Annabel Goldie has used a major election platform to claim it is more
important to tackle drugs than to cut tax.
The Scottish Tory leader, while marking out her territory as leader of
Scotland’s only right-of-centre party, went on to suggest that additional
powers for Holyrood could include control of illicit drugs law, bringing it
into line with legal powers over prescribed drugs.
But she said she does not favour more taxation powers, as do her deputy
Murdo Fraser and other Conservatives.
Miss Goldie said it had been a tough choice not to use Parliament’s income
tax-cutting powers, though several of her party colleagues had been pressing
her to do so in a bid to mark out the distinctiveness of her party. She said
it was a caricature of Scottish Conservatives that all they do is talk about
tax cuts. Instead, she argued the bold cutting edge of her party’s stance
was to tackle Scotland’s drugs problem.
Miss Goldie was speaking at the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, in conversation
with Alf Young, The Herald columnist. This was the first part of Scotland
Decides, a series of four conversations with the main party leaders this
month, run with the support of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.
The Tories say £100m per year should be spent on drugs rehabilitation, with
another £150m on extra justice budget, claiming there is a £10 dividend for
every £1 invested in tackling drugs.
Miss Goldie said a review of Holyrood has to be across parties and to bring
in the business community and civic Scotland. The idea of taking on powers
over illegal drugs law was one she described as “illustrative” of the
changes that could result.
Challenged on her decision to strip Scottish Enterprise down to a small,
strategic unit and abolish Highlands and Islands Enterprise, she said:
“You’ve got 129 MSPs, Scottish Executive with 20 ministers, Scottish civil
servants, you’ve got Scottish Enterprise, and I’m asking why do we need all
those people all clucking around the same bowl of corn in the farmyard?"
Miss Goldie explained why she is refusing to go into any coalition or pact
with other parties, confirming that she does not expect to emerge as leader
of the largest group at Holyrood. “You know where you are with us,” she
said. “That is not poverty of ambition. That is honesty of intention.”
By Douglas Fraser
Scottish Political Editor
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