13/01/2013 Sunday Politics Scotland

Morning folks. Welcome to the Sunday Politics.

With just over a week to go until David Cameron's big speech on

Europe, politicians and business leaders line up to warn him not to

damage our relationship with the EU. Are they right? Should he listen?

In a week when the government has been busily marking its own

homework, we ask Communities Secretary Eric Pickles whether -

when it comes to housing policy - it's a case of must try much harder.

That's the Sunday Interview. And as violent protests continue in

Belfast over the decision to cut the number of days the Union flag

flies above the City Hall, we'll debate the decision and the

significance of the riots, as two politicians at the heart of the

controversy go head to head. And on Sunday Politics Scotland:

We'll be speaking to the chairman of the Scottish Police Authority

and getting his take on the tug of war over the finances of the new

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2093 seconds

It just doesn't add up. The Anglo Irish agreement illustrates the

campaign, and now all the sudden it's all changed. But Belfast has

changed. Once the, distance, the sectarian divide mystified. Now,

the majority of the city feels the same. In the market, the trouble

doesn't have the smell test. Conversation 10 minutes from where

the protests are taking place are more likely to be about the price

of Kirsch. The vast majority of people want peace. The court

austerity and then this on top of that. It's definitely affecting

shops and businesses. Show better respect the people! For many, what

they want a black up is the big political and economic cost to

squabbling. -- to flag up. Now, we go head to head.

Now that you've seen the reaction to your decision, do you accept

that by reducing the number of days that the flag flies has been deeply

provocative and upsetting to half your city? No, I don't accept that

the threat of violence, the force of violence and intimidation should

in any way alter the democratic process. We're a very difficult and

sensitive decision to take. My colleagues took legal and a quality

advice that was given to them by the council. They looked very

carefully at what it happened in other councils, including Lisbon

City Council. Compromises like this had been proposed on designated

days. Our councillors believed this was the right thing to do in what

is a shed city with a very diverse view. It reflects that Belfast is

within the United Kingdom, it respects the black in the way that

we're encouraged to do by the College of Arms, and it also

reflects the fact that there are many people who have a stake in

this city who don't share that allegiance. What is your reaction

to that? I did vote against the flat policy and Lisbon in 2002.

Please don't interrupt me. You've got it wrong. Not just the few

thousand people out protesting there are hundreds of 1,000 people

across Northern Ireland are angry at this particular decision. The

Alliance Party need to reflect on this and to realise that going back

to majority rule doesn't work. Consensus politics is much better

than anyone. They have broken consensus politics in Northern

Ireland on this issue. Are want to show you a leaflet which is going

to put up on the screen. It's in the colours of the Alliance Party.

It shows this picture of the flag disappearing and it changes the

slogan into a shared future for whom? On the back, they published

Nia me's email and telephone numbers and encourage people to

voice their opposition. You really played a part stir this up. Aydin

and distribute any leaflets. Your party did. Certainly the leaflets

were distributed in Belfast. I think the Alliance Party had

stirred this up and whenever I travel over to England and other

parts of the UK, I see the national flag with dignity. That was the

case with Belfast City Hall. They decided to move against that and

that was the wrong decision, a bad decision and it is detrimental to

community relations. It is a setback to what we have been doing,

along with people on the other side of the committee, for many years.

Was there really that much pressure to get rid of the flag on most days

of the year? Did you really have to change things? There a couple of

things that need to be addressed. In Lisbon City Council, where he

was a member, Unionist took the flag down, they then put it up

under pressure and finally had to remit it again. He was present at a

meeting in 2006 where the decision was taken to fly the flag on

designated days in-line with the quality advice given to the council.

That is the reality of the situation and I am happy to defend

that. In terms of my colleagues, be clear - I am not a member of the

City Council. I'm not sure where been targeted in this hate-filled

campaign with his inflammatory leaflets which spoke of tearing

down the black. Rather than addressing the issue of how we

share our identity. With respect out of Blyth has flown in the rest

of the UK, many district councils across the UK use the designated

days policy. The idea that it is acting British is a nonsense. There

is of course sensitivity around this issue. Why did you target her?

