Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland
and Fife) (Green)
The Tories are back to full extremist mode. In this Parliament,
they marked the start of COP26 with a debate in which they
demanded that every last drop of oil be drained from the Cambo
oilfield. They have now marked the end of COP26 with a list of
trunk road projects as long as your arm....
Colin Smyth (South
Scotland) (Lab)
In 2014, when it handed the keys of Scotland’s trains to Dutch
firm Abellio, the SNP promised that our rail system would be
world leading. We certainly do lead the world when it comes to
the cost of a rail ticket, with fares rising above wages and a
failed franchise that was plagued by delays, cancellations and
overcrowding. Passengers stood on platforms, not knowing whether
their train would stop, trains ran late before they were even
built, and the franchise was prevented from defaulting only when
the targets were fiddled. Yet time and again, SNP and Tory MSPs
together voted down Labour motions to bring our railways under
public ownership. Even today, Green MSPs prop up a coalition that
continues to support privatisation through the Serco franchise of
the Caledonian sleeper and they vote against Labour motions to
stop the axing of 300 trains a day. Yesterday, the First Minister
came off the fence on Cambo. When
will Green MSPs come off the fence and actually oppose the cuts
to our rail services that their Government supports?
To read the whole debate, CLICK HERE
