:04.Why transport is a key issue for elderly people in rural areas.
:44:05. > :44:11.It's opened a lot of doors for people in the community, otherwise
:44:12. > :44:14.we would have been housebound. It has just been great, because you are
:44:15. > :44:18.picked up, taken back to your door. You might have noticed there's been
:44:19. > :44:21.no shortage of visits to schools and nurseries by politicians
:44:22. > :44:24.recently, that's because childcare provision has become a key issue
:44:25. > :44:28.in this election campaign. Extended hours, new investment
:44:29. > :44:31.and more nurseries have been promised,
:44:32. > :44:34.but what's been the reaction of parents and providers?
:44:35. > :44:47.Jackie O'Brien reports. They may still be small, but
:44:48. > :44:50.research shows that nursery education helps young children
:44:51. > :45:02.develop bigger ambition in their early years. Logan, what do you want
:45:03. > :45:07.to be when you grow up? A dinosaur. Because I love to breathe fire.
:45:08. > :45:13.Childcare provision has become a hot topic in Scotland in recent years.
:45:14. > :45:18.All three and four -year-olds are now entitled to 16 hours of free
:45:19. > :45:21.preschool care a week, but the SNP flagship policy has proved difficult
:45:22. > :45:29.to implement, particularly in the cities. Sophie Patterson from
:45:30. > :45:33.Edinburgh cannot use a local authority nursery because of her
:45:34. > :45:37.work pattern and has to pay extra for more flexible, private care. It
:45:38. > :45:42.is great that the Government wants to invest in childcare, but the
:45:43. > :45:45.reality is that it is not accessible to everybody, although it is an
:45:46. > :45:50.entitlement we should all be able to access. It means I have to pay a top
:45:51. > :45:55.up, I have to bridge the gap between the local authority funding and the
:45:56. > :46:00.actual hours I am entitled to. All parties are committed to extending
:46:01. > :46:04.free childcare and making it work for children from all backgrounds.
:46:05. > :46:09.The SNP has pledged to double free childcare provision. The Greens and
:46:10. > :46:13.the Tories want more flexibility built into the system for working
:46:14. > :46:18.parents. The Liberal Democrats want to concentrate on younger kids in
:46:19. > :46:23.disadvantaged areas. Areas where children would receive a starter
:46:24. > :46:27.fund and the Labour. The focus on disadvantaged areas is widely
:46:28. > :46:31.welcomed by those attending this nursery in North Glasgow, where
:46:32. > :46:34.parents and toddlers are being introduced to the benefits of
:46:35. > :46:38.preschool education for the first time. All the children and families
:46:39. > :46:43.are all playing together and learning together. What happens in
:46:44. > :46:46.the very earliest years is a very strong predictor of what will happen
:46:47. > :46:53.later on, further down the line for strong predictor of what will happen
:46:54. > :46:56.children, so if we can ensure that all children, in their youngest
:46:57. > :47:00.years, can have high quality provision to support the children
:47:01. > :47:06.and the families, then that can go a long way. But many parents here a
:47:07. > :47:10.more free childcare is needed before their return to work can make any
:47:11. > :47:14.financial sense. Some politicians may be slightly out of touch, they
:47:15. > :47:19.want us to go back to work and look for jobs and search for employment,
:47:20. > :47:23.but when you only have three hours a day free, when you have someone,
:47:24. > :47:28.your child nursery, no-one was going to want to employ you. It would be
:47:29. > :47:31.great to be less dependent on other people to deal with your children,
:47:32. > :47:34.and you could work more and provide for your family. But as the
:47:35. > :47:38.and you could work more and provide politicians pledged to boost free
:47:39. > :47:41.nursery care for all, there is a warning that existing problems with
:47:42. > :47:46.capacity and funding must be addressed first. Scotland's funding
:47:47. > :47:51.is much lower than England on average. The providers are getting
:47:52. > :47:56.about ?3.56 an hour, and at the moment they are making a loss of
:47:57. > :48:01.over ?1100 per child per year. I think this is the biggest issue that
:48:02. > :48:03.needs to be addressed before any expansion of ours is put into
:48:04. > :48:13.practice. practice.
