:00:21. > :00:24.Welcome to Politics Scotland. Coming up: Live coverage of First
:00:24. > :00:27.Minister's questions. And preparations are under way for
:00:27. > :00:31.going to the polls tomorrow in the local council elections.
:00:31. > :00:35.And in Westminster, the fall-out is continuing over the phone hacking
:00:35. > :00:40.scandal and the role of the Murdochs, particularly in light of
:00:40. > :00:44.this hugely critical report by MPs. Alex Salmond is set to take more
:00:44. > :00:48.tough questions on his connections with Rupert Murdoch and his media
:00:48. > :00:52.empire. First Minister's Questions has been moved to this afternoon
:00:52. > :00:57.instead of its usual Thursday slot because Parliament is not sitting
:00:57. > :01:04.because of the local council elections tomorrow. I am joined by
:01:04. > :01:08.a Lorraine Davidson from the Times. Alex Salmond will take questions on
:01:08. > :01:14.Rupert Murdoch. Our I don't think we need a crystal ball for that!
:01:14. > :01:18.That is a safe assumption because the opposition sense that this is a
:01:18. > :01:22.difficult situation for him because of his close relationship with
:01:22. > :01:26.Rupert Murdoch, which used to be a great bonus to Alex Salmond because
:01:26. > :01:31.it got him that newspaper's endorsement for the election. It
:01:31. > :01:35.made him look like a global player on the serious stage as well. --
:01:35. > :01:39.serious player on the global stage. It is not looking good in light of
:01:39. > :01:45.the revelations that have come out in light of the Murdochs since.
:01:45. > :01:49.Labour MPs said that Rupert Murdoch was not fit to run a media empire.
:01:49. > :01:55.The Tories disagreed. There will probably be a motion to the House
:01:55. > :01:59.of Commons about that. Could we see the SNP MPs voting with the
:01:59. > :02:04.Conservatives? Is that issue about what the SNP are going to do at
:02:04. > :02:08.Westminster - are they going to side with the Tories? And there is
:02:08. > :02:13.also the issue about the fact that we have now had the announcement
:02:13. > :02:17.that at first minister in Scotland, Jack McConnell, had his phone had.
:02:18. > :02:22.Alex Salmond's parliamentary aide had her phone hacked. Will Alex
:02:22. > :02:30.Salmond sit back and allow roared Levison to examine these issues in
:02:30. > :02:35.the fullness that they should be examined to -- Lord Levison. That
:02:35. > :02:39.is something that has not come to the fore this far. There are also
:02:39. > :02:41.implications for the Tommy Sheridan case. Will Alex Salmon suddenly be
:02:41. > :02:46.terribly happy to allow these things just to be looked at in
:02:46. > :02:51.London, which it appears from this statement yesterday he is, and what
:02:51. > :02:54.all the opposition make of that? This is a very important issue. The
:02:54. > :02:58.public really do want to get to the bottom of it. They want to know who
:02:58. > :03:03.was responsible for this, how far up the chain it went, what was the
:03:03. > :03:07.extent of the cover-up, who was responsible for the cover-up. The
:03:07. > :03:11.way that politicians have dealt with this over 24 hours is
:03:11. > :03:15.detracting from the main points of this report. Tom Watson jeopardised
:03:15. > :03:21.getting consensus around that report because he was so desperate
:03:21. > :03:26.to write his headline about Murdoch not being fit that he lost the
:03:26. > :03:33.Tories, and then in Scotland we have got the SNP claiming this is
:03:33. > :03:37.somehow all Labour's fault - that Jack McConnell and Alex Salmond's
:03:37. > :03:40.aid got their phone hacked. But yet they were having their own
:03:40. > :03:44.relationship with Murdoch in Scotland. I don't think any of the
:03:44. > :03:48.political parties are coming out terribly well. The be MSPs are
:03:48. > :03:52.taking their seats and are about to begin. It was pretty fiery last
:03:52. > :03:57.week with Johann Lamont putting questions to Alex Salmond. It will
:03:57. > :03:59.probably be fiery again today. Yes, because I think Johann Lamont
:03:59. > :04:04.feels she is a step removed from this and because the Scottish
:04:04. > :04:08.Labour Party is now autonomous, she feels Gordon Brown is some distant
:04:08. > :04:15.figure, Tony Blair is even more distant - nothing to do with her.
:04:15. > :04:20.Let's cross live to the chamber. Here we are in the chamber once
:04:20. > :04:25.again. What I have said is that is
:04:25. > :04:33.something that should be judged by the relevant authorities. They are
:04:33. > :04:37.Ofcom, in terms of broadcasting, and the Leveson Inquiry. Doing what
:04:38. > :04:41.the Labour Party did yesterday on a committee of the House of Commons
:04:41. > :04:45.has served only to split the committee on political lines. I
:04:45. > :04:50.don't think that was advisable. It is a statement of fact - the
:04:50. > :04:53.committee was split on political lines when it was meant be unified
:04:53. > :04:58.in terms of pursuing an inquiry. That is exactly what happened,
:04:59. > :05:02.which is why... I note, incidentally, that the Labour
:05:02. > :05:10.leadership in London says that these are matters which should be
:05:10. > :05:13.judged by Ofcom and B Leveson Inquiry. Johann Lamont. Presumably
:05:13. > :05:18.the first minister is content to be on the same side as the Tories in
:05:18. > :05:22.their view on Rupert Murdoch. I would also say I would have a bit
:05:22. > :05:28.more respect for the first minister if he allowed his own backbenchers
:05:28. > :05:31.to say what they thought in our Parliamentary committees. The first
:05:31. > :05:41.minister has accused me of hypocrisy in the past in raising
:05:41. > :05:42.
:05:42. > :05:47.this issue, so he has argued in that line several times. The
:05:47. > :05:51.prospect of one person - especially Mr Murdoch - having more influence
:05:51. > :05:57.over the media in the UK would be a matter of concern especially in
:05:57. > :06:01.Scotland. Not my words but the words of the Deputy First Minister
:06:01. > :06:07.Nicholas sturgeon when it Murdoch tried to take over ITV news. She
:06:07. > :06:10.was right then. I agreed with her. What made her change her mind,
:06:10. > :06:13.first minister? It can't have been when she found out about phone
:06:13. > :06:17.hacking on an industrial scale. It could not have been when she found
:06:17. > :06:22.out the phone of a murdered teenager had been hacked. Surely it
:06:22. > :06:26.was not when she found out that Joan McAlpine's phone was tapped.
:06:26. > :06:30.Or did she changed her mind when the first minister told her to, or
:06:31. > :06:40.when he realised he was the last person left defending Rupert
:06:41. > :06:44.
