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December 2014:  Richard Baker

Richard Baker is a Labour (List-MSP) for the North East Scotland . He was first elected in the 2003 Scottish general election, aged 29y.  He was selected to fight Aberdeen North in 2015, after current MP Frank Doran announced his retirement.

His Barrow, England born father is the Rev. Canon James Henry Baker M.B.E. who is a former Rector of Whitehaven, Cumbria. He served the town for 20 years, stepping down in 2004.

His mother was an English teacher who was later ordained in 2002 as the Rev. Anne Baker, Rector of the Benefice of Eskdale, Irton, Muncaster and Waberthwaite.

He was educated at the exclusive fee paying independent St. Bees School in Cumbria and later studied English literature at Aberdeen University, MA (Hons) in English Literature.

He is proud to be an Episcopalian having spent his whole life in the church. In his spare time he enjoys singing in the St Andrew’s Cathedral choir in Aberdeen. At university he founded the religious Anglican Society. I

His wife, Claire Brennan-Baker became an MSP after the 2007 election for the Mid Scotland and Fife region. They have a daughter and live in Aberdeen.

 

 

 

 

In 1995 he joined the students union undertaking various roles. As President ( 1998 – 2000) of the NUS Scotland, in line with policy he opposed the Labour government policy on fees and loans.

But, in total contradiction he joined the labour Party and, in line with Party policy actively assisted in the organisation of a campaign encouraging Students to vote AGAINST the Scottish anomaly.

In his time as President of the Students Union he was heavily criticised for backing the formation of the, “Cubie” committee – seen as a Labour government prevarication – and for toeing the Labour Party line too closely.  http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200001/cmselect/cmeduemp/205/20512.htm   (Shades of Jim Murphy)

His lot in the service of the Students’ union was not a particularly happy one, some say, as it involved not only trying to please the diverse institutions in Scotland, various political student factions and the English NUS, but also maintaining good relations with the large group of non-affiliated Scottish universities. He apparently dealt with this by being “a pragmatist”, although critics suggest his pragmatism may have been at the sacrifice of his principles. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/149450.article

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 2007: Whitehaven News, Cumbria, Flying the flag over the Border

Last week’s elections to the Scottish Parliament saw Richard Baker, of Whitehaven, and his wife, Claire Baker both win regional seats.

Richard, 32, son of the Rev Canon Jim Baker and Anne Baker, vicar of Eskdale,  stood for the Scottish Labour party in the May 3 vote.

Richard won the seat for North East Scotland and his wife Claire, 36, won the Mid Scotland/Fife seat, under a proportional representation voting system.

The couple, who will spend their time to-ing and fro-ing between Aberdeen and Fife, have a 17-month-old daughter, Catherine. http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/people/flying-the-flag-over-the-border-1.189783

 

 

 

 

August 2009; Richard Baker, Labour MSP gets humiliated over justice issue

Yesterday, Labour Justice Spokesman, Richard Baker called for a recall of the Holyrood Parliament to discuss the fate of the man known as the Lockerbie Bomber. As the song says; “What a difference a day makes”! Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson in reply said; “I have weighed up all the factors and have decided not to recall Parliament”.

So, not only is Richard Baker wrong and out of step; he is also out of time. Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson goes some way to agreeing that any decision on releasing is purely a matter for Scottish Ministers alone.  http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/richard-baker-labour-msp-gets.html

 

 

 

 

January 2011; Labour MSP Richard Baker uses attempts to frighten Scots

Richard Baker is trying the well used Labour Party tactic of fear and scaremongering to get people to vote Labour.  Why? Because the Labour Party in Scotland have no ideas on how to tackle crime!

Robert Owens once said that in order for people to be good they had to do good,  community sentences allow offenders to do exactly that.

It’s all about planting a seed in people’s minds that allows ideas to flourish. http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/labour-msp-richard-baker-uses-fear-and.html

 

 

 

 

April 2011 Kenny MacAskill  debates with Richard Baker from Labour

Richard Baker from Labour talking tosh. Claims £500 million spent on hospital care each year. The next video destroys the lie. What a plonker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvvCXr0Nn0Y

 

 

 

 

 

April 2011; Labour lies on knife crime costs exposed

Richard Baker getting desperate on Newsnight Scotland 18/4/11 Labour lies on knife crime costs exposed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgoaYtDE7HE

 

 

 

 

April 2011: Richard Baker falls to bits on Newsnight Scotland

a. Labour’s cynical dog-whistle knife crime policy is exposed for the fantasy land pish it is. Isobel Fraser reduces The Boy Baker to a simpering wreck as she expertly fisks his lala numbers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixJunZe5l7M

 

Comments;

This why Labour had Isobel Fraser removed from her interviewing position.

