Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Scottish independence: MPs in 'unanswered questions' call

man next to saltire overlooking hills The Scottish government intends to hold a ballot on Scottish independence in autumn 2014

Scotland's Future

A Westminster committee has called for clarity on the "unanswered questions" of Scottish independence.
A report by the Scottish Affairs Select Committee said details were needed on issues such as bank regulation, pension payments and the national currency.
It also asked about Scotland's share of the national debt and whether Scots would need passports.
The SNP dismissed the report as "shoddy" and as an "embarrassment to the authors".
The committee's inquiry began in October last year, looking at the potential impact of independence following a ballot, which the Scottish government wants to hold in autumn 2014.
The report, called the Referendum on Separation for Scotland: Unanswered Questions, has set out six areas where the Scottish Affairs Committee believe information is needed.
They include issues such as Scotland's defences and the costs of independence.
'Divorce settlement' The committee called on Scottish Secretary Michael Moore to work with it to provide "a joint provision of factual and unbiased information to the people of Scotland".

“Start Quote

This shoddy report from the anti-independence parties has been totally overtaken by events”
End Quote Stewart Hosie SNP Westminster chief whip
Committee chairman, Labour MP Ian Davidson, said: "The big question about such an unknown quantity as separation is the terms of the 'divorce settlement' - how resources, rights and responsibilities will be broken up.
"The responses we've had clearly show that there is confusion and concern about this, but also that you only need to scratch the surface to reveal how many complex questions there are across banking, pensions, currency, national defences - but also many more personal things."
He added: "The purpose of this inquiry is to set out from the start some of those questions and begin to explore their answers, with the aim of helping to make this process as clear and fair as possible.
"You cannot ask a big question about separation - however you construct it - without first asking and answering all these questions about how it will affect every aspect of every life, in Scotland and the UK as a whole."
'Not separation' SNP Westminster chief whip Stewart Hosie said the committee's inquiry had been overtaken by events and the report was "an embarrassment to its authors".

Report: Areas 'requiring clarity'

  • Bank regulation
  • Pension payments
  • National currency
  • Membership of international organisations
  • Scotland's defences
  • Costs of separation
He continued: "Firstly, it talks about 'separation for Scotland', when Scottish government policy is for independence, not separation.
"But apart from its predictably pejorative approach to the issue of Scotland's constitutional future, this shoddy report from the anti-independence parties has been totally overtaken by events.
"It raises questions which have been dealt with in detail by the Scottish government's white paper published way back in 2009.
"The issues it raises include the currency of an independent Scotland, which is now widely accepted will be sterling, with even Scottish Secretary Michael Moore accepting that Scotland will keep the pound after independence."
Shadow Scottish Secretary Margaret Curran said the committee was asking questions "the people of Scotland need answers to".
She added: "This is an important analysis of the questions that need to be answered about separation, and I expect it to play a big part in the debate ahead."
Scottish Tory constitution spokesman David McLetchie said the onus was now on the Scottish government to fully co-operate with the inquiry to ensure the Scottish people had "all the information they need" before the referendum was held.
The SNP government is currently running a public consultation into the independence issue.
The UK government, which had said it wanted the poll sooner rather than later, is also conducting a consultation.
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Teenage girl murdered in Doncaster

A 13-year-old girl who was stabbed in South Yorkshire has died of her wounds and police have launched a murder investigation.
Emergency services were called to the Elmfield Park area of Doncaster just after 13:00 GMT on Tuesday.
The girl, who has not been named, was treated by police and paramedics and taken to Doncaster Royal Infirmary.
A 26-year-old woman, who was arrested on suspicion of serious assault, remains in police custody.
Police are appealing for information and trying to establish where the girl was attacked.
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Rangers administration: Efforts to secure club's future

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Paul Clark, Duff and Phelps: Administration period "will give stability in order for club to move forward"

Rangers in administration

Administrators have begun efforts to secure the future of Rangers Football Club after the club entered administration.
The club appointed London firm Duff and Phelps after moves by HM Revenue and Customs to appoint its own administrator.
Club owner Craig Whyte insisted Rangers would "come out stronger" and "always be here".
Duff and Phelps said it was seeking to ensure the ongoing survival of Rangers.
A day of drama on Tuesday saw HMRC lodge its petition seeking to appoint an administrator over alleged non-payment of about £9m in PAYE and VAT following Mr Whyte's takeover last year.
Massive debt On Monday, Rangers had signalled its intention to move towards administration, giving it 10 working days to outline an ongoing financial structure.
But after the HMRC response the club confirmed administrators had been appointed on Tuesday afternoon.
This immediately meant the docking of 10 points, effectively ending this season's Scottish Premier League challenge.