She is an alliance member in Belfast. She is not a member of the

City Council. Her office is the centre of activity for alliance in

Belfast. The that is not true. was the offers that people could

easily address when it came to making their protest. But let's get

away from this is the cause of the issue. The cause was the removal of

the flak. -- the flag. Stormont Parliament already has a similar

arrangement. It brings it into line with London guidelines about the

days you fly the flag. What is the problem? It doesn't bring it into

line with the rest of Northern Ireland. There are many different

cities across Northern Ireland. The status quo was working. It has been

damaged and we can see the consequences of it. Leaving aside

people who are engaging in violence, we need to reflect that there are

hundreds of thousands of people across Northern Ireland who have

been greatly offended by this particular decision. I'm afraid

we're going to have to leave it there. Thank you very much for both

to be joining us from Belfast. Now, you're watching the Sunday politics.

Good morning and welcome to the first Sunday Politics Scotland of

2013. Coming up: Two governments, two differing

futures. Will nuclear weapons stay in Scotland or will they go? And

could a decision on Trident in Scotland become a springboard for

the wider nuclear disarmament debate in the rest of the UK? Sir

Menzies Campbell and Angus Robertson join us to discuss.

The new single police force starts in April, but for that to happen, a

dispute between the Chief Constable and Police Authority Chairman needs

to be resolved. What are the chances?

And is Scotland's tourism industry missing a lucrative trick when it

comes to promoting the whisky experience? What can we learn from

international examples? There is only one place in the world that

can call itself the malt whisky valid. -- valley.

Billions of pounds and thousands of jobs. The cost of moving nuclear

submarines from the Clyde if Scotland becomes independent,

according to the UK government. The latest twist in the Trident tale

led to fierce political fighting between unionists and nationalists.

The SNP say parliament and people don't want the weapons on their

doorstep - the UK government are adamant the independent deterrent

must be maintained. The controversial Trident missile

has found a hot spot in the constitutional debate. At

Westminster this week, the government revealed their thinking

on the impact of independence on Trident. Ministers say including

its nuclear weapons after new -- after independence would cost

billions of pounds and take many years. They also say it employs

6,700 military and civilian workers, and that will rise. If those jobs

went, Unionist say the impact on Scotland would be catastrophic.

What would happen in the Clyde if the SNP got there way to get rid of

the nuclear submarines and other submarines? What would happen to

shipping in the Clyde if we walk away from the Royal Navy? Warble

the SNP do if they win? They just can't keep avoiding the truth.

These questions will stalk them right up until a referendum day.

The SNP's say they are in step with Scotland as the weapons on wanted.

I am on the same side as the unions, the voluntary sector and the

majority of public opinion who voted against Trident, saying, we

should do much better. We should have a job that working

conventional defence, we should get rid of weapons of mass destruction

and that will only happen with a yes vote in the referendum.

decision to replace trident is not due until 2016 as the coalition

partners are at loggerheads. The UK Government also claims they are not

considering what could happen to Trident in the event of

independence. No ministry worth its salt would refuse to have emergency

procedures in place, and as Defence is central to the United Kingdom's

policy-making, surely they will be looking at what happens on the

Clyde after the referendum. When it comes to post-independence, there

is criticism of the SNP. They're is inherent contradiction to their

stance towards native. NATO in the last analysis will use a nuclear

weapons, and as it isn't all for one, one for all alliance, it means

that in theory a Scottish -- an independent Scotland would have to

support the use of nuclear weapons. You Unionists also question the

SNP's plans for conventional forces after independence. But nationalist

taunt Labour and the Lib Dems for their commitment to multilateral

disarmament. There is always something to fight to the when it

comes to defence. In our Edinburgh studio is the

former Liberal Democrat Leader and foreign policy grandee Sir Menzies

Campbell. A good morning. Do you agree with the West must do

government's response that it will cost billions of pounds and

thousands of jobs in an independent Scotland to move away Trident from

its current location? Well, there will be a cost. There is a dispute

about the number of jobs and it all depends on how you define the job.