This is a good example of how Labour wasted 13 years in Scotland , Scottish Labour could not even have an opinion unless London gave it the nod , and here lies the problem , Why cant the Labour party in Scotland not see the sense of Scotland being independent and then they can concentrate on getting elected in Scotland and only being accountable to the people living in Scotland .?

Lying slippery snake f****. Stop voting people.?

Baker, yur a lying bawbag?

Hauf wit, what kind of lunatics voted for this clown. Get a grip.? ·

I can’t believe this guy is trying to defend this amount even when he has been told over and over again his figures can’t,  won’t, will never add up most likely the same ones they used on the Edinburgh tram f*** – up . The Glasgow rail link f*** – up . The Scottish parliament building f*** – up ?

Baker what a smug prick

What a little snake Baker is.

Why do people vote for these cynical, snidy snakes?

How can people vote for Labour in Scotland after seeing this?

What did North British Labour do in the near decade it ran Holyrood?  I honestly can’t remember very much at all.  This guy gives politicians a bad name and that’s saying something.

What a nasty odious bare faced lying piece of pond life. Why didn’t he make it to the leadership of Liebour in Scotland?

 

 

 

 

April 2011: Richard Baker talks Labour nonsense on knife crime statistics and costs

This man aspires to be Scotland’s next Justice Minister. He relies on a ‘cost’ figure from Medics against Violence which they flatly deny ever making.

Rapidly shifting ground in the face of Isabel Fraser’s facts, he relies on newspaper reports, newspapers such as the ‘Daily Record’, which simply reports Baker himself, and his unsupported assertions. faced with ridicule on this, he shifts ground again to ‘figures from the Violence Reduction Unit’

Here is a quote from the publication that Baker appears to be misusing and misquoting in the interview – “The Health Service bears a significant burden from violence.  Conservative estimates from England and Wales suggest that three to six per cent of the annual Health Service budget is used in the treatment of outcomes of violence.

This equates to an annual cost of between £258m – £517m in Scotland (Home Office Police Research Unit)” pp21 of Reducing violence: An Alliance for a Safer Future.

As clearly shown, Baker is quoting England and Wales figures on the total cost of violence from all causes, either a blatant careless error or a disingenuous misrepresentation of what the VRU were saying.

His policy on knife crime is knee-jerk populism, unsupported by any real evidence, and attacked as unworkable by the police and justice authorities. (Andy Kerr last week made a fool of himself on the same topic with Gordon Brewer) .

Don’t let this man anywhere near the Scottish justice system, never mind a ministerial post!  Vote for the SNP,  the Justice Minister of Scotland, a qualified and experienced lawyer, former senior partner in a Scottish law firm, steeped in the law, and with a sound grasp of fact and figures. http://moridura.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/richard-baker-talks-labour-nonsense-on.html

 

 

 

 

May 2011:  Richard Baker sacked as Justice Spokesman, now tries finance, oh the shame!

Labour Party reshuffle. Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth – Richard Baker MSP sacked from justice for being a halfwit!

If you have to single out anyone as a nugget it is a close run thing between John Park and Richard Baker. Although Park is dense, Baker is a clear winner because at heart he is a total halfwit. Sacked from Justice and replaced by Johann Lamont, oh the shame! http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/labour-party-announces-their-new.html

 

 

 

 

July 2012: Isabel Fraser with Blair Jenkins and Richard Baker – YES and NO to Scotland

The open, positive message of the new Scotland – and the other one … “The very important thing to realise here is that the day after the referendum in 2014 – and I believe people in Scotland will.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc6c5PiSmkI

 

 

 

 

July 2012: Isabel Fraser with Richard Baker – NO to Scotland’s independence

I thought Richard Baker should be heard alone in all his doubletalking, defensive glory – just the man to say NO to Scotland’s independence on behalf of Labour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu7NQCmJda8

 

 

 

 

August 2012: Labour MSP makes first-class blunder in rail fare increase attack

A Labour MSP has been caught out in an embarrassing gaffe after attacking a price rise policy his own party support.