:06:44. > :06:48.Murdoch? Firstly, I probably... I condemn phone hacking, regardless
:06:48. > :06:53.of who the victim is and regardless of who the perpetrators are. That
:06:53. > :06:56.is my position and has been my consistent position. I would have
:06:56. > :07:00.thought the most obvious explanation for the question that
:07:00. > :07:04.Johann Lamont asked is that there are two different subjects. The
:07:04. > :07:11.first was about ITV, Wed news Corp did not have a controlling stake
:07:11. > :07:15.all major interest. The second is BSkyB, up when News Corporation had
:07:15. > :07:23.a 39% stake already, where most people, including Ofcom, after the
:07:23. > :07:27.assurances on Sky News, said the issue would not be one of plurality.
:07:27. > :07:34.As for alliances with the Conservative Party, I have to say I
:07:34. > :07:37.think Johann Lamont is on very weak ground. Not only do we have a
:07:37. > :07:44.weekly attempt at building a grand alliance with the Conservative
:07:45. > :07:48.Party in this Parliament. But when it came to the Budget, the Labour
:07:48. > :07:55.Party decided to vote with the Conservatives and against
:07:55. > :07:59.apprenticeship in Scotland. If the first minister was that concerned
:07:59. > :08:09.about the money Dowling this year, he would not have soared to
:08:09. > :08:10.
:08:10. > :08:14.rehabilitate him by inviting him to tea. -- Milly Dowler in the issue.
:08:14. > :08:19.The reality is this - isn't it the truth that the first minister's
:08:19. > :08:23.relationship with Rupert Murdoch is preventing any real scrutiny of
:08:23. > :08:27.News International's activities in Scotland. When the phone hacking
:08:27. > :08:32.scandal broke, the first minister claimed this was a London problem.
:08:32. > :08:36.Well, this is now well and truly on the first minister's doorstep and
:08:36. > :08:40.it is time there was a proper inquiry hearing Scotland that
:08:40. > :08:44.investigates who else has been hacked above all extent of the
:08:44. > :08:47.media influence over politicians and governments. A former First
:08:48. > :08:53.Minister has been hacked, an aid to the current First Minister has been
:08:53. > :08:56.hacked. As the first minister himself been hacked? And why is he
:08:56. > :09:04.blocking a Scottish inquiry into the activities of his old friend
:09:04. > :09:07.Rupert Murdoch? We can now get on to the nub of the issue and I think
:09:07. > :09:13.it is time this chamber realise the full seriousness of what is
:09:13. > :09:20.intending to be done in Scotland. We have a live police inquiry in
:09:20. > :09:24.Scotland at the present moment. That inquiry is up to 40 officers
:09:24. > :09:28.working with a huge commitment of resources by Strathclyde police. I
:09:28. > :09:32.know that because of what happened in terms of in action in the past
:09:32. > :09:38.in the negative -- Metropolitan Police, people are sceptical about
:09:38. > :09:46.these matters. There is no reason to be sceptical about this inquiry
:09:46. > :09:51.inquiry. If resources are being put into it and the expectation is that
:09:51. > :09:56.it will pursue the evidence without fear or favour and come to
:09:56. > :10:02.effective results. That means that there are implications for what
:10:02. > :10:06.should be done elsewhere. A police inquiry means that any committee of
:10:06. > :10:12.this Parliament could not impinge on information to that inquiry. Any
:10:12. > :10:17.witness would have to be warned against incrimination. Anybody who
:10:17. > :10:19.is subject to adverse publicity in a parliamentary inquiry could then
:10:19. > :10:23.quote Article 6 of the European Convention and use that in a
:10:23. > :10:29.defence in a future Quirinal increase. In other words, there
:10:29. > :10:33.could be significant FX -- criminal inquiry. There could be a
:10:33. > :10:36.significant chance that a criminal inquiry could be compromised. It is
:10:36. > :10:41.vital that people in this chamber realise that now there is a real
:10:41. > :10:45.police inquiry taking place in Scotland. Would that have happened
:10:45. > :10:51.in 2005 when these issues were actually being carried through?
:10:51. > :10:55.Even at the Leveson Inquiry, which is a judicial inquiry, asked to
:10:55. > :10:59.bear in mind of the existence of a live up police inquiry. For example,
:11:00. > :11:04.when her teeth Constable of Strathclyde appeared before
:11:04. > :11:10.leathers and, he could not be questioned on all aspects being
:11:10. > :11:13.concerned by the current police inquiry, which is exactly why we
:11:14. > :11:20.are looking at every inch of issues that go beyond the criminal
:11:20. > :11:24.investigations. I shall be delighted to go to a Everson and
:11:24. > :11:27.account for my contacts with News International. I am not certain
:11:27. > :11:37.that members of the Labour Party will have such a comfortable
:11:37. > :11:37.
:11:37. > :11:41.experience. Johann Lamont. I do not even think the first minister
:11:42. > :11:50.himself believed that, never mind his backbenchers. The fact of the
:11:50. > :11:55.matter is, this is our great modern new Scottish parliament. We see a
:11:55. > :11:58.Tory Cabinet Secretary board before the House of Commons. We see a Tory
:11:58. > :12:04.Prime Minister brought before the House of Commons. We see a
:12:04. > :12:13.parliamentary inquiry. But in the Scottish parliament... Order! Or
:12:13. > :12:23.DEC! -- order! But the Scottish Parliament runs away from
:12:23. > :12:29.accountability. Order! Order! things are not incompatible except
:12:29. > :12:32.in the first minister's own ahead. Last year, the first minister told
:12:32. > :12:39.us that people who live in Scotland are the best people to make
:12:39. > :12:44.decisions about their own future. Of that there can be no doubt. Yet
:12:44. > :12:50.he is content to rely on a judicial inquiry and a parliamentary
:12:50. > :12:54.committee being run in London to determine the truth in Scotland. I
:12:54. > :13:01.look forward to hearing the first minister answer a question under
:13:01. > :13:06.oath. I look forward to hearing him answer a question! But there is
:13:06. > :13:11.this question now - why does the First Minister Theatre
:13:11. > :13:14.parliamentary investigation here in Scotland? -- earthier a
:13:14. > :13:24.parliamentary investigation. This started with Rupert Murdoch trying
:13:24. > :13:25.
:13:25. > :13:31.to take over BSkyB. It turns out he owns the SNP. First minister.
:13:31. > :13:35.Order! Order! Johann Lamont gets a chance every week to ask me
:13:35. > :13:41.questions. The fact that she does not make a good job of it is hardly
:13:41. > :13:45.my responsibility. I have already tried to explain about this
:13:45. > :13:50.inquiry's importance. Parliament can do exactly what it likes but
:13:50. > :13:56.the police inquiry takes precedence in issues such as this. Can I try
:13:56. > :14:00.to inform her about Levison? That is an inquiry established under the
:14:00. > :14:10.enquiries at 2005. But Ms the Scottish government had to be
:14:10. > :14:13.
