Dave Thompson MSP

An announcement by the LibDem leader Nick Clegg that they ditch key Lib Dem policies in an attempt to be more honest with voters about spending cuts has undermined his own self-styled Chief-of-Staff’s attempts to make un-costed demands for spending on roads says SNP Highlands and Islands MSP Dave Thompson.

Yesterday the LibDem leader announced that his party had to be "disciplined and honest" which has been followed today by his Chief-of-Staff, Danny Alexander, making demands for immediate funding in Highland roads.

Mr Thompson pointed put that it was already the LibDem’s policy to cut roads funding and that yesterday’s announcement just further undermines Danny Alexander’s spurious attack on the SNP Government.

Mr Thompson also pointed out that the LibDems failed to invest in one single major road project in the Highlands in the eight years they were in power with Labour.

Research already shows that the LibDems’ policy on roads is a chaotic mess with local demands for roads improvements contradicting the party’s national policy which would cut roads funding.

Mr Thompson listed the LibDems’ position on transport funding and roads which contradicts what they are telling voters at a local level:

• A Liberal Democrat policy signed by LibDem Scottish leader Tavish Scott is not to invest in roads - "We believe that building more roads and runways will not tackle congestion. We would invest in a proper public transport system, taxing lorries and domestic flights to invest in high speed rail." (See Note 1)
• As part of their UK 4p income tax policy which will see cuts of £20 billion across the UK the LibDems want to cut 90% of all major road projects
• Liberal Democrat MSPs voted for the £500 million Edinburgh tram project - diverting funds from other projects
• Liberal Democrats want to charge for usage of all motorways and trunk roads - a scheme supported by LibDems' Scottish leader Tavish Scott
  

Yet at the same time LibDems at a local level are demanding immediate or increased funding in roads projects which directly contradicts the policies they have and would enact in power.

Commenting on Mr Thompson said: "Danny Alexander is being entirely dishonest and hypocritical with the Highland public. He is making demands that his party has no intention of delivering – in fact they will cut funding for Highland roads.

"And in the eight years in power with Labour, the London LibDems delivered little in terms of major road project and what was announced was subject to delay, dither and incompetence under two LibDem Transport Ministers!

"In contrast it is the SNP which is bringing forward an unprecedented number of plans to improve road transport across Scotland.

"The LibDems not only had eight years to deliver these improvements, and failed, they now actually have a policy that would mean no money and no new roads.

"Not content with diverting valuable cash, which could have been used for other transport schemes, to an Edinburgh project that even people in Edinburgh don't want – the LibDems in Holyrood and Westminster want to cut the funds and stop roads.

"We even have LibDems bidding against each other with Danny Alexander wanting money to be taken away from the new Forth Crossing. How will that go down with LibDem MSP Jim Tolson?

"The LibDems are notorious for trying to hoodwink the voters. They will say one thing on local doorsteps whilst hoping the voters don't notice what policies they are supporting in Holyrood and Westminster.

"A raft of LibDem MPs and MSPs has some questions to answer about why they are trying to hide this policy from people locally whilst supporting it when in Edinburgh and London?

"If we had a LibDem administration none of those projects would have had sufficient funding and the schemes they call for locally would never be started, far less finished.

"It's time the London-based LibDems told the truth to people across Scotland about their policy on roads and recognised the damaging impact their policies would have on the economy."

Notes:

A. Nick Clegg’s comments can be read here.

B. At a national level the LibDems’ policy is anti-roads and wants to cut funding…

1. Tavish Scott is one of the signatories of this Liberal Democrat policy to not invest in roads – i.e. “We believe that building more roads and runways will not tackle congestion. We would invest in a proper public transport system, taxing lorries and domestic flights to invest in high speed rail", can be read here:

http://www.libdems.org.uk/assets/0000/7886/Policy_Paper_85_-_Fast_track_Britain_-_Building_a_Transport_System_for_the_21st_Century.pdf

2. Nick Clegg said that they would pay for the £20 bn of cuts from their 4p income tax policy by cutting major road projects by 90%. NB As Clegg's Chief of Staff Danny Alexander was instrumental in pushing this policy through their conference.