North east MSP Richard Baker was accused of indulging in shameless opportunism after describing a 4.2% increase in rail fares as a “slap in the face” to Scots rail travellers.

The Labour MSP made his comment after Scottish rail fares rose by 1% more than inflation.

Mr Baker, who is Scottish Labour’s shadow infrastructure secretary, said:  “These fare rises are a slap in the face for hard-working Scots.

As ScotRail faces fines of hundreds of thousands of pounds for failing to hit performance targets, the long-suffering commuter ends up paying more.”

However, Mr Baker’s comments were undermined by his own party colleague Maria Eagle MP who said that the one per cent cap imposed by the Scottish Government was in fact Labour party policy.

Speaking on Newsnight, Labour’s Shadow Transport Minister said:  “Labour’s policy is that it should be no more than inflation plus 1%”.

The policy of setting rail fare increases at the rate of inflation plus 1% was in place under previous Labour Governments in both Westminster and Holyrood, having begun in Scotland in January 2004.

Commenting, SNP MSP Aileen McLeod who sits on the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee said: “This is hugely embarrassing for Richard Baker who has been caught out playing shameless political games.

He is either ignorant of what his party has been up to on both sides of the border or is being wilfully disingenuous.

While he has been criticising moves to cap regulated fare increases in Scotland, his colleagues in Westminster have stated that they would do exactly what the SNP Government has done.

“The fact that Labour in Westminster want the whole of the UK to follow the SNP’s lead shows that we have taken the right course of action to balance investment in the railways with fairness to passengers.

“We have protected passengers in Scotland from the far higher price increase people south of the border are facing.”

Richard Baker would be far better advised to join his party colleague and acknowledge that this is the right way forward. “The public expects more from the people it elects than such shameless opportunism and Richard Baker should really know better.”

Watch Labour’s Shadow Transport Minister Maria Eagle here:  {youtube}kqlYFXFbDBc{/youtube   http://www.newsnetscotland.scot/index.php/scottish-politics/5603-labour-msp-makes-first-class-blunder-in-rail-fare-increase-attack?format=pdf

 

 

 

 

September 2012: Labour’s Richard Baker takes Aberdeen for granted

Comments in a blog written by Labour MSP Richard Baker have been condemned as showing appalling arrogance towards tens of thousands of Aberdeen residents.

Mr Baker claims in his piece that Aberdeen should not be punished for rejecting the City Garden Project, yet the referendum found a clear majority in favour of the project.

The decision to axe the project which would have secured thousands of additional jobs was taken by the Labour-led administration rather than the people of Aberdeen who clearly voted in favour of the scheme.

“The democratic referendum found a clear majority in favour of proceeding with the City Garden Project and Richard Baker’s revisionism will not change that fact. “Richard Baker is guilty of taking voters in Aberdeen for granted and he should clarify and apologise for his remarks as a matter of urgency.”  http://www.snp.org/media-centre/news/2012/sep/labours-richard-baker-takes-aberdeen-granted

 

 

 

 

November 2012: Labour MSPs Michael McMahon And Richard Baker Asked To Correct Their Mistakes

Richard Baker tried to score political points by grossly exaggerating how much Knife Crime costs the NHS in Scotland before being caught out by the correct numbers presented by Nigel Hawkes, Director of Straight Facts.

Writing in The Scotsman, Mr Hawkes was scathing of Mr Baker’s claims including saying, “In short, so far I haven’t found an authoritative
source for the claim and so far as I can see, Mr Baker didn’t identify one. If there is one, I’d be delighted to read it.”

Richard Baker’s claim on knife crime: (Official Report, 30th June 2010) Richard Baker: “Knife crime costs our national health service in Scotland £500 million-half a billion pounds-and that is before we even look at the costs to the police and courts”.

The SNP replied; “Labour’s credibility on justice has collapsed completely as their knife crime policy has been exposed as a sham.

In a series of devastating attacks it is now clear there is no evidence behind Labour’s plans and their numbers are either made up, misquoted or based on what their justice spokesman read in the news.”

A Readers advice: I invite you to consider some real facts about the costs of crime from Straight Statistics. Then, when you grow up, abandon the tabloid approach, and perhaps become a real politician with a soundly-based concept of what justice really means, you might just make a useful contribution in the Scottish Parliament and to Scottish society. http://thesteamie.scotsman.com/viewpost.aspx?id=272

 

 

 

 

January 2013:  Firms who blacklist workers to be denied public contracts

Scotland’s public bodies spend more than £9 billion each year on procurement, with construction contracts accounting for more than £2bn.

