 | 'It's time!' SNP election slogan for 2007 |  |
| 'It's time!' SNP election slogan for 2007 | |
The third elections for the devolved Scottish parliament. 129 seats (73 constituencies and 56 regional list seats) are contested using the D'Hondt form of proportional representation. Number of seats won: Scottish National Party 47 (21 constituencies + 26 regional seats), Labour 46 (37 + 9), Conservatives 17 (4 + 13), Lib Dems 16 (11 + 5), Greens 2 (0 + 2), Independent (Margo MacDonald) 1 (0 + 1).
% of Constituency vote: Scottish National Party 32.93 %, Labour 32.15 %, Conservatives 16.60%, Lib Dems 16.17 %, Greens 0.15 %, others 2.26 %.
% of Regional vote: Scottish National Party 31.02 %, Labour 29.16 %, Conservatives 13.91 %, Lib Dems 11.78 %, Greens 4.04 %, Independent (Margo MacDonald) 0.94%, Others 9.64 %
The Scottish National Party win Cunninghame North, Dundee West, Edinburgh East & Musselburgh, Fife Central, Glasgow Govan, Kilmarnock & Loudoun, Livingston, Stirling and the Western Isles from Labour
The Scottish National Party win Argyll & Bute and Gordon from the Liberal Democrats
The Scottish National Party win Falkirk West from an Independent (Dennis Canavan, who retired)
The Conservatives win Roxburgh & Berwickshire from the Liberal Democrats
Labour win Strathkelvin & Bearsden from an Independent (Dr Jean Turner)
The Liberal Democrats win Dunfermline West from Labour
Elections to Scottish local authorities. 1,222 councillors are elected for the first time using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) form of PR in three and four member wards.
Number of Cllrs elected: Scottish National Party 363 (+ 182), Labour 348 (- 161), Liberal Democrats 166 (- 9), Conservatives 143 (+ 21), Green 8, Scottish Socialist Party 1, Solidarity 1, Others 193 (- 40).
% of first vote: Scottish National Party 29.70 %, Labour 28.48 %, Lib Dems 13.60 %, Conservatives 11. 70 %, others 15.90 %.
Labour lose control of Clackmananshire, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, Edinburgh, North Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian
Scottish National Party lose control of Angus
Liberal Democrats lose control of Inverclyde.
The election is marred by problems with the electronic counting including scanner breakdowns and computer failures which cause many counts to be delayed and others to be postponed. 85,664 votes are rejected in the constituencies and 56,247 in the regions. 45,700 votes are rejected in the local elections.
The leader of the Scottish National Party, Alex Salmond MP MSP (Banff & Buchan and Gordon) says his "working assumption" is that the SNP will form a minority administration in the Scottish Parliament.
Angus Robertson MP (Scottish National Party, Moray) calls for the resignation of the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP (Labour, Paisley & Renfrewshire South), who was responsible for the ballot paper design which resulted in the disenfranchisement of thousands of people confused by the new voting system.
Members of the Scottish Parliament are sworn in by taking either the oath of of allegiance or the solemn affirmation. The election of a new Presiding Officer is postponed until the 14 th May.
The Leader of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP (Labour, Blackburn), congratulates Alex Salmond MSP, MP and the Scottish National Party on their electoral success and clarifies that the Westminster Government will continue to work with all devolved administrations.
The Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party sign an agreement to work together in the Scottish Parliament.
Alex Fergusson MSP (Conservative, Galloway & Upper Nithsdale) is elected Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. Alasdair Morgan MSP (Scottish National Party, South of Scotland) and Trish Godman MSP (Labour, Renfrewshire West) are elected as Deputy Presiding Officers.
Election of the First Minister of the third devolved Scottish Parliament. Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party MSP for Gordon and MP for Banff & Buchan) 49 votes, Jack McConnell (Labour MSP for Motherwell & Wishaw) 47 votes. Alex Salmond is therefore designated as the Scottish parliament's nominee for First Minister. The Queen signs a Royal Warrant confirming Alex Salmond as First Minister.
Nominantion of Scottish Executive ministers (all Scottish National Party): First Minister and Custodian of the Great Seal of Scotland Alex Salmond (MSP for Gordon and MP for Banff & Buchan), Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon (MSP for Glasgow Govan), Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth John Swinney (MSP for North Tayside), Cabinet Secretary for Education, & Lifelong Learning Fiona Hyslop (MSP for the Lothians), Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill (MSP for Edinburgh East & Musselburgh), Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & the Environment Richard Lochhead (MSP for Moray).
First Minister Alex Salmond (SNP MSP for Gordon and MP for Banff & Buchan) takes the Oath of Office at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, in the presence of the Lord President Lord Hamilton, 15 senior judges, the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General.
The new SNP Scottish Executive is approved by the Scottish Parliament.
Margaret Mitchell MSP (Conservative & Unionist, Central Scotland) resigns as Tory Justice spokesperson.
The Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy ∓ Cowdenbeath) is designated as successor to Tony Blair and will take over as Prime Minister on the 27 th June.
Cllr Margaret Brisley (Labour) is appointed Provost of Stirling Council with the support of Lib Dem Cllrs.
HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Earl of Inverness, while addressing the Kirk as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, states "An election in Scotland has rattled the timbers of the concept of the Union."
First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) challenges UK Prime Minister in waiting the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy &, Cowdenbeath) to scrap the Scotland Office and position of Secretary of State for Scotland and to give more power to the Scottish Parliament.
A majority of Scotland's 129 MSPs - 72 (56 %) - are opposed to the building of new nuclear power stations in Scotland according to survey conducted by Friends of the Earth Scotland.
24 MSPs (19 %) declared their support for a nuclear programme, with three undecided and 30 failing to respond. Twenty-five of the 30 who failed to respond were from the Labour Party.
The new SNP Cabinet Secretaries take the Oath of Office at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. The first official meeting of the new Scottish Cabinet takes place at Bute House.
The First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and and Gordon) sets out the SNP's legislative priorities with economic growth the "overwhelming" priority;
Angus Robertson MP (Scottish National Party, Moray) is elected as the SNP's Westminster leader. Stewart Hosie MP (Scottish National Party, Dundee) is elected Deputy Group Leader and Chief Whip.
Anne Moffat MP, (Labour, East Lothian) compares Alex Salmond to Nazi war criminal Adolf Hitler in a House of Commons speech. She later refuses to apologise. Known as "Mad" Moffat, she is an enthusiastic cheer-leader for Tony Blair's bloody and illegal Iraq war, which has seen thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians massacred. She has already disgraced herself and her party and betrayed the people who voted for her twice, by having the poorest Commons attendance of any Scottish MP, and by claiming the highest expenses of any MP in the whole of the United Kingdom.
Death of Aberdeen Cllr John Porter (Conservative & Unionist, Midstocket & Rosemount), who was first elected to Grampian Regional Council in 1978.
Queen Elizabeth of Scots flies to Edinburgh by helicopter for a historic meeting at the Palace of Holyroodhouse with the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond MSP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and and Gordon).
Frank Mulholland QC is nominated, and approved unanimously by MSPs, as Solicitor General in place of John Beckett QC, who is a member of the Labour Party. The re-appointment of Elish Angiolini QC as Lord Advocate is also endorsed by the Scottish Parliament.
At First Minister's Questions, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and and Gordon) state concerning the failure of UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Tony Blair MP to congratulate him upon becoming First Minister: "He never phones, he never writes."
The Scottish Parliament approves the new Scottish Government's plans to abolish tolls on the Forth and Tay road bridges.
Labour & Lib Dem Cllrs in Stirling take advantage of the absence of three Tory Cllrs to convert a technical meeting into a leadership vote and elect Labour's Chorrie McChord as leader of the council. The issue was to be decided by a cut of the cards on 28 th June.
The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) phones the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buch and and Gordon) to congratulate him on becoming First Minister First Minister of Scotland. The outgoing UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has yet to offer the traditional congratulations.
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon MSP (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Govan) reverses the decisions by the previous Labour/Liberal Democrat Executive to close the Accident & Emergency services at Ayr and Monklands hospitals.
The first meeting between a member of the new Scottish Cabinet and a UK Minister of State takes place when Richard Lochhead MSP, (Scottish National Party, Moray) Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & Environment, meets Ben Bradshaw, UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
First Minister Alex Salmond MSP MP informs the Scottish Parliament that he has written to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair expressing his concern about the lack of consultation with the Scottish Government prior to the UK Government's signing of a memorandum of understanding with Libya on the 29 th May 2007. The memorandum could lead to the Lockerbie bomber being transferred from Scotland to Lybia.
Death of Lord Ewing of Kirkford (Harry Ewing MP). He contested East Fife in 1970 and was MP for Stirling and Falkirk from 1971 to 1974, for Stirling, Falkirk & Grangemouth from 1974 to 1983, and for Falkirk East from 1983 to 1992. He also served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scottish Office from 1974 to 1979.
Cllr Gerard O'Brien (Labour, Bannockburn) is appointed Depute Provost of Stirling Council by 12 votes (himself, seven Scottish National Party and four Conservatives) against 10 votes for Cllr Graham Reed (Lib Dem) who received the support of the three Lib Dems and the other seven Labour Cllrs.
Education & Lifelong Learning Secretary Fiona Hyslop MSP (Scottish National Party, Lothians) announces that, with Parliamentary approval, the Scottish government intends to scrap the charge with immediate effect, saving new graduates over £2,000.
The Queen approves that Alexander Elliot Anderson (Alex) Salmond MP MSP , be sworn into "Her Majesty's most honourable Privy Council" following his appointment as First Minister of Scotland.
MSPs vote 71 to 16 in favour of a motion congratulating the majority of Scottish Westminster MPs for voting against the replacement of Trident and urging the UK government not to proceed with renewal.
The First Minister of Scotland, Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MSP, signs an agreement at Stormont with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, to work together tourism, education, renewable energy and strengthening cultural ties.
The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) offers the ex-Lib Dem leader Lord Ashdown a cabinet post as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Lord Ashdown turns down the offer.
Police in Stirling investigate alleged threats made against Cllr Gerard O'Brien (Labour, Sauchenford) by a fellow Labour councillor following his appointment as depute provost thanks to votes from Scottish National Party and Conservative Cllrs on 14 June.
The Scottish Government is to begin consulting on a Climate Change Bill with a target of cutting emissions by 80 % by 2050.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (Labour, Lothians), an ex-Scottish Office Minister, resigns from the Scottish Parliament's Subordinate Legislation Committee after failing to attend the first meeting. Lord Foulkes says he prefers to attend meetings of the Westminster Parliament's Intelligence & Security Committee in London.
A submission from Labour MSPs to the Electoral Commission condemns Scottish Secretary the Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP (Labour, Paisley & Renfrewshire South), for disenfranchising more than 100,000 voters at the Holyrood election on 3 rd May 2007.
The Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) is elected unopposed as leader of the UK Labour party. Harriet Harman MP becomes deputy leader with 50.43 % against Alan Johnson with 49.56 %.
Death of Malcolm Slesser, Scottish National Party candidate for South Angus in 1970 and February 1974, of a heart attack while climbing on the Arnish peninsula.
Tony Blair MP (New Labour, Sedgefield) stands down as UK Prime Minister and as an MP. He will receive a severance package from the state worth approximately £300,000 a year. The Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) becomes UK Prime Minister. The Rt Hon Dr John Reid MP (Labour, Airdrie & Shotts) resigns as Home Secretary.
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) congratulates the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeat) upon his appointment as UK Prime Minister.
The Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West) is appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Rt Hon Desmond Browne MP (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) becomes Secretary of State for Defence & Scotland. The Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP (Labour, Paisley & Renfrewshire South) is appointed Secretary of State for International Development.
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) congratulates the Rt Hon Desmond Browne MP (Labour, Kilmarnock &, Loudoun) upon his appointment as Secretary of State for Scotland.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & the Environment, Richard Lochhead MSP (Scottish National Party, Moray) wins the Scottish Parliament's unanimous approval for ending ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Firth of Forth.
Chief Whip, Pete Wishart MP (Scottish National Party, Perth & North Perthshire) asks Leader of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP to reconvene Joint Ministerial Committees to allow for dialogue between the devolved Parliaments and Assemblies.
The Rt Hon Adam Ingram, MP (Labour, East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow) resigns as Minister of State for Defence (Armed Forces). Father David Cairns MP (Labour, Inverclyde) is promoted to Minister of State for Scotland. Tom Harris MP (Labour, Glasgow South) is appointed PUSS for Transport.
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) creates an 11 strong council of economic advisers to tackle Scotland's "systemic economic mediocrity". The council members are Sir George Mathewson, Crawford Beveridge, Frances Cairncross, Prof Andrew Hughes Hallett, Prof John Kay, Prof Alex Kemp, Prof Finn Kydland, Jim McColl, Prof Sir James Mirrlees, Prof Sir James Mirrlees and Sir Robert Smith.
South Lanarkshire Cllr Pat Watters (Labour, East Kilbride Central South) is voted president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) for the third time.
Riding of the Scottish Parliament to celebrate the opening of the Third Session. Queen Elizabeth of Scots addresses MSPs as do First Minister the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) and Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP (Independent, Galloway & Upper Nithsdale). Guests include Sir Sean Connery and Scots rock band Idlewild.
Following a burning car being driven into the terminal building at Glasgow Airport, Cobra, the Westminster government's emergencies committee meets in London with a video link to First Minister the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) and Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill MSP (Scottish National Party, Edinburgh East & Musselburgh) in Edinburgh.
A Scottish Executive Emergency Room (SEER) meeting is chaired by Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill MSP Scottish National Party, Edinburgh East & Musselburgh) . Also taking part were First Minister Alex Salmond MSP MP, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Richard Lochhead MSP the Rural Affairs Secretary, Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson MSP, the Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini, Permanent Secretary Sir John Elvidge and Strathclyde Police Deputy Chief Constable Ricky Gray.
The Boundary Commission for Scotland announce the start of a general review of the constituencies at the Scottish Parliament which will cover the 70 mainland constituencies and the Western Isles constituency. The Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands are excluded from the constituency review by the terms of the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004. The review of the regions will, however, encompass all 73 constituencies at the Scottish Parliament.
Liberal Democrat front bench reshuffle. Jo Swinson MP (East Dunbartonshire) is sacked as Scottish Spokesperson and replaced with Alistair Carmichael MP (Orkney & Shetland). Danny Alexander MP (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey) is promoted to Work & Pensions spokesman.
At Prime Minister's Question Time on the 4 th July 2007, the Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) states that the Rt Hon Des Browne (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) works full time as Secretary of State for Defence and is merely a figurehead as Secretary of State for Scotland. The Scotland Office is actually run on a day to day by Minister of State Father David Cairns MP (Labour, Inverclyde).
Christine Grahame MSP (Scottish National Party, South of Scotland) calls for an inquiry into a disproportionately high level of expenses claims by Liberal Democrat ministers in the last Scottish Executive compared with their Labour colleagues. Former Environment & Rural Affairs Minister Ross Finnie MSP (West of Scotland), ex-deputy minister Euan Robson MSP (Roxburgh & Berwickshire) and former Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen MSP (Aberdeen South) claimed a total of £22,023 for travel and subsistence costs on on top of ministerial travel and subsistence allowances.
Membership of the Scottish National Party has risen to 13,585 at the end of June 2007, compared to a 12,571 at the end of December 2006.
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) congratulates Plaid Cymru on entering government in Wales. He points out that as a result of the elections in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are now seven political parties in government in the UK (Labour, Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, Democratic Unionist Party, Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionist Party and Social Democratic & Labour Party).
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) annoounces he will set up a charitable trust named 'The Mary Salmond Trust' in honour of his late mother, to fund youth and community projects in the north-east using the third of his MSP salary that he is legally obliged to draw.
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) meets UK Minister for Justice the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP (Labour, Blackburn).
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) meets UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) at a British-Irish Council meeting at Stormont in Belfast. The two national leaders state that they look forward to working together for 'the prosperity of the people of Scotland.'
Westminster MPs approve a legal change which will allow investigators to scritinise 140,000 rejected ballot papers from the May 2007 Holyrood elections.
The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) programme Newsnight admits attempting to mislead viewers by falsely implying that a survey of business opinion had expressed overwhelming opposition to Scottish independence.
Death of Argyll & Bute Cllr Ronald Kinloch (Independent, Helensburgh & Lomond South) while chairing a council meeting.
Cllr Peter Duncan (ex MP for Galloway & Upper Nithsdale) resigns as Chariman of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party.
The the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) becomes the first First Minister of Scotland to make a speech in the UK House of Commons at Westminster.
Anne Moffat MP (Labour, East Lothian), aka "Mad Moffat", storms out of a meeting of East Lothian Constituency Labour Party after members had voted against the reselection of the MP as a candidate. The controvertial MP was only saved by the block votes of trades unions. Moffat had the poorest voting record of all Scottish Westminster MPs and in 2003 she claimed the highest expenses of all MPs in the UK. Moffat's travel expense claims are currently under investigation by the Information Tribunal. In May 2007, Moffat compared the First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP, to Adolf Hitler and refused to apologise.
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) meets London Mayor Ken Livingstone (Labour).
A written statement from the Westminster Parliament reveals that former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's 'farewell tour' cost taxpayers more than £ 1.5 million.
It is reported that Scotland could lose one member in the European Parliament (down from seven to six) under changes suggested by the Electoral Commission, following a cut from eight to seven MSPs in 2004.
Death of Ron Brown (Labour MP for Leith 1979 - 1992).
An opinion poll puts support for the Scottish National Party at 48 %, its highest rating ever, with Labour on 32 %, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats each on 8 %, and the Greens and Scottish Socialist Party each on 2 %.
The leaders of the Scottish sections of the three main London-based parties (Jack McConnell MSP, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Annabel Goldie MSP, leader of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party and Nicol Stephen MSP, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats) form a 'Triumvirate' to attack Independence for Scotland and defend the Union with England.
The former Labour First Minister of Scotland, Henry McLeish and former Tory Lord Advocate Lord Fraser of Carmyllie will sit on the 10-strong Scottish National Party government's commission to advise on the state of Scottish broadcasting, which will be chaired by Blair Jenkins, who was BAFTA Scotland Chairman for 5 years. The other members are former Liberal Democrat MP Baroness Michie, former Green MSP Chris Ballance, actress Elaine C. Smith, Norman Drummond, a former BBC National Governor and chairman of the Broadcasting Council for Scotland, Seona Reid, the Director of Glasgow School of Art and former director of the Scottish Arts Council, David Wightman a Games industry entrepreneur, consultant and member of the Screen Industry Summit Group and Murray Grigor, a Writer, film-maker and exhibition designer.
The Rt Hon George Reid, former Scottish National Party MP and MSP and Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, is appointed chairman of a steering group to reform the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The Scottish National Party Government publishes a white paper to start a "National Conversation" on Scotland's future. It sets out three choices for Scotland: the current devolution agreement, increased powers for the Scottish Parliament or full Independence. The draft wording for an Independence referendum would be: "I agree/disagree that the Scottish government should negotiate a settlement with the Government of a United Kingdom so that Scotland becomes an independent state", however a multi-option referendum is not ruled out.
Former First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Jack McConnell MSP (Labour, Motherwell & Wishaw) resigns as Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament. The Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) proposes to nominate Jack McConnell as the next British High Commissioner to the Republic of Malawi. The current High Commissioner, Richard Wildash, is due to complete his tour in January 2009.
Cllr John Corall (Scottish National Party) wins a seat from the Conservatives in the three seat Midstocket/Rosemount ward of Aberdeen City Council following the death of Cllr John Porter, leader of the Conservative group, on the 23 rd May 2007. This is the first local government by-election to be held using STV.
Wendy Alexander MSP (Paisley North) is the only candidate proposed as new Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament.
It is estimated that the Labour Party has 18,500 members in Scotland.
Cllr George Leslie (Scottish National Party, Kirkcaldy East , Fife) resigns as chairman of the housing and communities committee of Fife Council and sits as an Independent.
Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Kenny MacAskill MSP (Scottish National Party, Edinburgh East & Musselburgh) scraps plans to allow a new prison at Bishopbriggs to be built by the private sector.
The Scottish National Party marks its 100 th day in power with a document claiming "significent progress" on pledges. These include a smaller, more effective Ministerial team with six Cabinet Secretaries (including the First Minister) and 10 Ministers; a Council of Economic Advisers to provide independent advice to increase Scotland's sustainable economic growth rate; an agreement to abolish tolls of the Forth and Tay bridges; a continuation of A&E services at Ayr and Monklands hospitals; legislation planned to end graduate endowment; a white paper on independence and launch of a national conversation; funding for 300 extra teachers and 250 more teacher training places from August, to drive down class sizes in P1 to 3; a commitment to providing additional funding for a phased 50 per cent increase in free nursery provision; ongoing negotiations with Westminster on the transfer of responsibilities for firearms legislation to the Scottish Parliament to allow action on air weapons; a Saltire Award for innovation in industry to reward the best efforts to develop cutting edge renewable energy technology and a commitment to set a target of cutting emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.
Nigel Don MSP (Scottish National Party, North East Scotland) stands down from his duel mandate as SNP Cllr for the Lochee ward of Dundee City Council.
City of Edinburgh Council Leader, Cllr Jenny Dawe (Liberal Democrat, Drumbrae/Gyle) describes the citizens of Edinburgh as "the hoi polloi".
Cllr Stefan Tymkewycz MSP (Scottish National Party MSP for the Lothians and Cllr for Craigentinny/Duddingston in the City of Edinburgh) stands down as an MSP to concentrate on his council seat.
Shirley Anne Somerville becomes Scottish National Party MSP for the Lothians following the resignation of Cllr Stefan Tymkewycz MSP (Scottish National Party MSP for the Lothians and Cllr for Craigentinny/Duddingston in the City of Edinburgh) as an MSP.
Scottish Ministers formally adopt the title Scottish Government to replace the term Scottish Executive as an expression of corporate identity in order to help the public more clearly understand the role and functions of the devolved Government in Scotland. The term Scottish Executive, as defined by the Scotland Act 1998, will continue to be used in formal legal documents such as legislation and contracts.
Death of Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott, 9 th Duke of Buccleuch and 11 th Duke of Queensberry, KT (Former Tory Cllr for Roxburghshire and Conservative & Unionist MP for Edinburgh North from 1960 to 1973). He was a direct descendant of the Duke of Buccleuch, the legitimate son of Charles II and his first wife, Lucy Walters, and was therefore the de jure, if not de facto, King of Scots. The Dukes of Buccleuch have never reclaimed the title of king since the execution of the Duke of Monmouth and titular King James VII by Charles II's younger brother, the Duke of Albany & York, who also declared himself to be King James VII.