:48:14. > :48:18.# Somewhere over the rainbow... # A pot of gold may be required for
:48:19. > :48:22.the new investment in childcare, but as election day approaches, parents
:48:23. > :48:26.are urging politicians not to make promises they cannot keep.
:48:27. > :48:30.campaiging in the EU referendum continues.
:48:31. > :48:32.Today the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage,
:48:33. > :48:35.challenged Nicola Sturgeon to a debate on the subject.
:48:36. > :48:37.The SNP leader says she'll debate the big issues
:48:38. > :48:43.Our political correspondent Glenn Campbell
:48:44. > :48:51.He's in Edinburgh tonight. Is this going to happen, Glenn?
:48:52. > :48:57.Well, clearly, Nigel Farage would like that, and Nicola Sturgeon is
:48:58. > :49:02.not saying no, so it is possible, but I don't think the SNP will
:49:03. > :49:06.decide on debates and tell after next week's elections. Now, these
:49:07. > :49:11.two have clashed on television before, in the BBC leaders the'
:49:12. > :49:15.debates during the UK election campaign, but they have not yet gone
:49:16. > :49:21.head to head on the specific issue of the UK's membership of the
:49:22. > :49:25.European Union. I have been to Wales, I had a debate with Carwyn
:49:26. > :49:27.Jones a few months ago, I would be happy to do a debate with Nicola
:49:28. > :49:30.Jones a few months ago, I would be Sturgeon. I would love to have that
:49:31. > :49:37.debate about what independence really means. Is that a challenge?
:49:38. > :49:41.You bet your life! Last time I devoted Nigel Farage, he did not
:49:42. > :49:46.come off that well, but I will debate with anybody at any time, but
:49:47. > :49:49.I will concentrate on making the positive case and leave Nigel Farage
:49:50. > :49:58.to the rather depressing narrow case that he tends to make. To be clear,
:49:59. > :50:02.next wants to remain in the EU, Nigel Farage wants us to get out,
:50:03. > :50:10.and they will continue to argue their cases between now and the
:50:11. > :50:15.referendum on the 23rd of June. Today the official Remain campaign,
:50:16. > :50:19.stronger in, suggested Mr Farage was struggling for relevance in this
:50:20. > :50:23.debate, because the campaign he supports, Grassrouts Out, failed to
:50:24. > :50:28.be chosen as the official Leave campaign. That job falls to bow to
:50:29. > :50:34.leave, and its chairman in Scotland, Tom Harris, and he said that Nigel
:50:35. > :50:38.Farage can challenge anyone he likes but could not expect him to team up
:50:39. > :50:41.alongside him in the TV studios to argue the case for British exit from
:50:42. > :50:46.alongside him in the TV studios to the European Union.
:50:47. > :50:51.One of the priorities for the new Scottish Government
:50:52. > :50:53.will be addressing the needs of an increasing older population,
:50:54. > :50:57.As Ian Hamilton has been finding out, one of the key concerns
:50:58. > :50:58.for a community in rural Aberdeenshire
:50:59. > :51:10.Living in the countryside can be idyllic, but it can be a real
:51:11. > :51:14.problem when it comes to getting out and about. So what are your options
:51:15. > :51:20.if the regular bus service is not frequent? To complement the regular
:51:21. > :51:26.service, there is a network of community transport groups across
:51:27. > :51:32.Scotland. There we go. These are funded by a mixture of local
:51:33. > :51:37.authority and other grants. Here in Banff and Buchan, the local group
:51:38. > :51:40.has been running for 16 years. They are ten accessible buses offering a
:51:41. > :51:44.door-to-door service for those who needed. Many older people find it
:51:45. > :51:53.difficult to use public transport. That is where project like this one
:51:54. > :51:57.plugging the gap. We have got one of the poorest areas here, and we have
:51:58. > :52:00.people with mental health difficulties, people with physical
:52:01. > :52:05.difficulties. If they cannot get out, that is a huge drain on the
:52:06. > :52:09.local economy, but it is also so damaging for them. You know, you
:52:10. > :52:13.have somebody in hospital who cannot get out because they cannot get back
:52:14. > :52:16.into their home because they cannot get transport. The community bus has
:52:17. > :52:20.arrived after picking up passengers get transport. The community bus has
:52:21. > :52:24.from the surrounding villages. They are meeting for tea and cake before
:52:25. > :52:28.heading for a shopping trip to Inverurie. It has opened a lot of
:52:29. > :52:33.doors for the community, the people in the community would have
:52:34. > :52:36.otherwise been housebound. And it has just been great, because you are
:52:37. > :52:41.picked up at your door, you are taken back to your door. I have a
:52:42. > :52:48.lot of friends on the bus, so it's cheers everybody up. Scotland is in
:52:49. > :52:52.the process of integrating health and social care, and transport is
:52:53. > :52:55.seen by some as key to its success. And it is something the new Scottish
:52:56. > :53:01.Government will have to tackle after the 5th of May.