:14:13. > :14:17.consulted. -- enquiries actor. Every member can see the
:14:17. > :14:22.correspondence. That is why I will be going to Levison, in common with
:14:22. > :14:25.other political leaders, able to account for all of my meetings. I
:14:25. > :14:30.will account for every single one of the five meetings I have had
:14:30. > :14:36.with Rupert Murdoch over the last five years. I am sure Gordon Brown
:14:36. > :14:39.will be delighted to explain the 17 meetings he had. Or David Cameron
:14:39. > :14:43.the 18 meetings over the last five years. Bat will be the
:14:43. > :14:47.responsibility of every leading politician because Lord leathers
:14:47. > :14:53.and, under oath, is looking at the relationships between press and
:14:53. > :14:58.politicians. -- led the sun. Johann Lamont asked me why I believe that
:14:58. > :15:03.the Labour Party is guilty of hypocrisy. She will give me two
:15:03. > :15:08.explanations. -- let me give her two explanations. These things took
:15:08. > :15:13.place on the Labour Party's watch. But Labour Party were in government
:15:13. > :15:23.in London and Edinburgh. The idea that the harder you complain,
:15:23. > :15:26.people will forget about 15 years of association with a News
:15:26. > :15:36.International! People look at the Labour party and say humbug and
:15:36. > :15:42.
:15:42. > :15:49.To ask the First Minister when he will meet the Prime Minister?
:15:49. > :15:56.plans in the near future. We know the former First Minister was
:15:56. > :16:01.hacked. His children were also, and his close Parliamentary aide was
:16:01. > :16:05.hacked. But what the people of Scotland deserve to be told is
:16:05. > :16:10.whether this First Minister has been hacked. His spokesman has
:16:10. > :16:15.repeatedly said his boss will reveal all to the Leveson Inquiry.
:16:15. > :16:19.But this First Minister reports to this Parliament. This is a big
:16:19. > :16:24.opportunity. Dodging the question now, only to reveal all when he
:16:24. > :16:31.takes the stand later, will look like media manipulation of the very
:16:31. > :16:37.worst kind. Was he hacked and did not speak out to protect his new
:16:37. > :16:45.best mate? Or did Rupert not bother hacking his phone because he was
:16:45. > :16:52.already on speed dial? Scotland is watching, First Minister, were you
:16:52. > :16:56.hack? As Ruth Davidson rightly says, I will be going to the Leveson
:16:56. > :17:00.Inquiry and speaking specifically about a range of matters under oath
:17:00. > :17:05.and that is where I will give my evidence, which is the right thing
:17:05. > :17:12.to do. An inquiry which was set up on cross-party agreement on a
:17:12. > :17:16.judicial basis. Ruth Davison referred to media manipulation of
:17:16. > :17:26.the worst kind. And the two words that came to my mind were Andy
:17:26. > :17:27.
:17:27. > :17:31.Coulson. Let's talk about enquiries then shall we? You want to speak at
:17:31. > :17:41.the Leveson Inquiry. We have a First Minister who is willing to
:17:41. > :17:51.speak at an English inquiry, but not hold one in Scotland. An
:17:51. > :17:53.
:17:53. > :18:00.inquiry in England. Order. departure of the Culture, Media and
:18:00. > :18:04.Sport Committee managed to hold an inquiry in Westminster. We need to
:18:04. > :18:08.look deeper in Scotland than Leveson Inquiry allows. I call for
:18:08. > :18:15.an inquiry in this Parliament, especially when the First
:18:16. > :18:25.Minister's intervention appears to contravene his own making. In
:18:25. > :18:31.particular, the First Minister must knock seek to influence through any
:18:31. > :18:37.special access through the judiciary. The First Minister has
:18:37. > :18:44.admitted he was seeking to influence him. There were desperate
:18:44. > :18:51.calls between his office and that of the minister. Surely, when there
:18:51. > :18:55.are questions... Order. There are questions as to whether a First
:18:55. > :19:01.Minister of Scotland and may have acted in contravention to Scottish
:19:01. > :19:09.law. A Parliamentary inquiry is the minimum to which we are entitled.
:19:09. > :19:15.First Minister. I don't think you're back benchers believe that.
:19:15. > :19:23.The First Minister of Scotland advocates jobs and investment for
:19:23. > :19:28.jobs for Scotland at every opportunity. And the Leveson
:19:28. > :19:34.Inquiry is not an English inquiry. If I had said it was an English
:19:34. > :19:40.inquiry, I would have been accused of being a racist Roulston surely
:19:40. > :19:44.she hasn't lost her belief in the United Kingdom? She does know it is
:19:44. > :19:49.a cross-border inquiry. She knows and has read the in but the
:19:49. > :19:53.Scottish Government tried to strengthen the terms of reference
:19:53. > :20:02.to the inquiry. I'm sure she will be on the edge of her seat when I
:20:02. > :20:05.give evidence next month. Can I say about the Conservative Party, the
:20:05. > :20:12.Parliamentary committee at a Westminster had their inquiry as to
:20:12. > :20:16.whether they will has led on previous occasions. -- misled. But
:20:16. > :20:20.the Conservative Party have not grasped the essential points in all
:20:20. > :20:24.of this. When the question was asked about the Prime Minister,
:20:24. > :20:29.referring people to independent adjudication, they have an
:20:29. > :20:34.independent adjudicators who has not once been asked to adjudicate
:20:34. > :20:38.on anything. They pay an independent adjudicator on the
:20:38. > :20:42.ministerial code and he has not been brought into action once. I
:20:42. > :20:48.have referred myself five times. The fact every single one of them
:20:49. > :20:55.get kicked out is neither here nor there. I have stood up to
:20:55. > :21:01.examination better than her colleagues in Westminster.
:21:01. > :21:06.What issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet?
:21:06. > :21:10.Issues of importance to the people of Scotland. The First Minister is
:21:10. > :21:18.responsible to this Parliament. Why won't he tell us whether his phone
:21:18. > :21:21.has been hacked? Despite all of the excuses, we have heard the First
:21:21. > :21:31.Minister man the barricades to protect Rupert Murdoch from a
:21:31. > :21:33.
:21:33. > :21:38.Scottish inquiry. What has happened? A year ago, we would have
:21:38. > :21:42.caught the inquiry a London based judge -- inquiry, with the judge
:21:43. > :21:49.that has only been to Scotland for the festival. Now he says it is the
:21:49. > :21:55.right place. When did he switched to being a Celtic Mouse in support
:21:55. > :22:00.of all things English, of London courts, Trafalgar Square, Morris
:22:01. > :22:06.dancing? Why can't the First Minister decide to back an inquiry
:22:06. > :22:12.in Scotland. I am sure if I am called on to give a definition of
:22:13. > :22:19.English nationality, I will do better than a Willie Rennie.