The Scottish Government introduces its programme of 11 bills for the year ahead: Abolition of Tolled Bridges (Scotland) Bill, Public Health (Scotland) Bill, Graduate Endowment (Abolition) (Scotland) Bill, Interest on Debt and Damages (Scotland) Bill, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Bill, Budget (Scotland) Bill, Judiciary (Scotland) Bill, Local Healthcare (Scotland) Bill Creative Scotland Bill, Rape and Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill & Flooding Prevention (Scotland Bill)
The Rt Hon Henry McLeish, former Labour First Minister of Scotland, claims that the prospect of a Labour revival in Scotland is being undermined by a poor relationship between Labour politicians at Westminster and Holyrood. He also states 'The mere fact that the Union has existed for 300 years is no great case for it to remain unreformed in the years that lie ahead.'
A spokesman for the Rt Hon Des Browne MP (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) Secretary of State for Defence claims that the former Labour First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Henry McLeish, is deliberately misrepresenting their position.
Research shows a 17 per cent fall in heart attacks since the smoking ban was introduced in Scotland.
Former Tory UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Baroness Thatcher of Kesleven accepts an invitation to visit current UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) at 10 Downing Street.
Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) becomes leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament. She is criticised by colleagues for appointing the former chief executive of John Menzies as an adviser.
In an interview with the Sunday Herald, Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (Labour, Lothians), describes Brian Lironi, Labour's newly appointed head of communications in Scotland, as 'that idiot Lironi'. Former Labour first minister the Rt Hon Henry McLeish is lmbasted as a 'strange guy' who should 'shut up'.
Speculation mounts that UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) is about to announce a snap general election.
The Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) appoints former Labour First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Henry McLeish as head of the new independent Prisons Commission.
First meeting of the Scottish Government's new Council of Economic Advisers which was set up to advise on best way to achieve sustainable economic growth.
Former Green MSP Shiona Baird announces that she is standing down as the party's co-convenor.
City of Edinburgh Cllr Alison Johnstone (Green, Meadows/Morningside) is nominated unopposed as one of the two Scottish Green Party co-conveners.
Brian Lironi, Labour's newly appointed head of communications in Scotland, announces that he will resign following reports of clashes with the new leader, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) and her allies.
UK Scotland Office Minister David Cairns MP (Labour, Greenock & Inverclyde) backs nuclear power for Scotland in defiance of the anti-nuclear stance of Labour's Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, the Environment & Climate Change, Sarah Boyak MSP (Labour, Edinburgh Central).
The Scottish Parliament votes to scrap the £600 million Edinburgh Airport link.
The Scottish Government raises the age limit for purchasing cigarettes from 16 to 18 years old.
Cllr Andrew Nisbet (Liberal Democrat) wins a seat from an Independent in the three seat Helensburgh & Lomond South ward of Argyll & Bute Council following the death of Independent Cllr Ronald Kinloch on the 23 rd July 2007.
Following a meeting between Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth, John Swinney MSP (Scottish National Party, North Tayside) and Andy Burnham MP, Labour's Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Scottish Government gains control of £900 million of Scottish end year flexibility (EYF) funds which had been embargoed by the Westminster Government. The previous Labour/Liberal Democrat Executive had requested control of this money, but their request had been refused.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & the Environment Richard Lochhead MSP (Scottish National Party, Moray) chairs a meeting of UK fishing ministers at Peterhead attended by Labour UK Fishing Minister Jonathan Shaw MP, Plaid Cymru Welsh fishing minister Elin Jones AM and Sinn Fein Northern Irish fishing minister Michelle Gildernew.
Faced with plummeting opinion poll ratings, the UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) announces that he will not be calling a snap general election.
The former Lord Advocate of Scotland, Lord Murray (Ronald King Murray, Labour MP for Edinburgh Leith 1970 - 1979) argues that it may be illegal under international law to deploy nuclear weapons 'in a state of readyness' in Scotland.
The Labour Government at Westminster announces a Comprehensive Spending Review with an increase of just 1.8 % in spending for Scotland, the lowest since devolution in 1999. The Scottish Goverment (Scottish National Party) point out that in terms of Scottish expenditure, the actual increase is just 1.4 % at a time when Scottish oil revenues (which go to the Westminster Government), are due to reach £55,000 million over the next five years, in comparison with £38,000 million over the last six years.
The Scottish Government formally rejects new nuclear power stations in Scotland as "dangerous, unnecessary and costly".
The Labour Government at Westminster withdraws a pledge of £ 8.1 million for Scottish farmers affected by foot and mouth measures following the decision by UK Prime minister the Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown not to hold a General Election. Promised funding of £6.5 million for Welsh farmers is also dropped but funding of £12.5 million for famers in England is to be maintained.
Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning, Fiona Hyslop MSP (Scottish National Party, Lothians) meets UK Home Office minister, Liam Byrne MP to discuss asylum issues and calls on the Westminster Government to end the detention of the children of asylum seekers at the Dungavel removal centre in Lanarkshire.
The First Minister of Scotland is attacked for defending the interests of Scottish farmers by the Liberal Democrat Scottish spokesman at Westminster, Alistair Carmichael MP (Orkney & Shetland).
The UK Labour Government at Westminster intensifies its Cold War against Scotland by warning officials and special advisors in Whitehall about the dangers of sharing confidential information with the Scottish Government.
The Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan) delivers a Keynote Speech at what the BBC describes as "the highly prestigious Council on Foreign Relations" in New York.
The Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell QC MP (Liberal Democrat, North East Fife) resigns as leader of the UK Lib Dems.
The Rt Hon Jim Wallace, former Deputy First Minister of Scotland and former leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats (Lib Dem MP for Orkney & Shetland 1983 - 2001 and MSP for Orkney 1999 - 2007) is invested as Baron Wallace of Tankerness.
The First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan) writes to the 189 countries who signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) explaining the Scottish Government's opposition to the siting of nuclear weapons in Scotland and requests that they allow Scotland to have observer status at future nuclear treaty talks.
It is revealed that the UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) appears to have have breached Westminster expenses rules by subletting his taxpayer-funded constituency office in Kirkcaldy to Labour activists for £1,600. House of Commons rules state that MPs "may not sublet accommodation which you lease and pay for out of the allowances".
The Gould Report to the Electoral Commission on the running of the 2007 Holyrood elections by the Labour administrations in London and Edinburgh states "Both the Scotland Office and the Scottish Executive were frequently focused on partisan political interests in carrying out their responsibilities, overlooking voter interests.". Mr Gould, the former assistant chief electoral officer of Canada, recommends discussions to assign responsibility for Holyrood and Council elections to one body in the future, and suggests that the Scottish Government would be the 'logical choice'. He also recommends a chief returning officer for Scotland, separate days for parliament and local elections, separate ballot papers to stop confusion, for party names to appear on the ballot paper before any slogans, no overnight counting if polls continue to close at 10pm, a return to folded ballot papers for increased secrecy and incorporation of electronic counting.
Former Scottish Secretary the Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP (Labour, Paisley &, Renfrewshire South) apologises for his part in the problems encountered in the 2007 Holyrood election.
Cllr Richard Durham (Liberal Democrat, Tain & Easter Ross, Highland Council) resigns the Lib Dem whip to sit as an Independent.
Speaking at the SNP conference in Aviemore, the First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan) sets out the Scottish Government's plans for a referendum on independence in 2011.
Sir Hadyn Phillips' proposition for political party funding suggest awarding 50p per vote at Westminster elections but just 25p per vote at Scottish Parliamentary and European elections.
40 th anniversary of Winnie Ewing's by-election victory at Hamilton in 1967. The SNP honour her with a celebration dinner.
The expenses of Anne Moffat MP (Labour, East Lothian) are published after the MP loses a two year battle to attempt to cover up the highest travel expenses claim for any MP in the UK between 2003 and 2004. Moffat claimed £9,792 in rail fares over the 12-month period, including £7,211 for journeys from London to "Glasgow or Edinburgh", an average of £277 for each journey. According to the Sunday Herald, a standard return in 2007 costs just £91. Mofatt also claimed £1,817 in rail fares for 42 trips between Heathrow and Central London, with each ticket averaging £43 whereas in 2007, according to the Sunday Herald, a standard "open return" between the airport and King's Cross station costs just £13.60 and a "first open return" just £18.00. In addition to claiming £22,000 in rail and air travel, Moffat claimed £12,289 in mileage costs for 24,129 miles of travel. Moffat's reselection as the Labour candidate for East Lothian is currently the subject of an internal party investigation.
Following the Queen's Speech in the Westminster Parliament, the Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) confirms that it proposes to cooperate with the Westminster government to bring forward Legislative Consent Motions (Sewel Motions) for a number of Bills to ensure a consistent approach in the areas of improvements and changes to the UK regulatory regime for the healthcare professions, Climate Change and Dormant Bank and Building Societies Accounts across the UK.
The Holyrood and Westminster leaders of the three main pro-Union parties in Scotland - the Rt Hon Des Browne MP (Labour, Kilmarnock &, Loudoun), Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) David Mundell MP (Conservative, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale), Annabel Goldie MSP (Conservative, West of Scotland) Alistair Carmichael MP (Liberal Democrat, Orkney & Shetland) and Nicol Stephen MSP (Liberal Democrat, Aberdeen South) form an alliance at the Scotland Office in Edinburgh to campaign against Scottish Independence.
Death of North Lanarkshire Cllr Francis Griffin (Labour, Kilsyth), who was first elected as Cumbernauld & Kilsyth District Cllr for Croy & Kilsyth in 1988.
The Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) launches its new Economic Strategy with the purpose of creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.
First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) hosts a reception in Edinburgh Castle to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Sword of State of Scotland which was presented to King James IV in 1507 as a gift from Pope Julius II. With the Crown and the sceptre it is one of the three elements of the Honours of Scotland, Scotland's Crown Jewels, the oldest set of Crown Jewels in the British Isles and the second oldest in Europe.
Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth, John Swinney MSP (Scottish National Party, North Tayside) announces the Scottish Government's budget for the next three years. This includes the reduction and removal of business rates for small businesses, reduced rail journey times between Scotland's major cities, an ambitious programme to tackle climate change and resources to freeze the Council Tax.
Local authorities agree to a freeze on Council Tax.
The Spectator magazine names the First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan), as Parliamentarian of the Year and Michael Connarty MP (Labour, Linlithgow & East Falkirk) as Inquisitor of the Year.
The Herald names First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan), as Scottish Politician of the Year. The UK Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) is named Best Scot at Westminster. Margo MacDonald MSP (Independent, Lothians) is awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustaianble Growth, John Swinney MSP (Scottish National Party, North Tayside) is named Donald Dewar Debater of the Year. Derek Brownlee MSP (Conservative &, Unionist, South of Scotland) is named One to Watch and Christine Grahame MSP (Scottish National Party, South of Scotland) is named Free Spirit of the Year.
Lesley Quinn, General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party since November 1999, announces that she will be standing down at the Aviemore conference in March 2008 after 27 years working for the Labour Party.
Matthew Marr resigns after less than two months as spokesperson for the Labour Leader in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP, after allegedly 'calling the First Minister a 'c***'', 'ranting to bemused onlookers: 'I hate the f***ing middle classes.'', 'launching a verbal assault' on a female Scottish National Party MSP and 'insulting a cloakroom attendant' at the Scottish Politician of the Year Awards.
Paul Hutcheon, Scottish Political Editor of the Sunday Herald, reveals that Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign had received a number of payments of £995, £5 under the limit requiring a declaration to the Electoral Commission. This is the begining of the "Wendygate" affair.
Gerry Hassan, former Scottish Labour advisor and lead officer with Labour think tank, Demos, writes in the Sunday Times that Scotland must "move back from the politics of fear" and seize the "exciting and emboldening" opportunity offered by Independence.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (Labour, Lothians) hangs up on a radio interview with Talk 107's Alex Hastie 'because he could not answer the point' after being pressed on "the Labour party's problems at Westminster."
The UK is put on a major fraud alert as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alastair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West) reveals that discs containing extremely sensitive personal family and financial details of 25 million people (name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number and, where relevant, bank details), which were sent on computer disc via TNT on the 18 th October, have gone missing. Her Majesty's Revenues & Customs chairman Paul Gray resigns. The Chancellor, who was informed on the 10 th November about the missing data, recommends all concerned to monitor their bank accounts "for unusual activity".
Cllr Alf Patey (Scottish National Party, Glenrothes West & Kinglassie) stands down as Depute Provost of Fife Council.
Death of former Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Cllr James Lamond MP (Labour Aberdeen District Cllr 1959 - 1971, Lord Provost of Aberdeen 1970 - 1971, Labour MP for Oldham Oldham East from 1970 - 1983 and for Oldham Central and Royton 1983 - 1992, Labour Grampian Regional Cllr 1993 - 1996 and Labour Aberdeen City Cllr 1995 - 2007).
The UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) says he "profoundly regrets" the loss of 25 million child benefit records.
Allan Ross holds a seat for the Scottish National Party in the Lochee ward of Dundee City Council with 48.9 % of first preference votes. The by-election followed the resignation of Scottish National Party Cllr Nigel Don MSP upon his appointment as liason officer for the Cabinet Secretary for Justice.
Five ex-Chiefs of Defence Staff attack defence funding levels. Admiral Lord Boyce tells the House of Lords that the decision to make the Rt Hon Des Browne MP (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) both Secretary of State for Defence and Secretary of State for Scotland was an "insult" and that the UK Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) has treated the armed services with "contempt" and "disinterest". General Lord Guthrie, accuses the UK Prime Minister of being "unsympathetic" and "the only senior Cabinet minister who avoided coming to the Ministry of Defence to be briefed by our staff on our problems"
Jeremy Purves MSP (Liberal Democrat, Tweedale, Ettrick & Lauderdale) is rebuked by the Presiding Officer after falsely accusing the First Minister of lying.
The leader of the SNP group on Scottish Borders Council, Cllr Bill Herd (Scottish National Party, Tweedale West), resigns due to family and personal commitments and is succeeded by Cllr Donald Moffat (Mid Berwickshire).
Edinburgh Cllrs officially condemn the former Labour administration for the city's financial crisis including a £9.5 million overspend in the Children and Families department in 2006. Previous Council leader, the Rev Cllr Ewan Aitken (Labour, Craigentinny/Duddingston) refuses to apologise.
The Sunday Herald reveals that Gavin Yates, Scottish Labour's new head of communications 'used his blog to describe Wendy Alexander as "abrasive", labelled shadow health minister Andy Kerr as "simply uninspiring", and blasted Jack McConnell for being a "lame duck leader" when in office. He also said the fledgling SNP government had a "long and impressive" list of achievements, while describing First Minister Alex Salmond as "a great example of a politician on top of his game".'
The First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan) calls for the Scotland Office to be scrapped and says it would be possible for the Scottish Government to deal direcly with the UK Government without the intermediary of a Secretary of State for Scotland.
An analysis of 72 Scottish Parliamentary votes on subject matters (excluding procedural votes on business and Ministerial appointments) reveal that the Liberal Democrats have voted with Labour 48 times (67%), voted with Conservatives 26 times (36%) and voted with the Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) 21 times (29%).
The Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) denies claims that she broke electoral rules during her leadership campaign by allegedly accepting money from a tax exile based in the Channel Islands.
The First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan) is named Politician of the Year in the annual Political Studies Awards, nominationed by 1,700 politics professors, lecturers and researchers. Angus MacNeil MP (Scottish National Party, Na h-Eileanan An Iar) wins the prize for Setting the Political Agenda.
The Herald reveals that Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) received a £950 donation from a tax exile aparantly via a UK "proxy" donor company after her leadership campaign team solicited his support.
Charles Gordon MSP (Labour, Glasgow Cathcart) resigns as Shadow Minister for Transport after it is revealed that he solicited and accepted a £950 donation for Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign in the form of a personal cheque from a Channel Islands resident who is not on the UK electoral register. Wendy Alexander's campaign manager, Tom McCabe MP (Labour, Hamilton South) admits that the donation was illegal under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
St Andrew's Day is celebrated as a national holiday for the frist time in Scotland.
Death of Ian MacArthur (Conservative & Unionist MP for Perth & East Perthshire 1959 - February 1974).
Former Labour Aberdeen Ferryhill ward city councillor Allan McIntosh, who stood for Labour in the Midstocket & Rosemount by-election on the 16 th August 2007, defects to the SNP after becoming 'disillusioned' with the Labour party.
The Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) apologises for receiving an illegal donation for her leadership campaign. Meanwhile, the donor questions why Labour claimed the donation was from a UK company when he had received a personal letter of thanks for his donation from Wendy Alexander. He also reveals that he made a earlier donation to Glasgow South Constituency Labour Party. The Scottish Labour Party then issues a statement, on its own behalf, but not on behalf of Wendy Alexander, revealing that the donor had attempted to make a gift of money to the party in the past, but that senior officials had rejected the offer because he was not a permissible donor. Following these revelations, Wendy Alexander admits that she did write personally to thank the donor.
The First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan) calls for a ban on money raised outside Scotland from being used in Holyrood elections and asks all political parties to sign a voluntary code which would end the practice of cash being transferred from their London headquarters.
The Scottish National Party's National Council backs a proposal from SNP councillors to allow them to form coalition deals with other parties or individuals, subject to approval from the SNP's National Executive Committee. Co-operation with the Tories was banned during the days of the Thatcher Conservative government when the Tories, who held as few as ten of the 72 Scottish seats, used their majority in the rest of the UK to impose policies such as the Poll Tax on Scotland against the wishes of the vast majority of the Scottish people. The National Council decision does not effect national politics or the Scottish Parliament.
The Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) becomes involved in a new scandal after the Sunday Herald reveals that "the name of a prominent businessman listed as a donor was different to the name her campaign team intended to give to the Electoral Commission." and that "the list suggests a clear intent to give the Commission false information."
The Sunday Herald reports that it has evidence in its possession that seriously challenges the claim of Tom McCabe MSP (Labour, Hamilton South) that only Charles Gordon MSP (Labour, Glasgow Cathcart) knew of the personal, and illegal, contribution from a tax exile to Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign.
Scotland on Sunday reports that the tax exile who was solicited for an illegal donation to Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign was recommended for an honour by Charles Gordon MSP ( (Labour, Glasgow Cathcart) while leader of Glasgow Council, and that "four other Labour figures were involved in writing letters of recommendation."
Labour Chief Whip at Westminster, the Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP (Labour, Ashfield) states: "Clearly she (Wendy Alexander) has to explain how this came about and what she knew at the time."
Raymond Hutcheson, a Liberal Democrat Cllr in Aberdeen for 20 years until resignation in March, following a police investigation, admits that he used the services of prostitutes who also supplied him with crack cocaine. He was a member of Aberdeen Council's Standards & Scrutiny committee and a member of Grampian Joint Police Board and a sub-committee on drugs and alcohol.
Sir Alistair Graham, former chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, tells BBC Scotland's David Porter that Wendy Alexander must seriously consider her position as Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament.
Lord Maxton (Labour MP for Glasgow Cathcart 1979 - 2001) and Baroness Adams of Cragielea (Labour MP for Paisley North 1990 (by) - 2005) complain to the police about their secret donations to Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign becoming public knowledge. The electoral commission state that there is no law against revealing the names of secret donors.
Charles Gordon MSP (Labour, Glasgow Cathcart) announces that he will make a statement about his political future later in the week fueling speculaton that he will resign as an MSP thus triggering a by-election in Glasgow Cathcart.
The businessman involved in an iillegal donation to Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign condemns Scottish Labour's 'gross mismanagement' of the affair. He states that he sought and received assurances from Labour that his donation was permissible. He also states that there was 'no doubt' his contribution was a personal one and that his cheque for £950 was accompanied by a personal letter from his home address in Jersey.
Scottish Labour MSPs condone Wendy Alexander's actions by giving her their full support. Commentators ask how any Labour MSP can now participate in legislation in the Scottish Parliament after showing contempt for the law?
The Prime Minister's Spokesman says the Prime Minister retains full confidence in both Peter Hain and Harriet Harman but refuses to comment on Wendy Alexander's position.
The advice from the Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP (Labour, Paisley & Renfrewshire South) to his sister, Wendy Alexander, not to stand down is described as "an authentic smack of mafia family morality" by Martin Kettle in the Guardian.
The BBC report that UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP (Laboour, Edinburgh South West) appeared at a Labour fundraising event hosted by the Deutsche Bank who are involved in the takeover bid for Northern Rock.
The Electoral Commission begins its inquiry into illegal donations to Wendy Alexander's Labour leadership campaign.
Navraj Ghaleigh, quoted by the BBC as an 'Edinburgh University public law lecturer', claims Wendy Alexander may not be liable for acepting an illegal donation. Mr Ghaleigh was the Labour candidate for Edinburgh West at the 2005 Westminster Election.
A YouGov opinion poll puts the Scottish National Party on 40 % and Labour on 29 % in the constituencies and on 34 % to 26 % in the regions - the highest diference ever between the two parties. The polling was conducted between 28 th and 30 th November.
The Tories and Lib Dems back a Labour motion at Holyrood calling for a new Scottish Constitutional Convention designed to save the Union.
The Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for International Development (Labour, Paisley & Renfrewshire South) pulls out of the BBC's 'Question Time' for 'personal reasons'.
The First Ministers of Scotland and Wales hold their first official meeting at Bute House in Edinburgh
Charles Gordon MSP (Labour, Glasgow Cathcart) admits he has made 'serious errors in connection with two political donations' but states 'Gifts and hospitality cannot always be refused for fear of giving offence'. He refuses to resign as a Member of the Scottish Parliament.
The First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan) calls the leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) to resign if the police are called in to investigate the illegal donation to her leadership campaign.
Ted Brocklebank MSP (Conservative & Unionist, Mid Scotland & Fife) is charged with driving while using a mobile phone.
The First Minister of Wales, the Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan AM (Labour, Cardiff West), speaking at Edinburgh University, declares that Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast need to work together on pressurising the Treasury over funding for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and asks why Westminster should be "judge and jury".
Wendy Alexander loses her third spin doctor in three months as it is announced that Kerron Cross, who was to become deputy to Gavin Yates, will not be joining her team.
Holyrood's Parliamentary Standards Committee is to launch an enquiry into the actions of leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North), after new revelations which suggest that she broke Holyrood rules by using MSP facilities for party fundraising.
Glasgow businessman Willie Haughey, who has donated more than £1 million to the Labour Party states that he will make no more donations to the party 'if there is not complete transparancy in political giving in the future'.
The Liberal Democrat leader in the Scottish Parliament Nicol Stephen MSP (Aberdeen South) is rebuked for allegedly slandering a senior civil servant. In November 2006 it was revealed that Stephen was breaking Scottish Parliamentary rules by claiming £748 a month in interest payments on a house which he only half owned. It was also revealed that he and two Liberal Democrat colleagues had claimed a total of £22,023 for travel and subsistence costs on top of their allocated ministerial travel and subsistence allowances. Stephen also came under criticism for breaking ministerial guidelines by interfering in the Aberdeen by-pass while a Scottish Executive Minister.
Death of Cllr Alastair Bisset JP (Independent, Elgin City South), Deputy Convenor of Moray Council.
Highland Cllr Alan Torrance (Independent, Tain & Easter Ross) joins the Scottish National Party. The composition of the 80 member Highland Council is: 34 Independents, 21 Liberal Democrats, 18 Scottish National Party, and seven Labour. The Administration comprises members of the Independent and SNP groups.
