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Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie

Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie

Thursday, September 18th, 2009

Annabel Goldie, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, speaks to SPT Express about high speed rail, the recession, Glasgow’s Subway and the Government’s strategic transport review.

1) The case for a high speed rail link between Scotland and England has been gathering pace this year, what are your thoughts on the issue?

I am a strong supporter of high speed rail - not least so as to reduce our dependence on internal flights - and want to see the Scottish and UK Governments working together to make it a reality.

2) As well as leading the Scottish Tories, you represent the west of Scotland at the Scottish Parliament. The Government’s Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) proposed a light rail/metro system for Glasgow with a new station possibly in the St Enoch area to revolutionise cross country travel. What do you think of these plans?

While I welcomed much of what was contained in the STPR, I am concerned that much of what it contained was merely aspirational. The Scottish Government will need to produce far more detail about this particular scheme before we can provide an assessment of it.

3) SPT has funds to modernise a number of Subway stations in time for the Commonwealth Games in 2014. What are your thoughts on the system and would you like to see a fuller modernisation programme of the network both above and below ground?

The Glasgow Subway is a pillar of success in our city and I pay tribute to SPT for their sterling stewardship of the network – I am a regular user of it. I certainly welcome plans to modernise stations for the Commonwealth Games, and would be interested to hear of any firm plans for a wider modernisation of the Subway as a whole.

4) One of your previous roles for the Scottish Conservatives was spokesperson on the Economy. How do you think Scotland has coped with the so-called ‘Credit Crunch’ in comparison with other parts of the UK?

I think the presence of a large public sector in Scotland may have shielded us from the worst of the recession in the short term, however I fear that this same factor may hinder our recovery. Scotland is losing jobs at an alarming rate and I fear that neither the Scottish nor the UK Government is doing enough to address this. The private sector is the engine of recovery.

5) The Scottish Parliament has changed a fair bit, from the original Lib Dem/Labour coalition to the current SNP administration. What do you think the big challenges are for the Scottish Conservatives?

In challenge I always see opportunity. And indeed the advent of minority government at Holyrood has allowed the Scottish Conservatives to negotiate the implementation of many of our policies for the first time since 1997 – notably the fast tracking of business rate cuts, more police, a new approach to drugs and a town centre regeneration fund. The challenge for my party is to make sure these policies are correctly implemented by the SNP and to ensure Mr Salmond’s efforts to seek division with the UK Government and wreckage of the Union are thwarted.

6) Where did you spend your summer holidays this year?

In Galloway and on the Isle of Arran.

7) What was the last book you read?

“Night Train to Lisbon” by Pascal Mercier – currently reading “Churchill – A study in Greatness” by Geoffrey Best.

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