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Johnstone's View  - 30th November 2007

Nothing is more fluid than the world of politics and in recent years the pace of change has been quickening.  I spent Monday of last week meeting with Conservative councillors, from Aberdeenshire during the day, and in the evening, from the city of Aberdeen.  Local government is a devolved responsibility so it is the Scottish Parliament to which councillors turn for support and sometimes, quite rightly, to lay blame.

Over the past eight years these two councils have been progressively starved of resources by the Edinburgh government so good housekeeping has become the order of the day.  This means that while they are the two least well-funded councils per head of population in Scotland, they have managed to maintain a reasonably high standard of service.

The word in Edinburgh however, is that our councils are to be squeezed even tighter over the next three years in order to achieve the SNP Governments manifesto commitment to freeze council tax and they will also be set an increased target of 2% efficiency savings across the board. 

In Aberdeenshire, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are working together to find a solution to this funding crisis while in Aberdeen city, it is the Scottish National Party’s own councillors who, with the Liberal Democrats, will have to face this challenge.

For as long as I have been involved in Scottish politics, it’s been about the placing of blame.  That way, we did not ever have to solve our problems.  It should be obvious to any neutral observer that the time has come to end the tribalism in Scottish politics and work together for the good of us all.

Tuesdays business for me in Edinburgh was a committee meeting at which the ‘high heid yins’ of Scottish Water came to explain how they are spending their huge budget on improving water and sewerage services.  Their work here in Stonehaven and in the Mearns has drawn criticism but they are certainly making progress against their targets.  That progress is slow and comes at enormous public expense.  I look forward to the day when this painful process, for politicians and taxpayers alike, can draw to an end.

Wednesday morning I spent at the fortnightly meeting of the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body.  The SPCB has four elected members, one from each of the four main parties and I represent the Conservatives.  It is responsible for running the entire parliamentary building including security, and all the services that keep the Parliament ticking over.

Sometimes we discuss things of great importance and consequence.  This week however our time was mostly taken up by arguing about car parking spaces.

Back to the debating chamber and I found myself speaking on finance again, this time the government’s economic strategy.  With three debates and a Ministerial statement on budgetary issues in the last three weeks, it’s now time to let the committees do their work and that’s where I will find myself dealing with budgetary issues again next week.

On Sunday I was invited by Ronnie Watt, President and Chief Instructor National Karate Institute Scotland, to attend a weekend course held at Kincorth Academy.  Ronnie was joined by Dr. Fritz Wendland of the World Karate Confederation and Thomas Schulze, German National coach, for a weekend of activity for all ages and standards.  I was impressed by the discipline and dedication shown by these young people in the pursuit of their sport.

As a parent myself, I know what its like to suffer kids who claim, “there’s nothing to do”.  The decline in the physical fitness and increase in obesity in young people reflects the expectation that everything will be provided for them, including ideas about what they can do in their spare time.

There is still an army of volunteers working with young people, promoting sport and encouraging involvement.  On Sunday I saw another intake of young karate enthusiasts working with world class coaches. However, the  future of these youngsters lies in the best possible hands; the army of parents and grandparents who were there to drop them off and pick them up, and in many cases stay through the whole process to provide enthusiastic support.

Sadly, the one thing a politician cannot promise a child is a devoted parent.  We need more parents who will take responsibility for the well being of their children.  What we really need in order to achieve this, are politicians who will promise to interfere less.