Edinburgh hosts a meeting of Defence and Foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia and Romania to discuss the future of Afghanistan.
The Sunday Times reveals that the leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) and her senior colleagues have given thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to a company owned by the Labour party for services which are provided free of charge by the Scottish Parliament.
Solidarity leader and former Scottish Socialist Party and Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan is interviewed by the police and charged with perjury in respect to his defamation case against the News of the World.
A TNS System Three poll puts support in favour of Scottish Independence at 40 % (up 5 %) and against at 44 % (down 6 %).
An Electoral Commission source reveals that the organisation plans to make no comment on illegal donations to Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign until 2008.
The Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell QC MP (Liberal Democrat, North East Fife), who resigned as UK Lib Dem leader on the 15 th October 2007, is succeeded by Nick Clegg MP who polls 20,988 votes (50.62 %) against 20,477 (49.38 %) for Chris Huhne MP.
Tom Harris MP (Labour, Glasgow South) a Westminster Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Transport, launches an outspoken personal attack on the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Kenny MacAskill MSP (Scottish National Party, Edinburgh East & Musselburgh) describing him as 'cynical and irresponsible' for defending Scots, and in particular ethnic minorities, against harassment by the Westminster-controlled British Transport Police.
Figures revealed that in the first eleven months of 2007, Scotland's own eight police forces, which answer to the Scottish Government, had used random 'Stop and Search' powers against just 84 individuals and 51 vehicles. Between July and November 2007 the Westminster-controlled British Transport Police used the controvertial powers against 9,994 people and 4,636 vehicles in Scotland alone. People from ethnic minorities were targeted by the Westminster-controlled force in 12 % of searches whereas they make up just 2% of the Scottish population.
The Metropolitan Police Federation declares: 'The federation has stated time and time again that stop-and-search operations are very corrosive to police/public relations and causes more conflict than any other single policing operation.'
It was revealed on the 30 th November that Mr Harris' constituency association, Glasgow South, had accepted an illegal donation from the same businessman who donated money to Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign.
The Herald reports that: 'Scotland's political and civil opposition to replacement of the Trident nuclear deterrent based on the Clyde could prove 'insurmountable' to a future Westminster government.'
The Scottish Government's Graduate Endowment (Abolition) Bill is passed by 65 votes to 60 with the support of the SNP, Lib Dems, Greens and Margo MacDonald. Labour and the Tories opposed a return to free University education for Scottish students.
MSPs passed the Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Bill, by 122 votes to 3, with one abstention.
Glasgow Cllr Ruth Black (Solidarity, Craigton), defects to the Labour Party, leaving Solidarity without a single elected representative in Scotland.
The Westminster Home Secretary the Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP (Labour) vetos the Scottish Government's desire to ban airguns following the killing of three Scots and the injuring of 1,154 others in airgun shootings in the past eight years. The UK Home Office describes the Scottish Government's policy as 'potentially damaging' while Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Pauline McNeill MSP (Labour, Glasgow Kelvin) describes an airgun ban as 'unworkable and potentially dangerous'.
Joe Grant, of the Scottish Police Federation criticises the UK Government's attitude, stating: 'It has been shown that there is a need for a ban on air weapons in Scotland. Whether it is achieved through devolving powers or through UK legislation, the pressure for that ban should continue.'
Death of Shetland Cllr Cecil Eunson (Independent, Lerwick South), who had been a Shetland Cllr since 1986.
Death of Perth & Kinross Cllr Eleanor Howie (Scottish National Party, Highland) who had had represented the Pitlochry area since 1995.
Death of South Lanarkshire Cllr John Higgins (Scottish National Party, Cambuslang East) who had represented the area since May 2007.
The Scottish National Party announces that its membership stood at 13,944 on 31 st December 2007 compared to 12,571 on 31 st December 2006. This represents an 11 % increase in 12 months, and a 50 % increase in four years.
The Rt Hon Des Browne MP, Secretary of State for Defence & Scotland (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) attacks the Scottish Government's opposition to a new generation of nuclear power stations as 'Knee-jerk opposition' and 'politically immature'.
Roger Higman of Friends of the Earth describes the UK Government's 'consultation' as a 'sham' and states: 'It is expensive and leaves a legacy of deadly nuclear waste that remains dangerous for tens of thousands of years. UK taxpayers are already committed to a bill of up to £70bn to clean up the nuclear mess we have created. Adding to that cost would be financial madness and divert resources that would be better spent on energy efficiency and renewables.'
Renfrewshire Cllr Terry Kelly (Labour, Paisley North West), is condemned for describing women as 'thick' on his website. He is to resign as Wendy Alexander's election agent.
MSPs vote by 109 to 16 for a motion calling for Scottish Parliament and local council elections should be held on different dates following the May 2007 election debacle in which more than 146,000 votes were rejected.
The Holyrood leaders of the three main unionist parties - Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North), Annabel Goldie MSP (Conservative & Unionist, West of Scotland) and Nicol Stephen MSP (Liberal Democrat, Aberdeen South) - meet their Westminster counterparts - the Rt Hon Des Browne MP, Secretary of State for Scotland (Labour, Kilmarnock &, Loudoun), David Mundell MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland (Conservative &, Unionist, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale) and Alastair Carmichael MSP, Lib Dem Scottish spokesperson (Liberal Democrat, Orkney & Shetland) at Portcullis House in London to discuss an anti-independence coalition.
The Scottish Parliament votes 63 to 58 in favour of backing the Scottish Government's anti-nuclear stance.
The Rt Hon George Reid (Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 - 2003) is named as successor to HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York as the Queen's Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
It is announced that former Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen MSP (Liberal Democrat, Aberdeen South) and former Transport Minister Tavish Scott MSP (Liberal Democrat, Shetland) may be reported to to the Standards Commission over alleged irregularities concerning the diversion of the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) from a route 60 yards from a major Liberal Democrat donor's house to aNorther route.
The Scottish Government's £30bn budget is passed by 64 votes to 62 at stage one. The Scottish National Party's plans are supported by the Conservatives and Margo MacDonald MSP, with the Greens abstaining and Labour and the Lib Dems voting against.
The First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) is voted third overall in the "Most Inspiring Political Personality of the Last Decade" award in the Channel 4 Political Awards. The Award was voted for by Channel 4 News viewers. The overall winner was the Countryside Alliance, followed by the Stop the War Coalition. Alex Salmond is the most popular individual politician, ahead of Tony Blair, Ken Livingstone, and Ian Paisley & Martin McGuinness (jointly).
Paul Murphy MP (Labour, Torfaen) is appointed as Secretary of State for Wales in a Labour Cabinet reshuffle at Westminster following the resignation of the Rt Hon Peter Hain, Secretary of State for Work & Pensions and Wales due to a donations scandal. This leaves Scotland as the only country with a part-time Secretary of State.
In defiance of the democratically expressed wishes of the Scottish Parliament, a request from the Scottish Government and the recommendations of the Gould Report, the Westminster-based Secretary of State for Defence and Scotland, the Rt Hon Des Browne MP (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) refuses to contemplate the Scottish Parliament running Scottish parliamentary elections. Following the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of Scottish voters in May 2007, the Gould report had concluded: 'We would recommend that exploratory discussions take place with a view toward assigning responsibility for both elections to one jurisdictional entity. In our view, the Scottish Government would be the logical institution'. The Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP (Labour, Paisley & Renfrewshire South) was demoted to Secretary of State for International Development after accepting responsibility for the electoral chaos.
Death of Alex Ewing, Scottish National Party candidate for Glasgow Cathcart in February and October 1974 and in 1979.
UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) is caught attempting to misrepresent health expenditure in Scotland, which he claims is falling behind that in England. Downing Street claims the rise in health spending was 6.7 % in England and just 4.2 % in Scotland. However, the UK Government's Department of Health states that the figures were, in real terms, a rise of 4% in England, while the Scottish Government confirm that the rise in Scotland was, in real terms, 4.3 %.
Mark Griffin holds a seat for Labour in the Kilsyth ward of North Lanarkshire Council with 63.4 % of first preference votes. The by-election followed the death of Labour Cllr Francis Griffin.
The leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) is reported to the procurator fiscal in Lothian & Borders by the Holyrood Standards Commissioner for breaking Scottish Parliament rules by failing to register ten leadership campaign donations of more than £520.
Former Health Minister, Andy Kerr MSP (Labour, East Kilbride) is reported to the Crown Office by the Holyrood Standards Commissioner for failing to declare £1,000 in gifts and hospitality. If found guilty, the MSP faces being suspended from the Scottish Parliament or a court fine of £5,000.
It is announced that Dumfries & Galloway Cllr Colin Smyth (Labour, Nith) will succeed Lesley Quinn as General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party when she stands down at the Aviemore conference in March 2008. Tony McElroy, Scottish Labour's head of communications also says he will be standing down at the conference.
Sir Kenneth Collins, chairman of Sepa from 1999 to 2007, accuses several Scottish National Party Ministers of putting inappropriate pressure on the organisation. His allegations are rebutted by the Chief Executive of Sepa. Sir Kenneth Collins is a member of the Labour Party and was Labour MEP for Strathclyde East from 1979 to 1999.
Death of Aberdeenshire Cllr Mitchell Burnett (Scottish National Party, Troup) who was first elected to the Fraserburgh South ward of Grampian Regional Council in 1992.
The Scottish Government's £30 billion budget is approved at stage three by MSPs in the Scottish Parliament with 64 votes in favour, one against and 60 abstentions. The SNP budget is supported by the Conservatives and Margo MacDonald MSP (Independent, Lothians) while Labour, the LibDems and the Greens abstain. Cathie Craigie MSP (Labour, Cumbernauld & Kilsyth) votes against.
The Electoral Commission issues a statement that it does not have sufficient evidence to be able to recommend prosecuting Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) for accepting an illegal donation.
At the end of a Labour Press Conference, Wendy Alexander MSP is recorded asking Shadow Business Manager, Jackie Baillie MSP (Labour, Dumbarton) 'Was that OK?' to receive the reply from Baillie 'That was fuckin' fabulous!'
Eric Drummond, Edinburgh Labour Cllr for Kirkliston until 1999, joins the Scottish National Party after 50 years as a Labour member. He launched a bitter attack on the Lab-Lib Executive's handling of NHS waiting lists in 2002 and resigned from Labour in 2003 over the Iraq war.
The Sunday Times reveals that Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North), the leader of the Labour group in the Scottish parliament, is facing an investigation by the Electoral Commission into a claim that she channelled £12,000 through a Labour front organisation to fund her constituency office. The police have also been asked to investigate.
Former Home Secretary the Rt Hon Charles Clark MP (Labour, Norwich South) describes the Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) as 'dithering' and unlikely to be Prime Minister in five years time.
The Scottish Government officially abolishes tolls on the Forth and Tay road bridges.
80 th anniversary of the founding of the National Party of Scotland - the first political party to promote Scottish Independence, and one of the key components of the SNP's foundation in 1934.
Labour leaders in Westminster and Holyrood clash after the UK Government's Minister of State for Scotland, Father David Cairns MP (Labour, Inverclyde) describes the issues of powers for the Scottish Parliament as a 'McChattering classes issue'. A spokesman for the Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) states: 'David Cairns and some of his colleagues are out of step with party thinking'.
The Co-convenor of Solidarity, Rosemary Byrne (Scottish Socialist Party MSP for South of Scotland, 2003 - 2006 and Solidarity MSP for South of Scotland 2006 - 2007), is arrested by police and charged with perjury concerning evidence given on behalf of fellow Co-convenor Tommy Sheridan (Scottish Socialist Party MSP for Glasgow, 1999 - 2006 and Solidarity MSP for Glasgow, 2006 - 2007) during his demafation case against News of the World.
Claims by Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) of massive cuts to voluntary bodies are questioned by the President of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, South Lanarkshire Cllr Pat Watters (Labour, East Kilbride Central).
The Boundary Commission for Scotland publishes its proposals for the First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Constituencies. Only Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles (to be renamed Na h-Eileanan an Iar) and Falkirk East and Falkirk West would not undergo boundary changes under these proposals.
Twenty Scottish National Party Councillors walk out of a budget meeting in Labour-controlled North Lanarkshire Council in protest after Cllr Tommy Morgan (Labour, Airdrie North) allegedly describes the SNP Cllrs as 'just a bunch of National Socialists'. Labour group leader Cllr Jim McCabe (Labour, Thorniewood) claims 'The remark by councillor Morgan was made and explained in its context - that the SNP members were nationalists but they were also socialists - without any inference that they were Nazis as has been claimed.'
Cllr John Sharp (Scottish National Party) wins a seat from an Independent in a by-election in the three seat Elgin City South ward of Moray Council following the death of Independent Cllr Alastair Bisset JP, Deputy Convenor of Moray Council on the 13 th December 2007. Following the by-election the composition of Moray Council, which is run by an Independent-Conservative coalition is 11 Independents, 10 Scottish National Party, 3 Conservatives, and two Labour.
UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr J. Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) declares that he wants to claim back powers such as control over terrorism, national security and major disease outbreaks such as foot-and-mouth from the Scottish Parliament and return them to Westminster.
The Scottish government sets up a group of experts to investigate how to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons. The group will be chaired by Minister for Parliamentary Business, Bruce Crawford MSP (Scottish National Party, Stirling) and includes Alan Mackinnon (Scottish CND), David Moxham (Scottish TUC), Professor William Walker (University of St Andrews), Dr Rebecca Johnson (Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy), Isobel Lindsay (Scotland for Peace), Dr Richard Dixon (WWF Scotland), the Rev Dr David Sinclair (Church of Scotland), John Deighan (Roman Catholic Church), Osama Saeed (Scottish Islamic Foundation), Gillian Slider (Scottish Youth Parliament), and Cllr James Robb (Scottish National Party, Helensburgh) from the Faslane area.
The Sunday Post reveals that Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North), the leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament is facing an investigation concerning allegations of paid advocacy after she failed to declare a financial interest when proposing a motion in the Scottish Parliament praising a shopping centre that had made donations to her totalling £1,600. The Scotland Act specifically prohibits paid advocacy and the penalty is a fine of up to £5,000.
A survey for ITV's Tonight programme concerning the future of Berwick-upon-Tweed reveals 1,182 voters in favour of the town returning to Scotland (60.4 %) compared to 775 (39.6 %) in favour of remaining with England. This follows a poll in the Berwick Advertiser newspaper in which 78 % were in favour of a return to Scotland. Berwick-upon-Tweed was the original county town of Berwickshire and was made one of Scotland's four Royal Burghs by King David I in 1120. The town was destroyed by King John of England in 1216 and the inhabitants were massacred by King Edward I of England in 1296. After changing hands more than 13 times, the town was finally captured by the English Duke of Gloucester (future King Richard III) in 1482 and has been administered by England since that date.
Prestonfield & Craigmillar Labour branch pass a motion calling upon Edinburgh Cllr Ian Perry (Labour, Southside/Newington) to resign as deputy leader of the Labour group on Edinburgh Council following an investigation by the Standards Commission into allegations of a failure to declare a financial interest.
The Westminster Parliament's standards watchdog considers a complaint concerning the use of air miles for flights for his family by Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North East).
The First Minister of Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Ian Paisley MP MLA and Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness MP MLA lead a delegation in talks with the Scottish Government in Edinburgh.
Labour's discredited Electoral Commission issues a statement that it will not be recommending the prosecution of Charles Gordon MSP (Labour, Glasgow Cathcart) for soliciting and laundering an illegal donation for Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign.
Kate Howie holds a seat for the Scottish National Party in the Highland ward of Perth & Kinross Council with 59.9 % of first preference votes. The by-election followed the death of Scottish National Party Cllr Eleanor Howie on the 26 th December 2008.
An aide to the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North East) resigns after 'unwittingly' misleading a journalist.
Former Westminster Defence Minister Adam Ingram MP (Labour, East Kilbride) calls for the Scottish Parliament to be stripped of its ability to veto the building of new nuclear power stations in Scotland.
The Sunday Herald reveals that Deputy Presiding Officer Trish Godman MSP (Labour, Renfrewshire West) purchased her son Gary Mulgrew's Edinburgh apartment for £250,000 in late 2006, following his extradition to Texas after defrauding his employers of £ 3.7 million. The newspaper also reveals that between 1999 and 2005, Godman 'had been the biggest MSP claimant of hotel costs, claiming £23,000 despite living in Glasgow.'
The Sunday Times reveals that at a Scottish Parliament Education Committee meeting in 2005, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) attempted to facilitate the granting of a goverment contract to a Paisley-based company without declaring that it had gifted £900 to her election fund in 2003, provided her with transport on polling day and rented her a campaign office.
Dumfries & Galloway Cllr Bruce Hodgson (Conservative & Unionist, Abbey) resigns following his family's relocation to Southampton.
The Scottish Parliament passes the Graduate Endowment Abolition (Scotland) Bill by 67 votes to 61 with the Scottish National Party, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Margo MacDonald in favour. Labour and the Tories oppose the abolition, however Elaine Smith MSP (Labour, Coatbridge & Chryston) votes with the SNP government. The bill scraps the £2,289 graduate endowment which was imposed on students by the previous Labour/Liberal Democrat Scottish Executive.
Dr Jonathan Wills (Independent) wins a seat in the Lerwick South ward of Shetland Council following the death of Independent Cllr Cecil Eunson on the 25 th December 2007. Dr Wills stood as Labour candidate for Orkney & Shetland in 1974 and for the Shetland seat at the Scottish parliament eletion in 1999. He resigned from the Labour Party in 2001.
'Professor' Andrew Fulton is appointed chairman of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party by the Rt Hon David Cameron MP, replacing ex Dumfries & Galloway MP Peter Duncan who resigned in July 2007. David Mundell MP (Conservative & Unionist, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweedale) acted as interim chairman.
It is revealed that the newly appointed Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party chairman 'Professor' Andrew Foulton was in fact, only briefly a visiting professor at the University of Glasgow between 1999 and 2000. A spokesman for the University states 'Mr Fulton is not associated with the University of Glasgow's law school and is not entitled to call himself a professor.'
Alistair Carmichael MP (Liberal Democrat, Orkney & Shetland) resigns as Lib Dem Westminster spokesman on Scotland. Michael Moore MP (Liberal Democrat, Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk) becomes Scotland spokesman in addition to being International Development spokesman.
The Crown Office states that it will not be prosecuting the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) for failing to record gifts to her leadership campaign in the MSPs' register of interests.
The by-election count for a ward in the three seat Cambuslang East ward of South Lanarkshire Council is suspended due to DRS solutions being unable to finalise the result - a problem with automatic counting that caused chaos in the Scottish Parliamentary and local council elections in May 2007. Cllr Richard Tullett (Labour) wins a seat from the Scottish National Party in the by-election following the death of SNP Cllr John Higgins on the 29 th December 2007. The result brings the political composition of South Lanarkshire Council which has 67 members to 31 Labour, 23 Scottish National Party, eight Conservatives & Unionists, three Independents and two Liberal Democrats.
The Sunday Herald reveals that Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing Margaret Curran MSP (Labour, Glasgow Baillieston) briefed a newspaper against the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) describing Alexander's performance as 'shocking and appalling'.
Scotland on Sunday reveals that Sottish Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen MSP is renting out a £400,000 Edinburgh house that he bought for his own home with help from the taxpayer. Stephen claimed £10,000 a year from the public purse to pay mortgage interest and council tax under the controvertial Edinburgh Allowances Scheme (EAS).
Death of former Scottish Office Minister Hugh Brown (Labour MP for Glasgow Provan 1964 - 1987)
The Labour Party appoints David Pitt-Watson, founder and chairman of City of London firm Hermes Equity Ownership as its General Secretary. Pitt-Watson donated £2,500 to the uncontested leadership campaign of the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) and just under £1,000 to the uncontested leadership campaign of the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North).
Scottish Government Ministers appoint James McCulloch, Chief Reporter and Director for Planning and Environmental Appeals, to conduct the public local inquiry into the application by the Trump organisation for a golf course and resort development at Balmedie.
The Scottish Government's plans to scap the Council Tax are published. Under the proposals, on average: Single pensioners will be better off by £7.30 a week, Pensioner couples will be better off by £13.80 a week, Couples without children will be better off by £3.40 a week, Couples with children will be better off by £3.10 a week, One parent families will be better off by £5.40 a week, Single people will be better off by £3.30 a week and Households with multiple taxpayers will be better off by £2.50 a week. Only the top income decile will, on average, pay more.
The ruling Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition on Stirling Council is defeated in a vote of no confidence. The council is now run by a minority Scottish National Party administration with Cllr Graham Houston (Scottish National Party, Dunblane & Bridge of Allan) as Council leader.
The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West) threatens to slash £400,000,000 in council tax benefit from the Scottish budget if the Scottish Government go ahead with their plans to replace council tax with a local income tax.
The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West) makes what the industry describes as a 'punitive raid' on Scotch whisky, increasing tax by 59 pence a bottle. The money raised will be used to pay for Northern Rock nationalisation and the Iraq war.
Labour's discredited Electoral Commission attempts to defend its failure to recommend prosecution of the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) for breaking the law.
The Sunday Herald reveals that Deputy Presiding Officer Patricia Godman (Labour, Greenock & Inverclyde) claimed £30,000 of public money to cover 'hotel' costs despite the fact she did not stay in any.
The Sunday Times claims that the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) broke Holyrood rules by billing the taxpayer for campaign-related meetings, including a trip to the House of Lords.
An opinion poll puts the satisfaction level for First Mininster the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) at plus 53 % and for the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Piasley North) at minus 22 %, a difference of 75 %.
Labour Party membership in Scotland drops to 18,052, down from 23,000 in 2002.
The Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) rejects the building of new nuclear power stations in Scotland as "dangerous and unnecessary".
The Crown Office announces that it will not be prosecuting former Scottish Executive Minister Andy Kerr MSP (Labour, East Kilbride) for making a late declaration in the register of parliamentary interests concerning hotel accomodaton, and Wembley cup final tickets to the vlue of over £1,000 courtesy of McDonald's
Westminster Secretary of State for Defence & Scotland, the Rt Hon Des Browne MP (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) asks the High Court to outlaw the use of language strongly critical of the Ministry of Defence in inquest verdicts on soldiers who have died on active service.
The Scottish Government's response to the Independent Review of the Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections - the Gould Report - is published. The Minister for Parliamentary Business, Bruce Crawford MSP (Scottish National Party, Stirling) says full administrative and legislative responsibility for the Scottish Parliamentary elections should come to the Scottish Parliament.
The Liberal Democrats suggest MSPs should be given a £11,000 a year allowance to live in their constituencies.
The three main anti-Independence opposition parties (Labour, Liberal Democrats and Tories) launch a rival 'independent commission' to 'review' Scottish devolution. The 'independent' commission is not to consider the option of independence and is intended to 'create a stronger United Kingdom'. The 'commission' is described by the UK Government's Scotland Office as a 'Review'.
