May Column

Written by Malcolm Bruce MP on Tue 2nd May 2006

Deportation of Foreign Criminals

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The current spate of ministerial scandals may or may not lead to resignations but it should. Certainly I find Charles Clarke's credibility as Home Secretary is virtually zero.

Most people would reasonably assume that a foreign national that commits a serious crime in the UK and is recommended for deportation at the end of their prison sentence would be dealt with accordingly.

It would not seem that difficult to ask every prison governor to keep a record of prisoners in their jails that fall into this category and notify the immigration department shortly before their scheduled release.

Astonishingly, no such system appears to exist and hundreds of ex convicts -some of them dangerous - have been released back into the community. That includes at least some people convicted of crimes in the North of Scotland.

Not only has the Home Secretary known of this shambles for some time but he withheld it from the Prime Minister for three weeks while he 'established the scale of the problem'. His argument against resigning is that the mess over which he has presided is so great that only he can sort it out. That flies in the face of all precedents and explains the growing weariness with New Labour.

As for other ministers, John Prescott, has been made to look a fool and may have breached the ministerial code. Patricia Hewitt perhaps had her comeuppance for her school ma'am manner.

Neither of them have committed the fundamental error of losing control of their department. So in order of how they should go I would rank them Clarke, Prescott, Hewitt - but it probably won't happen that way.

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Donald Trump Aberdeenshire visit

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Donald Trump or The Donald as he is known in the States flew into the North East in a blaze of publicity last week to inspect the site for his proposed world class golfing venture at Menie Estate.

Mr Trump, in many ways, talks like the tycoon played by Burt Lancaster in Local Hero although a championship golf course is not in the same league as an oil installation. There is no doubt that Mr Trump has ambitious plans and he is serious in his intentions.

His arrival last weekend was surrounded by hype and, although I was unable to attend the reception at Menie House, because I was at my son's wedding, I have visited the website and followed the news media closely.

I find it hard to believe that the proposed offshore windfarm out to sea and several miles south is really a problem. After all, there is plenty of marine traffic running down the coast as well as semi submersible oilrigs parked from time to time.

I would have thought the proposed controversial quarry at South Orrock might be more of a concern to those approaching from the south (i.e. the airport).

The time scale also seems very compressed given it is a sight of scientific interest and planning processes require to take their course. Nevertheless it would be unfortunate if things were dragged out excessively just as it would be inappropriate if the Trump organisation imposed unreasonable deadlines or conditions backed by the threat of going elsewhere.

The Daily Telegraph reported "The diminutive Aberdeenshire Council is the planning authority with the unenviable task of passing judgment on a billionaire's bandwagon". Maybe, but a region that has accommodated the international oil and gas industry should not be intimidated by this challenge.

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World Trade Organisation- Doha Development report

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The International Development Committee, which I chair, published its third report of the parliament last week on the lack of progress on the Doha Development Round of trade talks. This coincided with the announcement by the WTO that the April deadline for progress had been abandoned.

What was supposed to be a round that would give developing countries unconditional access to the markets of the developed countries without any concessions in return has become bogged down in a spat between the highly protectionists EU and USA each blaming the other for the lack of progress.

Interestingly, EU Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelsohn, was unable to find time to give evidence to the committee while the Director General of the WTO, Pascal Lamy was.

Improving trade will do more to alleviate poverty than the world's entire aid budget. Some NGOs say that no agreement is better than a bad one. The trouble is that no agreement will set back free trade for years and encourage more and more bilateral agreements which can increase the control of richer countries over poorer countries.

Poor producers in poor countries, especially farmers (many of whom incidentally are women) need to be able to grow enough above their own families needs to sell to local markets. They need to access these at a price and quality that gives them an advantage over imported food products.

This requires internal reforms but also an end to dumping of products by the richer countries sustained by subsidies.

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Moray by-election

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Having spent some time campaigning in the Moray by-election I attended the count. Congratulations to SNP candidate Richard Lochhead who has finally been elected for a constituency after several attempts.

The turnout was down only slightly on the last Scottish Parliament elections and the SNP share slightly up. A good result but not quite the mandate for independence or a major advance next year as they claimed.

The Tories, flat-lined and the Labour vote collapsed. The biggest increase in vote share was achieved by the Liberal Democrat candidate, Linda Gorn, showing that the Dunfermline effect is continuing.

Applied to the Gordon constituency the result would show MSP Nora Radcliffe re-elected with a comfortably increased majority and could see the Liberal Democrats challenging to win in neighbouring seats.

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And finally...

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I have already mentioned we had a wedding last weekend. My son, Alex, married Vikki Philips at a Pitoddrie House Hotel, which provided just the setting they had hoped for.

The sun shone enabling the ceremony to be conducted outside with Bennachie (which the wedding party climbed the day before) starring as the backdrop.

My other children all played a part with my elder daughter Caroline acting as bridesmaid (along with Vikki's sister, Lucy) and my younger daughters. Catriona (6) and Emma (19 months) acting as flower girls and my son Alasdair (4) resplendent in a kilt for the first time carrying out the role of ring bearer.

So it was good to know that the son shone for us as well as Donald Trump!