“Start Quote

Due to its cost structure, the club has been loss making for many months”
End Quote Craig Whyte Rangers owner
Paul Clark and David Whitehouse, from Duff and Phelps, took over the running of the Glasgow club as joint administrators, while Rangers addresses its massive debt problems.
Rangers is awaiting a tax tribunal decision over a disputed HMRC bill, plus penalties, totalling £49m, dating back to before the Whyte era.
It also has an ongoing operating deficit, as well as the alleged non-payment of £9m.
In a statement on the club's official website, Mr Whyte said: "Due to its cost structure, the club has been loss making for many months.
"This situation has resulted in increasing liabilities and the club has been in discussion with HMRC regarding these liabilities.
"These liabilities combined with the threat of the outcome of the first-tier tax tribunal left the club no option but to formally restructure its financial affairs."
Survival 'risk' Joint administrator Mr Clark said: "We are working together with management and its major creditors, including HMRC, to achieve a solution to the financial problems which will ensure the ongoing survival of the business, which is of paramount importance to all concerned."
Mr Clark said that in the coming days the administrators hoped to get control of the finances of the club and better understand what needs to be done in the coming weeks.
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Rangers fans give their reaction to the news the club is in administration
Following Tuesday's legal case, a spokesman for HMRC said: "We can't discuss specific cases for legal reasons but tax that has been deducted at source from the wages of players and support staff such as ground keepers and physios, must be paid over to HMRC.
"Any business that fails to meet that basic legal requirement puts the survival of the business at risk."
If a creditors agreement cannot be reached as part of the administration process - and if the club cannot be sold - it is possible that Rangers could be wound up.
One former Rangers director has said he was willing to discuss a possible takeover of the ailing Glasgow club as part of a consortium.
Paul Murray told BBC Scotland he would consider approaching the administrators now running matters at Ibrox, but would not work with current owner.
Police payment Former Rangers owner Sir David Murray said he was "hugely disappointed" at the club's decision to appoint administrators and expressed surprise at the timing of the decision.
The secretary of the Rangers Supporters Club told the BBC the worst case scenario was liquidation, the loss of the club's name and the loss of its SPL place.
Sport Minister Shona Robison said the club's plight was "a concerning situation for everyone involved in Scottish football".
Meanwhile, Strathclyde Police said it had now resolved issues over payment for policing which may have affected Rangers home game against Kilmarnock on Saturday.
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David Cameron vow to tackle binge drinking 'scandal'

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A drunk woman slumped on a pavement Prime Minister David Cameron will say "innovative solutions" are needed to curb alcohol abuse

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Prime Minister David Cameron is set to call for bars, supermarkets and the drinks industry in England to do more to help ensure responsible drinking.
On a visit to a hospital in north-east England, he will promise to tackle the "scandal" of drunkenness and alcohol abuse that costs the NHS £2.7bn a year.
He is set to suggest the use of US-inspired "drunk tanks", cells to house people overnight while they sober up.
The government will publish its alcohol strategy for England later this year.
Ministers are expected to recommend higher "minimum" prices for drink as part of the proposals.
Scotland has already introduced an Alcohol Bill, which could become law before the summer, although ministers have yet to set a minimum price per unit.
But opponents of a minimum unit price say it is unfair because it penalises all drinkers, not just those who cause or have problems, and it is thought any move could be open to legal challenges relating to European competition law.
Meanwhile, industry groups such as the Portman Group, which represents manufacturers, and the British Beer and Pub Association have increasingly promoted their responsible drinking campaigns.
'Innovative' solutions During his hospital visit, the prime minister is expected to criticise the "reckless" behaviour of an "irresponsible" minority and cite figures suggesting the alcohol-related costs to society as a whole may total between £17bn and £22bn a year.
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Actor Daniel Radcliffe, who admitted stuggling with alcohol, says young people feel pressured to drink
Meeting doctors, nurses, paramedics and police, Mr Cameron is set to say people in town centres, hospitals and police stations across the UK have to cope with the consequences of alcohol abuse every night and the problem is getting worse.
He will say that the last decade has seen a "frightening growth" in the number of people who think it is "acceptable for people to get drunk in public in ways that wreck lives, spread fear and increase crime", adding that many of those drinking to excess are under the legal drinking age.
Mr Cameron is expected to cite figures that suggest £1bn is spent on accident and emergency services alone dealing with issues related to alcohol abuse.
He is due to outline how the government will set attempt to help emergency services "rise to the challenge" when laying out its forthcoming alcohol strategy.
More police officers on patrol in accident and emergency departments are expected to be among the "innovative" solutions put forward by the prime minister.
'Booze buses' "Whether it's the police officers in A&E that have been deployed in some hospitals, the booze buses in Soho and Norwich, or the drunk tanks used abroad, we need innovative solutions to confront the rising tide of unacceptable behaviour," he is expected to say.
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GP Peter Baines: "Right to focus on alcohol and the problems it can cause"
"This isn't just about more rules and regulation. It's about responsibility and a sense of respect for others," he will say, calling on the drinks industry, supermarkets, pubs and clubs to work with government to ensure that "responsible drinking becomes a reality and not just a slogan".
Labour has already indicated it also backs minimum pricing.
Last December, shadow public health minister Diane Abbott said "all the medical evidence points to the need for a minimum price per unit of alcohol. Alcohol abuse is not just a health issue, it is a public order issue".
According to Downing Street, there were 200,000 hospital admissions in 2010-11 with alcohol as the primary factor, which was 40% than in 2002-03.
The £2.7bn which alcohol abuse is estimated to cost the NHS each year equates to £90 for every taxpayer.
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Colombia priests 'hired own killers' in suicide pact