:22:19. > :22:26.Leveson Inquiry was established in the inquiries Act 1005. It was set
:22:26. > :22:30.up by an all-party agreement. If we care to look back at the date, it
:22:30. > :22:35.or us when all parties decided it was the correct route of the
:22:35. > :22:39.judicial inquiry. Even Gordon Brown said, as he was speaking to the
:22:39. > :22:43.House of Commons, his deepest regret it was he did not set up a
:22:43. > :22:49.judicial inquiry when he was in office because the Civil Service
:22:49. > :22:54.told him not to his. But we subscribe to Leveson Inquiry as
:22:54. > :23:01.being the way to go. Shouldn't we abide by that? When he reads the
:23:01. > :23:04.Correspondent an input we had into the terms of reference and our
:23:04. > :23:10.attempts to strengthen and broadened the terms of reference,
:23:11. > :23:14.he will have every confidence the Leveson Inquiry will come up with
:23:14. > :23:20.substantial recommendations. If I had taken a different course and
:23:20. > :23:26.said last year, no, we are not to have the Leveson Inquiry, winner
:23:26. > :23:31.set up our own Scottish judicial inquiry, every one of these benches
:23:31. > :23:37.would have been bouncing up and down saying we were not prepared to
:23:37. > :23:47.rise to the moment. I rose to the moment, maybe Willie Rennie will do
:23:47. > :23:47.
:23:47. > :23:53.the same? It does not really add up. The SNP have a view on absolutely
:23:53. > :23:59.everything. From the price of dog food, to the Americanisation of
:23:59. > :24:09.Hallowe'en. I cannot understand why he won't stand up and be counted on
:24:09. > :24:11.
:24:11. > :24:16.this? Order. He has traded with Rupert Murdoch, defended him on
:24:16. > :24:21.phone hacking, stood up for him on BSkyB and now protecting him in
:24:21. > :24:27.Scotland. Isn't it true, every time, never on the side of ordinary
:24:27. > :24:35.people, never on the side of victims, but always on the side of
:24:35. > :24:40.the rich and powerful? First Minister. I was just reflecting in
:24:40. > :24:46.terms of being on the side of ordinary people. The interview
:24:46. > :24:50.Willie Rennie conducted with Gary Robinson last week. He was asked,
:24:50. > :24:57.would contact Vince Cable to ask about the economic investment deal
:24:57. > :25:06.about the takeover bids. So you're saying it and was jailed Tolson?
:25:06. > :25:15.Yes, says Willie Rennie and we have significant numbers of employees of
:25:15. > :25:20.Skye in Scotland. Why is it not OK for the First Minister to do this?
:25:20. > :25:24.The answer came because the Sun newspaper were not supporting the
:25:24. > :25:34.Liberal Democrats. I have news for Willie Rennie - and neither is
:25:34. > :25:38.
:25:38. > :25:45.anyone else. As usual... Order. Order. Selectively quoting. The
:25:45. > :25:51.First Minister knows the reason he was backing BSkyB, the reason he
:25:51. > :25:56.was put -- putting his interests above those of phone hacking
:25:56. > :26:06.victims is because he wanted the support of the Sun newspaper. Why
:26:06. > :26:09.can't he admits it? The 6,300 jobs, the 2000 jobs in Glasgow and
:26:09. > :26:14.elsewhere which the Labour Party didn't even know about last week,
:26:14. > :26:24.because that is the priority. Maybe that's the difference people might
:26:24. > :26:30.reflect on tomorrow when the opposition parties, ours is jobs,
:26:30. > :26:34.jobs, jobs. I'd like to ask the First Minister
:26:34. > :26:40.what the Scottish Government's position is on the findings of the
:26:40. > :26:45.report by the Jamie Reed Foundation, spiralling crisis of local
:26:45. > :26:51.democracy in Scotland? It is a viable contribution to the debate
:26:51. > :26:55.on local democracy there. We have tried a new partnership of local
:26:56. > :27:03.Government over the last five years. The local Government minister has
:27:03. > :27:07.led a reform of planning community. Most recently the partnership
:27:07. > :27:15.approach led to the joint agreement, the hugely important joint
:27:15. > :27:22.agreement between the governments of and someone else to protect jobs
:27:22. > :27:25.in Scotland and cuts in the Council Tax Benefit. I thank him for his
:27:25. > :27:29.answer and look forward to the details of the community
:27:29. > :27:33.empowerment bill. Alongside them powering local democracy, it is
:27:33. > :27:38.essential local Government works in partnership with the Government to
:27:38. > :27:41.protect the vulnerable and protect the economy. Will he commit to
:27:42. > :27:45.continuing that partnership approach after tomorrow's elections
:27:45. > :27:50.and included Jimmy Reid Foundation's thoughts in his work?
:27:50. > :27:55.I will, the partnership progress between councils and Government is
:27:55. > :28:02.vital for Scotland's future. It will include 600 hours of the
:28:02. > :28:06.National Education, and of course the vital concentration on family
:28:06. > :28:10.budgets and the knowledge that council tax freeze will be worth
:28:10. > :28:20.�1,200 to each average family over the eight years we intend to
:28:20. > :28:20.
:28:21. > :28:26.implement that freeze. Can I declare an interest as a board
:28:27. > :28:30.member of the Jimmy Reid foundations. Has the First Minister
:28:30. > :28:38.managed to set up a Commission as asked for in the report looking
:28:38. > :28:45.into democracy at local level? Well the insure it considers the
:28:45. > :28:51.Democratic participation of women. So it does not result in greater
:28:51. > :28:54.inequality. A number of these issues were touched on in the
:28:54. > :29:00.Christie report as well as the report from the Jamie Reed
:29:00. > :29:04.Foundation. I would be happy to meet Elaine Smith to talk about
:29:04. > :29:08.these issues in more detail, to see the areas of the report which could
:29:08. > :29:12.be prioritise and the ones that would have cross-party agreement in
:29:12. > :29:22.the chamber. If she is willing I would be happy to progress things
:29:22. > :29:25.
:29:25. > :29:29.The whole parliament will place on record that we utterly condemn the
:29:29. > :29:33.brutal murder to which she refers. He was a man who devoted his life
:29:33. > :29:41.to helping others. He was a nurse and highly experienced aid worker
:29:41. > :29:43.who had saved a number of lies in his long service. -- lives. He had
:29:43. > :29:47.friends across the planet and regularly travelled back to
:29:47. > :29:51.Dumfries where he was well known and well loved. My sincere
:29:51. > :29:58.condolences, and that of the whole chamber, go to his family and
:29:58. > :30:02.friends, and particularly his fiancee and brother. He was
:30:02. > :30:08.abducted on 5th January 1920 12. As the Cabinet Secretary for Justice
:30:08. > :30:12.told the Cabinet on 26th January, there was a meeting with the
:30:12. > :30:17.Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs on 19th January. The
:30:17. > :30:22.International Committee of the Red Cross was in the loop. Their
:30:22. > :30:27.efforts to secure the at the release of Mr Dale did not succeed.
