03/02/2016 Scotland 2016

The battle lines are drawn, unlikely alliances formed,

As the budget was debated, Holyrood was divided.

To tax or not to tax, as tempers flared over proposed cuts.

It's fairly simple. How can you protect our income when they don't

have a job? This is the government that given the public guarantee of

no compulsory redundancies, that's not been delivered to the country.

Cameron faces questions in the Commons on his Europe deal.

It makes Britain better and stronger, he says,

to much sniping from the Tory backbenches.

Why the Hebridean launch went un-noticed.

"Tax doesn't have to be taxing" said one advert from the Revenue,

but the issue weighed heavily on our MSPs this afternoon

John Swinney, of course, rejected calls from Labour

and the Lib Dems to raise income tax by one penny

He said he was giving low paid workers a pay rise,

but the Conservatives were delighted about his stance on tax.

Penny for your thoughts? Unions protested about the budget

settlement outside Parliament. Inside, the finance secretary

defended his plans, in the wake of what he called Westminster cuts, as

he sought to protect incomes. The proposals to raise income tax by 1p

next year will hit those taxpayers least able to pay. Of course it

will, it puts up tax or the lowest paid people in our society. John

Swinney also said he was raising the wage for some 50,000 workers, but

Labour said his cuts would cost people dear. It's fairly simple. How

can you protect our income when they don't have a job? This is the

government that given... Of no compulsory redundancies, that's been

delivered to the people of this country. The labour theme was

developed by their finance spokesperson. Let's use the powers

we have is faced with the choice of using our powers to invest in the

future of Scotland, or continuing Tory austerity, because that is what

doing. Labour kept insisting the ?100 rebate for tax earners was

viable. Conservatives said they stood shoulder to shoulder with SNP

against the so-called tax grabbers. To coin a phrase, Presiding Officer,

we are happy to be better together with the SNP on this issue. In the

words of one tax grab, the Liberal Democrats said was this minute --

said Mr Swinney didn't blame Westminster any more. Every single

cost is a John Swinney cut, he cannot shun this, he cannot want

anywhere else, any more. The Greens Patrick Harvie picked up partly on

Mr Rennie's line of argument. Blaming a UK Government which is to

be fair for the deeply damaging acts it is dating, it is simply not

enough just to blame. Labour's amendment to introduce the penny

increase to the budget was of course dropped but this argument will

dominate the election campaign. So in our Edinburgh studio,

I'm joined by a couple Lynsey Bews who writes

for The Press Association, and Severin Carrell

from The Guardian. Good evening to both of you.

Lindsay, to you first of all. It seems the parties are taking very

clear distinct dances, this time round. Yes, certainly. This budget

debates today felt like a warm up act for the election, with the

parties setting out their stalls on taxation. Labour and the Liberal

Democrats making a very clear pledge that they are going to add 1p on to

the rate of income tax. In a way it is easier for them to put that

proposal forward because Labour already knows that they are very far

behind in the polls, they have, it is very unlikely they are going to

be elected into government so it is almost easier for them to make that

pledge and to create this perception that they are the party that is

going to win over some left-wing voters with a pledge on taxation.

And Severin, as Lindsay has pointed out, Lib Dems are facing a terribly

difficult election. Is this just a last-gasp attempt at gaining some

traction? No was a thing for both of them, and indeed the Tories, I think

is an important moment for them because it allows them to shake off

and put back in the past the constitutional debate. They wants

and put back in the past the move back onto the agenda of what

Parliament is actually there to deliver. Talking about the new

powers, and starting to reframe Scottish politics, so in essence it

is also allowing to adopt what our traditional roles in old politics,

if you like. Labour to the left, the SNP, Tories to the right and Lib

Dems somewhere around the middle. Kezia Dugdale, the leader, doesn't

think she has a realistic chance of winning in May, but she does think

he has to try and rebuild and reinvigorate labourer -- Labour, I

ran some clear ideological positions, and taxation in this

model is one of those. She was to unite the party, Unite the Lady --

unite the labour union. All are not chipping away under the seats that

they need, they need to save the odd constituency here or there. How this

impact on voters, then, as some people have seen suggesting that it

perhaps will mean Labour would be able to attract people across the

union divide, as it were, people who are pro-SNP, but attracted to

left-wing policy. I think it is interesting. There is certainly an

impetus from the Unionist parties did get the agenda back onto left

and right politics, and shake off this debate on Constitution, but I'm

just not sure that that's going to be entirely possible. I think that

the SNB has this core support, I think that that battle ground for

the left wing supporters isn't necessarily there any more for

Labour to fight over, I think that the constitution is still going to

be a big issue in this election, and I think Labour is going to find it

very hard to persuade voters to come back to them when we know that

voters actually don't really go for tax riders, most of them don't want

to pay more tax. So I suppose these strategy for the Labour and Lib Dems

is to better picture being better together. Is there pressure on the

SNP, or can they together. Is there pressure on the

because they have the space in the media to be able to set out their

stalls and positions, but they know fine well that John Swinney Nicola

Sturgeon are extremely adroit, clever politicians, and they have

the might of the Scottish civil service behind them.