Do you take account of the people who supply the base? Do you take

account of the local businesses who depend on the base for their

existence? The one thing one can agree on is that if you take away

responsibility for the four Trident submarines and the seven submarines

that are powered by nuclear energy, then inevitably there will be an

economic impact. The SNP is saying they will use it for conventional

reasons, conventional military arrangements. The point about that

is, just exactly what would those conventional arrangements amount

to? A patrol vessels? With that in any way compensate for the

inevitable cost of the removal of Trident? What are the real benefits

for Scotland for being part of the union when it comes to defence?

Your constituency has been hard hit by the loss of RAF forces. In

Scotland, there is an underspend by the MoD, so what is the benefit?

The benefits is to have the protection of the United Kingdom

defence forces. Of course, these forces have to be positioned in a

place where they are most effective. My argument with the British

government is that we have the best place to provide the air defence

for the northern part of Britain, including Scotland and the northern

part of England. But the overall benefit is reflected in the fact

that we have a very coherent and cohesive defence which adds an

secures our safety. Reading the UK Government's response to the

Scottish report, perhaps it seems contradictory in some ways that UK

government says it will cost billions of pounds and thousands of

jobs, and they are also saying we went even countenance what will

happen post independence. Your colleague wrote in a Scottish

newspaper today that he would not negotiate and after a possible Yes

vote. You agree with that, that it is fair to not negotiate until

after the referendum? And well, just imagine if they started these

negotiations now. There would be a running commentary, there would

never be any question of these negotiations been kept secret. And

the negotiations themselves are would form part of the argument

about whether the question should be answered in the affirmative or

the negative. I think it's very sensible indeed not to indulge in a

kind of negotiation that has been suggestion. Pop -- that has been

suggested. But I also think that somewhere there will be a group of

people looking at the implications of independence. I would be very

surprised if that was not the case. But it will be done in a private

way and certainly not a way where It sounds like the UK government is

lying to us. I am not saying that at all. If you want the

negotiations I believe his embrace of the whole idea of negotiating

what will happen after independence, the Scottish National Party would

say they have conceded the argument. Otherwise they would not be

discussing with this the consequences of independence. That

information and the nature of the need associations would be bound to

be part of the political discourse. The influence would be that the UK

government had given up. I don't doubt for a moment that for example

in the Royal Navy, maybe not in government, but in the Royal Navy,

consideration is given to what they would do in the event there was

independence and it was necessary to take out the Trident submarines

and the astute class. We are going to be up to seven additional

submarines on top of the Trident. Take these away and I don't think

anyone can argue that the impact upon the local economy is going to

be anything. Maybe your party wants them taken away. You're an advocate

of nuclear disarmament. Perhaps that is a good starting-point for

disarmament. That would be unilateral disarmament. It involves

a disagreement, -- it involves an agreement. You're quite right to

mention that because the American President gave its impetus in a

speech he made in Prague about two years ago. I am a member of the

group of people in the House of Commons seeking to argue that.

People in the United States, people who might ordinary be seen as all

the world watches. The fact Britain of Scotland would give up its

nuclear weapons would not persuade India or Pakistan to do so. It

would not persuade Israel to do so. If we're going to approach this on

disarmament, we have to do on a multilateral basis. Find you very

much for joining me live. -- many thanks.