:53:02. > :53:02.Government will have to tackle after Community transport goes some way to
:53:03. > :53:08.providing a solution to a reduced Community transport goes some way to
:53:09. > :53:13.rural bus service, but it depends on different sources of funding from
:53:14. > :53:15.users and already squeezed budgets. Ian Hamilton, Reporting Scotland,
:53:16. > :53:15.Aberdeenshire. Let's have a look ahead to tonight's
:53:16. > :53:25.Scotland 2016 with Andrew Kerr. What price leaving the EU? One
:53:26. > :53:29.influential think tank says it is equivalent to a month's salary, but
:53:30. > :53:33.those who backed Brexit say it is coming from people who said we
:53:34. > :53:38.should have joined the euro. We will debate that. Also, taking the
:53:39. > :53:44.temperature on turnout in the Holyrood election. That is at 10:30
:53:45. > :53:48.over on BBC Two. Before we go, let's return to Brian Taylor, firstly,
:53:49. > :53:52.your reflections on what Ruth Davidson had to say? I was
:53:53. > :53:59.intrigued, you press to entirely reasonably on the Cameron's presence
:54:00. > :54:01.of otherwise during the campaign, but it struck me again that it is a
:54:02. > :54:05.reminder, that is choice for the Conservative, that the Labour Party
:54:06. > :54:08.would choose, with regard to their leader, the Lib Dems ditto. It
:54:09. > :54:13.reminded me that political discourse in Scotland has always been
:54:14. > :54:17.distinctive, that was more true is a consequence of devolution, and it is
:54:18. > :54:21.ever more true as a consequence of the added powers, the tax powers and
:54:22. > :54:25.social security and well for powers that are coming Holyrood's way. It
:54:26. > :54:33.means there is a pure and distinctive discourse in Scottish
:54:34. > :54:36.politics, and that is reflected in the election. We thought we knew
:54:37. > :54:38.what the key issues would be before campaigning started, have there been
:54:39. > :54:43.changes? It is coming down to tax and spending, but bear in mind this
:54:44. > :54:47.chamber behind me is evenly quiet at the moment, there have been some VIP
:54:48. > :54:50.tour is going around, a little puzzled as they stare at the
:54:51. > :54:57.splendid building, but it will be filled soon enough again by 129 MSPs
:54:58. > :55:01.taking decisions upon tax, upon spending, upon the law in all sorts
:55:02. > :55:05.of areas, and that means that these elections really matter, they matter
:55:06. > :55:09.to people, they matter to the parties, but far more importantly to
:55:10. > :55:13.the people. On that thought, let me say to the young girl who wished in
:55:14. > :55:17.the early reports to be a dinosaur, and on in there, sooner or later a
:55:18. > :55:19.politician will offer to make that come true!
:55:20. > :55:23.Now, a reminder of tonight's main news.
:55:24. > :55:25.The Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police,
:55:26. > :55:27.David Crompton, has been suspended over his force's behaviour
:55:28. > :55:31.It follows a day of mounting anger over what the inquests revealed
:55:32. > :55:34.about the role of the police throughout the 27 years
:55:35. > :55:44.Our next main bulletin is just after the ten o'clock news.
:55:45. > :55:46.Until then, from everyone on the team,
:55:47. > :55:50.right across the country, have a very good evening.