Election Bribe by Labour?

According to the Scotsman the UK government was last night accused of playing politics with Scottish farmers' livelihoods as it was revealed plans for an £8.1 million compensation payout for foot-and-mouth disease were mysteriously scrapped after Gordon Brown decided not to call an election.

Alex Salmond, the First Minister, revealed Westminster's original foot-and-mouth compensation proposals yesterday. The First Minister issued a draft of Mr Benn's speech which had been given to the Scottish Government on Friday ahead of Mr Benn's statement in the House.

The draft statement contained a paragraph saying Scotland would receive £8.1 million to deal with the foot-and-mouth disaster.

The Environment Secretary was due to say:

"I have also agreed with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury that Scotland should receive £8.1 million and Wales £6.5 million to assist them in countering the impacts of foot-and-mouth on their livestock farmers."

But by Monday, when Mr Benn delivered the statement to MPs, the paragraph had disappeared.

He instead said:

"I am announcing today a package of assistance for the English livestock sector, amounting to £12.5 million. The devolved administrations are proposing to introduce their own schemes."

This looks like a typical piece of Labour sleaze, attempting a bribe for the "non-election" and then dropping it to save a little money, especially if the SNP will look bad.

This is typical of the small minds of Labour who are now seeking their revenge on Scotland for throwing them out of Government. They may see this as a good idea, but in todays climate in Scotland this sort of action will have the opposite effect to what they require to get back in Government.

Scotsman.com News - Politics - Foot-and-mouth payouts for farmers dropped after U-turn on election

DEFRA staff to be made Redundant

In the usual show of joined up Government displayed by Gordon and his Labour Party I see that amongst those being made redundant due to cuts imposed by Gordon are members of DEFRA who are currently on secondment in Animal Health, where annual leave has already been canceled in October, as they work to contain foot and mouth and bluetongue disease.

The unions are not exactly pleased with this either, Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, said:

"Making people compulsorily redundant at the same time as the department is working around the clock to contain the foot and mouth and bluetongue disease outbreaks is ridiculous and unnecessary.

"This move to compulsory redundancies raises fears that more could follow in greater numbers.

"With a civil service-wide ballot for industrial action beginning at the end of the week, the time is now for the government to intervene and offer guarantees on redundancies, pay and privatisation."

(image courtesy of the The Spine)

First compulsory civil service redundancies announced | Whitehall | Guardian Unlimited Politics