The First Minister the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) helps launch the second stage of the consultation on Scotland's constitutional set-up at Edinburgh University along with representatives from business organisations, trades unions, universities, colleges, the voluntary sector, professional bodies and church leaders. The consultation is backed by former Labour First Minister, the Rt Hon Henry McLeish.
Cllr Margaret Brisley (Labour), Provost of Stirling Council and Depute Provost Gerard O'Brien (Independent) are removed from their posts at as special meeting of Stirling Council.
The Scottish parliament approves an extra £70 million for councils across Scotland.
Gail and Tommy Sheridan (ex-Scottish Socialist Party and Solidarity MSP for Glasgow from 1999 - 2007) appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in connection with charges of perjury concerning Mr Sheridan's defamation case against the News of the World. Neither makes any plea or declaration and both are relased on bail.
It is revealed under the Freedom of Information Act that since the appointment of the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow ) as Speaker of the House of Commons, his official residence, Speaker's House, has received improvements costing £724,000, including £291,000 on 'building restoration and refurbishment', £191,000 on air conditioning, £148,900 on furniture and £13,000 on art. An additional £992,000 has been spent on Speaker's Garden, including security improvements. Mr Martin has also claimed more than £75,000 of public money for the house which he owns in Glasgow.
At a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party at Westminster, James Sheridan MP (Labour, Paisley & Renfrewshire North) allegedly declares: "Ex-ministers should not think they are able to criticise the Government. Those who do that should be injected with rabies."
The Scottish government (Scottish National Party) reduces prescription charges from £6.85 to £5. Further £1 cuts are planned for the next two years before the final abolition of the 'tax on ill health' in Scotland. Free personal care rates are increased, while business rates for 150,000 small businesses are reduced. Labour expresses reservations about these measures.
Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth John Swinney MSP (Scottish National Party, North Tayside) meets Westminster Chief Secretary to the Treasury Yvette Cooper MP (Labour, Pontefract & Castleford) concerning the UK Labour government plans to withold £400,000,000 of council tax benefit money from Scotland should council tax be replaced by a local income tax: The funding has already been acknowledged by the Treasury to be part of the Scottish block. Also under discussion is the UK Labour government's witholding £120,000,000 of funding for prisons in Scotland.
The Westminster Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards investigates reports that the wife of the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North East) spent £4,000 of public money on taxis for shopping trips.
The Scottish Government it is to offer the world's largest ever single prize for innovation in marine renewable energy. The Saltire Prize is a £10 million award (US$20 million) designed to galvanise world scientists to push the frontiers of innovation in the crucial area of clean, green energy. Entrants for the prize will demonstrate their innovations in Scotland. The announcement is made as part of Scotland Week at the world headquarters of the National Geographic Society in Washington by First Minister the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon).
A joint statement agreeing core NHS values is agreed by Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon MSP (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Govan) and health ministers in Wales and Northern Ireland during a historic first meeting.
At the end of a week-long visit to the USA promoting business, cultural and social links between Scotland and America, the First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) hails Scotland Week as a "fantastic success"
An opinion poll is published putting the SNP at 40 % compared to 32 % for Labour for Holyrood voting intentions and at 31 % to 35 % for Westminster.
The Rt Hon Des Browne MP, Westminster's Secretary of State for Defence & Scotland, who could lose his seat should such a poll become reality, launches what is described by Scotland on Sunday as 'an astonishing personal attack' on the First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon). In the 'outburst' Browne accuses the First Minister 'of living in a "parallel universe" and of abusing his position to create rifts with Westminster rather than governing the country.' Browne also describes the Scottish Government as 'shoddy' and 'ridiculous'.
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) reports that the US Scotland Week celebrations had been an overwhelming success and have generated enormous interest in Scotland. All three Presidential candidates sent messages of support for the Tartan Day and Scotland Week celebrations while the Scottish caucus has a 47 strong US Congressional membership and will soon be joined by 20 members of the US Senate.
It is reported that Michael McMahon MSP (Labour, Hamilton North & Bellshill) may be investigated by the Scottish Parliament standards commissioner for failing to declare a bequest worth £145,000 in his register of interests. The code of conduct for MSPs states that they should publicly register any gifts including property and cash, valued at more than one per cent of an MSP's salary.
Death of ex-Scottish Office Minister the Rt Hon Dr Jesse Dickson Mabon (Labour MP for Greenock 1955 - February 1974, Labour MP for Greenock & Port Glasgow February 1974 - October 1981, Social Democratic Party MP for Greenock & Port Glasgow October 1981 - 1983).
Sir Christopher Kelly, the Westminster Parliament's sleaze watchdog states that the attempt to block the release of a breakdown of MPs' expenses by the Speaker of the House of Commons Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North East) is "unfortunate" and that the High Court appeal against a tribunal ruling made it look like there was "something to hide".
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) warns that relations between the Scottish and UK governments are in danger of collapsing because of a 'campaign of aggression' being waged by Labour ministers at Westminster.
SNP Treasury spokesman Stewart Hosie MP (Scottish National Party, Dundee East) describes the Westminster Labour government's withholding or threatening to withhold £1,219,678,400 of funding from Scotland as 'entirely unreasonable' and a 'bullying attitude'. The figure is made up of £342 million in Health funding cuts due to a Comprehensive Spending Review, a threat to withhold £400 million for council tax benefit, £184 million of Lottery funding diverted to the London Olympics, £165 million of Olympic Regeneration Funding, £8.1 million of compensation for farmers and crofters, £120 million for prison funding and £370,000 claimed by the Ministry of Defence for policing the G8 and St Andrews summits.
It is revealed that the May 2007 Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections cost the taxpayer £39.26 million compared to £17.15 million in 2003. £9m of the money spent on the 2007 polls went to DRS Data and Research Services, the company that provided the electronic counting machines. 146,099 ballot papers were rejected in the May 2007 Scottish Parliament election and many counts were suspended due to problems with the electronic counting.
Death of ex-leader of Highland Regional Council, Duncan McPherson (Cromarty Town Cllr 1968 - 1974, Ross & Cromarty County Cllr 1968 - 1974, Highland Regional Cllr 1974 - 1996, Highland Cllr 1995 - 1999).
Revival of the Joint Ministerial Committee, after six years of inactivity. Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy MP (Labour, Torfaen) meets Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM (Labour, Cardiff West) The committee exists to attempt to revolve disputes between Westminster and the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A failed attempt by students to kidnap the then Prime Minister the Rt Hon Sir Alec Douglas-Home MP (Conservative & Unionist, Kinross & West Perthshire) in April 1964 is revealed in the coded diaries of former Lord Chancellor, Lord Hailsham.
There is an emergency shut-down of Torness nuclear power station near Dunbar, East Lothian due to a leaking coolant pipe, the latest of many emergencies and incidents at the plant. On the 9 th October 2007, the Scottish Government formally rejected new nuclear power stations in Scotland and described them as "dangerous, unnecessary and costly".
A TNS System Three opinion poll puts those in favour of independence at 41 % compared to 40 % against.
Ken Ritchie, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society states: 'We can see no reason for the Scottish Government not having control of the Scottish Parliament elections. Indeed, we believe it would be an affront to democracy if the Westminster parliament, of whose members less than 9% represent Scottish seats, could impose its will on the Scottish Parliament in this matter without having a very strong reason to do so.'
The Scottish National Party's seven candidates for the European elections in 2009 are selected at their Spring conference. The candidates will be ranked in October by a postal ballot of members.
In his conference address, the First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) says he wants the SNP to win 20 seats at the next Westminster election. He says the SNP could hold the balance of power and "make Westminster dance to a Scottish jig."
Cllr Steven Purcell, leader of Glasgow City Council (Labour Drumchapel/Anniesland) states that independence should be one of the options considered in any debate on constitutional change, contradicting the views of the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) who does not believe that Scots should be allowed a vote on Independence.
First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) becomes the first SNP leader to address the Scottish Trades Union congress.
The Sunday Herald reveals that Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (Labour, Lothians) claimed nearly £45,000 from the taxpayer for overnight expenses to stay in a London flat which he inherited from his mother in 1999. Lord Foulkes, a past Scottish Office Minister, was arrested in the early 1990s in an incident following a Scotch Whisky function when he pretended to be Batman, injured an elderly lady, then assaulted the policeman who attempted to arrest him for being drunk and disorderly.
A motion is tabled at Holyrood condemning the Commission on Scottish Devolution as a 'hand-picked Unionist clique' following revelations that Labour vetoed the appointment of the Rt Hon George Reid, a past SNP MP and MSP for being "too nationalist". George Reid is currently the Queen's Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and was Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 2003 to 2007. Of 15 members on the Unionist Commission, five are members of the House of Lords, two are knights of the realm and one is from TV's Big Brother. Other members include the convenor of the Scottish Lib Dems, the chief executive of the Telegraph group, the director of the CBI Scotland and the Scottish secretary of Unison.
Angus Cllr Jim Millar (Conservative & Unionist, Arbroath East & Lunan) is reprimanded for using 'four letter expletives' to describe Tory Justice Spokesman Bill Aitken MSP (Conservative & Unionist, Glasgow).
There are calls for the resignation of Cllr Kate Dean (Liberal Democrat, Kincorth/Loirston) the leader of Aberdeen City Council following revelations that the Labour and Liberal Democrat administrations sold off properties on six occassions between 2001 and 2006 at only 40% of their value, losing out on more than £5.5m of local taxpayers' money.
South Ayrshire Cllr Elaine Little (Labour, Ayr West) resigns from the Labour Party to sit as an Independent. This leaves the political composition of South Ayrshire Council as 12 Conservative & Unionists, eight Labour, eight Scottish National Party and three Independents.
Bob Watson holds a seat for the Scottish National Party in the Troup ward of Aberdeenshire Council with 62.8 % of first preference votes. The by-election followed the death of Scottish National Party Cllr Mitchell Burnett on the 4 th February 2008 following a lenghty battle with cancer.
Michael John Thomson holds a seat for the Conservative & Unionist Party in the Abbey ward of Dumfries & Galloway Council with 40.1 % of first preference votes. The by-election follows the resignation of Conservative & Unionist Cllr Bruce Hodgson on the 26 th February 2008.
A survey for the Scotsman reveals that 39 % of Scottish business leaders are more in favour of independence than a year ago, while 57.5 % believe the Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) was doing a good or excellent job.
The Scottish National Party marks the first anniversary of its historic election win with a national day of action.
The leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) makes a policy U-turn on the Politics Show and states that she is now in favour of a referendum on Scottish independence. When questioned she states "Bring it on!"
The leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) confirms that she is now in favour of a referendum on Scottish independence. The Scottish National Party welcome the policy U-turn.
The spokesman for the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Duncan McNeil MSP (Labour, Greenock & Inverclyde) claims that all Labour MSPs now support holding a referendum on independence and states '"We will not vote down any referendum bill that comes to the parliament.'
Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie MSP (Conservative & Unionist, West of Scotland) accuses Wendy Alexander of betraying Scotland.
A spokesman for Alexander states that a referendum should be held in 2009.
The Scottish National Party state that the referendum will take place in 2010 as planned in their election manifesto.
Death of Baroness Michie of Gallanach (Liberal Democrat MP for Argyll & Bute 1987 - 2001).
At Prime Minister's Questions at Westminster, the UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) denies that the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) had called for a referendum on Scottish independence. A spokesman for Alexander fails to reconfirm that she is in favour of a referendum. An aide to Wendy Alexander later admits that there is a 'difference' between Labour's leaders in London and Edinburgh.
At First Minister's Questions at Holyrood, the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) renews her call for an early referendum on independence - just 24 hours after the UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) denied that is what she wanted.
Labour colleagues at Westminster and Holyrood call on the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) to step down as leader.
An aide to the UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) describes the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) as a 'political pygmy'. An aide to Alexander describes the Prime Minister as 'a ditherer'.
The disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) backs down from her call for a referendum on Scottish Parliament.
Labour MSPs make a U-turn on their statement of 6 th May and now say they can not guarantee support for the Scottish government's proposed 2010 independence referendum bill. However party group convener Duncan McNeil MSP (Labour, Greenock & Inverclyde) states there is "no prinicpal objection" to a referendum on independence.
The Westminster Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, John Lyon, declares the £4,139.17 spent on taxis, mostly for shopping trips, by Mary Martin, the wife of the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP, Speaker of the House of Commons (Independent, Glasgow North East) was "reasonable" and within the rules. He states the expenses were "not excessive", and that the journeys had been taken to assist her husband with his parliamentary business.
By 79 votes to 43, the Scottish Parliament backs demands for the reinstatement of an annual £30m attendance allowance which was confiscated from Scotland by the UK Labour Government at Westminster after the Labour-Liberal Democrat Scottish Executive policy for free personal and nursing care for the elderly came into effect on 1 July 2002 under the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002. The vote against returning this money to Scotland by the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) and the Labour group represents aNorther U-turn. Two weeks previously Labour MSPs had pledged to back all the recommendations of Lord Sutherland.
First anniversary of the election of the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan) as First Minister of Scotland.
The House of Commons loses its High Court battle against the Information Tribunal's decision to force disclosure of MPs' expenses.
Leading accountancy firm Grant Thornton, using Treasury oil revenue forecasts and official spending figures, calculate that, without money from oil and gas taxation, an independent Scotland would have an underlying deficit of £7.8 billion. However, they calculate that when £12.2billion of oil and gas revenues are included, Scotland has a surplus of more than £4 billion.
The Scottish Affairs Committee of the Imperial Parliament at Westminster criticises the UK Government's Scotland Office and the discredited Electoral Commission for their role in the May 2007 Holyrood Parliamentary elections where over 180,000 votes were rejected. They recommend abandoning the use of electronic counting and having a Returning Officer for Scotland. However Westminster refuses to contemplate devolving power for Scottish Parliamentary elections to the Scottish Parliament as recommended by the Gould Report on the fiasco.
Former Labour First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Henry McLeish makes a 'devastating critique' of the leadership of Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) the disgraced leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, accusing it of having 'no road map and no signposting'.
UK Labour Ministers are criticised after the BBC announces that they are to consider plans for a database of electronic information holding details of every phone call and e-mail sent in the UK.
The Scottish Social Attitudes survey reveals that 35 % of Scots trust the Westminster Government (Labour) to act in Scotland's interests compared to 71 % who trust the Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) to act in Scotland's interets.
Following in the tradition of Margaret Thatcher's Sermon on the Mound, the Rt Hon David Cameron MP (Conservative & Unionist) states at the Scottish Tory conference: 'The ugly stain of separatism is seeping through the Union flag! The simple truth is that the Union between England and Scotland is under attack as never before! I will do anything and everything to keep our two countries as one!'
South Ayrshill Cllr Douglas Campbell (Labour, Ayr North) resigns from the Labour Party to sit as an Independent. This leaves the political composition of South Ayrshire Council as 12 Conservative & Unionists, eight Scottish National Party and seven Labour and three Independents.
The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling (Labour, Edinburgh South West) warns Scots that they are "never going to get" the £400m currently spent on council tax benefit which is owed them by the Labour governement at Westminster.
It is revealed that Scottish Tory Chairman, Andrew Fulton, who falsely claimed to be a 'Professor' after only briefly being a visiting Professor at Glasgow University in 1999, is still listed as as 'Professor' on the Electoral Roll and in the director's section of Companies House.
Former Health Minister, Andy Kerr MSP (Labour, East Kilbride) is reprimanded by the Holyrood Standards Committee for failing to declare £1,000 in gifts and hospitality from a fast food chain.
Midlothian Cllr Katie Moffat (Liberal Democrat, Midlothian East) defects to Labour. The political composition of the council stands at 10 Labour, six Scottish National Party and two Liberal Democrats. Labour gain overall control of Midlothian Council.
The First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) reiterates his call for a long term Scottish oil fund to be set up, using 10% of an additional £4.4bn expected to come from the Westminster government's fuel tax.
The BBC report that John Purves MEP (Conservative & Unionist, Scotland) may have breached the expenses rules of the European Parliament by paying staff in his parliamentary office through a company of which he is a partner.
The Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) announces it is to commission a study of the benefits of an oil fund for Scotland.
The Rt Hon Elish Angiolini, Lord Advocate of Scotland opposes the UK Government (Labour) proposal to extend the period in which a terror suspect can be held without charge from the current 28 days to 42 days.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (Labour, Lothians) uses parliamentary questions to reveal that:
Advisers to the First Minister have claimed one sixth of the expenses of those for the Labour and Lib Dem Administrations who claimed £57,000 in 2004-05.
The number of communications officers, number of press releases issued, communications officers costs, and PR costs are all LESS under the SNP Scottish Government than the Labour/LibDem Executive. For example, PR costs between 1 May 2007-31 January 2008 are nearly 40% less than the equivalent costs between 1 May 2006-31 January 2007.
The number of ministerial car journeys between 16 May 2007-31 January 2008 is 500 fewer than during the comparable period in the previous year of the Labour/LibDem Executive.
Three times as many people have viewed Alex Salmond's online broadcasts as viewed Jack McConnell's.
In the Scottish Parliament, Labour, the Tories, and the Liberal Democrats veto the merger of the Scottish Arts Council with Scottish Screen, a policy which all three parties had declared they supported.
The 17 strong Scottish National Party group of councillors pulls out of the ruling coalition of Highland Council which they ran with the 33-strong Independent group.
The Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (Gers) report reveals that Scotland would have budget surplus of more than £800m with a "geographical share" of North Sea revenues.
At the SNP's annual Bannockburn ralley, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon MSP (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Govan) states that the rally marks a seminal point in Scottish history and should be expanded into a festival of Scotland's contribution to European thought.
The First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) honours Ian Hamilton, the ringleader of the group of four students who repatriated the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey on Christmas day, 1950.
Philip Lardner, Tory candidate for North Ayrshire & Arran, is suspended by the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party after portraying the late Ian Smith, the former leader of white-rule Rhodesia, as a hero.
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee declares that former First Minister the Rt Hon Jack McConnell MSP (Labour, Motherwell & Wishaw) should stand down from the Holyrood parliament in order to prepares to become the British High Commissioner to Malawi.
The Scottish Parliament's Standards Committee rules that the disgraced leader of the Labour group, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) broke parliament rules by failing to register donations on her MSPs' register of interests and recommends she should face a one day ban from parliament.
Former First Minister the Rt Hon Jack McConnell MSP (Labour, Motherwell & Wishaw) confirms that he will resign his seat when he is formally appointed High Commissioner to Malawi. The current High Commissioner, Richard Wildash, is due to complete his tour in January 2009.
SNP councillors formally resign senior posts held with Highland Council following their split from the authority's administration with was run in a coalition with the Independents.
Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) resigns as leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament.
Labour MP David Marshall (Glasgow Shettleston 1979 - 2005, Glasgow East 2005 - 2008) resigns from the House of Commons due to "ill health" following allegations that over six years he had claimed £500,000 in expenses for running a constutuency office and staff, that he had failed to declare paying a member of his family as his secretary and that two businesses were being run by his daughter from the same address as his publically-funded "constituency office" in the family home.
Communities & Sport Minister Stewart Maxwell MSP (Scottish National Party, West of Scotland) lays a wreath on behalf of the Scottish nation at the Contalmaison Cairn in France, the largest memorial of its kind to be built on the Western Front since the 1920s..
Nicol Stephen MSP (Liberal Democrat, Aberdeen South) resigns as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
Labour are unable to select a candidate for the Glasgow South by-election after the favoured candidate Cllr George Ryan (Labour, Shettleston) fails to turn up at the selection meeting. The leader of Glasgow Council, Cllr Stephen Purcell (Labour, Drumchapel Anniesland) and Frank McAveety MSP (Labour, Glasgow Shettleston) also turn down appeals to stand in the constituency. Ex Scottish Labour Party General Secretary Lesley Quinn is also said to have been approached and have refused to stand.
The government of Malawi challenges former First Minister the Rt Hon Jack McConnell MSP (Labour, Motherwell &, Wishaw) to choose between remaining a member of the Scottish Parliament and becoming British High Commissioner to Malawi.
John Purves MEP (Conservative & Unionist, Scotland) is cleared of breaching the rules on European Parliament expenses by paying staff in his parliamentary office through a company of which he is a partner.
First Minister the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP lays a wreath on behalf of the people of Scotland on the 20th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster at a commemoration service in Hazelhead Park, Aberdeen.
The Labour candidate in the Glasgow East by-election, Margaret Curran MSP (Labour, Glasgow Baillieston) proclaims she lives and has lived in the East End for all of her life. STV reveals that in reality, she has lived for most of her life on the South Side of Glasgow where she currently resides in a a £600,000 villa in the middle class Newlands district.
The Boundary Commission for Scotland makes arrangements for Local Inquiries into its provisional proposals for Scottish Parliament constituencies.
The official report into a complaint concerning the illegal donations to the leadership campaign of Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) reveals that Alexander was advised by Parliamentary Officials that the donations should be declared, contrary to claims made by Alexander herself.
The Daily Record reports that Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign team 'gave false details to watchdogs'. The Record reports: 'They claimed 10 donations, each worth just under £1000, came in between October 19 and October 25 - well within the 30-day deadline. But they later admitted they received six donations and banked four of them more than 30 days before they registered them. The evidence showed that by October 19, when Alexander's team claimed they received their first cheque, they had actually taken £7000 out of their campaign bank account.'
The new administration of Highland Council will be a coalition of 30 Independents, 20 Liberal Democrats and seven Labour councillors. In opposition will be 17 Scottish National Party Cllrs (formerly part of the administration) and six Independent Members Group (which includes three previous members of the Independents and one previous Liberal Democrat).
It is revealed that the Labour Glasgow East by-election blog has published a photograph of candidate Margaret Curran MSP (Labour, Glasgow Baillieston) with a 67-year old Labour activist, claiming that he is a 93-year old war veteran who 'fought with the Desert Rats in World War II and was treated in hospital for shrapnel wounds. He also fought in Yugoslavia with the partisans against the German occupation.'
It is revealed that Margaret Curran MSP (Labour, Glasgow Baillieston) the Labour candidate in the Glasgow East by-election blog has written personally to the Scottish National Party candidate Cllr John Mason telling him: "I need you to vote for me. Without that I can't do anything."
Channel 4 News' FactCheck describes the claim by Margaret Curran MSP (Labour, Glasgow Baillieston) that the SNP "want to empty our prisons and give muggers, thieves and drug dealers community service and soft-touch fines." as "inflammatory misrepresentation."
Glasgow East (Westminster) by-election following the resignation of Labour MP David Marshall on 30 th June 2008 due to "ill health". Cllr John Mason (Scottish National Party, Baillieston) gains the seat for the SNP with a majority of 365 over Margaret Curran MSP (Labour, Glasgow Baillieston). SNP + 26.0 %, Labour - 19.0 %, Conservative - 0.7 %, LibDem - 8.4 %, SSP - 1.4 %
The Registrar General releases figure showing the estimated population of Scotland was 5,144,200 in mid-2007, a rise of 27,300 people on the previous year and the hightest level since 1983.
John Mason MP (Scottish National Party, Glasgow East) resigns as the Cllr for the City of Glasgow ward of Baillieston.