the might of the Scottish civil three negotiation. In searing that

Britain can truly have the best of both worlds. Then, what we will

never be. We will never be part of the Euro, never part of Shenzhen,

never part of the European army, never forced to bailout the Eurozone

new taxpayers money, and never part of a European superstate, that is

the prize on offer. Prime ministers questions usually means verbal

tennis with the opposition. Today, the long faces and clenched fists

were as much from his own party as any other. Jeremy Corbyn seized on

this. His negotiation in reality is a Tory party drama that has been

played about in front of us as we see at the moment. The Labour Party

is committed to keeping Britain in the European Union. Downing Street

says ministers have agreed not to challenge Mr Cameron until he is

secured a final deal. The Eurosceptics are hoping to land a

big beast. On his way to Parliament Boris Johnson was withering in his

praise. I think he's making the best of a bad job, most people are

looking at this and thinking there's a lot more to do. The first

ministers of Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland have lived in a

joint letter to David Cameron calling on him not to hold the

referendum in June. They hold that holding it so close to elections in

those three countries would risk of using issues. Angus Robertson break

that this morning. Today, the first ministers of Scotland Wales and

Northern Ireland have jointly called for a commitment by the UK

Government not to hold the EU referendum in June which would clash

with elections to the devolved legislatures. Would-be Prime

Minister give that commitments today to mark no date has yet been fixed

for the referendum. At Strasbourg, most leaders felt they were better

united. Don't forget what we really achieved, where we are. Looking to

the Minsk agreement, looking into the Iraq deal, the climate deal we

achieved in Paris recently. So the European strength is visible again

and again. This is all leading up to crunch time, the summit in Brussels

on the 18th and 19th of February. Now with me for the Stronger In

campaign is John Edward. And in London, the Scottish

organiser of Labour Leave, Good evening to both of you, thank

you for joining us. To you, John, we're hearing from Jacob Rees Mogg,

" thin gruel waters down even more." Why would people vote for this?

Remember people won't be voting for this, they will be voting for remain

or leave. The negotiation is something that the Conservative

Party wanted to do and they think they have got their four key points

Party wanted to do and they think but our point for the broader

campaign is that may convince you one way or another, but there is a

whole lot more that we can be doing with Europe if we stay in. The big

question is the unknown quantity that lies outside which we haven't

even heard about. Is this not the fundamental argument, this

renegotiation, changing our relationship with Europe, because we

are pretty much well aware of what Europe does, but David Cameron is

trying to say look, we can get a better deal. Surely it is important?

It is important, and people worry about political integration, and

they will seemed the reports that it is very clear ever closer union will

not lead to better political integration. They will see what it

says about red tape and they will see about those countries in the

Euro being protected from bailouts and things like this, so if that's

what matters to them then great, but there is so much more in terms of

security, safety, prosperity, that Europe is about which is what we

will actually be voting on the referendum there is a long list of

why the UK should stay in the European Union adding on to what the

Prime Minister has renegotiated. I'm afraid we are handing over to much

money to Brussels, ?19 billion per year. It is important that we retain

that money and use it effectively, for agricultural, fishing and

manufacturing communities. Is what do you make of the negotiation,

though? Before, he was going to Brussels, did you think he was going

to get something that would change your mind? The you getting the

reforms at all. We are getting very limited reforms and it looks like a

very thin gruel on the benefits that we are promised and in fact, none of

those sweeping reforms are necessary. And it is quite wrong

that we are promised and in fact, none of those sweeping reforms are

necessary. And it is quite wrong doesn't allow the common

agricultural policy, which is not allowed to help farmers in their

time of need with the floods, neither help given at the British

Government will be you, they have put their own insurers. It is quite

and it is gobbling up 40% of the Budget and ?43 billion a year. I've

been hearing that is going to be reformed for the past 40 years or

more. There have been no effective reforms. We hear that things are

going to be reformed, perhaps things don't really change and it comes to

the UK's sovereign at it, a of ordinary voters think, well, we want

our and the sovereign. The trouble is, I think, is we don't talk about

this enough. The fact there have been no reformer after multi-annual

programme of the last decade just shows how little the actual

concentrate on the details. S what about the other farmers? It is all

very well to dismiss these negotiations, but they did well,

last year all four things delivered yesterday. So where we are, we have

this package, that is the trigger for the referendum, so let us talk

about the big issues that are all around Europe. Of course there the

contribution that every member state makes to Europe, the contribution

limit to local governor, Scottish polymer, Westminster as well, and

other questions will point of that money is. The world is a combo plate

and difficult from Taylor's place and we have to make sure our

influences are the strongest possible at every possible level.