The article in the Telegraph can be read here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/liberaldemocrats/4557734/Nick-Clegg-vows-to-scraps-tax-credits-for-high-earners-in-20-billion-austerity-cuts.html

The other biggest saving - around £1 billion - will come from shelving 90 per cent of the major motorway and trunk road building programme.

3. Explaining how the Scottish LibDems would pay for their £800m of cuts for their 2p income tax policy Tavish Scott has said that cuts to fund their tax policy would come from infrastructure projects:

"We could, for example, look very closely at the savings that they plan to make on the massive infrastructure programme across Scotland. I think they're being very conservative there indeed."

Press Association, 14th September 2008

That is also reported in this Scotsman article:

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/politics/Lib-Dems-call-for-2p.4490669.jp

"Target areas include ... a £14 billion infrastructure investment plan."

4. Tavish Scott described any attempts at dualling the A9 by the SNP Government would be a "stitch-up" and because Fergus represented Inverness it "wouldn't be a good enough reason" to go ahead with it.

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Lib-Dems-Don39t-let-.4578953.jp

...He added: "A simple political stitch-up because a road ran through Fergus Ewing's constituency (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber] wouldn't be a good enough reason."...

...He made a thinly veiled claim that the SNP only wanted to dual the A9 from Perth to Inverness because it went through an SNP constituency...

5. In June 2007 all LibDem MSPs voted to spend over £500 million on trams in Edinburgh.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Trams-clear-final-hurdle-at.3299617.jp

C. …but at a local level they are demanding large amounts of investment in roads

The are making calls locally throughout the country - obviously hoping that other local papers don't notice this contradiction between their national policy and what they are doing locally.

* Danny Alexander demands a Nairn by-pass (2nd March 2009)

http://www.nairnbypass.co.uk/

* Danny Alexander demands immediate funding for the A9, A96 and A82 (2nd March 2009)

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1100880

* Mike Rumbles wants funding for the A90 Laurencekirk Junction (11 December 2008)

http://www.kincardineshireobserver.co.uk/news/A90-junction-blow.4784475.jp

* Mike Rumbles demands immediate funding for the Aberdeen by-pass (21 September 2007)

http://www.deesidepiper.co.uk/news/Aberdeen-bypass-funding-to-be.3223078.jp

* Alison McInnes demands immediate funding for the Elgin by-pass (23 January 2009)

http://www.alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000023/elgin_bypass.html

* Alison McInnes demands trunk road improvements for Dundee (10th Apr 2007)

http://www.alisonmcinnes.co.uk/news/000056/leading_liberal_democrats_back_trunk_road_improvements_for_dundee.html

* Jamie Stone demanding funding for dualling the A9 from Tore to Tain (15 January, 2009)

http://www.north-star-news.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/4102/Ross-shire_death_road_dual_demand.html

* Jeremy Purvis wants funding for the Leadburn Junction in Peeblesshire (23rd January, 2009)

http://www.peeblesshirenews.com/articles/1/33196/

* Jeremy Purvis wants £33million for the Selkirk bypass (30 January 2009)

http://www.selkirkweekendadvertiser.co.uk/selkirknews/Road-rage-as-defamation-claim.4927159.jp

* Jeremy Purvis also wants improvements on the A7 north of Galashiels, overtaking places on the A7 north of Gala and improvements on the A68 and A702.

http://www.jeremypurvis.org/transport.htm

* Jim Tolson wants funding for the Rosyth by-pass (04 January 2009)

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/67995-locals-urge-holyrood-to-consider-rosyth-by-pass-as-top-priority/

* Jim Tolson “urgently” wants a new Forth crossing (*31 May 2007*)

http://www.jimtolson.com/pr/maidenspeech.htm

* Jim Tolson wants improvements to the junction of Dunfermline Road, Limekilns and the A985 (26 January 2009)

http://www.jimtolson.com/pr/2009/jan/26January2009.pdf

* Ross Finnie calls for A82 upgrade (24th Jun 2008)

http://rossfinniemsp.org.uk/articles/000239/ross_finnie_supports_calls_for_a82_upgrade.html