(Full text of statement at foot) Education Secretary Michael Russell delivered a typically confident performance in his Ministerial Statement in Holyrood at 5.30pm on the Argyll and Bute school closure issue in which he was alleged to have interfered simply because he sent a campaign-related email to SNP councillors from his Holyrood email instead of his personal one.
In this email, the Education Secretary had:
- advised his colleagues to dump the controversial proposals to close 25 schools
- suggested that fewer than 10 schools might be closed without controversy
In his statement, Mr Russell said that:
- he had only commented as a candidate
- he had only offered advice to parents in any school visits he has made
- he had made early arrangements to have no part in the government’s relationship to the Argyll and Bute closure proposals because he is a candidate for the seat in the forthcoming Scottish Election 2011.
He also announced the reprieve of the four schools in the Western Isles which the government had called in on grounds that demonstrated the legal non0-compliance of the Argyll proposals.
He made it known that he is also reviewing the case of a school in Shetland and has accepted the closure of one in Moray.
The BBC’s political editor, Brian Taylor, who was present at Holyrood for the statement, has judged that there is little more mileage now for the opposition in this essentially vacuous matter of the email sent form the wrong address.
Mr Taylor noted that what the other parties really have in view is the chance of knocking something off the SNP’s narrow 815 majority in Argyll and Bute, that Jim Mather achieved when he took the seat from the LibDems in 2007.
Mr Mather is standing down in 2011 and Mr Russell is campaigning to replace him.
It was good to see, topping and tailing BBC Scotland’s later coverage of the statement, children at Barcaldine School in North Lorn and three determined and articulate parent council members from that ridiculously threatened school: Tim McIntyre and Dr Douglas Mackenzie and Flora Swietlicki – all founding members of the campaigning Argyll Rural Schools Network.
They were, though, puzzled that, given the focus of the clip, interviews with them edited out their own responses to the Russell story which, at the time,the BBC reporter had seemed particularly eager to have.
They had simply said that they felt that Mr Russell was perfectly entitled, as a senior party member, to discuss with his SNP colleagues in the council a matter of party policy of clear relevance to his prospective constituency; and that: ‘If he replied to the email in question from his parliamentary email address, that, we felt, was a trivial technicality’.
They had also pointed out that on his visit to Barcaldine school (which they had instigated), Mr Ruissell had made it absolutely clear that he could not comment on the case directly and concentrated on making sure that, as parent council members, they were fully cognisant of their rights under the Act. They pointed out too that Mr Russell had made it very clear that he could not intervene in the consultation process and would not, as a minister, have any part in any call-in either, due to his candidature for the Argyll and Bute seat.
Question from Jamie McGrigor MSP
Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): ‘We know, from the cabinet secretary’s e-mail correspondence and from what we have already heard, about the eight or nine primary schools that he suggests could be closed without any difficulty. First, can he name those schools and explain how he reconciles his suggestions with the legislation that he says he supports, which states that each school should be considered individually on its educational merits?
‘Secondly, the minister stated that the SNP withdrew from the council administration on 25 November, but did it not do that on 6 December?
‘Thirdly, he stated that six Lib Dems and two Tories voted through the list of 25 closures, but did they not vote for consultation?’
Michael Russell: ‘I will start with the member’s last question. Those councillors voted to consult on closure. That was a decision that they wished to close the schools. I do not think that the member can get round that. I commend Jamie McGrigor for going to Southend and helping the parents there by arguing for the retention of that school. Unfortunately, he was not backed by the two Tory councillors, who vigorously voted for the closures. Indeed, one of them indulged in a speech that insulted those who were protesting against the closure.
‘I hope that Jamie McGrigor would join me in welcoming the change of heart that has taken place in the council and the new opportunity that has been given. I have often backed Jamie McGrigor’s views on this matter and I think that he and I are at one in this regard. Indeed, at the start of the process, he urged me to be more active on this matter. Clearly, one cannot please all the people all the time.’
(This was to have been a two part article, looking in parallel at some quite extraordinary statements made today by Argyll and Bute Council on the flawed closure proposals they had to withdraw frm cionsultation.. This will now become a separate article.)
Tim McIntyre actually (and no relation of Duncan MacIntyre).
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For Dr Douglas Mackenzie: Of course it’s Tim McIntyre frm the Barcaldine School campaign. Error now corrected. Thank you for the correction and our most sincere apologies to Tim McIntyre whose work in research and analysis of the closure proposals has won everyone’s respect.
