Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement

 
 
Monday, 7th July 2008

Premium Article !

Your account has been frozen. For your available options click the below button.

Options

Premium Article !

To read this article in full you must have registered and have a Premium Content Subscription with the The Scotsman site.

Subscribe

Registered Article !

To read this article in full you must be registered with the site.

Sign In
Register

Salmond's £10,000 on chimney sweeps



Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

ALEX Salmond, the First Minister, has spent £10,000 hiring chimney sweeps for his official residence, it emerged yesterday.
The biggest single expenditure at Bute House since the SNP came to power was the maintenance of its chimneys.

The full article contains 44 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 11 May 2008 11:43 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

cynicalm,

Edinburgh 12/05/2008 00:36:17
For the benefit of the thickoes who write for and edit this once great paper, a little research would have shown that the "maintenance of chimneys" was not sweeping of the flues but maintenance of the stonework on the chimney structures.
2

Steve,

Bo'ness 12/05/2008 00:51:05
Good greif, the sheer cheek of the man!
What selfishness.
I was seriously going to vote SNP the next time, but this story has convinced me to vote Labour for evermore.
God bless Wendy Alexander!
Rule Brittannia!

tsk tsk
3

the_figures_are _fudged,

Galashiels 12/05/2008 01:28:11
The last resident neglected them ?

Send Wendy the bill.
4

a proud doonhamer,

Dumfries 12/05/2008 01:29:12
2. steve

Aye, can you imagine? What is next? Are we going to see him pay for the cleaning of the windows, or shovelling of the snow, or God forbid, the provision of clean water and electricity?

Alex should have shown true leadership and let the chimney fall in, and kept the dirty windows, and let the snow pile and block traffic. Clean water and electricity are simply frills in our Scotland.

Just look at the leadership shown by Labour. In town after town, the buildings are falling down, the grime is growing, and residents make do without clean water or sufficient power.

Some people will do anything to take away our fine Scottish traditions.

Alex, shame on ye.
5

Soosider,

glasgow 12/05/2008 01:37:48
You cannot be serious!!!!!
I had to check the date in case this was an April fool story.
Anyone with 2 brain cels to rub together would know that official buildings are maintained by the state not the person living in them. Anyway who allowed them to get in to such a state that this amount of maintenance was required.
Typical of the SNP see a problem and with undue haste fix it.
6

Guga II,

Rockall 12/05/2008 03:27:56
Trust the Hootsmon to try and slant this story to give it a negative effect. Can't they just tell the truth, and publish the facts withou trying to distort them?

Are the Hootsmon, with this blatantly distorted article trying, to take the heat of The Mouth of the South and the New Labour Sleaze and Corruption Party; which all of their staff seem to be paid up, card carrying members of?
7

Kirsty Boyd-Williamson,

New Town 12/05/2008 06:35:19
I carry no torch for Mr Salmond but The Scotsman knows full well that "Salmond's £10000" had nothing whatsever to do with the First Minister and everything to do with the upkeep of state property. It is all very, very normal and the skewed headline is perhaps more appropriate to The SUN.
8

gus1940,

Edinburgh 12/05/2008 07:29:11
Is it not the case that Bute House is owned by The National Trust For Scotland.

If I am right and that is the case surely the work was carried out at their instigation.
9

Loki - The Scourge of the Schemies,

EH1 12/05/2008 07:52:13
#8 gus1940
Is it not the case that Bute House is owned by The National Trust For Scotland.

You are correct and as a Trust, attracts charitable status.
The tone of the headline, implying that the First Minister personally engaged 'chimney sweeps' at a cost to the public purse of "£10000" is gutter journalism in my view.
Criticise the man for policy, the delivery of that policy or his performance as First Minister but leave the cheap journalism to the likes of Murdoch's TIT 'n' BUM.
10

Bob Christie,

12/05/2008 08:39:53
#6

After a VERY good week for the SNP Scottish Government, I am sure that the Hootsmon's Liebour supporting lords and masters had to really rake around to get this cr*p.
It reeks of typical Liebour spin and reduces the Hootsmon to a level below even that of the Sun
11

Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 12/05/2008 10:09:43
So what do they suggest he does? Collect a gaggle of small boys from the streets and send them up the chimneys with a brush?

Bute House has loads of chimneys. These have to be maintained properly otherwise not only could CO find its way into the rooms, the things could catch fire and they could deteriorate to the point where it affects the structure of the house. This applies whether or not the fireplaces are actually used.

Alex Salmond is quite right to spend public money on a publically owned property in order that it is maintained properly.
12

Samoyed,

Costa del menie 12/05/2008 10:38:35
In figures published last week, The Scotsman’s full-rate circulation has fallen to just under 45,000; its overall figure, including bulks, was just over 50,000.

Surprise!
13

Denise_W,

Edinburgh 12/05/2008 11:01:18
Maybe we could ask Wendy to have her good pal Gordon Brown to look into this. Surely she would have his full support!
14

Jacqueline Hyde ,

12/05/2008 14:11:17
I thought Bute House was in a smokeless zone. Perhaps he should put in central heating and do away with the fires altogether.
15

Alba Abú,

Edinburgh 12/05/2008 17:19:41
Maybe the powers that be in Bute House are preparing for a visit from "Sooty Broon"!
16

Alba Abú,

Edinburgh 12/05/2008 17:22:02
#12 Good point! No surprise at all. Like the Union,the Scotsman newspaper is the last sting of the dying unionist wasp!

 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
RSS Feed of this article's comments
Delivery formats: RSS, Atom, Javascript & Email
 
  

 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.