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Nationalists attack Labour ‘scaremongering’ |
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Tuesday, 08 January 2008 |
The SNP has launched a scathing attack on Labour’s Communities spokesperson Johann Lamont claiming she is “scaremongering” over the removal of ring-fencing in local government spending and accusing her of “sheer hypocrisy” for using figures dating from her own time as Communities Minister to try an illustrate her point.
Nationalist MSP Christina McKelvie said Lamont’s use of figures showing that 60 per cent of women seeking help at women’s refuges in 2006-07 were turned away was a major gaffe:
“This is a massive blunder by Johann Lamont which only exposes her sheer hypocrisy over an issue where we should be seeking to build the broadest and strongest possible consensus. Labour MSPs' campaign of scaremongering about ring-fencing has only drawn attention to Ms Lamont's own failures as Communities Minister. Labour were in power in Scotland in 2006/07, not the SNP, when these figures describe how 60 per cent of women and children were being turned away from safe houses. Johann Lamont was Communities Minister, it was her Executive in post, and the failed system of ring-fencing was also in place.
“It is very wrong for Labour MSPs to scaremonger about the future of funding for vulnerable groups or special projects. It also shows they have learnt nothing from their election defeat and the Strathclyde University report which highlighted their negativity as a central factor in that defeat. The money is there and COSLA confirmed nearly a month ago that spending on those areas will rightly continue. COSLA President Pat Watters - a Labour councillor - has also criticised the attempts by Labour MSPs to scaremonger on this issue.”
Scottish Labour did not respond to requests for a comment.
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