Death of Lord Russell-Johnston of Minginish (Sir Russell Johnston) Liberal MP for Inverness from 1964 to 1983 and for Inverness, Nairn & Lochaber from 1983 until 1997. He was leader of the Scottish Liberals (and later Scottish Social & Liberal Democrats) from 1974 until 1990 and was deputy leader of the UK Social & Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1992.
The Scottish cabinet (Scottish National Party) meets in Dumfries, the first time it has met formally outside Edinburgh. This is the first of a series of meetings outside the capital city.
The acting leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Cathy Jamieson MSP (Labour, Carrck, Cumnock & Doon Valley) rejects former leader Wendy Alexander's call for a referendum on Scottish independence. This contradicts the claim on the 6 th May by the spokesman for the Labour group, Duncan McNeil MSP (Labour, Greenock & Inverclyde) that all Labour MSPs supported holding a referendum on independence.
Glasgow property tycoon Michael Brown, whose business donated £2.4m to the Liberal Democrats, goes on the run from police pending his trial at the Crown Court in London in September on charges of money laundering, theft, perverting the course of justice and other fraud-related offences. Southwark Crown Court issues an arrest warrant for breach of bail conditions. Brown's donation is also under investigation by the Electoral Commission and should they find against him the Liberal Democrats would have to repay the £2.4m.
The SNP accounts also show its membership in 2007 was 13,944 - an increase of almost 50% from 9,450 in 2003. A further 250 new members joined during the Glasgow East by-election campaign.
The Liberal Democrats' membership decreased, from 4,346 at the end of 2006 to 4,100 by the end of 2007.
The acting leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Cathy Jamieson MSP (Labour, Carrck, Cumnock & Doon Valley) forgets to turn up at a press conference to launch her leadership bid.
Supporters of UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) describe the UK Foreign Secretary the Rt Hon David Milliband MP (Labour, South Shields) as "self-serving", "disloyal", "immature", "condescending", "patronising" and "crappy" following his refusal to back the Prime Minister in two different interviews.
Jim Dempsey, son of the late James Dempsey MP (Labour, Coatbridge & Airdrie) circulates an open letter to MPs, MSPs and other senior Labour figures criticising the role of Labour Holyrood leadership candidate Andy Kerr MSP (Labour, East Kilbride) while Health Minister in the threat to close Monklands emergency department, describing him as "the person who would close an eye to centuries of Labour struggle to improve the quality of life for all."
Former Scottish Executive Minister, Tom McCabe MSP (Labour, Hamilton South) writes in the Sunday Herald: "For too long, there have been Scottish Labour politicians at local government level and at Westminster who have been resentful, and even contemptuous, of the Scottish parliament. ". Former Labour First Minister the Rt Hon Henry McLeish comments "For far too long, MPs and councillors have been uncomfortable with devolution. Labour must establish its Scottish credentials, be tireless in its defence of interests and stop looking over its shoulder to Westminster. This may be the last chance for Labour. Time is running out."
Holyrood Labour leadership candidate Andy Kerr MSP describes the position as "the worst job in Scotland." A Labour MP describes Kerr as "the triumph of ambition over talent" while aNorther party figure describes him as "Jack McConnell without the brains".
Labour MSPs describe Holyrood leadership candidate Iain Gray MSP as "boring", "London's man" and as "the embodiment of mediocrity."
A Labour MP says of leadership candidate Cathy Jamieson MSP "Can you imagine her as leader?", while one Labour MSP describes her as a "left-wing hypocrite" and aNorther comments "This is the minister who backed privatisation at every step. Now she is left-wing after all". A source close to Kerr says "I would rather work with Iain Gray than go back into the f****** caves with some of them. Cathy and Bill Butler, can you imagine? F*** me." ANorther senior Labour source says: "It would be a disaster if Cathy won. Her appeal is to aNorther century. Surely to Christ, have we not moved on from that?"
The Scottish cabinet (Scottish National Party) meets in Inverness in the same room that hosted the only gathering of a UK Government cabinet outside of London in September 1921.
Glasgow Cll Jahangir Hanif (Scottish National Party, Southside Central) is suspended from the SNP for two months following allegations that he fired a Kalashnikov assault rifle while visiting Pakistan in 2005.
Brian Donahoe MP (Labour, Ayrshire Central) is ordered to pay an unpaid electrician's bill of £64 plus costs by Kilmarnock Sherriff Court.
Cllr James Dornan (Scottish National Party, Langside) succeeds John Mason as the leader of Glasgow City Council SNP group and the city's official opposition leader following Cllr Mason's victory in the Glasgow East by-election on the 25 th July.
Death of Labour MP John MacDougall (Fife Central 2001 - 2005, Glenrothes 2005 - 2008).
A leaked memo reveals that the Labour Westminster Government's UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has instructed the UK embassy in Norway to obstruct planned energy talks in Oslo in October between the Norwegian and Scottish Governments (Scottish National Party) and has demanded that Norway ignores all approaches from Scotland.
The UK Government (Labour) makes extra money available for pension changes for police, firefighters and rescue services in England & Wales but refuses to fund pension changes in Scotland.
The Scottish Police Federation says it is "extremely disappointed" that the changes have not been applied in Scotland, and claims police have been let down.
Unionist MSP Iain Gray (Labour, East Lothian) proposes an alliance in the Scottish Parliament between the two main anti-Scottish Independence parties, Labour and the Tories.
The Scottish cabinet (Scottish National Party) meets in Pitlochry.
Former Labour First Minister the Rt Hon Henry McLeish rules himself out as Labour candidate for the Glenrothes by-election.
The independent auditors for the Scottish Liberal Democrats state: "These conditions indicate the existence of a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt about the party's ability to continue as a going concern."
The UK Government (Labour) shelves plans to subsidise renewable energy schemes in Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles.
Death of Thomas Dempsey, Dundee District Cllr (Scottish National Party, Wellgate) from 1988 until 1996.
It is alleged that Brian Donahoe MP (Labour, Ayrshire Central) broke parliamentary rules by using publicly-funded facilities to advertise a fundraising dinner for his local party and using his taxpayer-funded office and his secretary as contact points for those interested in attending the £750-a-table dinner. Westminster allowances rules state: "Neither the Communications Allowance nor House stationery, including pre-paid envelopes, can be used for personal benefit or for party political activities or campaigning." Any expenditure claimed, the rules add, must be "wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for the purpose of performing your Parliamentary duties".
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport Tom Harris MP (Labour, Glasgow South) writes. "Alex Salmond should have the gratitude of the Scottish Labour Party for establishing minority administrations can govern without a coalition partner. I wish Labour had learned this lesson while we had the chance."
The Scottish cabinet (Scottish National Party) meets in Skye.
Tavish Scott MSP (Shetland) is elected as Scottish Liberal Democrat leader with 1,459 first preference votes (59.16 %) compared to 568 (23.03 %) for Ross Finnie MSP (West of Scotland) and 439 (17.80 %) for Mike Rumbles MSP (Aberdeenshire West & Kincardine) in a 61% turnout of party members.
In a newspaper interview, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer the Rt Hon Alastair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West) states that voters are "pissed off" with Labour and describes the disgraced former leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) as "not likeable at all".
A sleaze scandal hits the new Scottish Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott MSP (Liberal Democrat, Shetland) when he removes Hugh O'Donnell MSP (Liberal Democrat, Central Scotland) from the Standards Committee of the Scottish parliament. O'Donnell stated that he would resign if the Committee's decision to suspend the disgraced former leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) is not upheld by the full Scottish parliament.
Philip Lardner, Tory candidate for North Ayrshire & Arran, is reinstated by the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party after being cleared of accusations of making racist remarks, which led to his suspension in June.
A sleaze scandal hits all three Unionist parties in the Scottish Parliament as 44 of the 46 Labour MSPs, all 16 Conservative MSPs and nine of the 16 Liberal Democrat MSPs vote to overturn the decision of the Scottish Parliament's Standards Committee, acting upon the recommendation of the Standards Commissioner, of a one day ban from Parliament for the disgraced former leader of the Labour group, Wendy Alexander MSP (Labour, Paisley North) for accepting illegal donations.
Six Liberal Democrat MSPs defy their leadership and vote to uphold the decision of the Standards Committee: Jim Hume (South of Scotland), Iain Smith (North East Fife), Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West), Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South), Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine) and Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland). Hugh O'Donnell MSP, whose indefatiguable anti-corruption stance enfuriated the new Scottish Lib Dem leader, Tavish Scott MSP (Liberal Democrat, Shetland) was removed from the Standards Committee on the 2 nd September.
Glasgow Cll Jahangir Hanif (Scottish National Party, Southside Central) resigns as one of the 17 Baillies elected to represent Glasgow Lord Provost Robert Winter (Labour, Maryhill/Kelvin) during his absence.
Death of Edinburgh Cllr Elizabeth Maginnis (Labour, Forth), who represented the Granton area since 1986.
The UK Cabinet meets in Birmingham, the first time the cabinet has met outside London since a meeting in Inverness in September 1921.
The Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) announces that it would find £32m from this year's budget to fund increased pension costs for police officers and firefighters after the UK government (Labour) refuses to provide "Barnett consequential" funding.
Death of Robert Gray, Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1984 to 1988 and Labour Cllr from 1975 to 2003.
South Tynside Cllr David Potts, Conservative & Unionist candidate for the Westminster constituency of Edinburgh South West, resigns from the Edinburgh South-West Conservative Association.
Iain Gray MSP (Labour, East Lothian) is elected leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament with 57.8 % of the final vote compared to 42.2 % for Cathy Jamieson MSP (Labour, Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley) after Andy Kerr MSP (Labour, East Kilbride) is eliminated in the first round of voting. Johann Lamont MSP (Labour, Glasgow Pollok) is elected deputy leader with 60.2% of the vote compared to 39.8 % for Bill Butler MSP (Labour, Glasgow Anniesland).
Gray claims his "mandate" is "wider" than leader of the MSP group and states "As the leader I have responsibility for affiliated trade unions and, above all, individual party members." The Secretary of State for Defence & Scotland, the Rt Hon Des Brown MP (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) warns Gray to "respect the structure of this party".
Robin Harper MSP (Green, Lothians) announces that he will be standing down as one of the two co-chairs of the Scottish Green Party in November when a replacement will be elected.
Father David Cairns MP (Labour, Inverclyde) resigns as Minister of State at the Scotland Office following the refusal by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee to send out party leadership nomination papers to MPs. Anne McKechin MP (Labour, Glasgow North) is appointed in his place.
The First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) calls upon the UK Government to end short selling by speculators, which he describes as "economic vandalism". Political parties in the Scottish parliament unite to demand a clampdown on financial speculators in the wake of the planned takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) by Lloyds TSB.
The Scottish National Party's David Turner holds a seat in the four-member Baillieston ward of Glasgow City Council following the resignaton of Scottish National Party Cllr John Mason on the 25 th July 2008 upon his election as SNP MP for Glasgow East.
Renfrewshire Cllr Tommy Williams (Labour, Paisley North West) is charged with fraud, allegedly in relation to his job as a community support worker at Glasgow City Council. He will stop being a councillor if he receives a criminal conviction, if the Standards Commission bars him from office, or if he resigns.
Patrick Harvie MSP (Green, Glasgow) is the sole nomination for the male co-chair of the Scottish Green Party. The nominations for female co-chair are ex-Highlands & Islands MSP Eleanor Scott, Glasgow Cllr Nina Baker (Anderston/City) and Edinburgh Cllr Maggie Chapman (Leith Walk).
At the Labour conference, the new leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Iain Gray MSP (Labour, East Lothian) stakes his reputation on winning the Glenrothes by-election.
UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) announces £300 million plan to give 1 million of the poorest families in England internet-enabled computers, but makes no funds available for the poorest families in in Scotland.
East Ayrshire Cllr Eric Jackson (Labour, Ballochmyle) informs Chief Executive Fiona Lees that he will resign from the council on 10 th October 2008.
East Lothian Constituency Labour Party passes a motion of no confidence in Anne Moffat MP (Labour, East Lothian) (aka Mad Moffat). The motion states that the relationshp between the MP and the local party had 'broken down completely' and that the MP had 'brought the party into disrepute'.
City of Edinburgh Cllr and Education convenor Marilyne MacLaren (Liberal Democrat, Meadows/Morningside) is found to committed a breach of the code of conduct for falsely accusing a parent of leaking information to the Evening News.
The First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) hosts a meeting of the British-Irish Council at at Hopetoun House near Edinburgh. The meeting brings together each of the governments and administrations of the British Isles: Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and the UK Government.
Death of City of Glasgow Cllr Douglas Hay (Labour, Baillieston) who represented the Baillieston area on Strathclyde Region from 1975 to 1996 and on the City of Glasgow Council from 1995 to 1999 and since May 2007.
UK Tory leader the Rt Hon David Cameron (Conservative & Unionist, Whitney) announces that a future Tory government's high speed rail link from London would end at Leeds. He confirms that they have no plans to include Scotland in the high speed network.
Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill MSP (Scottish National Party, Edinburgh East & Musselburgh) releases figures showing that 385,509 crimes were reported in Scotland in 2007-08, the lowest level for more than 25 years, representing an 8% fall from the previous 12 months.
Jamie McGrigor MSP (Conservative & Unionionist, Highlands & Islands) becomes Sir James Angus Rhoderick McGrigor, sixth Baronet of Campden Hill in Middlesex upon the death of his father, the fifth Baronet.
Major Eric Joyce MP (Labour, Falkirk), private secretary to the Business Secretary, John Hutton, is banned from driving for six months after being caught speeding near Bo'ness.
Aberdeenshire Cllr Paul Johnson (Liberal Democrat, Mid Formartine) is found to committed a serious breach of the code of conduct for making allegations that Aberdeenshire Council staff had offered a sweetener to the Trump Organisation. However, a motion to suspend the Cllr is defeated.
Westminster cabinet reshuffle: Rt Hon Des Browne (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) is sacked as Secretary of State for Defence and resigns as Secretary of State for Scotland. Jim Murphy (Labour, East Renfrewshire) is appointed Secretary of State for Scotland.
Death of Liberal Democrat peer, George Thomson, Lord Thomson of Monifieth, who was Labour MP for Dundee East from 1952 to 1972 and European Commissioner from 1973 to 1977.
Dowing Street announces that the Rt Hon. Jack McConnell MSP (Labour, Motherwell & Wishaw) will be appointed British High Commissioner in 2011 rather than January 2009, in order to avoid a by-election.
Alyn Smith MEP (Scottish National Party, Scotland) is nominated in the "MEP of the Year Awards" for his work in the field of Energy.
Thomas McAvoy MP (Labour, Rutherglen & Hamilton West) is promoted from Comptroller to Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip). Tom Harris MP (Labour, Glasgow) is sacked as PUSS at the Minister of Transport. Anne McGuire MP (Labour, Stirling) is sacked as PUSS for Disabled People, but is appointed to the Privy Council. A press release from Number 10 Downing Street lists the appointment of Shriti Vadera, Baroness Vadera, as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.
The First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) agrees to meet Secretary of State for Scotland the Rt Hon Jim Murphy (Labour, East Renfrewshire) in order to find ways for the Scottish and Westminster governments to assist Scottish businesses and families hit by the current financial crisis.
Death of Labour peer, Norman Hogg, Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld, who was Labour MP for East Dunbartonshire from 1979 to 1983 and for Cumbernauld & Kilsyth from 1983 to 1997.
The Scottish National Party renews its appeal to the Labour government at Westminster to devolve full responsibility for elections in Scotland to the Scottish Parliament. 184,000 ballot papers were rejected in May 2007.
Secretary of State for Scotland the Rt Hon Jim Murphy (Labour, East Renfrewhsire) rejects calls to devolve full responsibility for elections in Scotland to the Scottish Parliament. 184,000 ballot papers were rejected in May 2007.
The House of Lords state that Baroness Vadera was originally listed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office following a press release from Number 10 Downing Street. However, subsequent information had confirmed that Baroness Vadera has not been appointed to
this role.
Cabinet papers reveal that Tony Blair personally intervened to secure Formula One's exemption from a tobacco advertising ban just hours after meeting the sport's boss, Bernie Ecclestone on 16 th October, 1997. At the time, the Prime Minister appeared on TV and denied any personal involvement.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North West) claims he is "deeply concerned" at the revelation that former Prime Minister Tony Blair misled MPs over exempting Formula One from a tobacco advertising ban. The Speaker tells MPs that his officials will investigate the matter.
Renfrewshire Cllr Terry Kelly (Labour, Ferguslie) is condemned for suggesting that Britain would be better off if the Royal family were murdered.
Death of North Ayrshire Cllr Craig Taylor (Scottish National Party, Kilbirnie & Beath).
The First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) calls for £1,000 million (or £ one milliard) of Scotland's fossil fuel levy and its underspend to be released by the UK Treasury to boost jobs and investment in Scotland. Under current rules, the money belongs to Scotland, but for every £1 spent by the Scottish Government, the UK Government reduces the Scottish block grant by £1.
Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth John Swinney MSP (Scottish National Party, Tayside North) accuses UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) of having "presided over a financial meltdown" and overseen "an economic catastrophe".
The new UK Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon John Hutton MP (Labour, Barrow & Furness) declares that Faslane will remain the home to the Trident nuclear submarine fleet. A spokesman for Minister for Parliamentary Buisiness Bruce Crawford MSP (Scottish National Party, Stirling) declares "John Hutton is completely out of touch with the people of Scotland on the issue, and the SNP Government will do all it can to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons."
In the Forth ward in Edinburgh where a by-election is taking place, the Liberal Democrats are caught attempting to mislead the public into believing they polled 29 per cent whereas, in fact, they only polled 18 per cent. The tactic is a standard Lib Dem leafleting trick. Tory group leader Cllr Iain Whyte (Conservative & Unionist, Inverleith) states: "This is just as good as lying to the public."
Attempts by the First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) and the Secretary of State for Scotland the Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP (Labour, East Renfrewshire) to find common ground in order to help Scots hit by the economic crisis are sabotaged by an outspoken attack on the Scottish Government by the Westminster Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP (Labour, Pontefract & Castleford).
The campaign by the Prime Minister's wife in Glenrothes is described as 'the worst Public Relations disaster of Gordon Brown's premiership'. Labour minders attempt to prevent cameramen from filming the event and physically manhandle journalists. One Labour minder threatens journalists with firearms, claiming 'There will be six or seven guys with guns who will keep you away from her. You may be shot and then it won't be my problem.'
The threats and violence are compared to the Labour conference in 2005 where Labour 'heavies' physically ejected an 82-year-old Labour activist for making a peaceful protest during Tony Blair's speech. The 82-year-old was arrested and detained under the Terrorism Act when he innocently attempted to re-enter the conference the following day.
Labour leaders Gordon Brown, Jim Murphy and Iain Gray are challenged to distance themselves from and condemn a spate of libelous comments and racist attacks on new Scots posted by supporters in the forums of Scottish newspapers.
Hamish Macdonell, Scottish Political Editor in the Scotsman reports: 'Rami Okasha, Labour's head of communications in Scotland, was in charge of keeping the press corralled on to a piece of ground away from Mrs Brown when he referred to the Special Branch officers protecting her and said: "There will be six or seven guys with guns who will keep you away from her. You may be shot and then it won't be my problem."'
An anonymous Labour spokesman denies the incident, witnessed by over a dozen journalists, actually occured and claims that it was invented by the Scottish National Party, stating: 'The bizarre and inaccurate claim by the SNP that any member of Labour Party staff would seriously threaten anyone is simply spin and merely a distraction by their spin-doctors from the real issues in the campaign.'
Labour leaders Gordon Brown, Jim Murphy and Iain Gray fail to distance themselves from and condemn a spate of libelous comments and racist attacks on new Scots posted by supporters in the forums of Scottish newspapers.
The UK Immigration Minister Phil Woolas MP (Labour, Oldham East & Saddleworth) is hit by a custard pie by anti-racism campaigners after 'spouting right-wing anti-immigration policies'.
A charity football match between politicians and journalists is abandoned after 55 minutes following altercations between the players. BBC Scotland's Chick Young is carried off on a stretcher after an 'evil' tackle by John Park MSP (Labour, Mid Scotland & Fife), who is sent off.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North West), who claimed to be "deeply concerned" at the recent revelation that former Prime Minister Tony Blair misled MPs over exempting Formula One from a tobacco advertising ban, decides that the affair should be closed. Mr Martin, a Labour MP from 1979 to 2000, was investigated by the House of Commons authorities after several allegations that there were irregularities in his expense claims. In addition to revelations that the Speaker had used air miles for members of his family and that his wife had spent £4,000 of public money on taxis for shopping trips, it was revealed that Speaker's House had received improvements costing £724,000, including £291,000 on 'building restoration and refurbishment', £191,000 on air conditioning, £148,900 on furniture and £13,000 on art. An additional £992,000 had been spent on Speaker's Garden, including security improvements. Mr Martin had also claimed more than £75,000 of public money for the house which he owns in Glasgow.
His close colleague David Marshall MP (Labour, Glasgow East) resigned on the 30 th June following allegations that over six years he had claimed £500,000 in expenses for running a constutuency office in his own home with family members as staff, that he had failed to declare paying a member of his family as his secretary and that two businesses were being run by his daughter from the same address as his publically-funded "constituency office" in the family home.
The head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, attacks the UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) for supporting the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill and describes its implications as "grotesque" and akin to "Nazi-style experiments".
Labour Peer Lord Winston claims "It might be worth reminding the Cardinal that, actually, the Catholic Church knew about the Nazi experimentation, even before the war, not just after it, and did very little to prevent it from happening."
Jim Sheridan MP (Labour, Paisley & Renfrewshire North) accuses the Catholic church of "scaremongering", and Cardinal O'Brien of "winding people up."
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs committee chairman, Sir John Stanley MP (Conservative & Unionist, Tonbridge & Malling), asks Sir Peter Ricketts, Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office why the UK Prime Minister's special envoy on conflict resolution, the Rt Hon Jack McConnell MSP (Labour, Motherwell & Wishaw) is still a member of the Scottish Parliament. Ricketts replies: "He is going to spend one or two days a week with us and travel maybe once a month." Andrew MacKinlay MP (Labour, Thurrock) asks: "If he's going to be going to Addis Ababa something else has to be given up somewhere else. How can this be justified?" Ricketts refuses to answer the question.
The Scottish Parliament calls for Halifax Bank of Scotland to remain independent by gaining access to the UK Government's bank bailout fund. The motion is opposed by Labour and Tory MSPs.
The Secretary of State for Scotland, the Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP (Labour, East Renfrewshire) is accused of provoking a 'diplomatic incident' with Norway following his quoting and embellishment of 'incorrect and misleading' comments during Scottish Questions in the House of Commons.
The Ambassador of Norway, Bjarne Lindstrøm issues a statement:
'The article "Salmond Slapped down by Norway Minister" in the Daily Mail on 29 October contained several incorrect and misleading statements attributed to Norway's Foreign Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre.