Looking at that point, taking on the big picture, we have in these

debates and discussions about technical ordinance, but John is

saying there are bigger things at stake here when it comes to

agreements. We don't know what might happen if we leave the EU? In terms

of trade, are expanding trade has very much been outside be you. It

has been stagnating. We used eggs for more than 50% of all goods to

Europe, to the EU and now it is down to 43%. We have a trade deficit of

about ?62 billion with Europe and with a rest of the world we have

about ?62 billion with Europe and trade surplus of 27 billion. So

we're good at creating jobs in exports and exploiting markets that

are outside the EU, within the EU, I'm afraid we have a stagnant

picture. Of course, far more jobs in the EU are dependent on their

exports to the UK. And we are dependent on our exports to them,

and that's where there's been a trade retaliation, because European

lives, German, French, Italian company is far more than it would UK

companies. On the small point of trade, the reason the trade balance

with Europe as gun down is because the rest of the world has been

developing quicker and the trade we have done with them is growing all

the time, but that is stored to say that out of half a billion people,

we do half of our trade with Europe and the other six and a half billion

of the world we do the other half. So to pretend that somehow Europe is

a diminishing market is to completely negate the fact that this

is the single biggest trade area and the world. Thank you both very much

joining me. -- both very much for joining me.

But a rocket from the Hebrides Missile Range in the Western Isles

has become the first to be launched into space from UK soil.

But the achievement, which happened last year,

Our science correspondent Kenneth Macdonald has this report.

Not a very big job in itself, but it is the start of a project which has

raised a storm for -- far beyond the shores of the Western Isles. In

1957, not everybody from the Hebrides Missile Range. It was a

great idea, but the UK Government got its way. Almost 60 years later,

great idea, but the UK Government last October, it finally took a

stall step into space. -- finally took a small step into space. It was

a military exercise that made history almost in passing. There was

a large naval exercise a run by Nato and is part of that they were doing

so much missile intercept operations, so for the first time,

they launched a missile from the kinetic operated range and it went

up into space. That is the first time any object has gone into space

from the UK. And this is what it looked like. But there will be no

place in a museum for the American made a rocket, because the point of

the exercise was to blow it to bits over the North Atlantic.

Nonetheless, a first for the UK and a first for the Hebrides Missile

Range. That's when my family crofters, so it would be great to

see some real space grub going up into orbit from Scotland. And back

and happen soon. Prestwick, Stornoway and Lucas all among sites

vying to be the first and would handle horizontal take-offs, so

there could be space tourism up planned for the rest of us on earth.

People will come to see space launchers. If disabled people go to

the rocket launch, well, people go to Cape Canaveral and Roslin New

Mexico and look at plastic alien to Cape Canaveral and Roslin New

because they are so interested in space. Half a million people go

there every year instead of going -- to see a plastic alien. Scotland

auditable is five and half thousand mostly highly skilled jobs. The

first Scottish built satellite, Ukube-1, went into orbit in 2014

from Kazakhstan, so vertical launch site it could bring benefits. It

takes a couple of weeks to get into the launch site in South America,

then that is a long time. So we can build it in Glasgow and Lorna ships

from close by, jump on the car, go to the launch site, put it in the

vehicle I get it into space within a couple of days. That way you are

really compressing that time. With a new technological types as they

should be developed, it means you don't have to find the kind of

locations they used to use the desert, because you can actually be

less whether dependent than they used to be for big space rockets. So

when you have systems like the new system which is a reusable rocket

that can real and back on a pad or the Virgin Galactic system that they

are not developing, one of which is now in and a satellite launch a

Boeing 747 and the other one is Spaceship two, which saddle at max

and and a couple of years ago. These kind of systems actually mean that

the British space industry does not have to go to Kazakhstan, French

Guiana or the West Coast of the United States in order to launch a

rocket. Kinetic, who run the Hebrides range for the MOD said it

had no plans to use it as a commercial spaceport, although they

say they do have the expertise does abort a spaceport anywhere in the

UK. But in the annals of space exploration, there's already a new

name alongside it can Avril. -- Cape Canaveral.