:30:27. > :30:30.The tragedy that we learned about this week ensued. I would like to
:30:30. > :30:37.thank him for his reply and associate myself with his comment
:30:37. > :30:41.about my former constituent. I do appreciate the need for discretion
:30:41. > :30:44.regarding the information made publicly available by the Red Cross
:30:44. > :30:49.about its attempting to secure Mr Dale's release and the continuing
:30:49. > :30:54.need not to allow publicity to interfere with solving this middle
:30:54. > :30:59.ground. I wonder, however, whether he is able to offer any comfort to
:30:59. > :31:01.Mr Dale's family and friends about what actions were taken after 26th
:31:01. > :31:06.January and if he has any information about who may have been
:31:06. > :31:11.responsible for the abduction. I wonder also how we in Scotland can
:31:11. > :31:14.assist with solving this crime. Has any consideration been given to
:31:14. > :31:20.providing a reward for information leading to this successful
:31:20. > :31:26.prosecution of the perpetrator? Cabinet Secretary has spoken as
:31:26. > :31:30.recently as this morning and he confirmed that the FCO and the
:31:30. > :31:36.international community and the Red Cross work tirelessly to secured Mr
:31:36. > :31:40.Dale's release. In light of an atrocity and a tragedy, it is easy
:31:40. > :31:44.to say things could have been done differently but we have no reason
:31:44. > :31:50.to suppose, as the Scottish government, that the Foreign Office
:31:50. > :31:52.did not act as they saw it in the best interests of Mr Dale in
:31:52. > :31:57.allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross to take
:31:57. > :32:02.the lead. There was also an assurance that Mr Dale's family was
:32:02. > :32:06.kept fully informed through the FCO as arrangements were made for
:32:06. > :32:11.recovering Mr Dale's body. They number of parts of that information
:32:11. > :32:15.are confidential but that issue was raised and has been dealt with. In
:32:15. > :32:19.terms of the responsibility, the responsibility that was claimed was
:32:19. > :32:24.well publicised and publicly declared. We have no reason to
:32:24. > :32:27.suppose that is not accurate. We will look carefully at any
:32:27. > :32:31.contribution that we can make which would help the security of the
:32:31. > :32:36.Scottish aid workers are working internationally. This is not, as
:32:36. > :32:45.the member will be aware, the first tragedy we have had in recent
:32:45. > :32:50.months of this kind. The impact on family and friends is deeply felt,
:32:50. > :32:54.but meanwhile I think admiration and respect should be felt across
:32:54. > :33:00.the Scottish Community to their citizens to put their lives on the
:33:00. > :33:04.line. To ask the First Minister how many empty commercial properties
:33:04. > :33:09.the Scottish government predicts will no longer be empty as a direct
:33:09. > :33:15.consequence of the proposals in the local government finance unoccupied
:33:15. > :33:20.Scotland Bill. A empty properties are blight on high streets across
:33:20. > :33:23.Scotland. Proposed reform of the property rates will introduce an
:33:23. > :33:30.incentive to bring these properties back into economic use to
:33:30. > :33:35.regenerate high street. The projection is an �18 million
:33:35. > :33:40.increase in the budget over two years. This is a limited additional
:33:40. > :33:44.cost to business when compared to the �1 billion cost of the UK
:33:44. > :33:48.Government's recent of VAT rise. Could I thank the First Minister
:33:48. > :33:54.for that answer. Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with the question
:33:54. > :33:58.I actually asked. Let me simplify it for the First Minister. How many
:33:58. > :34:06.empty commercial properties will no longer be empty as a consequence of
:34:06. > :34:10.his bill? As an answer, I know that Gavin Brown pays close attention to
:34:10. > :34:15.the Small Business Federation, which have consistently argued that
:34:15. > :34:23.this would be an incentive to bring properties back into active use. I
:34:23. > :34:28.hope and believe that Gavin Brown will pay more attention to the
:34:28. > :34:32.views of small business federations in future. There is an assumption
:34:32. > :34:38.within the papers in terms of a number of premises which is 5,500,
:34:38. > :34:42.but that is an interesting contrast. I am sorry to disappoint Gavin
:34:42. > :34:47.Brown as he was chipping away merrily. I think we should contrast
:34:47. > :34:52.than 5,000 figure with just looking at his own constituency in
:34:52. > :34:56.Midlothian, where 10,800 premises are benefiting from the Small
:34:56. > :35:02.Business Bonus introduced, maintained and championed by the
:35:02. > :35:07.SNP government. That ends First Minister's Questions. We now move
:35:07. > :35:12.on to the next item of business... That was first minister's questions
:35:12. > :35:16.live from Holyrood, a change from its usual Thursday afternoon slot.
:35:16. > :35:21.I am joined by Our political commentator form the afternoon,
:35:21. > :35:25.Lorraine Davidson from the Times. That was pretty fiery! One of the
:35:25. > :35:29.fiery just I can remember. Yes, on the final legal point Alex Salmond
:35:29. > :35:33.has got a point because part of the problem yesterday with the
:35:33. > :35:37.parliamentary report was that it was not able to address some of the
:35:37. > :35:41.main figures in the phone hacking scandal - Andy Coulson, Rebekah
:35:41. > :35:47.Brooks - because of the police inquiry. The problem Alex Salmond
:35:47. > :35:52.has is that on the politics, he does that very badly, because who
:35:52. > :35:56.would say that it was all right to allow it does to the Leveson
:35:56. > :36:01.Inquiry to deal with this? The goal posts have changed and the point
:36:02. > :36:05.where the Leveson terms of reference were agreed, we did not
:36:05. > :36:10.understand until this week what the scale might be of the phone hacking
:36:10. > :36:15.situation in Scotland, and it is a bit bizarre to have the Labour
:36:15. > :36:18.Party - even the Tories and Lib Dems - trying to stand up for
:36:18. > :36:22.Scotland in a way that the SNP do not seem to be doing on this
:36:22. > :36:26.particular issue. So although he is right on the judicial stuff, he is
:36:26. > :36:29.there to be a politician, but a lawyer, and I think he will be
:36:29. > :36:34.aware that on the politics, the other parties are picking up and
:36:34. > :36:38.running on this. Johann Lamont did a very good line in forensic
:36:38. > :36:45.questioning but with Davids and narrowed it down to whether his
:36:46. > :36:51.phone was tapped and I think it is going to lead a very sour taste. --
:36:51. > :36:56.Ruth Davidson it narrowed it down. It will look like grandstanding his
:36:56. > :37:01.day in London to reveal whether his day was asked -- pack to when he
:37:01. > :37:10.has been asked that the specific question in a Scottish parliament.