'Firstly, there is no "growing anger in Norway" over comparisons made between Scotland and Norway during the debate in the United Kingdom against the backdrop of the current global financial crisis.
'Secondly, no accusations have been made by Mr Støre against Mr Salmond, as alleged in the article. In the interview, the Foreign Minister merely pointed out factual similarities and differences between the challenges presently faced by Scotland and Norway. Inferring from this that Mr Støre is of the view that Mr Salmond has in any way lied or mislead the public, is simply incorrect.
'In short, the Norwegian Foreign Minister did not intend to criticise either side in this debate, which is a domestic political discussion. What he strongly emphasised in the interview with the Daily Mail and which, sadly, was simply omitted from the article, was his sincere appreciation of the warm ongoing relationship between Scotland and Norway.'
Major Sebastian Morley, Commander of the SAS forces in Afghanistan resigns in protest at the UK Governnment's 'Cavalier at best. Criminal at worst.' failure to provide British troops with proper equipment which resulted in the deaths of four service personnel when their Snatch Land Rover struck a roadside bomb on the 17 th June. The Minister responsible, Defence Minister Quintin Davis MP (Labour, Grantham & Stamford), who is accused of 'gross negligence', refuses to resign. Davis goes on the attack, claiming that '100 per cent' of troops are satisfied with their equipment. Thirty seven Scottish service personnel have died - at least 19 in Iraq and at least 13 in Afghanistan.
West Dumbartonshire Cllr Marie McNair (Labour, Clyde Waterfront) resigns from the Labour party to sit as an independent. She later writes to Colin Smyth, Labour's Scottish general secretary, accusing John McFall MP (Labour, West Dunbartonshire) and Jackie Baillie MSP (Labour, Dumbarton) of 'thuggish and intimidatory behaviour'. Cllr NcNair's brother, Andy White, a former Labour leader of West Dumbartonshire Council, was suspended from the Labour party on the 20 th December 2006 and later expelled, while the current Provost, Cllr Denis Agnew (Independent, Clydebank Central), resigned from the Labour Party on the 30 th January 2007. The composition of West Dumbartonshire council is currently nine Scottish National Party, nine Labour, three Independents and one Scottish Socialist Party.
West Lothian Cllr Ellen Glass, (Action to Save St John's Hospital, Broxburn, Uphall & Winchburgh), the Council's health and care executive councillor, is banned from entering a West Lothian hospital unless she is escorted by management following accusations of a "serious breach of data protection".
The First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) pays tribute to the president-elect of the USA, Barack Obama, pointing out that Mr Obama is descended from William the Lion, King of Scots, who reigned from 1165 - 1214.
Glenrothes (Westminster) by-election following the death of Labour MP John MacDougall on the 13 th August 2008. Lindsay Roy CBE holds the seat for Labour with a majority of 6,737 over the Scottish National Party's Cllr Peter Grant. Labour + 3.7 %, SNP + 13.1 %, Conservative - 3.3 %, LibDem - 10.3 %, SSP - 1.30 %, UKIP - 0.9 %.
Cameron Day holds a seat for Labour in the four member Forth ward of Edinburgh City Council following the death of Labour Cllr Elizabeth Maginnis on the 7 th September 2008.
Andy Muir holds a seat for Labour in the four member Baillieston ward of Glasgow City Council following the death of Labour Cllr Douglas Hay on the 27 th September 2008.
Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality & Human Rights Commission, states: 'If Barack Obama had lived here I would be very surprised if even somebody as brilliant as him would have been able to break through the institutional stranglehold that there is on power within the Labour Party.' He adds 'The parties and unions and think-tanks are all very happy to sign up to the general idea of advancing the cause of minorities but in practice they would like somebody else to do the business. It's institutional racism.'
A survey for the House of Commons Committee on Standards in Public Life reports: 'In 2008, people in Scotland were less positive about overall standards of conduct in the UK than they had been in 2006, with an increase from 11 per cent rating standards as low in 2006 to 20 per cent in 2008.' However, 'Respondents in Scotland were significantly more positive about standards of conduct in their own country than in the UK as a whole, with 47 per cent rating standards of conduct as high in Scotland, compared with 42 per cent rating UK standards as high.'
In addition, 'Respondents in Scotland also expressed higher levels of trust in Holyrood ministers to tell the truth than in ministers in the UK government (47%, compared with 38%) and in MSPs (49%) than in MPs (40%). These differences were not statistically significant, but results elsewhere suggest that they represent genuine differences.'
Lindsay Roy MSP (Labour, Glenrothes) is sworn in at the Westminster parliament.
Lindsay Roy MSP (Labour, Glenrothes) is acused of playing truant when he fails to turn up for his first full day of work at the Westminster parliament and misses a a number of events 'of direct relevance to his new constituents and to his interest in education.' The absent MP is spotted relaxing in the gallery of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood.
The Herald names Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon MSP (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Govan), as Scottish Politician of the Year. Nicola Sturgeon also wins the Donald Dewar Debater of the Year award. The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West) is named Best Scot at Westminster. Former Deputy First Minister, Lord Wallace of Tankerness (Liberal Democrat) is awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. John Park MSP (Labour, South of Scotland) is named Mid Scotland & Fife. Sir Sean Connery wins the International Scot award. Prof. Chris Harvie MSP (Scottish National Party, Mid Scotland & Fife) is named Free Spirit of the Year. Bill Aitken (Conservative &ap, Unionist, Glasgow) wins the Committee award.
Former Minister of State at the Scotland Office, David Cairns MP (Labour, Inverclyde) states that powers should be taken away from the Scottish Parliament and given back to Westminster.
Scotland on Sunday publishes a list of MSPs making regular expense claims for first class rail travel. For Labour: Wendy Alexander, the former leader; Bill Butler; Patricia Ferguson; Trish Godman, Charlie Gordon; Ken McIntosh; Frank McAveety, Pauline McNeill; and Irene Oldfather. For the Tories, Annabel Goldie and for the Lib Dems: Robert Brown. The report states 'Of the major parties, the SNP appeared more willing to slum it - although Brian Adam, the SNP MSP for Aberdeen North, bought five £73 first-class return tickets to Aberdeen and Andrew Welsh, the SNP member for Angus, took a couple of first-class trips to Arbroath.'
The Sunday Herald states that John Lamont MSP (Conservative & Unionist, Roxburgh & Berwickshire) 'wants to know if he can bill the public for overnight accommodation, despite the fact he can stay in his own flat at no cost to the taxpayer. The MSP's three properties are worth in excess of £500,000 and he charges up to £25,000 a year in rental on two of his flats.'
The Sunday Herald also states. 'Murdo Fraser, deputy leader of the Scottish Tories, earns up to £5000 a year by letting out a flat he and his wife own in Dalgety Street, Meadowbank.'
Aberdeenshire Liberal Democrat Cllrs vote to expel Cllr Debra Storr (Ellon & District) from the Lib Dem group for 'breaking party rules': It is alleged that Cllr Storr opposed a Lib Dem council motion calling for the Standards Commission to investigate aNorther councillor.
Aberdeenshire Cllr Debra Storr (Liberal Democrats, Ellon & District) resigns from the Lib Dem group, claiming there had been a 'witch hunt' by 'increasingly intolerant and illiberal' colleagues.
There is a unanimous vote in the Scottish Parliament against the introduction of identity cards by the UK Labour government. MSPs back a motion from the Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) by 69 votes to zero, with 38 abstentions, which states that ID cards would not increase security or deter crime, while raising concerns about civil liberties. No Scottish Labour MSP supports the policy of the UK Labour government at Westminster.
The East Lothian Constituency Labour Party is suspended after attempting to de-select the local MP Anne Moffat, aka 'Mad Moffat', who has been involved in numerous financial and personal scandals since her election in 2001. The contriovertial MP, who was an enthusiastic cheer leader for the bloody and illegal war in Iraq, and who compared Alex Salmond to Nazi war criminal Adolf Hitler, faced deselection after having the poorest attendance record at Westminster of any Scottish MP and making the highest travel expenses claim of any MP in the whole of the UK. In July 2007, Moffat stormed out of a local party meeting after members voted to deselect her, only being saved by a block vote by the trades unions. In October 2007, it was announced that Scottish Labour general secretary Lesley Quinn had found anomolies with the selection process and that Moffat had failed to respond to her own constituency officials. Moffat enjoys the full public support of her close colleague, the leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Iain Gray MSP.
Reform Scotland suggests that a Holyrood Treasury department should be given borrowing powers and complete control of 60% of Scotland's taxation revenues including income tax, oil revenues, TV licence fees, pass port fees and lottery revenues. A Scottish Chancellor would be able to vary, cut or add to these taxes in order to stimulate economic growth and pay for devolved services such as health, education and justice. The remaining 40 % of taxes would go to the Treasury in London to pay for non-devolved services such as social security and defence.
Dennis Canavan (Labour MP for West Stirlingshire October 1974 to 1983, Labour MP for Falkirk West 1983 - March 1999, Independent MP for Falkirk West March 1999 to November 2000, Independent MSP for Falkirk West 1999 to 2007) is awarded the degree of Doctor of the University by Stirling University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to sport and public affairs.
Anne Moffat MP (Labour, East Lothian) (aka Mad Moffat) attacks the leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Iain Gray MSP (Labour, East Lothian) for associating with 'bullies', 'cowards' and 'nasty people', claiming he 'made friends with some of the people that are not particularly friendly towards me.' Moffat also claims that a vote of no confidence in her by local party members was 'unconstitutional'. The motion passed stated that the relationshp between the MP and the local party had 'broken down completely' and that the MP had 'brought the party into disrepute'
The controvertial MP has been embroiled in numerous scandals concerning her poor attendance at Westminster and her record expense claims, which led to the resignation of several office bearers and an investigation by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Sir Philip Mawer. It is also alleged that Moffat had employed her son for 'questionable' work, and that she 'paid staff £2000 bonuses then took a £500 kickback from them'. In May 2007, Moffat made a slurred and incoherent speech in the House of Commons in which she compared First Minister, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond to Nazi war criminal Adolf Hitler. A few days later, Moffat claimed to have been beaten up while jogging, wearing diamond earrings, which she claimed were stolen. Police have yet to make an arrest.
Aberdeenshire Cllr Martin Ford (Liberal Democrat, East Garioch) states that he will no longer attend Lib Dem group meetings in protest at the expulsion of Cllr Debra Storr (Independent, Ellon & District), claiming 'I was the subject of the most unpleasant witchhunt.'
The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West) is dubbed 'Hammer of the Scotch' for adding an extra 29p in duty to a standard bottle of Scotch whisky following a 59p price increase in March.
Despite a record £13,200,000,000 of North Sea Oil revenues in 2008 - and oil due to generate £55,000,000,000 of income in the coming six years, compared with £41,000,000,000 during the previous six years, the Labour UK Chancellor also announces a cut of £500,000,000 a year - the equivalent of the entire prisons budget or half the universities budget - from the Scottish block grant for 2010 to 2012.
Despite Scotland being in an absolute budget surplus, the leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Iain Gray MSP states that Scotland 'must take its share' of cutbacks. However, if spending cuts were applied evenly throughout the UK, the reduction in the Scottish budget would be £380,000,000 a year and not £500,000,000.
A scheduled monthly meeting of East Lothian Constituency Labour Party is called off following the suspension of Scottish Labour's largest constituency party by Labour's National Executive in London.
The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West), who was dubbed 'Hammer of the Scotch' for adding an extra 29p in duty to a standard bottle of Scotch whisky following a 59p price increase in March, announces that the planned 8 % increase in duty would be reduced to 4 %.
Patrick Harvie MSP (Scottish Green Party, Glasgow) is elected unopposed as male Green Co-convenor. Former Green MSP for Highlands & Islands, Eleanor Scott is elected as female Co-convenor, beating Glasgow Cllr Nina Baker (Anderston/City) and Edinburgh Cllr Maggie Chapman (Leith Walk).
Inverclyde Cllr Charlie McCallum (Labour, Inverclyde North) resigns from the Labour group. This leaves the composition of Inverclyde Council at eight Labour, five Scottish National Paty, four Lib Dems, two independents and one Tory. The Council is run by a Labour alliance with Tory Cllr David Wilson and Independent Cllr Ronnie Ahfeld.
Glasgow property tycoon Michael Brown, whose business donated £2.4m to the Liberal Democrats, is found guilty of stealing more than £30m from clients. He was tried in his absence, having gone on the run from police in July 2008. A High Court action has been launched to make the Liberal Democrats repay the £2.4m donation which the discredited Electoral Commission had ruled as 'permissible'.
A fundraising dinner at Prestonpans Labour Club, to be attended by Secretary of State for Scotland, the Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP (Labour, East Renfrewshire) is cancelled following the suspension of East Lothian Constituency Labour Party, the largest in Scotland, by Labour's National Executive in London.
There are cross party calls for the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North West) to resign following allegations that he colluded with the police and Labour Ministers in the Home Office to thwart freedom of information.
Professor Andrew Hughes Hallett, economic advisor to the Calman commission, acuses the Labour Party of tampering with the commission's findings stating 'Had it been a criminal issue, you would call it tampering with the evidence by not considering all the options.'
Death of former Scottish National Party Cllr Michael Woods, Kirkcaldy District Cllr from 1992 to 1996 and Fife Cllr for Pitteuchar, Stenton & Finglassie from 1995 to 2007.
Patrick Harvie MSP (Scottish Green Party, Glasgow) and former Green MSP Eleanor Scott take office as Scottish Green Party Co-convenors.
Death of Patrick Maitland, 17 th Earl of Lauderdale (Conservative & Unionist MP for Lanark from 1951 to 1959), aged 97.
A two day Labour NEC inquiry in Tranent interviews two dozen witnesses including Anne Moffat MP (Labour, East Lothian) and the five ELCLP office bearers. The inquiry members are Jack Dromey, Labour's National Treasurer, Claudia Beamish, vice-chairwoman of the Scottish Executive Committee, and Ellie Reeves, from Labour's National Executive Committee. Colin Smyth, the Scottish general secretary, is also in attendance. Dromey is the partner of Labour deputy leader, Harriet Harman, a close friend of Moffat's who faced intense pressure to resign in 2007 after accepting an illegal donation of £5,000 from David Abrahams.
BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend interviews 90 MPs concerning the arrest of Tory Immigration spokesman Damian Green and the search of his House of Commons and constituency offices without a search warrant. Thirty-two (14 Tories, eight Labour, and seven Lib Dems) state they have lost confidence in Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North West), while 50 (22 Tories, 14 Labour, and 14 Lib Dems) believe Martin was in some way culpable. Former Deputy Speaker Michael Morris, Lord Naseby, states that the Speaker should resign in the new year to allow a new speaker to get to grips with the role before the next general election.
Anthea Dickson holds a seat for the Scottish National Party on the three member Kilbirnie & Beith ward of North Ayrshire Council with a 15 % swing from Labour following the death of Scottish National Party Cllr Craig Taylor, on the 14 th October 2008.
David Shaw holds a seat for Labour on the four member Ballochmyle ward of East Ayrshire Council following the resignation of Cllr Eric Jackson, leader of the Labour group, on the 10 th October 2008, announced on the 24 th September 2008.
Glasgow Cllr Colin Deans (Scottish National Party, Newlands/Auldburn) defects to Labour.
Resignation of James McGovern MP (Labour, Dundee West) as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Business Minister Pat McFadden MP (Labour) in protest at the UK Labour government's plans to part privatise the Post Office.
Despite extremely serious underfunding of broadcasting in Scotland compared to England & Wales, the BBC in London refuse to fund a new TV channel for Scotland as recommended by the Scottish Broadcasting Commission.
The suspension of East Lothian Constituency Labour Party is lifted despite demands by the controvertial local MP Anne Moffat (aka 'Mad Moffat') that the National Executive Committee in London expel hundreds of members from the local party who refused to support her selection as the Labour candidate.
A Labour list MSP, Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (Labour, Lothians) is accused of 'jokes at the taxpayer's expense' when it is revealed he cost the taxpayer over £90,000 by asking 927 written questions in the Scottish Parliament including asking how many times the First Minister had met singer Sandi Thom and when cabinet ministers can claim expenses for dry cleaning.
Two Scottish Labour members of the House of Lords with criminal records become embroiled in expenses scandals. It is revealed that a Labour list MSP, Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (Labour, Lothians), who earns £52,000 a year as an MSP, also billed taxpayers for spending 94 days at the House of Lords, an average of £580 a day. Foulkes, who was arrested in the early 1990s in an incident following a Scotch Whisky function when he pretended to be Batman, injured an elderly lady, then assaulted the policeman who attempted to arrest him for being drunk and disorderly, claimed a total of £54,527 of taxpayers' money in conjunction with his moonlighting. £21,014 of this went to fund a flat in London. A further £7,626 was claimed to subsidise the Labour heavyweight's meals and incidental travel. £9,474 was claimed to fund an office, £3,764 for a car, £4,795 for rail, ferry and coaches, £7,768 for air fares, and £86 for postage.
Lord Watson of Invergowrie, the ex-Labour MSP for Glasgow Cathcart and MP for Glasgow Central, who was sent to prison after being convicted of willful fireraising, also claimed £42,805 for attending the House of Lords on 129 days.
The UK Treasury (Labour) refuses to work with the Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) to deliver a new Forth Crossing and rejects a request from the Scottish Government (Scottish National Party), to spread the cost the the £2,000 million new Forth Road bridge over 20 years.
It is revealed by Paul Hutcheon of the Sunday Herald that former Armed Services Minister the Rt Hon Adam Ingram MP (Labour, East Kilbride) earned, in addition to his MP's salary of £63,291, a sum of up to £170,000 from moonlighting for five companies. The sum included £55,000 from IT firm EDS which was awarded a £4 million contract from the Ministry of Defence while Ingram was Minister of State for Defence. Ingram also earned up to £55,000 as an advisor to Electronic Data Systems Ltd (EDS) which was awarded a £4 billion contract from the MoD while Ingram worked there. EDS supplied the electronic cunting equipment and software for the 2007 Scottish pariamentary and council elections and were severely criticised for their part in the fiasco. The company were also criticised in October 2008 for losing the personal records of 10,000 armed services personnel.
In addition to these sums, Ingram earned £45 - 50,000 as an non-excutive director of SignPoint Secure Ltd, £25,000 as a non executive director of Argus Scotland Ltd, and a further £25,000 as a non executive director of Argus Libia UK LLP. He also earned up to £15,000 for a non executive post at the International School for Security and Explosives Education.
It is also revealed that former Lib Dem leader the Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP (Liberal Democrat, Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross) earned £70,000 from activities including journalism and after dinner speaking, former Scottish Secretary the Rt Hon John Reid MP (Labour, Airdrie & Shotts) earned up to £50,000 as a consultant for security firm G4S UK and Ireland, former Lib Dem leader the Rt Hon Menzies Campbell MP (Liberal Democrat, North East Fife) earned up to £20,000 as a director of Scottish American Investment Company plc, and Nigel Griffiths MP (Labour, South) earned an undisclosed sum for a non executive post at The Jabbar Group and Public Interest Foundation.
Death of Professor Iain MacGibbon, Scottish National Party candidate for South of Scotland at the 1979 European election.
Death of Tom Chalmers, National Treasurer of the Scottish National Party from 1990 to 1994, who contested Stratkelvin & Bearsden at the 1992 Westminster election, Glasgow in the 1994 European election, Blairardie at the 1995 Glasgow City Council election, Glasgow Rutherglean at the 1999 Scottish Parliament election and Glasgow Anniesland in the 2000 Scottish Parliament by-election following the death of Labour First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Donald Dewar MP MSP.
The Scottish Parliament votes by 121 to two to note the Scottish Government's choice of conventional capital funding for construction of the Forth Replacement Crossing and welcomes the fact that Scotland's biggest infrastructure project for a generation will be delivered without the need for tolls, and calls on the Scottish and UK governments to work together to ensure that the new crossing is delivered at the earliest possible opportunity.
Death of Hilda Cumskie, aged 86, who was Scottish National Party Cllr for Forres in Moray District Council from 1988 to 1996, in Moray Council from 1995 to 1999 and a former Vice Convener of the Council.
It is revealed that the civil service is to award Carol Devon, one of the five directors of the Scottish Parliament, £270,000 for accepting voluntary redundancy in a plan which she herself drew up. Alex Neil MSP (Scottish National Party, Central Scotland) asks the Presiding Officer, Alex Fergusson MSP (Independent, Galloway & Upper Nithsdale) to make an emergency statement and suggests the affair calls into question the senior administration of the Parliament.
The Prime Minister of Iceland accuses the United Kingdom Government (Labour) of behaving like 'a buly' and states: 'I think those in Scotland who want to utilise the difficulties in Norway, Iceland or Ireland in the internal debate about the future of Scotland should first of all look at the difficulties in London, and in England and in the United Kingdom as a whole as well as a number of other countries on the continent and the United States. And secondly, wait two or three years and see what will be the relative position of these countries vis-a-vis Britain as a whole, Germany, France, the United States or others.'
While the Westminster Parliament in London continues to resist making MP's expenses available for public scrutiny, MSP's expenses are published by the Scottish Parliament. A total of £10.25m was claimed for travel, accommodation, staff and office costs in the year to the end of March 2008, £10,000 down from the previous 12 months. The five highest claims were £54,434 from Tavish Scott MSP (Liberal Democrat, Shetland), £44,564 from Sir Jamie McGrigor MSP (Conservative & Unionist, Highlands & Islands), £44,332 from Mike Rumbles MSP (Liberal Democrat, West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine), £43,359 from Nicol Stephen (Liberal Democrat, Aberdeen South), and £42,220 from Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat, Cathness, & Sutherland). The smallest claim was for £1,960 from Margo Macdonald MSP (Independent, Lothians). The Liberal Democrats, who hold only 16 of the Scottish Parliament's 129 seats, had six of the top ten claimants.
Of those MSPs defeated or retiring in May 2007, Colin Fox (Scottish Socialist Party, Lothians) made the highest claim of £9,375, which was higher than the claims of four current MSPs: £9,232 from Iain McKee MSP (Scottish National Party, Lothians), £4,697 from Robin Harper MSP (Green, Lothians), £ 4,174 from Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (Labour, Lothians) and £1,960 from Margo MacDonald (Indepent Lothians). In April 2007, Fox paid £2,311.96 to "Scottish Socialist Voice" for "Rent" and "Office Rates". The next highest claims from ex-MSPs were £9,205 from Allan Wilson (Labour, Cunningham North), £9,158 from Margaret Jamieson (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun), £9,158 from Rosie Kane (Scottish Socialist Party, Glasgow) and £8,864 from Frances Curran (Scottish Socialist Party, West of Scotland). Of the ex-MSPs, the Scottish Socialist Party's ex-MSPs made four of the highest six claims.
The Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) gives the go-ahead for the construction of an "oscillating water column" wave farm at Siadar off the coast of Lewis. The station will produce 4 MW of electricity - enough to power 1,800 homes.