Listening to that in his Moray constituency, is the SNP Leader at

Westminster and Defence and Foreign Affairs spokesman, Angus Robertson

Good morning. Listening to Sir Menzies Campbell there, he pretty

much sided with the UK government when the clear point of removing

tridents from Scotland would cost billions of pounds and thousands of

Scottish jobs. To be honest I am not surprised with that. We know

all the parties in the anti- independence side of the argument

are using any opportunity to scare the wits out of people and suggest

independence is going to cast a whole lot of jobs and investment

when that is not the case. It is the status quo that has been bad

for Defence in Scotland. We have lost more than multi-million-pound

defence contracts. I think what we need to embrace and understand is

this debate is about a real profound advantage for Scotland. We

could make better defence decisions in Scotland. On top of that list is

we can choose for skull and not to be the home of weapons of mass

destruction. -- for Scotland. We were able to stress the point and

the majority of people don't want them here. The churches are against

it, the voluntary organisations are against it. The majority of people

would wish it to be different. A Yes vote in independence, we can do

that. That is an opportunity that in the run-up to the referendum,

people will come to understand there are real benefits from the

historic and exciting vote. What are your plans? This is where your

opponent's picture upon. What are your plans for conventional forces

in Scotland. The UK government said it would take away all submarines.

How would you setter defence in an independence Olwen? -- set up in an

independence Scotland? We covered the whole range of issues last year.

How does one organise that there? It is answerable to the Scottish

Parliament. We made the decision on what we were prepared to spend on

defence. �2.5 billion for the defence budget, you were talking

about an uplifting spending than the UK government spends his talent.

In terms of the disposition, what goes where, we need to first see

the results of the UK Basing review. We were supposed to have that last

year and we will have that within weeks. It will give us the starting

point for the situation Scotland will inherit with independence.

What exactly will be where? We have got out about what is happening. We

have doubts about many things. There is something else here, I

want to pick up on something else. Another post independence plan.

Trevor Royle said it there was an inherent contradiction and your

stance on NATO. Scotland would be in exactly the same position as

countries like Norway and Denmark. The majority of countries within

NATO do not post or possess nuclear weapons. There is no contradiction

there whatsoever. What we decided was in a conference, rather than

having a partnership with our allies and friends we would work as

members within NATO, as a conventionally armed country. That

is what the Norwegians, Danes, Icelanders do. We want to work with

our neighbours and friends and want the defence in Scotland. We are

being let down by Westminster in that regard. Only in independence

can we make decisions on defence that secures jobs and communities

like this one here. London has let them down. Let's make better

decisions in Scotland. That is the sort of thing normal countries do.

When it comes to your post- independence well, it seems like

more has shot a warning shot. He said they will be no negotiations

until after a possible Yes vote in the referendum. I don't see why it

is difficult that the Scottish government and UK government can

have a series of technical discussions. That is what happened

in the run-up to the Edinburgh agreement. It is possible to come

to an agreement that has two government working together. That

seems sensible to me so I don't see why somebody can't have technical

discussions before a Yes vote in 2014. I think this is part of the

tactics. It is turning people off from the No campaign. It is can't

do this, or can't do that. Somehow we can't do progress. I think we

can but it takes good will from the anti- independence parties to do so.

I would appear far less of this amirs, less of the scare stories,

less of the can't do attitude. Let's embrace what is a really

exciting and historic opportunity for Scotland. Many thanks for

joining us. There are more than 17,000 police

officers in Scotland, a record number. To keep them all to fight

crime the government needs to cut costs and that's at the heart of

the reforms which take effect in April. Our home affairs

correspondent Reevel Alderson reports on progress so far.

With just 11 weeks until the new single forced comes into being,

there has been little concrete evidence of progress towards

amalgamation. This was a loss last week of the new trunk road policing

unit. Little evidence of progress in a bitter dispute between Chief

Constable and Stephen House and Dick Emery. Each says they should

be controlling the budget. MSP is a losing patience. On the justice

committee, they say it must be settled. We have had assurances

these matters will be resolved during December and they were not.