All we can say on our own defence was that we had spent an hour on the phone to a journalist who is doing some reporting for us from Brisbane and whose name is Montgomery.
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Ah, if only the Council would correct its mistakes with such alacrity!
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If ever there was an instance of the utter ineptitude of the opposition at Holyrood it is this one. Big Mike has truly minced them.Such is the desperation to ‘get’ an SNP Minister that they could not see that their irrational attacks were only confirming that Michael Russell and the SNP were battling for schools.
They succeeded in getting rid of the Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson. He was a man who had done Argyll quite a number of favours. The landslips on the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful have been stopped.The ‘temporary’ one way traffic lights on the A82 at Invernaran,which had been in place for 35 years,have been removed.Yet because of one poor TV performance the Holyrood political lynch mob were set loose.
It is not going to happen this time.The whole thing is as Brian Taylor says ‘an essentially vacuous matter’. Parents can now look forward long term not only to having Michael Russell as their education minister but as their MSP, as a worthy successor to Jim mather.
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The standard of reporting on the BBC is appalling. It is supposed to be a public service broadcaster but its news editing is on a par with the grubby Sun sensationalism.
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What sticks in my mind that Mr Russell has suggested that fewer than 10 schools might be closed without controversy… Argyll death by a thousand cuts.
Where is the can do attitude, rather than lets do less than those who came before. Try to close… say 7 schools (1/4) and see how the public react and Mr Russell wants us to vote for him, a man who would be happy to fight off less primary school parents at one time – that man needs to resign and his wife moving to a ‘safe’ school just compounds my view that he should go or even they should go.
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The BBC blatantly and disgracefully edited out everything that I and my colleagues said in our unanimous support of Mr Russell, in their attempt to sabotage his campaign. It is notable that spokespersons from the three other main parties were invited to comment but the SNP were not given the same opportunity. I for one am glad that Mr Russell is concerned about rural schools.
The BBC is an affront to democracy in Scotland.
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Like Flora, I was surprised that the BBC didn’t broadcast our comments in support of Mr Russell – both as to the absolute truth of his visit to Barcaldine at our request and in our belief that he had done nothing wrong. This was surprising as we had been led to believe that this was the point of the interview. It was quite wrong of the reporter (on Radio SCotland) to say that “people in Argyll were reluctant to comment” (on Mr Russell). We did comment and will be prepared to defend Mr Russell’s actions again should the need arise (though he does seem rather capable of defending his own corner).
I would say, however, that his comment about schools that could be closed without fuss was a mistake. There are two schools that are empty so these can be closed and there are a couple more that may be self closing. It is thus true that there are schools that probably can be closed without too much fuss (and perhaps that is what will come back later in fresh proposals) but he made a mistake in putting a number to that (and I suspect he will now be of the same opinion!).
Flora: on the plus side we did get the opportunity to raise the profile of Barcaldine throughout Scotland and our weans were chuffed to be on the TV so it wasn’t all bad!
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Which 8 or 9 primary schools does Mr Russell want to see closed ? Why does he not publish the list of them ?
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I think the Q&A session today might be more interesting. Some will still be taking every chance to use the Mike Russell story for political gain however there may well be others, and one in particular, who will take the opportunity to highlight A&B’s inadequate school closure proposals.
I note in today’s Helensburgh Advertiser that Alan Reid has now called the proposals flawed and once again highlights that they were drawn up by an SNP/Independent Administration yet conveniently fails to mention that the Lib Dem Councillors voted for them to proceed in exchange for some pieces of silver.
I have no qualms about criticising the previous administration for their role in the proposals as I think criticism is very much deserved however voting for flawed proposals is just as negligent as creating them, in fact possibly worse as only by voting for them can they become policy. Voting for them in exchange for personal gain is even more odious.
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Kintyre1: “Which 8 or 9 primary schools does Mr Russell want to see closed ? Why does he not publish the list of them ?”
I think it is exactly because of questions like this that Mr Russell will be ruing mentioning “8 or 9″. However, Kintyre1 is deliberately trying to misrepresent |Mr Russell’s position – I very much doubt that Mr Russell in his e-mail says anywhere that he WANTS to close ANY rural primary (anywhere).
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Let me re-phrase the question , which 8 or 9 schools does Mr Russell believe could be closed without much fuss ?
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You can see Mike Russell’s statement here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/scotland/newsid_9358000/9358328.stm
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For Integrity? Not in the Independents: The full text of the Russell statement is also attached to the article on the immediate response to its impact.
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newsroom
The Q&A session is on the link as well – worth a watch.
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