Joining me now to discuss some of the day's news is Caron Lindsay,

the Editor of the online site Liberal Democrat Voice.

And Ewan Crawford, the former SNP advisor.

Good evening. Thanks for joining me. A couple of clips to play for you.

Now the deadline for a new funding deal for Scotland has slipped.

Now the UK government say the Lords will still be debating

According to the Scottish Government, the agreement is as far

off as it has ever been. This was always the danger, and away from the

spotlight, the two governments, which they called and fixate the

momentum to reach a deal will be lost. Don't think that's rather

think in terms of self-imposed or butcher deadlines. Keen as though I

think in terms of self-imposed or am to have a warm and supportive

relationship with the Scottish Government, I have never felt the St

Valentine's Day date have much relevance to this process. I am

willing to continue to work towards a deal as long as that takes and as

long as we can. Now the deputy First Minister John

Swinney said he's still working It's speculation about

speculation, isn't it? Yes, but the stakes are very, very

high here and although Ian Murray there was talking about fiddling and

fixating, we are actually talking about huge sums of money. This week,

Scottish politics were dominated by the suggestion from labour that they

will raise tax, but actually, that can be relatively insignificant

compared with these sorts of sums of money that can be reduced from the

Scottish Budget, unless a decent deal is done for Scotland, so that's

why this is so important. Were you surprised at what they come and all

the same? Did you think he was heading for the 12 has well and to

be made that statement? This is the day that is important in order for

the Scottish Parliament to consider the bill before dissolution and the

election. So he clearly doesn't wants to be seen from a conservative

point of view again to be putting up roadblocks as the Conservatives have

been seen to be doing so far and in the past, but it shows again just

important this is, that this deal has to be worked out, because the

sums of money are so big. You think it is as important this deal is done

before Holyrood dissolves for the election? Could it be revisited

after the election? It is in everybody's interests to get it over

and done with. It is not a difficult thing to do, if everyone behaves

like grown-ups, gets on the table and sort it out. There are some eye

watering sums of money involved, certainly, and we are seeing the

same sort of brinksmanship from the SNP as we did over the Scotland

Bill. The member Alex Salmond's six red lines and John Swinney calling

at the dog 's breakfast? They all vote for it at the end of the day.

You can see that the Scottish affairs committee today, talking

about and using the same sort of language is David Mundell and Pete

Wishart being less than friendly at, I think. Let us get it over and done

with. Briefly at the last point on this, do you think a deal was ever

likely? Never the Twain shall it perhaps? There are certainly

officials in the Treasury answer mems of the Conservative Party all

support scholars overfunded and I think this is opportunity to reduce

it and the expectation that the SNP and the Scottish Government has to

take these extra powers and nothing that is one of the things. It is not

just brinksmanship, there are genuinely hundreds of millions

potentially billions of pounds coming off the Scottish Budget and

that is why the Scottish coming off the Scottish Budget and

is working so hard on this issue. Let us move on to the European

issue. We saw the two sides battling it out. Who do they might win? Well,

I think what is important for the voters is not to have the same sort

of negativity that we had joined the Scottish referendum when everybody

was bashing it out. You need some real positivity to the campaign. I

feel at the moment that we just need to talk about focusing on the

positives of Europe. Cameron's renegotiation is irrelevant to me.

They may well be able to argue that they have some restrictions on

benefits and honour lawmaking, but actually, do we really want to be

Billy no mates in the world? That's an interesting point, the deal

currently singers are relevant. People may not be voting in that at

all. That may be sure, but is one element of the deal that is perhaps

troubling in a David Cameron made a number of promises in the

Conservative manifesto which don't seem to have been kept. That allows

people on the outside to say, oh, you can't just those people. The

great thing for the insider, the stay in the campaign, is those

seeking to leave it is a bit of a shambles, although we have seen in

2014 in Scotland, just because your campaign is a shambles, doesn't mean

you can't win. Those trying to come out really seem quite... Not putting

forward a particularly out really seem quite... Not putting

reason why we should come out of the European Union. Let us close on

another national obsession, Lord Lucan. As someone granted a death

certificate today, a very sad tale. It puts an end to years of

speculation, do you think? When I was eight years old, this is when

this happened, and I remember reading in the tabloid newspapers

about it and I was felt for the children who were involved.

Obviously the people who had been her, the nanny and Lady Lucan. And

maybe today at least one of the children may get some final closure

that it must've been horrible for grown up with all the speculation

and all of the rumour. He was talking about that today quite

movingly. Thank you both for joining me tonight.

Shelley will be back at the same time tomorrow night.

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