BRIEFING
Holyrood briefing 09.02.2009
holyrood opinion
holyrood today
The world we have known is
Elections confusion to be
no more. Great economic and
prevented by new bill
political forces are now loose,
Confusion that resulted from
holding local and national
and they are going to knock into
elections on the same day in May
different shapes the institutional
2007, which was widely criticised
framework, and political at the time, is to be prevented by
architecture, of the old world a new bill requiring future votes
fashioned in the 20th Century.
to be held on different days.
– Jim Sillars p36
In his October 2007
report, independent expert
Ron Gould concluded that
the existing legislative was “so
holyrood leader
holyrood interview
fragmented and antiquated
Patrick Harvie has unfairly
GEORGE GALLOWAY MP
that it fundamentally interferes”
been called many things
The fact that anyone would want to imitate the diminutive Scotsman,
with the effective planning and
organisation of elections. He
over the last few days but
with the big opinions and larger ego, is testament to his high profile
called for a “major initiative” to
what has not been called into
politics despite his lowly parliamentary status. p14
“rationalise and consolidate the
question is his fundamental existing legislation”.
adherence to the principle of
The Scottish Government
a sustainable future. p3
accepted the recommendation,
which it will now seek to bring
into law in the Scottish Local
holyrood focus
Government (Elections) Bill.

Rory Cahill reports on the
UK welfare reforms risk
Scottish Government’s
‘detrimental effect’ on child
ambition for a ‘Zero Waste’
poverty
A new independent report
Scotland p19
holyrood hero holyrood villain for the Scottish Parliament’s
Local Government and Finance
Tavish Scott The BBC
Committee has raised concern
holyrood insight
For being the unlikely hero in For not airing the appeal on behalf about the current UK benefits
Parenting and more precisely
the budget debacle for showing of aid agencies in Gaza. system and has warned planned
the negative effects of poor
that a budget is about more than welfare reforms could actually
money have a negative impact on
parenting has increasingly
tackling child poverty.
come under the government
spotlight. Stella Perrott reports
holyrood history
The findings suggests that
for single parents entering
p23
NOVEMBER 2001
employment there is often an
‘So, can the Scottish media
actual loss of income, while new
be satisfied with its role in
the “Officegate” affairs?
benefit reforms that push people
holyrood quote Well, yes and no. Yes in the
into work could in fact make the
sense that they belatedly
situation worse.
“At Westminster, the fulfilled their scrutiny
Conducted by Hayton
defeat of a Budget
function, though it is worth
Consulting, the SNP claim the
would bring down
considering that the really
report shows that the short-term
damaging and defining issues needing tackled to address
the government. At
moment of “Officegate” child poverty remain reserved to
Holyrood, it seems,
took place on live television Westminster, such as minimum
it brings down the rather than on the front
wage and benefits.
opposition – at least,
pages of the national press.
some of them.”
No in the sense that the
press were largely reactive
Sign up for your daily
Tory Finance SpokeSperSon
and not curious.’
Holyrood news service at
www.holyrood.com/ht
Derek Brownlee
| www.holyrood.com | Holyrood magazine | 9 February 2009 |
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