Colombian churchgoers mourn the two killed priests, 27 January 2011 The two priests were mourned by their parishioners in Bogota

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Two Colombian priests who were found shot dead in the capital Bogota a year ago themselves hired the assassins who killed them, prosecutors say.
They said the priests had agreed a suicide pact after one of them was diagnosed with Aids, but contracted hitmen because they could not bring themselves to carry it out.
Relatives of the dead priests insist they were victims of an armed robbery.
They have denied reports that they were involved in a gay relationship.
Two of the alleged killers are being prosecuted after being traced from calls made from the priests' phones.
'Pray for me' Father Richard Piffano, 37, and Father Rafael Reatiga, 35, were found shot dead in a car in southern Bogota in January 2011.
Prosecutors allege they paid the suspected hitmen around $8,500 (£5,440) to kill them and make it look like a robbery attempt.
The two priests had been friends since their training and often celebrated Mass and other religious services together, Colombia's El Tiempo newspaper reported.
In his final church service, Father Reatiga asked parishioners to pray to Santa Marta, the patron saint of lost causes, the paper reported, while Father Piffano asked his to "pray for me".
Suicide - like homosexual acts - is forbidden in the Catholic Church.
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Bahrain restricts protests on uprising anniversary

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Bill Law reports for Newsnight on fresh clashes between police and protesters

Bahrain Protests

There have been clashes on the outskirts of Bahrain's capital, Manama, as the opposition marked the first anniversary of pro-democracy protests.
Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at youths in several villages, who hurled back petrol bombs and stones.
Large parts of Manama were also sealed off to prevent people reaching the site of the now-demolished Pearl Roundabout - the focus of last year's unrest.
A BBC correspondent said the city centre was largely quiet.
Most of the demonstrators were from the Gulf kingdom's Shia Muslim majority, which has long complained of discrimination at the hands of the Sunni royal family, the Al Khalifa, and wants democratic reforms.
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Scuba honeymoon death man goes on trial in Alabama

Gabe Watson waits for jury selection to begin on 13 February 2012 Gabe Watson's family, including his second wife Kim (left), sat in court during opening statements

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An American man accused of killing his wife on their honeymoon by shutting off her oxygen tank while scuba diving in Australia has gone on trial in Alabama.
During opening statements in the trial of Gabe Watson, 34, defence lawyers argued that "bumbling" Australian police turned an accident into a crime.
Watson served 18 months in jail in Australia after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
He was extradited after Alabama agreed to waive the death penalty.
Watson is accused of drowning his wife Tina shortly after their wedding in 2003.
'Murder and gain' Assistant Alabama Attorney General Andrew Arrington told jurors that the newlywed stood to gain more than $200,000 (£127,300) in insurance money if his wife died.
It was that motive, Mr Arrington said, that drove Watson to allegedly turn off the flow of oxygen to Tina Watson's scuba mask and held her until she drowned.
"The whole case is not just about murder, but murder and gain," Mr Arrington said. "He took her engagement ring as his last act of contact with her on this earth."
As part of the opening statements, the prosecution showed the jurors an underwater photo snapped by a nearby diver, showing Watson swimming to the surface as his wife was sprawled in the water.
Defence lawyers say Tina Watson's death was misinterpreted by the Australian authorities, who took a problem with Watson's dive computer as evidence of possible guilt, and proceeded to view new evidence with that in mind.
Brett Bloomston, Watson's lawyer, sketched out a completely different scenario of what happened during the dive on the Great Barrier Reef, saying Tina Watson panicked and knocked off her husband's diving mask, forcing him to swim to the surface without her.
Mr Bloomston also denied that his client had a financial motive for killing his new wife, arguing that her life insurance policy was worth $33,000, not $165,000 and a separate travel policy had only been taken out to cover the cost of the honeymoon.
"This is a tragic case. What's even more tragic is the blame Gabe has had to live with this last number of years," he said.
Both sides agree that the dive instructor failed to follow his own rules, allowing Tina to proceed to the reef without orientation dive.
She waived the test-run and, according to Mr Arrington, Watson assured the instructor that his rescue certification would provide ample protection.
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