We are now told that later this month there is going to be a

meeting of the authority and they didn't seem to be too much

information to give us comfort. With a similar reorganisation

taking place in the fire and rescue Service, agreement has been reached

between the new Chief Fire Officer and the chairman of the fire

authority of precisely the same contentious issues at the heart of

the police dispute. The failure of the police to do the same was

raised that First Minister's Questions the stuff for isn't it

true that the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has step back a letter a

beast with two heads emerge as both camps duplicate H R finance and

other functions. Alex Salmond said he remained confident an agreement

would be reached. The chair said he hopes for a formal agreement to be

reached at the next meeting on 18th January. That was said before

Christmas. The number of officers on the street depends on removing

the duplication of services. On the police authority, scrutinising the

work of the fours. Rank-and-file officers believe any agreement can

be reached. They're working in a way they can be a situation when it

can be a more amicable way of moving it forward. On April 1st we

will have a unified police service whether there will be unity between

the Chief Constable and his police authority is still to be resolved.

Here with me this morning is the Chairman of the Scottish Police

Services Authority, Vic Emery. The Chief Constable of the new

police force could not be with us but he gave that this it meant

saying any a paper published by the us P before Christmas represents

progress towards reaching a working agreement that allows us to focus

on the delivery of a new national policing service for April. Thank

you for joining me. It is not a great start. How when it did you

get to this situation and whose fault is it?-- howl and earth did

you get to this situation. A lot of work has been done to date and an

act has been put in place to change the status quo and the dynamic. I

think a considerable amount of work has been done and we are in a good

phrase. What is so wrong about the chief having his own budget? Isn't

it your job to let him have that and let him have his freedom?

People need to just bear in mind the fact that the legislation

creates two legal entities. One is the Constabulary and the police

service and the other is a body whose responsibility is to deliver

the budget savings and to deliver the budget and be responsible for

it. The Scottish Parliament will hold the Scottish Police Authority

to account for the efficient spending on a budget. Alex Salmond

described the relationship between you and achieve as creative

tensions. What is your personal relationship with Stephen House?

All these issues are being debated between the Chief Constable and his

team and the 13 members of the SPA. That has been productive, it has

been very constructive and it is moving forward. Some areas in the

media try to portray this as a sort of personal position between the

Chief Constable and myself but it couldn't be further than the --

from the truth. We get on very well. You're meeting on Friday, the

Scottish Police Authority meeting on Friday, what kind of deal are we

going to get question mac is it going to be a compromise situation?

The deal that will be struck on Friday is what the Act asks us to

do. It acts us to hold a chief constable accountable for

delivering the best police service possible to the people of Scotland

and for another entity, the SPA, to hold into account for that and to

manage the Budget. On Friday, a proposal that has been largely

discussed will be put forward which says there is a single function and

there is a single finance function across the policing of Scotland.

There will be a senior people who will be responsible for the policy

and strategy is going forward and there will be a single person in

the police service of Scotland who will report directly to the Chief

Constable to give him the day-to- day operational requirements. I

therefore have every confidence So you can confirm that there will

be no duplication? There will be no duplication. There is one hr

organisation and one financed organisation. You have to remember,

we're dealing with 25,000 people here. The S PA has a duty of care

to make sure we deliver best value. It is not in our interest to

duplicate anything that is being done. Thank you very much for

joining us. We are running out of time.

Coming up after the news: Has Scotland missed a trick when it

comes to maximising tourism revenue from the Whisky Trail? Let's cross

now for the news with Chris Rogers and Alasdair Fraser.

The First Minister of Northern Ireland Peter Robinson has said the

only way to stop the recent violence there is through political

dialogue. He was speaking after 29 police officers were injured in the

latest violence linked to a decision to restrict the flying of

the Union flag at Belfast City Hall. The debris left behind after a

dangerous night. Calm has returned to this part of Belfast, but the

violence has been a setback to people working to end the trouble.

It is now almost six weeks since the City Council voted to restrict

the flying of the Union Flag, sparking a dispute that has brought

loyalist onto the streets. The First Minister says violence will

achieve nothing. The flag is not going to go up because somebody

throws something at a policeman. The only way forward is through the

political process. We're trying to encourage people to engage with

that and to bring forward channels so that we can talk to people.

hopes those initiatives will find a way to stop this kind of trouble.

