Linda spoke in the Finance Committee debate on 10 September:

“We must get beyond the game of ping-pong in which members argue, “It’s a cut”, “No it’s not”, “Yes, it is.” That is not constructive for anyone. Let us consider the facts. At the beginning of the three-year spending review, a settlement was agreed and publicly funded organisations were given an indication of their spending capacity for the period. Then, £500 million was wheeched away by the chancellor in his 2008 pre-budget report. The budget is now £500 million less than was previously advised. Public bodies will receive £500 million less than was expected. Some MSPs have worked in public services and some of them have probably been budget holders in public service organisations. If they had been promised funding and then had it withdrawn, they would have been in no doubt whatever that there had been a cut. That has to be faced.”

To read the full text of Linda’s speech, go to http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0910-02.htm#Col19538

S3M-04788 Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): Sconestone— That the Parliament welcomes the initiation of the First Keeper of the Sconestone, the Reverend Neil Galbraith, and the historic associations that the Sconestone has with the ancient traditions and symbols of Scotland; congratulates Hunter Primary School in East Kilbride on entering into the spirit of the ethos of the stone by creating a kindness tree to mark the day, 4 September 2009, when the school hosted the Sconestone prior to its travels around the globe to promote kindness to others as a value that Scots seek to uphold, and congratulates sculptor Warren MacLeod on his design, inspired by ancient Scottish orbs first used by the Scots’ earliest ancestors, and the concept of using Scottish symbolism and values to stimulate acts of kindness in people around the world.

Linda Fabiani MSP, today (04/09/09) visited Hunter Primary School, to see a presentation of the ‘Scone Stone’ to the pupils of the school.

The ‘Scone Stone’ is a small stone carving inspired by ancient Celtic carvings of a similar nature that is intended to inspire acts of kindness in all those who touch it. The plan is to send the Sconestone all over the world and today it started its journey in East Kilbride.

The First Keeper of the Sconestone is the Reverend Neil Galbraith, founder of the charity ‘Glasgow the Caring City’, who was presented with the stone by First Minister, Alex Salmond only a few days ago on the 29th August, during a concert by the rock group, Runrig.

Reverend Galbraith brought the Sconestone to Hunter Primary School where its story was explained and all the pupils were given the chance to touch the stone and make a pledge to carry out an act of kindness.

Ms Fabiani spoke to the pupils and congratulated them on all the charitable work they undertook in the last year when they sent gifts of sports equipment to countries in Africa.

Ms Fabiani said:
“The concept behind the Sconestone is very welcome and is one that emphasises the values that we traditionally associate with Scotland.

“An act of kindness may be what we expect from people but this project encourages us to be conscience of our actions and purposely asks us to carry out at least one act that displays kindness to another person or an animal or even in our treatment of the environment.

“The fact the symbolism for the Sconestone draws on ancient Scottish traditions that will be carried all around the world is very satisfying and is in a small way an example of the values that Scots can bring to the world”.
END

Notes:
1) The concept: The Sconestone embodies the spirit of kindness and will travel from hand to hand, keeper to keeper on a never ending journey of kindness around the world. The Sconestone will act as a symbol encouraging those who have touched it to do an act of Kindness and ultimately help in their own small way to make the world a better place. Every person who cares for the Sconestone must keep it for no more than 7 days, get as many friends as possible to touch the stone and make the same pledge, tell their story on the Sconestone.com website and then finally to pass the stone onto a trusted friend to be the next Keeper of the Sconestone to do the same.
2) Rules of the Sconestone
1.  Do at least one act of kindness to a person, animal or anything that is good for the planet as a whole.
2.  Keep the stone for no more than 7 days.
3  Encourage friends and strangers to touch the stone and pledge to an act of kindness. 
4.  Pass the stone on to a person you trust will honour the purpose of the stone
5.  And, lastly tell us your Sconestone story on our website:

http://www.sconestone.com/WhatistheSconestone/tabid/57/Default.aspx

Linda Fabiani, SNP MSP for Central Scotland has been active in backing the Johnnie Walker campaign.

Linda recently visited Kilmarnock to discuss the campaign with local SNP members, including Cllr Bobby McDill and George Leslie, SNP Westminster candidate for Kilmarnock and Loudoun.

During her visit, Linda signed the petition to keep Johnnie Walker in Kilmarnock.

On Wednesday 2nd September, Linda spoke in a Members’ Debate initiated by her colleague, Willie Coffey MSP, to back the campaign.

Linda said

“The willingness of Diageo to overthrow nearly 200 years of heritage in the interest of short-term profits does nothing to enhance the company’s reputation.

“I have been very pleased to see East Ayrshire Council mount a spirited campaign against Diageo’s proposals and that the party groups on the council set aside party differences to defend their community.

“The Scottish Government recognises that this closure would take millions of pounds out of the local economy and John Swinney is leading efforts to prevent this.

“The alternative plans drawn up by the Scottish Government deserve serious consideration by Diageo.

“I have written to Chief Executive, Paul Walsh asking him to give this his personal attention in the interests of both Kilmarnock and the company.”

Linda spoke in the debate on Thursday 3 September.

