11 February 2010

Talking the Talk

For those of you who don't know, Cathy Peattie MSP (Lab, Falkirk East) has a WordPress site where she - or one of her staffers - copies all her press releases. Now, I'm not keen on this approach to bloggery: if you're going to have a blog, put some actual posts on it. If you just want somewhere to stick press releases, sort out a website.

Last week, she posted a copy of this release about a Post Office Diversification Fund:

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie has called for a Diversification Fund to be set up in Scotland to help post offices improve and diversify during the recession.

Such a fund has already been introduced by the Welsh Assembly and similar support could be provided to the post office network in Scotland.

“There are opportunities to develop such a fund in Scotland,” said Cathy.

“Post offices and sub-post offices are crucial to our communities. They provide support in the form of benefits and pensions. In many communities, they provide support for small businesses. In communities that do not have banks, people have the opportunity to use the post office instead...

“The proposed post bank would provide another reason for folk to use their post office and would deal with the issue of communities not having access to a bank. It is all very well suggesting that people get benefits and so on through their bank, but if they do not have access to a bank — if there is no bank in their community, perhaps no bank for miles — the idea of a post bank could make some difference. That could support credit unions within the post office’s radius, as credit unions also need access to banks.

“I hope that we can look forward to the possible development of a diversification fund similar to the one in Wales, which illustrates what we could do in Scotland. It does not involve a lot of money, but such a fund recognises the value of post offices in our communities and the importance of making them more sustainable.”

The Scottish Government is “keeping an eye” on the Welsh scheme, but their hand may be forced in budget negotiations, where the idea has backing from other parties, leading Minister Jim Mather in his reply to note that based on the support “from all parts of the chamber this evening, I am sure that that argument will now have extra weight behind it.”


Well, she was right, the Post Office Diversification Fund did find its way into the Budget last week.

So, having called for a fund, and with a fund being offered in the Budget, guess how she voted?

She voted against it.

Oh, dear...

9 comments:

Lallands Peat Worrier said...

That is reassuring. Since she and her mightily sagacious comrade, Helen Eadie, are to be Labour's nominees to sit on the ad hoc committee to consider the End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill. What a formidable pairing they will make...

Stephen Glenn said...

Must be a southern bank of the Forth thing I find that the SNP Westminster candidate for Linlithgow and East Falkirk basicaly rearranges what I've already read on the SNP news feed.

Anonymous said...

A perfect example of Darwinian Evolution but, in reverse.

You couldn't make this up.

In Scotland, Labour take the Olympic McVittie's.

Anonymous said...
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Kenny said...

The Scottish Labour website has on their main page the line "No boiler scrappage here - The SNP won't introduce the Boiler Scrappage Scheme here."

http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/

Of course the Boiler scrappage scheme was included in the budget and how did Labour vote? Yep, you guessed it, they voted against.

muddypaws said...

this kinda sums it up.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtMV44yoXZ0

The Shadow said...

And would you vote for a budget on the basis of one or two things that you wanted being in there amongst a lot of crap? Of course you would.

Will said...

And would you vote against something that contained every thing you've demanded bar one? That's what Labour and Cathy Peattie did! You ever heard of the 'Abstain' button?

Clairwil said...

I'm presuming it's a deliberate tactic to oppose just about everything the SNP ever put forward but it's not doing Labour any favours at all. We keep hearing what they're against but what are they for? What are the positive reasons to vote Labour? Honestly they might as well junk the practice of publishing a manifesto and write 'the opposition or all wankers so you have to vote for us' on the bag of a fag packet.