Yesterday, 29 police officers were injured. Their highest casualty

figure since the dispute started. The rioting broke out when loyalist

returning from a demonstration walk past police officers. Both sides

were involved in clashes. Police were attacked with petrol-bombs.

This week, senior politicians from Belfast, London and Dublin will

hold a meeting where they discussed the trouble. Talks are going on

behind the scenes as well. People believe the situation can be

resolved, but hopes take a hit with every night of destruction.

And eight year-old British girl has been shot dead while on holiday in

Jamaica. She was in shock when a gunman opened fire. Several adults

will also injured in the attack in a small town on the north coast of

the island. A court in Egypt has ordered a

retrial after accepting an appeal against the life prison sentence of

Hosni Mubarak. He was overthrown in 2011 and imprisoned for failing to

prevent the deaths of hundreds of demonstrators during the revolt

that forced him from power. Our correspondent is in Cairo. Will

this appeal come as a surprise? Not exactly, because his lawyer's

have been pushing very hard for the appeal. But it is not just an

appeal against the light sentence that he received, but against the

entire conviction. So it will be a full retrial. All those

extraordinary scenes of Hosni Mubarak appearing in a hospital bed,

behind a cage in the Court Room, they will count for nothing now.

That has shocked the relatives of the victims, those 850 protesters

who were killed during the resolution. They felt that he

should in fact I've got a death sentence and found guilty of more

serious charges of ordering the killings. But there is a

possibility that this could backfire, because he will face all

those charges again. But there is a question of course about his health

and whether he is in a condition to a retrial because just a couple of

weeks ago he slipped in prison and he is actually not in prison any

more, he is then a minister it -- military and hospital because he

broke a rib. So there are questions about where they can face a retrial

at all. That's all for now. There will be

for round-up of the day's news here on BBC One at 6 o'clock.

Good afternoon. The famous West Highland Way and

the Great Glen Way are to benefit from a multi-million pound package

of improvements aimed at encouraging more people to enjoy

Scotland's forests. The money will be used to create new paths and

upgrade existing routes. Calls to NHS 24 should be free of

charge, according to the Scottish Conservatives. People in Scotland

pay the price of a local phone call when calling the advice service

from a landline, with calls from a mobile often costing more. The

Scottish government says it's considering adopting a new, free-

to-use number. It was a cold start to the morning,

let's see if that's going to continue - Christopher has the

This afternoon a band of rain, sleet and snow is crossing the

country. The biggest risk his eyes and it Met Office warning is in

force. On high ground there is likely to be snow, but at lower

levels, sleet. The ice risk continues across many roads. A cold

afternoon with temperatures for many just two or three degrees.

With that southerly breeze - at times, a bitterly cold field. Into

the evening, drive for a time with mist and fog before his second band

of rain comes in from the West. The ice is still in play, a cold start

to the working week. That's all for now, I'll hand you

We saw some very poor summer tourism figures emerge this week.

So, when much of the industry is closed for winter, we're taking

stock of this important sector. A senior figure in the industry has

told us there's a missed opportunity to attract high end

guests to the Scotch Whisky Trail - and to make them stay, eat and

relax nearby. Here's our business and economy editor, Douglas Fraser.

Wish You were Here, the vineyards of sup up the car or California? Or

here, the distilleries in Scotland. Scotland can't compete with the

best of destinations. The Moray of Firth was this week named one of

the top coastlines. We should not forget it is as much about myth and

kitsch that keeps people coming. I'm from Canberra in Australia and

I have come to Scotland because I've heard it's a bit full.

last summer, they weren't coming in sufficient numbers. Official

figures showed a drop of 12% in the number of overseas visitors, but

spending down 8%. UK numbers were down, but by only 3%, underspend

was up by 8%. It's not hard to get the main recent -- the main reason.