It is revealed that Charles Gordon MSP (Labour, Glasgow Cathcart) paid £12,822 of public money, over £1,000 a month, to a company run by his son for 'website costs'. Gordon resigned as Shadow Minister for Transport on the 29 th November 2007 after admiting soliciting and laundering an illegal donation for Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign.
Three Liberal Democrat Cllrs, Cllr Paul Johnston (Mid-Formartine), Cllr Martin Ford (East Garioch) and Cllr Sam Coull (Peterhead South & Cruden) resign from the ruling Liberal Democrat group on Aberdeenshire Council with the intention of forming a new group with Cllr Debra Storr (Independent, Ellon & District), who was expelled from the Liberal Democrat group on the 17 th November 2008. Cllr Johnston claimed the the Liberal Democrat/Conservative & Unionist run Aberdeenshire council had offered sweeteners to the Trump organisation over its bid to build a golf resort near Balmedie. The defections leave the composition of Aberdeenshire Council at 21 Scottish National Party, 21 Liberal Democrats (including the Provost, Cllr Bill Howatson), 14 Conservatives and 12 Independents.
Brian Donohoe MP (Labour, Central Ayrshire) calls for the Scottish Parliament to be stripped of its powers to prevent nuclear power stations being imposed on Scotland by Westminster against the democratically expressed wishes of the Scottish people.
Celebrations are held to mark the 250 th anniversary of the birth of Scotland's national Bard, Robert Burns.
The Sunday Times reports that four Labour peers offered to make offered to help make amendments to legislation for up to £120,000. One of them, Lord Moonie was Dr Lewis Moonie, Labour MP for Kirkcaldy from 1987 to 2005. He stood down at the 2005 election to leave a clear run for his close friend Gordon Brown, whose seat disappeared in boundary changes, and was rewarded with a Life Peerage. It is alleged that in return for an annual fee of £30,000, Lord Moonie, a former defence minister, offered to assist by contacting John Healey, the minister in charge and offered to identify people who could put down an amendment.
Aberdeenshire Cllr Martin Ford (Independent, East Garioch) resigns from the Liberal Democrat party, following his resignation from the Lib Dem group on Aberdeenshire Council on the 23 rd January 2009.
Cllr Paul Johnston (Mid-Formartine), Cllr Martin Ford (East Garioch), Cllr Sam Coull (Peterhead South & Cruden) and Cllr Debra Storr (Ellon & District), four ex-members of the Liberal Democrat group on Aberdeenshire council, meet and elect Cllr Paul Johnston as the leader of their 'Democratic Independent' group.
Voters accuse Labour of putting 'party-political spite above the welfare of the Scottish people' while Scottish Tory leader Annabelle Goldie accuses Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens MSPs of acting in 'a grossly irresponsible and quite frankly pathetic' manner after voting against the Scottish Government's (Scottish National Party) new Scottish budget. While in opposition, the Scottish National Party never opposed a single budget bill proposed by the Labour/Liberal administration. The irresponsible actions of Labour, Liberal and Greens MSPs could result in Scotland suffering £1.8 thousand million of spending cuts (£360 for every man, woman and child in the country) due to the requirement to adopt the previous year's budget if agreement cannot be made before the end the financial year in April. Those for and against were evenly split 64 - 64 with 47 Scottish National Party, 16 Scottish Conservative & Unionists and one Independent (Margo MacDonald) voting for while 46 Labour, 16 Liberals and two Greens voted against. The budget fell on the casting vote of the Presiding Officer, Alex Fergusson, who by convention, voted for the status quo.
The Times reveals that a second Scottish Labour peer is facing fresh 'cash for amendments' accusations: 'Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan this month put down amendments to the Construction Bill that would have given commercial advantage to building subcontractors by allowing them greater legal protection when claiming payments.' He 'withdrew the amendments 48 hours ago. He felt it "inappropriate in the current climate to pursue them", after corruption allegations surfaced against four peers at the weekend, his spokesman said.' Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan was Martin O'Neill, Labour MP for Clackmannan & East Stirlingshire from 1979 to 1983, for Clackmannan from 1983 to 1997, and for Ochil from 1997 to 2005.
The Times states: 'Although his directorship was properly declared during debate, the amendments provoked outrage because such changes are not wanted by the rest of the construction industry, and led to accusations that Lord O'Neill was giving one part of the sector an unfair advantage. The House of Lords insists that such behaviour is entirely within the rules - because he is not accepting money in return for pursuing a specific change to the law. But the existence of this loophole will add weight to critics who say that peers' outside interests are having a corrosive effect on the Upper House.'
The Times also states that 'One in five peers undertakes consultancy work, with a survey showing that 145 peers of the 743 eligible to sit in the House are acting as "consultants" or "advisers" to outside interests. Lord Taylor of Blackburn told an undercover reporter that an annual payment of £100,000 was "cheap for what I do".'
The Times reveals that the Scottish Labour MSP and peer, Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (Labour, Lothians) has two paid consultancies, for: 'Eversheds LLP, paid £3,000 per month for 36 days a year, and chairman of editorial board of Govnet, £10,000 a year.' Foulkes was embroiled in an expenses scandal on the 28 th December 2008 when the Sunday Herald revealed that the MSP had billed taxpayers £54,527 for 94 days of moonlighting at the House of Lords, an average of £580 a day.
The Scotsman reveals that Labour peer Lord Moonie claimed £170,839 in subsistence allowances and travel and office costs since being elevated to the Lords in July 2005 - £509 for each of the 335 days he has attended the upper chamber.
The Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament, Iain Gray MSP (Labour, East Lothian) pulls out of appearing on BBC Question Time in Fort William only hours before the show is to be televised after 'a grossly irresponsible and quite frankly pathetic' attempt to slash the Scottish budget by £1.8 thousand million, and prevent the Scottish Government from implementing £360 of extra spending for every man, woman and child in the country
The BBC reveals that 'Lord Moonie, former MP for Kirkcaldy and former defence minister, sponsors a parliamentary pass for Mr Robin Ashby, listed as director-general UK Defence Forum Ltd, a think-tank; Managing Partner, Bergmans (media relations and research). Mr Ashby had a similar parliamentary pass taken away from him last summer after a row over access to parliament for lobbyists.'
The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations write a joint letter to FIFA, football's world governing body, the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the English FA stating their implacable opposition to a British football team. The English Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath had campaigned for a joint British team.
Death of Highland Cllr Jimmy MacDonald (Independent, Inverness West), who previously represented Scorguie as an Independent from 2003 to 2007. He was also a Labour Highland Regional Cllr from 1986 to 1996, a Labour Highland Cllr from 1995 to 1999 and the Labour candidate for Ross, Cromarty & Skye in 1992. Cllr MacDonald's death leaves the political representation of Highland Council at 29 Independents, 20 Liberal Democrats, 17 Scottish National party, seven Labour and six Independent Membrs Group.
The Holyrood standards commissioner, Dr Jim Dyer, is asked to investigate allegations that Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (Labour, Lothians) acted against the MSPs' code of conduct which states that MSPs: 'should not accept any paid work which would involve them lobbying on behalf of any person or organisation or any clients of a person or organisation.' The MSP is paid £3000 a month by Eversheds LLP for 'political and parliamentary consultancy'. The Sunday Herald reports that Eversheds LLP's clients include 'British Nuclear Fuels Limited and the company holding the licence for the Sellafield site. Since November 2007, Foulkes has tabled four written questions at Holyrood on nuclear energy, two on the government's policy on nuclear power stations.' Foulkes, who was arrested in the 1990s after injuring an elderly lady and assaulting a policeman while drunk and disorderly after a Scotch Whisky function, claims the allegations are 'wholly misleading.' and that he is 'proud of the work' he does for Eversheds.
Following the defeat of the Scottish Government's budget on the 28 th January, a YouGovPoll for the Sunday Times shows leadership approval for the party leaders on their budget performance to be: Alex Salmond (SNP) + 11 %, Annabelle Goldie (Tory) - 3 %, Iain Gray (Labour) - 17 %, Tavish Scott (Lib Dem) - 19 % and Patrick Harvie (Green) on - 25 %.
35 % believed Alex Salmond would make the best First Minister, 15 % Iain Gray, 11 % Annabelle Goldie and 5 % Tavish Scott.
In the constituency vote the SNP were on 38 % (+ 5 % since May 2007), Labour 32 % (no change), the Tories 13 % (- 1 %) and the Lib Dems on 12 % (- 4 %).
In the regional vote the SNP were on 34 % (+ 3 %), Labour on 28 % (- 1 %), the Tories on 15 % (+ 1 %) the Lib Dems on 13 % (- 3 %), the Greens on 5 % (+ 3 %) and the SSP on 2 % (+ 2 %).
In the Parliament, the SNP would have 47 seats (no change), Labour 44 (- 2), the Tories 18 (+ 1), the Lib Dems 13 (- 3), the Greens 5 (+ 3) and the SSP 2 (+ 2).
For Westminster, Labour was on 37 % (down 3 % since 2005), the SNP on 27 % (+ 9 %), the Tories on 20 % (+ 4 %) and the Lib Dems on 12 % (- 11 %).
Alex Salmond and Gordon Brown were equal on 33 % as most trusted to make the right decisions in tough economic times, up 10 % from the last poll in October 2008 for Alex Salmond and down 9 % for Gordon Brown.
29 % supported Independence (down 2 %) compared to 55 % against (up 2 %).
The Sunday Herald reveals that former Labour defence minister and Kirkcaldy MP Lord Moonie, a close personal friend of the Labour UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown and the Labour UK Chancellor, Alistair Darling, is facing a fresh 'Cash for Questions' controvesy over his work for 'one of the world's biggest defence companies.' The Sunday Herald reveals that '23 of the 46 written questions Moonie has had answered by the government in the Lords relate to defence work connected to Northrop Grumman Corp.' The newspaper reveals that Moonie 'was ennobled in 2005 but did not ask any parliamentary questions in his first three years as a peer, according to Hansard. But since mid-2008 he has asked almost 50, all on defence issues.'
According the the Sunday Herald, Moonie 'also faces questions about his links to a rogue surveyor whose company pays him up to £40,000 a year for "parliamentary lobbying". George Henderson, 55, from Edinburgh, was expelled from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in January 2006. He was guilty of three charges, including failing to notify them when his indemnity insurance had expired. Moonie is employed by Americium Developments (Edinburgh) Ltd, which Henderson runs with Glenrothes businessman Richard Nawrot. The company, which is overdue filing its accounts at Companies House, had only £1371 in the bank in January 2007. It claimed assets of £2,123,409, of which £2.1m was attributed to a "holistic concept for the delivery of complex public and private facilities", priced by the directors.'
The newspaper also reveals 'the closeness of Moonie's links to Gordon Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling. The peer, who entered the Lords after making way for Brown to be the Labour candidate in Kirkcaldy during boundary changes, bought Brown's flat in Kennington, south London. He allowed Darling to move into the property as his co-tenant between 2003 and 2006, according to the electoral roll.'
West Dumbartonshire Cllr Willie McLaughlin (Labour, Clydebank Central) resigns from the Labour Party to sit as an Independent. This follows on the resignation of Cllr Marie McNair (Labour, Clyde Waterfront) from the Labour group on the 3 rd November 2008. Cllr NcNair's brother, Andy White, a former Labour leader of West Dumbartonshire Council, was suspended from the Labour party on the 20 th December 2006 and later expelled, while the current Provost, Cllr Denis Agnew (Independent, Clydebank Central), resigned from the Labour Party on the 30 th January 2007. The composition of West Dumbartonshire council is currently nine Scottish National Party, eight Labour, four Independents and one Scottish Socialist Party.
Tricia Marwick (Scottish National Party, Central Fife) calls for an independent inquiry concerning the disappearance of the official register of all those who voted in the Glenrothes by-election from Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
The Scottish SPCA challenges the RSPCA to 'stop stealing food from the mouths of Scotland's defenceless animals and tell the truth to the Scottish public.' Chief Executive Stuart Earley says, 'Many people do not know that the RSPCA does not rescue or rehome any animals in Scotland and by advertising here it has been intentionally adding to the confusion to make money. The RSPCA is in breach of Institute of Fundraising guidelines it helped draw up which require charities to be explicitly clear about where they work.'
Independent analysis reveals that for every £1 donated to the SSPCA, just 1.5 p goes on advertising, while for every £1 donated to the RSPCA, ten times as much (15 p) is spent on adverts rather than rescuing animals.
The Scottish Parliament's standing orders are suspended to allow the new Scottish Budget to pass through all three stages in a single day. The only major alteration compared to the budged which fell on the casting vote of the Presiding Officer after a 64 to 64 tie, is the allocation of £16 million for 7,800 extra apprenticeships over the coming year. At stage three the budget is approved by 123 votes to two. The Scottish National Party and Conservative & Unionists vote in favour, as do Labour and the Liberal Democrats, who voted against on the 28 th January. The Greens continue to oppose the Scottish Budget, which will deliver:
Help for households to beat the credit crunch, providing extra funding for councils to freeze the Council Tax for aNorther year.
ANorther cut in the cost of single prescriptions from April, down from £5 to £4, with 12-month pre-payment certificates cut by £10 to £38.
Business rates for 120,000 small businesses will be abolished, helping shops and local firms cut costs and protect jobs in tough times.
£230 million of accelerated infrastructure spending to keep the Scottish economy moving and support 4,700 jobs.
Extra funds to help train 1,000 additional police officers, to put more police on the beat and improve safety on the streets.
£15 million to help provide home insulation for 90,000 homes - targeted on those most in need.
£16 million to recruit 18,500 new apprentices.
Also:
£300 million more for the NHS.
£70 million more to invest in affordable housing.
£60 million more for town centre renewal.
£40 million more in funding for free personal care for the elderly.
A total of £1.8 billion in additional expenditure - securing a total of 35,000 jobs.
The Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) announces plans to hold Scottish Parliamentary elections and local government elections on different days. The council electons would be held in May 2012.
The May 2007 elections, which used three different voting systems, (first past the post, 'hondt additional member system and single transferrable vote) were marred by voter confusion and by problems with the electronic counting including scanner breakdowns and computer failures which cause many counts to be delayed and others to be postponed. 85,664 votes were rejected in the constituencies and 56,247 in the regions. 45,700 votes were rejected in the local elections.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North East) warns the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Rt Hon Jim Murphy (Labour, East Renfrewshire) and Labour MPs to stop using Scottish Questions as a forum for attacking the Scottish Government stating: 'Prolonged criticism of the Scottish Parliament gives the impression that all we've got to talk about is to attack the Scottish Parliament.'
There are calls for Labour peer Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour MP for Glasgow Central from 1989 to 1997 and MSP for Glasgow Cathcart from 1999 to 2005) to pay back more than £15,000 of public money which he claimed for attending the House of Lords while on early release from prison after serving only half of a 16 month sentence for willful fireraising. Watson has claimed £128,589 of public money from April 2001 to March 2008 - £385 a day for 334 days in the chamber. During that period, Watson spoke in just seventeen debates in the House of Lords - pocketing £7,564.06 of public money per speech.
The Scottish Parliament agrees that borrowing powers should be granted to the parliament by 66 votes (Scottish National Party, Liberal Denocrats, Greens and Independent) to none with 56 abstentions (Labour and Conservatives).
Death of Bashir Ahmad MSP (Scottish National Party, Glasgow), aged 68. He became the first Scots Asian MSP in May 2007 when he was elected as a Glasgow MSP. He was also SNP Cllr for Pollokshields East ward on Glasgow Council from 2003 to 2007, was elected five times as president of the Pakistan Welfare Association, and in 1995 he founded Scots Asians for Independence. He was a member of the SNP's national executive committee since 1998.
The funeral of Bashir Ahmad MSP at Glasgow Mosque is attended by 1,000 people.
A TNS System Three poll for the Sunday Herald puts support for Independence at 38 % (up 3 % since October 2008) while those against stand at 40 % (down three %).
There are calls for the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body to investigate payments of £7,000 a year since February 2001 to Emma McGrigor, wife of Sir Jamie McGrigor Bt MSP (Conservative & unionist, Highlands & Islands) for "research" which includes reading the Oban Times and Press & Journal and "any typing at the weekend". The Sunday Herald reports : 'It is not the first time McGrigor's use of public funds has been scrutinised. Ardchonnel Farms, owned by McGrigor, pocketed £164,000 in agricultural subsidies between 2000 and 2004. He was also criticised after it emerged he was charging the public more in rent for staying in Edinburgh on parliamentary business than any other MSP. McGrigor, his party's affordable housing spokesman, was recently claiming £950 a month to stay in an A-listed property in the capital's West End.'
The Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning, Fiona Hyslop MSP (Scottish National Party, Lothians) and the UK Minister of State for Employment & Welfare Reform, Tony McNulty MP (Labour, Harow East) agree that Holyrood and Wesminster should work together and share commitment to bring Scotland through the recession.
However, the consensus between London and Edinburgh is attacked by the leader of the Labour group of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, Iain Gray MSP, (Labour, East Lothian) who condemns the Scottish Government and praises Westminster.
The Scottish National Party names Anne McLaughlin, sixth on the Glasgow list as the successor to Bashir Ahmad MSP, who died on the 6 th.
Ministerial reshuffle in the Scottish Government (Scottish National Party). Michael Russell MSP (South of Scotland) becomes Minister for Culture, External Affairs & the Constitution, replacing Linda Fabiani MSP (Central Scotland) previously Minister for Europe, External Affairs & Culture. Roseanna Cunningham MSP (Perth) is promoted from the backbenches to succeed Mike Russell as Minister for the Environment. Alex Neil MSP (Central Scotland) is promoted from the backbenches to Minister for Housing & Sport, replacing Stephen Maxwell MSP (West of Scotland), previously Minister for Communities & Sport. The Sport portfolio is given to Shona Roobison who becomes Minister for Sport & Public Health. Keith Brown MSP (Ochil) is promoted from the benches to Minister for Schools & Skills, replacing Maureen Watt MSP (North East Scotland.)
The Scottish Government (Scottish National Party) are obliged to drop their policy for a local income tax due to the opposition of Labour, the Tories, the Greens and Independent Margo MacDonald to replacing the council tax.
Anne McLaughlin MSP (Scottish National Party, Glasgow) is sworn in after succeeding Bashir Ahmad MSP who died on the 6 th of February.
The Scottish Parliament approves the Scottish Government's new ministerial appointments which were announced on the 10 th.
UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) invites the First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan), the First Minister of Wales, the Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan AM (Labour, Cardiff West) and Northern Ireland's First Minister and Deputy First Minister, the Rt Hon Peter Robinson MP MLA (Democratic Unionist Party, East Belfast) and Martin McGuinness MP MLA (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster) to London for talks later in the month.
The Sri Lankan Government rejects the appointment of Des Browne MP (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) as Gordon Brown's Special Envoy to the country. Sri Lanka states the appointment is 'imperialism' and a 'disrepectful intrusion of Sri Lanka's internal affairs', which was made without consultation.
The Sunday Herald reveals that: 'The Labour peer Lord Moonie has been caught up in a fresh sleaze row after his business associates were arrested in a police probe into alleged fraud in the NHS. Richard Nawrot and George Henderson, who run Fife-based Americium Developments, were arrested in London in January on "suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and misconduct in a public office". Americium currently pays Moonie, a close ally of Gordon Brown, up to £40,000 a year in consultancy fees.'
Scottish Tory leader, Annabel Goldie (Conservative & Unionist, West of Scotland) calls upon the First Minister the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Banff & Buchan and Gordon) to resign as an MP. However, data from the Parliamentary Online Information System (Polis) reveals that Mr Salmond has made 657 contributions at Westminster since the 2005 general election compared to just 288 from Scotland's only Tory MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell MP (Conservative & Unionist, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweedale). Mr Mundell had asked just 122 written questions, 63 oral questions, spoken in the chamber on 91 occasions and lodged 12 motions compared to Mr Salmond who had submitted 414 written questions, 24 oral questions, made 204 contributions in the chamber and lodged 15 motions.
The UK Government's Secretary of State for Scotland, the Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP (Labour, East Renfrewshire) accuses Members of the Scottish Parliament, including Labour Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & the Environment, Sarah Boyack MSP (Labour, Edinburgh Central) of lacking "common sense thinking" due to their anti-nuclear stance. In May 2007, it was revealed that a clear majority of Scotland's 129 MSPs - 72 (56 %) - are opposed to the building of new nuclear power stations in Scotland according to a survey conducted by Friends of the Earth Scotland. 24 MSPs (19 %) declared their support for a nuclear programme, with three undecided and 30 failing to respond. On the 9 th October 2007, the Scottish Government formally rejected new nuclear power stations in Scotland as "dangerous, unnecessary and costly".
The Mail on Sunday states that Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West) 'claimed £70,000 in five years for his family home in Edinburgh. He obtained taxpayer funding for mortgage payments, household bills and furnishings by classing the £1.2million townhouse as his 'second home'. Before he became Chancellor, Mr Darling had claimed that a small London flat - worth only around £150 a week in rent - was his main home. Since moving into Downing Street he has resumed claiming expenses on his Scottish 'second' home.'
It is announced that ex Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair is to be gifted $1 million at Tel Aviv University in May for services to Israel: Blair was responsible for the deaths of up to 300,000 Iraqi civilians. In 2006, when accused of being responsible for the deaths of 100,000 Iraqis, Blair retorted "I think you'll find it's closer to 50,000.". During Margaret Thatcher's 11 years in power, the New Statesman estimated that there were 1,013 war deaths (UK and foreign troops and civilians). Under Blair, to August 2006 alone, there were at least 71,617 deaths. In the second Iraq war, 115 UK troops, 30,000 Iraqi troops and 39,460 to 43,927 civilians lost their lives. In Afghanistan, 16 UK troops and 1,300 to 8,000 civilians died, with an unknown number of Taliban deaths. In Sierra Leone, 1 UK military personnel and at least 25 foreign troops were killed. In Operation Desert Fox in 1998, 200 - 300 Iraqis were killed. While the official Bush estimate for Iraqi civilian deaths in the second war was 30,000, a Lancet report in 2004 estimated 100,000 deaths, and suggested that up to 300,000 civilians may have been killed.
Westminster's Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, John Lyon (Labour MP for Strathkelvin & Bearsden from 2001 to 2005) is forced into a U-turn after refusing to investigate the sleaze allegations concerning the claims by the UK Home Seceretary the Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP (Labour, Reddich) for £116,000 of taxpayer's money (£10,000 per month) to maintain a "second home", which, it is revealed, is actually owned by her sister, and in which neighbours state she does not live in for the periods she claims for. Lyon recently acquitted Gordon Brown's friend and ally, Ed Balls, the Children's Secretary, and his wife Yvette Cooper, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, of claiming their Castleford property rather than their London residence as their main home.
UK Tory leader the Rt Hon David Cameron MP (Conservative &, Unionist, Whitney) announces that Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie MSP (Conservative & Unionist, West of Scotland) will attend shadow cabinet meetings once a month in London.