“I am pleased that the national conversation will come to a climax with the referendum bill, as was laid out in the manifesto on which we were elected—we are bringing it on exactly on timetable. The national conversation has engaged people throughout Scotland: there has been standing room only at some events, and responses have flooded in. Scotland’s people delivered devolution by referendum—they have the right to be heard again. There are understandable differences of opinion about the constitutional direction that Scotland should take—that is healthy—but surely no member would not defend and support democracy. Who among us would deny the democratic right of a nation to choose its own future? Who would deny the right of citizens or subjects to cast their votes for that future? Scotland is moving forward, and it is for the Scottish people to decide how far and how fast it should do so.”

To read the full text of Linda’s speech, go to http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0903-02.htm#Col19221

Linda spoke in the Members’ Debate initiated by Willie Coffey MSP on Wednesday 2 September.

“Willie Coffey spoke of the dedication and loyalty to Johnnie Walker of the Kilmarnock workers. By contrast, dedication and loyalty of Diageo to the Kilmarnock workers is lacking. In looking at Diageo’s corporate responsibility policies, I found nothing on Scotland, but note that Diageo Ireland says:

“Our business is driven by the belief that we have a wide responsibility to the communities and the environments of Ireland.”

I say to Diageo: you also have that responsibility to Scotland. Start showing some.”

To read the full text of Linda’s speech, go to http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0902-02.htm#Col19172

S3M-04707 Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): Scotland Cares— That the Parliament notes the contribution of Annie Lennox to the Festival of Politics 2009 in which she gave a presentation of the SING Campaign to raise awareness of the international HIV/AIDS pandemic; notes that Ms Lennox stated her willingness to act on behalf of Scotland and its Parliament in respect of such international development issues, and considers that Ms Lennox, with her acknowledged profile, would be an ideal ambassador for her native Aberdeen and Scotland.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): The Arc of Recovery— That the Parliament considers that Scotland is being held back by the mismanagement of the UK economy as evidenced by the forthcoming publication of the OECD Economic Outlook, which, on 17 August 2009, will report that the UK has the worst underlying financial balance as a percentage of GDP of any member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and that the UK’s current account balance will show a $56.3 billion deficit this year and a $56.2 billion deficit next year (-2.6% and -2.4% of GDP); believes that Scotland’s recovery would be faster and stronger as an independent nation and contrasts Scotland’s position as part of the UK with OECD figures for other nations, which show that Ireland will move from a deficit of $1.4 billion to a surplus of $2.1 billion (-0.6% to +0.9% of GDP), Iceland’s deficit equivalent will be $0.4 billion and $0.1 billion (-3% and -1.1% of GDP), Finland will have a surplus of $0.9 billion this year and a $1 billion surplus next year (+0.4% and +0.4% of GDP), while Norway will show a $70.3 billion surplus followed by a $84.9 billion surplus (+18.2% and +20.6% of GDP), and further considers that Scotland has got what it takes to get through this recession and would be better off with the same freedom and flexibility as these independent nations in this arc of recovery.

Linda Fabiani, SNP MSP for Central Scotland, is encouraging social enterprises in the East Kilbride area to enter the first ever Scottish Social Enterprise Awards. The competition launched by the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition aims to find and reward Scotland’s best social enterprises.

A social enterprise is a business or service with primarily social objectives, whose profits are either ploughed back into the business or invested in the community it serves.

Ms Fabiani said:

“Social enterprises are businesses which have the needs of the community at heart and often help to provide services and opportunities that otherwise may not be available. The first ever awards specifically for Scotland are a chance for these organisations to gain the recognition they deserve.

“There are plenty of businesses in the East Kilbride area that fit the social enterprise model. This is a great opportunity for them to shine. I’d love to see local businesses involved.

“If anyone would like more information they should visit www.socialenterpriseawards.org.uk/pages/socialenterpriseawards.html or contact my office on 01698 265 295 for more information.”

Central Scotland MSP, Linda Fabiani, has condemned Cllr Michael McCann, Deputy Leader of South Lanarkshire Council, for deceiving the people of East Kilbride over the abolition of tolls on the Forth and Tay bridges and the impact of this decision on East Kilbride’s housing crisis.

Writing in the East Kilbride News, Cllr Mc Cann said that the decision to end tolls on the Forth Road Bridge cost the Scottish Government £250 million a year in lost revenue.

He said that this money could have been used to fund a £2.5 billion housing investment programme in areas such as East Kilbride.

According to the Finance Committee of the Scottish Parliament, the annual income from tolls on both the Forth and Tay Bridges was only £15.5 million, from which unspecified costs of collection had to be deducted.

Ms Fabiani said:

“Cllr McCann’s statement is a sign of the desperate state of Labour’s campaign against the SNP government.

“In responding to a genuine concern about the long-term decline in rented housing in East Kilbride, Cllr McCann descended to the realms of fantasy economics.

“The decision of the SNP government to abolish bridge tolls was the correct one, supported by both Labour and SNP Councils. It will result in savings for businesses far exceeding the income generated.

“It also cost nothing like the fantasy figures presented by Michael McCann.

“The voters of East Kilbride deserve an apology from Cllr McCann and a statement on whether he knew these figures to be untrue, or simply didn’t check because the facts might have got in the way of an attack on the SNP.”