Poles apart in Holyrood's big top

By John Knox
BBC Scotland political reporter

The M74 decision sparked anger from Greens and Socialists

MSPs were waved off on their Easter holiday by an amused looking totem pole which stood in the Garden Lobby all week.

Its eagle eyes seemed to follow us all - officials, politicians, visiting groups, limping members of the press corps - as we passed to and fro on our democratic business.

It was part of a Scottish Totem Poles exhibition set up by the Fife woodcarver Kenny Grieve.

Three pole carvers from Canada, rejoicing in the names of Xwa Lack Tun, Tanis and Huuyaah, performed a traditional song of welcome outside the parliament on Wednesday.

They were followed on Thursday by a cement mixer, set up by the Greens, into which a Jack McConnell look-alike shovelled piles of bank notes. It was a protest against the decision to build a five-mile extension to the M74 in Glasgow.

'Serious explaining'

Meanwhile, inside the big top, the performers at question time were limbering up for the general election.

The Scottish National Party's Nicola Sturgeon produced yet more figures on NHS waiting times.

"More than half of bowel cancer patients wait more than two weeks to see a consultant compared to less than 1% of patients in England," she said.

"Cancer is supposed to be one of the executive's priorities. The first minister has some serious explaining to do."

The public inquiry reporter has not given enough weight to the positive aspects of the (M74) scheme Nicol Stephen Transport Minister

Mr McConnell admitted that outpatient waits had increased while inpatient waiting times were being brought down.

But he said: "We are now reducing out-patient waiting times. We did that dramatically in the last quarter of last year and those times will come down towards our target of less than six months by the end of this year."

Conservative leader David McLetchie asked a clever question on tax: "Does the first minister think a 50% top rate of income tax will help or hinder his first priority of economic growth?"

Mr McConnell could not really answer that one without embarrassing his enterprise minister, Jim Wallace, leader of the Liberal Democrats and champion of a 50% top rate of tax.

The first minister did point out, however, that 50% was lower than the top rate of tax during the Tory years.

Tax increase

The Liberal Democrats themselves launched their election campaign on Tuesday.

They unveiled a slate of 10 reasons to vote for the party. More child care, more police and increased pensions for the over 75s would all be paid for by an increase in the tax rate, from 40% to 50%, for those earning more than £100,000 a year.

The SNP chose two issues for debate on Thursday morning which they hope will win them votes at the election - an end to nuclear weapons on the Clyde and a Scottish firearms act.

Jack McConnell and Nicola Sturgeon clashed over cancer figures

The first minister's end of term press briefing produced the news that the executive has been pushing for a tightening of controls on air guns.

It is a matter reserved to Westminster but Scottish ministers are participating energetically in the Home Office review.

And their efforts have been redoubled as a result of the death of Glasgow youngster Andrew Morton three weeks ago after he was hit on the head with an air pellet. A total of 112 people were injured in airgun incidents in 2003.

The SNP's Kenny MacAskill argued that Scotland needed urgent legislation to remove airguns and replica guns from general circulation and said we could not wait for the Westminster review which was concerned with the very different problem of guns used in professional gangland crime. However, his motion was defeated by 72 votes to 28.

The chamber also saw debates this week on life sciences and economic growth, but both turned out to be little more than election hustings with nobody watching.

'Drunk man'

In the committee rooms, we heard from Sheriff Principal Gordon Nicholson about his proposed reforms of the licensing laws.

It was an urbane performance, dotting the "i"s on the bill which his report has given rise to. His remit was to clamp down on binge drinking while freeing local licensing boards to make their own decisions on opening times and the number of pubs and off-licences in their area.

His evidence came on the day when the chief medical officer, Dr Mac Armstrong, published his annual report.

It suggested that Scotland was slowly shaking off its image of "the sick man of Europe" - but that we were still the drunk man of Europe.

The SNP raised the issue of airguns and replica weapons

There were 5,255 admissions to hospital in 2003/4 for liver disease, a 47% increase on the figure just six years before. Scotland is ninth in the world for alcohol consumption.

The week ended with a shock announcement in a written answer. The M74 was being given the go-ahead, despite the findings of a public inquiry against it.

The five-mile stretch of road through the south side of Glasgow will cost up to £500m.

"The public inquiry reporter has not given enough weight to the positive aspects of the scheme," said Transport Minister Nicol Stephen.

These included a reduction in traffic congestion, a cut in accidents and improvements to the quality of life in the by-passed communities of Govanhill, the Gorbals, Toryglen and Rutherglen.

Climate change

The Greens and the Socialists were furious. They told anyone who would listen that the road was a waste of public money, it would not cut traffic congestion or accidents and it would make a mockery of Scotland's claim to be tackling climate change.

And that's it for this term.

It has been an eventful few months. It began in the aftermath of the tsunami tragedy and Scotland promising to do what it could to help.

It gave rise to an international development strategy and serious preparation for the G8 summit in July on climate change and world poverty.

We have seen various major announcements from the executive - a green light for the Borders railway, £200m a year investment in Scottish Water, £150m more for NHS dentistry, a £1.5bn programme for cheap housing.

The Liberal Democrats launched their election campaign

The Greens managed to get together a 52-47 majority against ID cards.

The executive was forced by its own backbenchers into a U-turn on the trespass laws.

The SNP have doggedly pursued the issue of NHS waiting times.

The Conservatives have fought the good fight over the Scottish regiments and efficiency in government.

Now everyone is off to prepare for government at Westminster, with devolved matters - health, education, crime - likely to dominate the election.

For a brief moment Presiding Officer George Reid and five other MSPs will escape the electioneering.

They will be off to the Tartan Week celebrations in Canada and the United States from All Fools Day, 1 April.

As for the rest of us, we await the return of parliament on 12 April.