The Sunday Herald reveals that four scottish MPs 'are claiming tens of thousands of pounds of public money for designated "second homes" despite renting out other flats in London.' The MPs are Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling (Labour, Edinburgh South West), ex Scottish Secretary the Rt Hon Dr John Reid (Labour, Airdrie & Shotts), Deputy Chief Whip Tommy McAvoy MP (Labour, Rutherglen & Hamilton West) and ex Lib Dem leader Charles Kenned MP (Liberal Democrat, Ross, Skye & Lochaber). The Sunday Herald reports that Darling has claimed around £55,000 in Additional Costs Allowance (ACA), the "second homes" subsidy since 2004-05, Reid has claimed up to £50,000, McAvoy, has billed the taxpayer for around £64,000 in ACA since 2004, while charged the taxpayer around £63,000 in ACA between 2004 and 2007.
A preliminary hearing for charges of perjury against Gail and Tommy Sheridan (ex-Scottish Socialist Party and Solidarity MSP for Glasgow from 1999 - 2007) is held at the High Court in Edinburgh. A trial will be held later on in the year.
John Farquhar Munro MSP (Liberal Democrat, Ross, Skye & Inverness West) breaks ranks with his party and to call for a referendum on Scottish Independence.
A unionist alliance of Labour, Tories and Libs Dems is formed to defeat the Scottish Government concerningon its plans to allow the people of Scotland to decide upon the future of Scotland in a referendum. The plans are defeated by 72 to 47 with only the Greens supporting a referendum.
The vote represents a U-turn for Labour. On the 6 th May 2008, the spokesman for the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament, Duncan McNeil MSP (Labour, Greenock & Inverclyde) claims that all Labour MSPs supported holding a referendum on independence and stated 'We will not vote down any referendum bill that comes to the parliament.'
An independent enquiry suggests that marked electoral registers for the Glenrothes by-election may have been thrown out with the rubbish by the sheriff clerk at Kirkcaldy
The First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Banff & Buchan and Gordon) meets the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Ian Luder at Bute House in Edinburgh to discuss the economic crisis.
Cllr Gerald O'Brien (Labour, Bannockburn) is removed as a Cllr and banned from being elected for at least 18 months by the Standards Commission following repeated breaches of the Councillors Code of Conduct.
The rankings for the Scottish National Party's national list for the European elections are announced.
Cllr Craig Mellville gains a seat for the Scottish National Party in a by-election in the three member Maryfield ward of Dundee Councill following the resignation of Labour Cllr Joe Morrow. This leaves the composition of Dundee City Counci at 14 Scottish National Party, nine Labour, three Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats and one Independent. The council is run by a Labour-Lib Dem coalition with Tory support.
The ruling Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition on Stirling Council is removed following a vote of no confidence by 11 votes to 10. The political composition of Stirling Council is eight Labour, seven Scottish National Party, four Conservatives and thre Liberal Democrats. Cllr Gerarld O?Brien, who has been suspended from the Labour party and banned as a Cllr, is not present at the vote. Cllr Fergus Wood (Scottish National Party, Trossachs & Teith) is appointed as Provost and Clr Graham Houston (Scottish National Party, Dunblane & Bridge of Allan) is appointed as Leader of the Council.
The Lord Provost of Dundee, Cllr John Letford (Labour, Lochee) resigns from the Labour party to sit as an Independent. This leaves the composition of Dundee City Counci at 14 Scottish National Party, eight Labour, three Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats and two Independents. The council is run by a Labour-Lib Dem coalition with Tory support.
The Scottish National Party sieze control of Dundee City Council with the support of the Lord Provost Cllr John Letford (Independent, Lochee), who resigned from the Labour party on the 24 th. The council had been run by Labour for 29 years. The composition of Dundee City Council stands at 14 Scottish National Party, eight Labour, three Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats and two Independents.
Death of Professor Sir Neil MacCormick, who was Scottish National Party MEP for Scotland from 1999 to 2004, being voted Scottish Euro MEP in 2000, 2002 and 2003, the only the only Scottish politician to have won the same award on three times. Professor MacCormick was Vice President of the SNP from 1999 to 2004. He was knighted in 2002 for his academic achievements and was appointed Special Adviser to First Minister Alex Salmond after the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections. He was the son of National Party for Scotland founder member John MacCormick and brother of SNP MP for Argyll, Iain MacCormick.
John Wilson MSP (Scottish National Party, Central Scotland) resigns as Cllr for Coatbridge & Glenboig on North Lanarkshire Council.
Death of Angus Cllr Frank Ellis (Scottish National Party, Monifieth & Sidlaw). He served as convener of the housing committee until 2007 and was vice-convener of development standards. Cllr Ellis also served on the Tayside Fire and Rescue Board and the Tayside Joint Police Board.
The UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy ≈ Cowdenbeath) sacks his head of Strategic Planning, Damien McBride after a series of 'sexually obscene' e.mails details plans to smear senior Conservatives including the Rt Hon David Cameron MP (Conservative & Unionist, Witney) and the Rt Hon George Osborne MP (Conservative & Unionist, Tatton).
Death of the Provost of East Dunbartonshire, Cllr Alex Hannah (Labour, Bishopbriggs South) who had represented Bishopbriggs since 1995.
The UK cabinet meets in Inverness, the first meeting in Scotland for almost 90 years. This follows the meeting of the Scottish cabinet in Inverness on the 5 th August 2008, in the same room that hosted what had been the only gathering of a UK Government cabinet outside of London in September 1921.
UK Energy Secretary the Rt Hon Millibard MP (Labour, Doncaster North) criticises the Scottish Government's anti-nuclear policy. First Minister of Scotland the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP (Scottish National Party, Banff & Buchan and Gordon) criticises Milliband for attacking the energy policy choice of the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament.
Cllr Alasdair Christie gains a seat for the Liberal Democrats in a by-election in the three member Inverness West ward of Highland Councill following the death of Independent Cllr Jimmy MacDonald on the 31 st January. This leaves the composition of the 80 seat Highland council, which is run by a Independent/Liberal Democrat coalition, at 29 Independents, 22 Liberal Democrats, 17 Scottish National Party, seven Labour and five Independent Members group.
Cllr Rosemary Bruce gains a seat for the Liberal Democrats in a by-election in the three member Aboyne, Upper Deeside & Donside ward of Aberdeenshire Councill following the resignation of Tory Cllr Bruce Luffman to take up a position with the Cairngorms National Park. This leaves the composition of the 68 seat Aberdeenshire council, which is run by a Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition at 21 Scottish National Party, 21 Liberal Democrats, 13 Conservative & Unionists, nine Independents and four Democratic Independent Group (all ex members of the Lib Dem group).
Death of Inverclyde Cllr Ken Ferguson (Scottish National Party, Inverclyde South West).
Aberdeenshire Council confirm that Cllr Ian Tait (Independent, Fraserburgh) was suspended for six working months on the 7 th April 2009 following a complain about his behaviour at a community development meeting.
The Mail on Sunday reports that former Home Secretary, the Rt Hon John Reid MP (Labour, Airdrie & Shotts 'claimed £20,000 in one year through the second homes allowance - including a bill for a 'black glitter toilet seat' - despite having mortgage payments of just £80 a month. Mr Reid purchased the toilet seat from DIY store Homebase at a cost of £29.99 after he moved to a new home in 2004. Among other improvements costing £8,890 were £1,328 spent on tiles and £2,387 on a bathroom suite, both also from Homebase. Leaked receipts also reveal thatÊ in June 2004 he claimed £685.84 for two visits from Rentokil to 'carry out riddance treatments of mice' at his home in Motherwell. In March 2007 he sold the house and returned half the cost of the bathroom, sending a cheque for £1,886 to the parliamentary fees office. However he claimed £20,596 for his second homes allowance that year, despite having monthly mortgage payments of £80. The following year he stayed in temporary accommodation before moving into a Glasgow flat. But he still claimed the maximum allowable £23,083.'
In a debate on MPs' expenses, The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North East) makes outspoken attacks on Kate Hoey (Labour, Vauxhall) and Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat, Lewes).
The police are called in to investigate the expense claims of the Chacellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West) who twice switched the designation of hs second home.
In an unprecedented move, Tory MP Douglas Carswell tables a motion of no confidence, which is signed by 23 MPs, in the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North East). In unprecedented scenes, a succession of MPs openly challenge the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North East), urging him to step down.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North East) announces that he will be standing down as Speaker, and as an MP, on the 21 st June 2009.
The Sunday Herald reveals that Jim Devine MP (Labour, Livingston) 'clawed back £2157 from the taxpayer for rewiring his second home in London. However, the invoice supporting the work had an invalid VAT number on it as well as a bogus postcode and a false address.'
The Telegraph states that Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP (Labour, Edinburgh South West) 'was among nine members of the Cabinet who used publicly funded expenses to pay for an accountant to complete their personal tax returns.' The Telegraph states 'In total, the Chancellor claimed more than £1,400 for accountancy bills in two years.' and 'A tax expert described the claims as "scandalous", especially as the expenses are tax-free.'
The Sunday Herald calls upon Jim Devine MP (Labour, Livingston) to account for '£2326 worth of publicly-funded joinery carried out by his local publican' stating 'Jim Devine MP's office expenses budget was used to claim the cash for his friend Tony Moran, who was employed to fit 66 metres of shelving. However, when the Sunday Herald visited Devine's constituency office on Friday, not a single shelf was seen on the wall.'
The Sunday Telegraph reveals that Shadow Secretary David Mundell MP (Conservative & Unionist, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweedale) has claimed £3,000 on expenses for publicity pictures of himself.
Aberdeenshire Cllr Martin Ford (Independent, East Garioch) who left the Lib Dem group in November 2008 over the Trump golf proposal, announces that he is joining the Scottish Greens.
The Telegraph reports that Lord Kirkwood (Archie Kirkwood, Liberal Democrat MP for Roxburgh & Berwickshire from 1983 to 2005) 'claimed £5,000 in expenses to refurbish his London flat before retiring as an MP and selling it to his daughter for less than half its value.' The newspaper states: 'During his final year in the Commons, he claimed a total of £18,806 in allowances for the flat, which he bought for £182,500 in 2001. These included about £670 a month to pay the interest on its mortgage. He then sold it in May 2007 to his daughter Holly, 31, a journalist for Country Life magazine, for £100,000. On Tuesday he said the flat had been valued at £225,000. Three weeks before the sale, a flat in the same building sold for £358,000.'
Seventh direct elections to the European parliament. In Scotland, seven MEPs will be elected by the D'Hondt system of PR from national lists. A total of 736 MEPs will be elected in 27 member states. The result will be declared from the Tollbooth in Edinburgh on the 8 th.
Cllr Peter Sullivan gains a seat for Labour in a by-election in the four member Coatbridge & Glenboig ward of North Lanarkshire City Councill following the resignation of John Wilson MSP (Scottish National Party, Central Scotland) as a Cllr on the 6 th April 2009.
Cllr Anne McTaggart gains a seat for Labour in a by-election in the four member Drumchapel / Anniesland ward of Glasgow City Councill following the resignation of Bill Kidd MSP (Scottish National Party, Glasgow) as a Cllr. This leaves the composition of the 79 seat Glasgow City council, at 46 Labour,Ê21 Scottish National Party, five Liberal Democrats, five Scottish Green Party,Êone Conservative & Unionist and one Independent.
The Sunday Herald reports that Labour party members are to send a letter to the police condemning Jim Devine MP (Labour, Livingston). The letter states: 'As members of the Labour Party representing Livingston, we have read with alarm the allegations being made against our own MP Jim Devine in the Sunday Herald and other newspapers of late. The seriousness of these allegations warrant a full police investigation. If Mr Devine is under investigation by another police force we would be grateful if you could inform us who to send this complaint to.'
The results of the seventh direct elections to the European Parliament are announced from the Tollbooth in Edinburgh. Scotland is contested as a single six member constituency (one less than in 2004) with seats awarded according to the d'Hondt system. MEPs elected in Scotland: two Scottish National Party, two Labour ,one Conservative (- 1) and one LibDem. % of vote: Scottish National Party 29.1 %, Labour 20.8 %, Conservative 16.8 %, Lib Dems 11.5 %, Greens 7.3 %, UKIP 5.2 %, BNP 2.5 %, SLP 2.0 %, CPCPA 1.5 %, SSP 0.9 %, Ind 0.9 %, No2EU 0.9 %, JT 0.6%.
Former Minister, Tom Harris, MP (Labour, Glasgow South) calls upon the Prime Minister to resign. Gordon Brown sacked Harris as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport in October 2008.
The BBC reports that Jim Hood MP (Labour, Lanark & Hamilton East) 'may have breached the rules on declaring an interest'. The BBC states: 'He tabled questions about government plans to support clean coal technology in Scotland but did not declare his registered interest as a paid consultant to Scottish Coal.The company has been actively campaigning for government to support clean coal technology. Mr Hood is paid between £5,000 and £10,000 by Scottish Coal.'
A Scottish National Party / Plaid Cymru motion to dissolve the Westminster Parliament is defeated by by 340 votes to 268.
The BBC reports that Rosemnary McKenna MP CBE (Labour, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East) 'has put herself in the expenses spotlight after offering an apology over revelations she thought would appear in the Daily Telegraph.' In a letter to local party members she stated 'I, along with many others accepted a cash payment to buy out the conditions of our lease on the flat we rent. I understand some used it towards purchasing other accommodation. I used mine's to reduce my claims on office costs over the next few years.'
The Sunday Herald states that Jim Devine MP (Labour, Livingston) 'is facing fresh questions over his expenses after claiming he billed the taxpayer for his local publican to put up shelves in his own bar. Jim Devine said the £2326 of "joinery" was for storing personal and party political material in a pub cellar he was renting.'
Labour's National Executive Committee bar Jim Devine MP (Labour, Livingston) from standing at the next election after reports he claimed for work on his home from a non-existent firm.
The Scottish Parliament passes a new law requiring Scottish Parliament and council elections be be held on different days. In May 2007 three different voting systems were used in two different elections. Almost 150,000 ballot papers were rejected.
BBC Scotland states that Jim Devine MP (Labour, Livingston) 'claimed for new wood flooring for his London flat twice in three months.'
BBC Scotlands reports that the Secretary of State for International Development, the Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP (Labour, Paisley & Renfrewshire South) 'has paid back more than £12,000 in allowances to the House of Commons.'
Innes Nelson holds a seat for the Scottish National Party in the three member Inverclyde South West ward of Inverclyde Council following the death of Scottish National Party Cllr Ferguson on the 26 th April 2009.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP (Independent, Glasgow North East) is appointed Steward & Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, allowing him to resign his Westminster seat. There will be a by-election in his Glasgow North East constituency which he held with a majority of 10,134 over the Scottish National Party at the 2005 General Election.
The leader of Aberdeen City Council, Cllr Kate Dean (Lib Dem, Kincorth/Loirston) is deposed by the Lib Dem group and replaced with Cllr John Stewart (Lib Dem, George St/Harbour).
Jean Lee holds a seat for the Scottish National Party in the four member Monifieth & Sidlaw ward of Angus Council following the death of Scottish National Party Cllr Frank Ellis on the 7 th April 2009.
Grampian police are called in to investigate the expenses of Cllr Scott Cassie (Liberal Democrat, Airyhall/Broomhill/Garthdee) the Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Aberdeen Council.
The leader of England's Tories the Rt Hon David Cameron MP warns Scots not to "obstruct" his party in reserved areas such as defence, and reserves the right to use all means at his disposal to site Weapons of Mass Destruction in Scotland against the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland and the Scottish Parliament. The Tory leader also stands accused of aiding and abetting corruption. Tories have had to pay back over £250,000 of expenses, yet Cameron has signalled that he will not be sacking any of his Shadow Cabinet.
Queen Elizabeth of Scots addresses the Scottish Parliament to mark the 10 th anniversary of the parliament assuming its powers.
Cllr Scott Cassie (Liberal Democrat, Airyhall, Broomhill & Garthdee), the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Aberdeen City Council is suspended following allegations of financial irregularities involving Garthdee Community Council.
The Scottish Cabinet meets at Melrose Rugby Club in the Scottish Borders. This follows meetings in Dumfries, Inverness, Pitlochry and Skye during the parliamentary recess in 2008.
The East Lothian Courier reports that Cllr Stuart Currie (Liberal Democrat, Preston/Seton/Gosford) and Cllr Ruth Currie (Liberal Democrat, Fa'side) have resigned from the Lib Dem group. This leaves the composition of East Lothian Council, which is run by an SNP-LibDem coalition at seven Scottish National Party, seven Labour, four Liberal Democrats three Independents and two Conservative & Unionists.
Cllr Scott Cassie (Liberal Democrat, Airyhall, Broomhill & Garthdee), the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Aberdeen City Council resigns from the Lib Dem group and from the party. Cllr Cassie's resignation means the composition of Aberdeen Council is 14 Liberal Democrats, 13 Scottish National Party, 10 Labour, four Conservative & Unionists and two Independents.
Major Eric Joyce MP (Labour, Falkirk) resigns as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP (Labour, Coventry North East) UK Secretary of State for Defence.
Glasgow North East (Westminster) by-election following the resignation of the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP, Speaker of the House of Commons on the 22 nd June 2009. Willie Bain makes a notional gain of the seat forn Labour with a majority of 8,111 over the Scottish National Party's David Kerr. Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems did not contest the seat in 2005, SNP + 2.3 %, BNP + 1.7 %, SSP - 4.2 %, Socialist Labour Party, - 14.0 %.
Glasgow East (Westminster) by-election following the resignation of Labour MP David Marshall on 30 th June 2008 due to "ill health". Cllr John Mason (Scottish National Party, Baillieston) gains the seat for the SNP with a majority of 365 over Margaret Curran MSP (Labour, Glasgow Baillieston). SNP + 26.0 %, Labour - 19.0 %, Conservative - 0.7 %, LibDem - 8.4 %, SSP - 1.4 %
The Registrar General releases figure showing the estimated population of Scotland was 5,144,200 in mid-2007, a rise of 27,300 people on the previous year and the hightest level since 1983.
Michael Russell MSP (Scottish National Party, South of Scotland) is promoted to Cabinet Secretary for Education, & Lifelong Learning, replacing Fiona Hyslop MSP (Scottish National Party, Lothians) who becomes Minister for Culture & External Affairs in his place. The First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP (Scottish National Party, Gordon and Banff & Buchan) assumes responsibility for the forthcoming bill on an independence referendum.
Cllr Linda Gow (Labour, Bonnybridge & Larbert) resigns as Leader of the Council and Leader of the Labour group for "personal reasons". She is replaced as Leader of the Labour group by Cllr Craig Martin (Labour, Carse, Kinnaird & Tryst).
Nigel Griffiths MP (Labour, Edinburgh South) announces that he will be standing down at the next election.
South Lanarkshire Cllr John McNamee (Scottish National Party, Blantyre) who is under investigation by the local SNP group over his expenses and allegations of inappropriate behaviour, announces that he will be defecting to Labour.
The Scottish Government's £30,000 million budget is approved in the Scottish Parliament by 66 votes to 37. The Scottish National Party, Conservative, Greens and Marg MacDonald MSP vote in favour, with Labour voting against and the Liberal Democrats abstaining.
Jim Devine MP (Labour, Livingstone) is to face charges under the Theft Act over his expenses claims. He is to appear on 11 March 2010 at City of Westminster magistrates court.
Jim Devine MP (Labour, Livingstone) is suspended from the Labour Party "pending finalisation of the legal process".
Cllr Steven Purcell (Labour, Drumchapel/Anniesland) resigns as leader of Glasgow City Council.
Cllr Steven Purcell (Labour, Drumchapel/Anniesland) resigns his council seat.
The East Lothian Courier reports that: 'East Lothian Constituency Labour Party has called for county MP Anne Moffat to resign following the party's NEC decision to give the go-ahead for a local all-member meeting to decide her political future.'
Death, aged 86, of William Wolfe, leader of the Scottish National Party from 1969 to 1979.
Anne Moffat MP (Labour, East Lothian) is deselected by members of East Lothian Constituency Labour Party by 130 votes to 59 following numerous scandals concerning the highest expenses of any MP in the UK, the poorest attendance record at Westminster of any Scottish MP, fights with members of her staff, feuds with local Labour MSPs, battles with her local constituency party, scurulous personal attacks on other politicians, several incidents involving the police and a number of personal scandals.
Anne Moffat MP (Labour, East Lothian) appeals to Labour's National Executive Council concerning ger deselection by local party members by 130 votes to 59.
It is revealed that Anne Moffat MP (Labour, East Lothian), who was deselected by her local constutiency party for incompetence and involvement in numerous financial and personal scandals, had made a secret deal in order to obtain a £30,000-a-year pension and an ill health grant of £32,383. Willie Innes, the CLP chairman, commented 'If it is true, then she has dragged the Labour Party through an unnecessary and long process. Even local members who supported her last week will feel betrayed.'
The Westminster Parliament election is announced for the 6 th May 2010 by UK Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath).
The Westminster Parliament is dissolved and election writs are issued.
Westminster election. Hung Parliament. MPs elected in Scotland: Labour 41 (+ 1), Liberals 11 (+ 0), Scottish National Party 6 (+ 0), Conservative 1 (+ 0), Speaker 0 (- 1). % of vote: Labour 42.0 %, Scottish National Party 19.9 %, LibDem 18.9 %, Conservative 16.7 %, UKIP 0.7 %, Greens 0.7 %, BNP 0.4 %, TUSC 0.1 %, SSP 0.1 %, Christ 0.0 %, others 0.4 %.
Labour held Glasgow North West, which it had gained from the Speaker in a by-election and regained Glasgow East from the SNP and Dunfermline & West Fife from the LibDems after by-election losses.
The UK Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) announces that he will step down as leader of the Labour Party by September.
The Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) visits the Queen to tender his resignation as UK Prime Minister. He also stands down as leader of the Labour party. The Rt Hon David Cameron MP (Conservative & Unionist, Witney, England) is invited to form a government by the Queen.
Danny Alexander MP (Liberal Democrat, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey) is appointed Secretary of State for Scotland.
The new UK Prime Minister, the Rt Hon David Cameron MP (Conservative & Unionist, Witney, England) makes an official visit to Scotland and travelled to the Scottish Parliament where he met Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP (Independent, Galloway & Upper Nithsdale). He then travelled to St Andrews House to hold talks with the First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP (Scottish National Party, Gordon)
David Mundell MP (Conservative & Unionist, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale) is appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland. Alistair Carmichael, MP (Liberal Democrat, Orkney & Shetland) is appointed Comptroller of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip). The Rt Hon Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC (Liberal Democrat) is appointed as Advocate General for Scotland.
Danny Alexander MP (Liberal Democrat, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey) is appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury following the resignation of David Laws MP in an expenses scandal. The Rt Hon Michael Moore MP (Liberal Democrat, Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk) is appointed as Secretary of State for Scotland.
The Labour Party in Scotland states that it's membership has risen to 20,133.
Frank McAveety MSP (Labour, Glasgow Shettleston) resigns as Convenor of the Petitions committe and Labour's Sports spokesman after being overheard making comments concerning a member of the public.
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