Our biggest market is the home market, Scottish and English

markets. So the English market stayed at home. There were a number

of one-off circumstances to deal with in terms of economic activity

and some businesses have been challenges with the Olympics and

people staying at home to watch it. And of course the weather, which

hopefully one of stubble not happen in 2013. Scottish tourism has a

target set in 2006. Within a decade, it was due to be 50% bigger, but

that has gone off track economically. So, how to get

tourism back on the right road? I've just been to make a film about

the whisky industry. I wasn't the only one looking. A former chairman

of visit Scotland, still chairman of Gleneagles Hotel Peter looks to

South Africa's Tourism for inspiration. All wineries work

together, they all have a great product, or happy to four

restaurants, coffee shops, hotels. They are working with the

government at all levels to markets are a fickle wind. I see a lost

opportunity here. How can we take the islands,, where the industry is

a huge player in a fragile, a rural economy and build that into not

only a visitor experience but an economy in that area so you have

somewhere like a Napa Valley? There is any one place in the world that

can call itself the malt whisky valley. This week, a new DEFRA to

address that challenge. If a you look at what is happening now in

terms of this area, there is a whisky festival that in five days

generates �1.2 million. We attract a global market there. As we speak,

the malt whisky trail is being re- energised and different leadership

and I think you will see a much higher profile. So there is at

least agreement on making better use of the whisky. And yes, I've

been working on it as well. Joining us from our Inverness

studio is Scottish Labour's Highlands & Islands MSP Rhoda Grant,

who sits on the Economy, Energy & Tourism Committee. And with me in

the studio, for the SNP, the South Scotland MSP, Joan McAlpine.

First of all, Joan McAlpine, Peter made an interesting point there.

Are we missing the point that I have a really good malt whisky

valley with a whisky trail? I think there are opportunities as you were

saying in the film. There are opportunities that are being

improved this year. Certainly, when you look at the new markets coming

in, Scottish whisky went up 20% in terms of exports last year and a

lot of those markets in places like emergency -- emerging economies,

Brazil and China, can take more of a quality product. So I think it's

a good idea but good things are already happening. Rhoda Grant, do

you think the government should invest some money in trying to

improve the malt whisky valley and emulate what we see in the Napa

Valley? Yes, I think they have a role in this and many to take it

seriously. We have an iconic drink, we are able to say that across the

world. We need to bring people into Scotland and give them a really

good experience on the back of that. Yes, the distilleries are there and

they are marketing themselves with facilities, but we need facilities

locally that people can come and stay, with things like golf, that

come hand in hand with the whisky trail that we should also be

marketing at the same time. Frankly, we need to look at the road now

work there as well, to get people transported into the area easily.

Some of the roads are in a disgraceful state. The Scottish

government need to look at that. Joan McAlpine, in a documentary

this week we saw a professor calling for a could do -- a

production tax on whisky that could pulling it billion pounds of

revenue. Wouldn't that be a good idea to help fund Scotland's

budget? The first of all, I'd like to congratulate that film, we need

to see more of that about aspects of Scottish Life and the economy. I

think the fact he was addressing was that under the current devolved

settlement, Scott and that I Scotland doesn't actually get any

of the money that whisky makes. It made �4.2 billion last year and

that is �1 billion coming into the UK Exchequer. Rather than taxing it

twice as he suggests, which she would have to do under the present

devolved system, if we get an independent Scotland, the money

that currently goes to the UK would come to Scotland. I think that

probably a bit more sensible and realistic and taxing the product

twice. So in an independent Scotland would you tax the whisky

industry? Were well, obviously all governments tax industries. You get

the VAT tax, the money that is raced through people who work in

industry. So one interesting thing that the film highlighted is the UK

does not protect the industry in terms of headquarters being set up

in London. What about a production tax, Rhoda Grant? I would have to

say that what Joan McAlpine was saying is absolutely ridiculous. Of

course we get our share of taxes through the UK Exchequer. That

money comes to Scotland as well, so that is just a myth that the SNP

want to portray to encourage people along the road to independence,

which is absolutely untrue. According to our production tax,

frankly, the Scottish government have a social responsibility that

is already legislated for. Are they going to raise taxes... A I'm