:37:10. > :37:15.-- hacked up. Scotland Act.
:37:15. > :37:22.There was some Norman French in use in the House of Lords. The
:37:22. > :37:25.translation is, "the Queen or wills it". It has become an Act of
:37:25. > :37:29.Parliament. Our Westminster Correspondent met up with the
:37:29. > :37:33.Scottish Secretary and asked what the Act means for Scotland. This is
:37:33. > :37:38.a hugely significant day. The parliament but we created in the
:37:38. > :37:41.late 1990s now gets a real financial powers and accountability.
:37:41. > :37:47.And I am looking forward to working together with the Scottish
:37:47. > :37:52.government to ensure we take those powers forward as quickly and
:37:52. > :37:56.powerfully as we should. Do we are going to be devolving speed limits
:37:56. > :38:00.and control over their guns and a drink-drive limit. Each of those
:38:00. > :38:08.are areas where it is now over to the Scottish Blood of the month. --
:38:08. > :38:13.government. A in practical details, those who do not follow the many
:38:13. > :38:18.shy of politics, how will they see the change as a result. -- the
:38:18. > :38:22.minutia eye. This Scottish government will be in a position
:38:22. > :38:28.where it will come forward about how it wants to change Scotter
:38:28. > :38:34.speed limits of that is what they seek to do. How they wish to
:38:34. > :38:37.regulate the use of air guns and how they want to alter, if they do,
:38:37. > :38:43.the drink-drive limits that affect us as we go about our business in
:38:43. > :38:48.Scotland. Those are real powers in this Act which reflect the concerns
:38:48. > :38:50.of everyday people going about their business in Scotland, and now
:38:50. > :38:56.the Scottish government is empowered to change things as they
:38:56. > :38:59.see fit. We are looking to them to come forward with ideas. It is
:39:00. > :39:04.worth clarifying, isn't it - income tax rates in Scotland are not going
:39:04. > :39:09.to change for a few years. financial powers in the Bill will
:39:09. > :39:13.be introduced over time. In a couple of years, the taxes we pay
:39:13. > :39:16.when we sell or buy houses will actually change. Stamp duty will be
:39:16. > :39:24.abolished in Scotland and it will be up to the Scottish government to
:39:24. > :39:28.bring forward a proposal about what they want to repay thank with. --
:39:28. > :39:35.bat with. There is a lot of work we need to do with individuals and
:39:35. > :39:37.companies to create a system of tax and I am committed ought to working
:39:37. > :39:41.with the Scottish government to do that.
:39:41. > :39:44.Some people would say that the Scot and that is all very well but is
:39:44. > :39:47.out of date now because we are not just talking about more powers for
:39:47. > :39:53.the Scottish parliament to but we are now talking about independence
:39:53. > :39:59.and a referendum. -- of the Scotland Act. Since 1999, we have
:39:59. > :40:02.had the Scottish parliament. As of today, we are in a position to pass
:40:02. > :40:08.on Pallister that Parliament which make it more accountable for the
:40:08. > :40:12.decisions it takes - not just about spending on our roads all schools
:40:12. > :40:17.but how we make the money to pay for them. That is a huge step
:40:17. > :40:20.forward. There is a major debate about independence. I am confident
:40:20. > :40:24.that when we get to that point, Scotland will decide to stay within
:40:24. > :40:27.the UK. These are real power has been implemented and it is
:40:27. > :40:32.important we get on and work together to deliver them.
:40:32. > :40:35.Let's stay in Westminster and speak to our correspondent there. It was
:40:35. > :40:39.interesting to hear what Michael Moore was saying there, assuring
:40:39. > :40:43.people that the new Act will still be relevant to their lives and is
:40:43. > :40:48.still politically relevant despite the forthcoming referendum.
:40:48. > :40:55.this is about Ed is to the Coalition government have had for
:40:55. > :41:00.some time. The Prime Minister move things forward in January and then
:41:00. > :41:06.be preferred referendum date was announced. We think that will be in
:41:06. > :41:09.2014 but that is what the parties are arguing about at the moment.
:41:09. > :41:13.The Scotland Act has now been said to be irrelevant. Ministers are
:41:13. > :41:16.keen to say that that is not the case, that it is the case of
:41:16. > :41:20.devolution moving forward and that in future the Scottish parliament
:41:21. > :41:28.will have more responsibility for raising the money it spends. But
:41:28. > :41:32.you all right - obviously now minds are turning to the next stage. That
:41:32. > :41:36.is deciding and getting agreement on a date for the referendum and
:41:36. > :41:40.whether there is going to be a single question or more than one
:41:40. > :41:44.question, and deciding exactly who will vote. Talks, I imagine, will
:41:45. > :41:49.get under way between the governments in London and Edinburgh
:41:49. > :41:55.fairly shortly on that topic but there will be a lot of hard talking.
:41:55. > :42:01.You have no MPs with you but yesterday was a fascinating day for
:42:01. > :42:05.phone hacking as it has been fascinating for us in Scotland.
:42:05. > :42:13.are seeing the fall-out in Scotland of what happened at Westminster
:42:13. > :42:19.yesterday with a hugely critical report by the DCMS, committee. I
:42:19. > :42:22.think what we underestimated was the anger from certain parts of
:42:22. > :42:28.that committee saying that Rupert Murdoch was not a fit and proper
:42:28. > :42:38.person to be in charge of that corporation. It was not a United
:42:38. > :42:39.
:42:39. > :42:45.report and went down party lines. Labour and Liberal Democrats agreed,
:42:45. > :42:51.and the Conservatives refused to endorse it. The committee has come
:42:51. > :42:55.out with excruciating comments about the head of a major company
:42:55. > :43:00.and a large employer in Scotland. They have also been hugely critical
:43:00. > :43:09.about former members of News International staff, and all sorts
:43:09. > :43:14.of inquiries could spring from this. The important thing is that the
:43:14. > :43:17.politics of this are dumbing down south. Calls for Ofcom to speed up
:43:17. > :43:21.its inquiry into BSkyB and whether News Corp are the right people to
:43:21. > :43:25.be the majority shareholders. It is very large stakes and only today,
:43:25. > :43:31.Ed Miliband has lent his weight to those calls for Ofcom to speed up
:43:31. > :43:36.its inquiry. Thank you very much. We will see you at the state a bit
:43:36. > :43:41.of Parliament next week. Let's head to Holyrood to speak to
:43:41. > :43:46.Jackson Carlaw of the Scottish Conservatives, Stewart Maxwell, and
:43:46. > :43:50.Labour's Sarah Boyack. Let's focus on the Scotland Act for a moment.
