Scots Want Their Money Back

The Scottish Government is asking for the return of £150M in lottery funds, which it alleges was diverted from good causes to finance the 2012 London Olympics.

Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell has sent a bid document to UK Sport Secretary Andy Burnham.

Maxwell cites the claim as being "a matter of natural justice".

The BBC quote him:

"We are pressing for the return of the money as a matter of natural justice because we believe it is fundamentally unfair that Scottish good causes should suffer to pay for London 2012.

From the smallest arts groups, through sports clubs, to health promotion centres and local day care facilities, we want to see communities embracing opportunities to make change for themselves and help to improve the quality of their lives and those of others."

However, "natural justice" or not, it is unlikely that the claim will succeed. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is resisting the claim.

Quote:

"Scotland has received over £2BN in Lottery money since 1994, and around £150M in the last financial year alone. Since the lottery began, over £315M has been spent on grassroots sport in Scotland.

The Olympic Games will bring immense benefits to the UK: a legacy of world class facilities; the inspiration of a generation to get active and take up sport; as well as huge economic and business benefits with £6bn worth of contracts.

London 2012 will leave a lasting legacy for everyone in the UK, including Scotland, which will host Olympic football at Hampden Park.

In addition, 29 locations across Scotland are included in the official guide to pre-games training facilities for foreign teams in 2012."

The Scots don't have a cat's chance in hell of succeeding with their money back claim!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Scottish Team

Alex Salmond, the newly elected First Minister for Scotland, is seeking permission from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for Scotland to field its own team.

A somewhat bizarre early initiative:

1 He has not yet discussed this within the Scottish Executive.

2 Until the funding and budget proposals for Salmond's "independent" Scotland are clarified, this form of expensive promise may be difficult to fulfill.

3 The UK hardly ever reaps a large harvest of medals in the Olympics. Why does Salmond believe that a smaller, less well funded, team will do any better.

Salmond's proposal is nothing more than naked political opportunism, wrapped in the flag of Scotland.