Labour in
the Scottish Parliament have been complaining for months about the
Glasgow Airport Rail Link not going ahead.
The uncomfortable fact for them though is that their manifesto back in 2003 promised us a Glasgow Airport Rail Link and they didn't produce it in the next four years. After the election, "delivering" the rail link was also in their coalition agreement with the Liberal Democrats.
It followed the previous parliamentary session where Iain Gray, then transport minister, announced in the Scottish Parliament on 9 October 2002 that it was one of the then Scottish Executive's "top priorities" (col 14500), and the plan was for work to begin in 2005. They didn't end up presenting a bill before Parliament till 2006.
Labour were in power till 2007. If GARL was such a top priority for them, why hasn't it been completed already? They like to harp on about manifesto commitments. Fact is that they didn't get round to GARL during the times of plenty.
This post was updated on 8 February 2010
Excellent research work Osama, what's frightening is that none of Scotland's so called 'political journalists' have ever bothered to even look into this.
Posted by: Wardog | 06 February 2010 at 10:41 PM
Labour let Glasgow down there - that is for sure.
But why are SNP doing same now? There was such high hopes.
Just blaming Labour for something said 7 years ago doesn't excuse cancelling it now. I genuinely felt SNP would take the right decisions, and where not possible accept responsibility.
Will still vote SNP but disappointed with this type of political obfuscation.
John, Dalmarnoch, Glasgow
Posted by: John Simon | 07 February 2010 at 12:13 PM
The 'good times' point is fair. Swinney does not object in principle to a rail link to Glasgow Airport (and neither do SNP activists). We just plain(!) can't afford it.
Posted by: MekQuarrie | 08 February 2010 at 11:35 AM
Is there a copy of the 2003 manifesto available online somewhere?
Posted by: Colin | 08 February 2010 at 10:14 PM