:43:50. > :43:55.We will pick up on first minister's questions later. Sarah Boyack,
:43:55. > :44:05.Michael Moore is adamant that this is still relevant to the general
:44:05. > :44:05.
:44:05. > :44:11.public and politically, despite the I think it is. It is key in terms
:44:11. > :44:15.of giving us more powers and the best of both worlds. The Scotland
:44:15. > :44:20.Act strengthens the devolution settlement. It is a big move
:44:20. > :44:25.forward. Ordinary people may be don't understand the detail, but
:44:26. > :44:31.the implication in terms are massive and new powers for this
:44:31. > :44:37.Parliament. Jim Gallagher, said there is scope in the current
:44:37. > :44:43.legislation to devolve more powers. Do you want that? The key thing is
:44:43. > :44:46.to recognise, what ever the history, all the parties together have
:44:47. > :44:51.delivered to Scotland this Scotland at with additional powers and more
:44:51. > :44:59.devolved responsibility. We have said there is no status quo option
:44:59. > :45:02.any longer. In the event we successor League win the referendum
:45:02. > :45:10.and stay in the United Kingdom and Unionist parties are willing to
:45:10. > :45:16.discuss what further part -- powers are available to Scotland. Stuart
:45:16. > :45:20.Maxwell, when were you introduce these powers? Many of the financial
:45:21. > :45:27.powers won't be available off for the Scottish Government to use
:45:27. > :45:34.until at least 2015 for 2016. Acting many of these powers will be
:45:34. > :45:38.overtaken by events anyway. The drink-driving and the airgun issues,
:45:38. > :45:43.the Government has said it wants to move forward as quickly as possible
:45:43. > :45:53.and a consultative panel of experts has been set up to take the Lurgan
:45:53. > :45:54.
:45:54. > :45:58.issued forward to make sure it is in the right way. -- air gun.
:45:58. > :46:02.is Alex Salmond not telling us if his phone has been hacked and is
:46:02. > :46:07.going to possibly tell the Leveson Inquiry? Why is he not telling
:46:07. > :46:12.Parliament, but he might tell an inquiry in London? It is a judicial
:46:12. > :46:17.inquiry covering the whole of the United Kingdom. All parties agreed
:46:17. > :46:20.it was the proper process. Clearly, the First Minister has said he will
:46:20. > :46:24.go to the Leveson Inquiry, and so all of the questions put to him
:46:24. > :46:31.about all of the meetings he had with Rupert Murdoch, and make sure
:46:31. > :46:37.the evidence is before that inquiry. But this Parliament has primacy
:46:37. > :46:42.here? The judicial inquiry has been set up. Is it more important than
:46:42. > :46:48.the Scottish Parliament? Of course not. The First Minister answered
:46:48. > :46:55.questions put to him last week and this week. But inquiry has been
:46:55. > :47:00.established to get to the bottom of these problems as is the inquiry by
:47:00. > :47:03.Strathclyde Police, which is a live inquiry. We must allow all
:47:03. > :47:07.political leaders to go to the Leveson Inquiry and put their
:47:07. > :47:11.evidence on the record to what is a judicial inquiry into this area.
:47:11. > :47:16.Sarah, nobody has covered themselves in glory when it comes
:47:16. > :47:21.to this, when you think of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's meeting
:47:21. > :47:25.with the Rupert Murdoch? Politicians always engage in the
:47:25. > :47:30.media. But News International has been exposed over the last couple
:47:31. > :47:34.of years. Since the Milly Dowler phone hacking incident, we have
:47:34. > :47:40.reached new depths of media coverage. Everyone is appalled,
:47:40. > :47:46.with the exception of Alex Salmond. No one understands why he won't
:47:46. > :47:49.answer a simple question - has his own phone been hacked? We don't
:47:49. > :47:54.just have the Leveson Inquiry, yesterday we had the publication of
:47:54. > :47:59.the report from our UK colleagues. We can debate the detail, but the
:47:59. > :48:03.overall conclusions of that report were absolutely damning. There is a
:48:04. > :48:07.Parliamentary interest. We have an emergency question, a statement to
:48:07. > :48:12.Westminster. The Scottish Parliament has been deemed fit to
:48:12. > :48:17.be given no answers, and we have to get the answers out of the First
:48:17. > :48:23.Minister and they have to be dragged out of him. Your leader put
:48:23. > :48:26.that very clearly to the First Minister, was your phone hacked?
:48:26. > :48:30.Perhaps the Leveson Inquiry is the right place for these questions to
:48:31. > :48:34.be answered? The fact he is putting himself before the Leveson Inquiry
:48:34. > :48:39.does not preclude him from answering the question in the
:48:39. > :48:44.Scottish Parliament. We see a First Minister dodging the issue. No
:48:44. > :48:49.other party has covered themselves with glory, but only one other
:48:49. > :48:52.party was pursuing and entertaining the Murdoch empire after the facts
:48:52. > :49:01.and the trees had started to emerge and that was Alex Salmond and the
:49:01. > :49:04.SNP. He it is an attempt to cover up years and years of frustrating
:49:04. > :49:08.themselves at the hands of News International. We have to leave it
:49:08. > :49:12.there. The lively debate, but let's move
:49:12. > :49:17.on. For the 4th year running we are going to the polls. We have had a
:49:17. > :49:24.European election, a General Election, its a Holyrood election
:49:24. > :49:32.and now a council election. Jamie, we go to the polls tomorrow, what
:49:32. > :49:38.kind of a voting system will we see in this? If it is the single
:49:38. > :49:44.transferable vote. You simply number your candidates in order of
:49:44. > :49:49.preference. You put a No 1 against your favoured candidate. And then
:49:50. > :49:54.so on, voting for as many or as few candidates as you want. But the
:49:54. > :49:59.essential message is to put a number next to the candidate.
:49:59. > :50:03.there scope for confusion? When we think about all the various voting
:50:03. > :50:07.systems people have to use? It can be a challenge for those of us who
:50:07. > :50:13.do not follow politics closely. Although there will be information
:50:13. > :50:17.at the polling stations tomorrow. If someone put a cross on their
:50:17. > :50:21.paper by mistake, it would be adjudicated by the returning
:50:21. > :50:29.officer and it would be counted as a No 1 for that particular
:50:29. > :50:34.candidate. So in that sense, not so much scope for confusion. Were the
:50:34. > :50:39.confusion comes in his parties are very keen where they have more than
:50:39. > :50:45.one candidate it in wards, to remind voters to vote in a
:50:45. > :50:49.particular way. It is getting that message across to voters, which
:50:49. > :50:55.some think they are second vote is automatically for another party.
:50:55. > :51:00.But that is not how the parties would like people to see it. When
:51:00. > :51:05.might we start seeing the first results? The count will start on
:51:05. > :51:10.Friday morning and we will probably see the results, but get a clear
:51:10. > :51:15.picture which way things are herded round about lunchtime on Friday.
