The Big Freebie, First Minster Alex Salmond and the SNP Government spend £400k on their ‘London Embassy’, £25k a day of taxpayers money wasted

Dear All

We are in a period of austerity, times are tough, ordinary working class people are suffering.

But luckily, the SNP Government has managed to find £400,000 during the Olympics to hiring out the Pall Mall club in London.

£400,000!

SNP ministers have disclosed that £25,000 of taxpayers’ money is being spent every single day of the Olympics on the gentlemen’s club.

The gentleman’s club is so that First Minister Alex Salmond can meet rich people, businessmen and dignitaries.

Not surprising the cost of the venue has angered opposition parties.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said:

“The SNP government spent £400,000 because it won’t work with the UK government. It is ridiculous that the Scottish taxpayer has to bear the brunt of a rivalry spawned and propagated by the SNP. Dover House is one of the UK Government’s finest buildings.”

An alternative venue, Scotland Office’s Dover House which is only half a mile away on Whitehall was rejected.

Alex Salmond officially opened Scotland House which he has jokingly dubbed his “London embassy” before the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.

At the reception for the rich entertainment was provided by Lulu and The Proclaimers.

A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said the cost compared favourably to the £315,000 spent on a ‘Scotland House’ in Delhi during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Ironically the joke, if you can take a joke from spending £400,000 which could have been better spent helping the poor is that Alex Salmond won’t be opening a London Embassy after the independence referendum vote in 2014.

The polls place that fantasy beyond his reach!

Hopefully the First Minister will grab as much freebies as possible and enjoy the trip; the poor are paying and suffering.

If the First Minister has time, he should visit the Imperial War Museum down at Elephant and Castle, I go there every time I go to London to remember all the brave servicemen and women who lost their lives defending this country.

As he looks at the exhibits, he should reflect on wasting £25k a day.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University