:51:15. > :51:21.What are the key councils to look out for? Lookout for Glasgow, the
:51:21. > :51:27.battle between Labour and the SNP. Edinburgh will be interesting, at
:51:27. > :51:31.the SNP or Labour become the single biggest party there? Maybe the Lib
:51:31. > :51:38.Dems will retain their current position. North Lanarkshire and
:51:38. > :51:43.Aberdeen also interesting. Let us go back to Holyrood for
:51:43. > :51:49.analysis of First Minister's Questions. Brian, a fiery session
:51:49. > :51:55.at Holyrood? It was. I think Alex Salmond will be content with the
:51:55. > :52:00.way he handled the questions. But the questions were put on very
:52:00. > :52:07.vigorously... Almost a range of approaches, overlapping to some
:52:07. > :52:10.extent, but Joanne Mahmut asking why there was not to be a Scottish
:52:10. > :52:17.inquiry Andrew Staverton asking repeatedly if Alex Salmond had been
:52:17. > :52:21.phone hacked and Willie Rennie asking if the entire thing was done
:52:21. > :52:27.in return for support in the Sun newspaper. No this issue is not
:52:27. > :52:32.going away, he is appearing at the Leveson Inquiry next month. It is
:52:32. > :52:36.proving very politically tricky for him? He is appearing at the inquiry
:52:36. > :52:41.on a scheduled bases alongside other politicians, including UK
:52:41. > :52:46.politicians who will be appearing. He is being pursued on this because
:52:46. > :52:50.of the connections there have been with News Corporation and in person
:52:50. > :52:54.with Rupert Murdoch. Although Alex Salmond was at pains to point out,
:52:54. > :52:59.not least the Prime Minister and his predecessor had had substantial
:52:59. > :53:03.connections with Rupert Murdoch as well. The answer he gave on the
:53:03. > :53:09.idea of a Scottish inquiry was that first of all there is a police
:53:09. > :53:15.inquiry taking place by Strathclyde Police with 40 officers involved.
:53:15. > :53:19.And also Leveson Inquiry was partly agreed by the Scottish Government.
:53:19. > :53:24.He went beyond that St the Scottish inquiry would overlap with those
:53:24. > :53:30.police investigations. I think the response from politicians
:53:30. > :53:35.afterwards was, if that is the case, how can it be there has been an
:53:35. > :53:40.inquiry by the select committee in the House of Commons? And it was
:53:40. > :53:47.put to him, a year ago he was complaining about London judges and
:53:47. > :53:52.courts and now Mr Salmon's almost sees that the Leveson Inquiry is
:53:52. > :54:00.almost the place to be to talk about their own have been? It was a
:54:00. > :54:03.well answered by Alex Salmond, in which to say events move on. He was
:54:03. > :54:09.including Mr Salmond's own links to Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch
:54:09. > :54:13.had been discussed throughout the leathers an inquiry. Mr Salmond
:54:13. > :54:22.saying the inquiry is in place and is it spending its remit to include
:54:22. > :54:25.Scotland. So it is reasonable to maintain that as the basis upon
:54:25. > :54:30.which to find in the investigations. Politicians also we have not
:54:30. > :54:36.covered ourselves in glory when it comes to dealing with Rupert
:54:36. > :54:39.Murdoch? It is absolutely true. I was surprised to hear Bryce Davison
:54:39. > :54:44.pursue the issue given she had not issued a statement last night on
:54:44. > :54:51.the topic. It is difficult for the Prime Minister with Jeremy Hunt
:54:51. > :54:53.being so closely involved. -- Ross Davidson. Leveson Inquiry is
:54:53. > :54:59.looking into links between the press and politicians and the
:54:59. > :55:06.police and other authorities more generally, and also the ethics of
:55:06. > :55:10.the press in the wider sense. The programme is drawing to a close.
:55:10. > :55:15.Nous and closing thoughts in the company of our political
:55:15. > :55:20.commentator for the afternoon. We also go to the polls tomorrow for
:55:20. > :55:25.the local Government elections. Exciting. But it has not been a
:55:25. > :55:30.campaign that has enthused people? People will be waiting for the
:55:30. > :55:35.results. In terms of the media, we have had to create excitement. We
:55:35. > :55:39.have had to talk it up, talking about Glasgow and the key
:55:39. > :55:44.battleground. I cannot help feel that just because of the voting
:55:44. > :55:48.system, although Labour made do badly in Glasgow, the SNP may do
:55:48. > :55:53.very well, because of the voting system. It is difficult for the SNP
:55:53. > :55:59.to take Glasgow's. We have seen the mood music in recent weeks away
:55:59. > :56:02.from them predicting any great surge in the city of Glasgow. They
:56:03. > :56:08.had their local election launch in Stirling, I think that was a clue
:56:08. > :56:13.as well. The problem with single transferable vote it you won't have
:56:13. > :56:17.an electoral map way you can say one party is taking charge. It will
:56:17. > :56:21.be fascinating in terms of the bigger picture, the referendum
:56:21. > :56:25.coming up if the SNP can make further inroads and be in a
:56:25. > :56:29.position where they have those bigger, stronger army in the run-up
:56:29. > :56:34.to the referendum. Labour will be looking to make some kind of a
:56:34. > :56:37.comeback, too showed they are a serious party of opposition. They
:56:37. > :56:42.will be praying they don't lose Glasgow because that becomes the
:56:42. > :56:47.headline. We have had the council tax freeze for five years, it was a
:56:47. > :56:50.big thing people voted on. But some people must be thinking what is the
:56:51. > :56:57.point in voting for local Government if you are not voting
:56:57. > :57:02.for the finances? The council tax decision was taken by the Scottish
:57:02. > :57:06.Government at Holyrood. Since devolution, the Scottish Parliament
:57:06. > :57:11.has been focused and the point of local Government in terms of
:57:11. > :57:15.everyday lives has been lost. Wrong the, because it is important in
:57:15. > :57:19.terms of the services we get day today, but the focus has shifted.
:57:19. > :57:25.People's attention has gone off local Government, again wrongly.
:57:25. > :57:31.There is not an offering of difference between the ruling
:57:31. > :57:36.parties. I think we will be very badly squeezed and the thing to
:57:36. > :57:43.watch is where does their vote go? We have lost had the one member
:57:43. > :57:48.link between the wards? It makes it difficult for people if they have
:57:48. > :57:52.built up a relationship with their local councillor. I think Turner
:57:52. > :57:57.will be something to look out for as well and the predictions are it
:57:57. > :58:00.could go above 30%, because there is no election to come out for.
:58:00. > :58:06.Thanks for your company this afternoon.
:58:06. > :58:11.That's all we have time for but we are back at the same time next week