A Scottish Government consultation on the bill, due to be published early this year, discusses how to increase the use of  “community-benefit clauses in higher-value contracts” to force firms to promote employment and training opportunities for Scots.

The Unite union in Scotland is backing the campaign to prevent blacklisting, with Westminster’s Scottish affairs committee having already taken evidence on the practice in the construction industry.

Labour MSPs Neil Findlay and Richard Baker publicly stated their intention to force SNP ministers to back the move, as part of the Scottish Government’s Procurement Bill that will change the way the public sector buys goods, works and services.

Reader comment: A bit of blatant band-wagon jumping by Baker here, as he tries to take personal credit for measures that are already under consideration.  http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/firms-who-blacklist-workers-should-be-denied-public-cash-1-2715304

But while Baker offers no more than populist sound-bites, the Scottish Government has to consider the legalities and practicalities of the issue.  What a pillock.  http://www.scoop.it/t/politics-scotland/?tag=Richard+Baker

 

 

 

 

January 2014:  One of the, (Better Together) Labour leader to quit Holyrood for Westminster.

Baker declined to rule out standing for Aberdeen North but said he would not discuss his plans until Labour’s UK ruling National Executive Committee decide how the selection process will be conducted for the constituency.

Labour’s UK NEC will meet on Tuesday to decide whether its candidate for the seat, will be chosen from an all-women shortlist or an open selection.

North East Scotland list MSP Baker, a former shadow minister, is understood to have expressed an interest in being selected as the party’s candidate for Aberdeen North. He has a constituency office in the city.

Unite is expected to be influential in the Aberdeen North selection, with the front-runners all members of the union, which was at the centre of a bitter row about the alleged manipulation of a Labour candidate selection in Falkirk.

Baker said: “I wouldn’t want to say anything.  I’m not going to say anything.  I’m not commenting at all.  There’s nothing being decided about it until next week anyway.”

Blair Jenkins, the leader of the pro-independence Yes Scotland campaign, said Baker’s move would show that Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats were not serious about strengthening devolution.

Jenkins, chief executive of Yes Scotland, claimed Baker’s interest in a Commons seat showed that the MSP did not expect significant additional devolution for Holyrood if Scots vote against independence.

He said: “It cannot fill anyone with any confidence that vague promises of further powers for the Scottish Parliament have any hope of being kept when a director of the No campaign is planning to leave the Scottish Parliament to continue his political career at Westminster – presumably because he believes that the key powers over the economy and welfare would continue to reside there if there was a No vote.

“Surely if the anti-independence parties were serious about strengthening the Scottish Parliament after a No vote, those making such pledges would want to be at the centre of power rather than in a remote and increasingly out-of-touch Westminster.”

Nationalist MSP Mark McDonald won Holyrood’s Aberdeen Donside seat in a by-election last June.

McDonald said Baker’s interest in a move to Westminster was damaging to Better Together’s campaign plans.

He said: “With Labour continuing to trail the SNP in the polls after nearly seven years in opposition, Mr Baker’s plans expose the disarray and discontent that obviously exists within Labour’s Holyrood front bench and parliamentary group.”

 

 

 

Reader comments:

He is an awful politician – have you ever heard him on the radio? all bluster and no substance….and thats in comparison to the other politicians.

More evidence that the fiction that Westminster Labour MPs are superior to Labour MSPs is indeed just a Myth. He has recently been demoted for poor performance at Holyrood. An indication perhaps that he will be good enough for Westminster.

Labour’s UK NEC will meet on Tuesday to decide the candidate for the seat So, it will not be a selection made by Scots to represent Scotland. The National Executive is mainly Union led in any case. Scotland has no part in the choosing of it’s own UK Labour MP representative…Time to move on in the 21st century. Vote Yes for a true democratic representation.

Baker is likely to win the backing of the UK’s biggest union, Unite, which is a cash machine for British Nationalist Labour and Bitter Together, if he is allowed to put his name forward for the seat. The reward for his Better Together campaign – no job security.

Could be a good career move. Precedence suggests he may return as First Minister one day, albeit several stones heavier. None of those named have done anything for Scotland.  http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/labour-msp-may-quit-holyrood-for-westminster-1-3265039

 

 

 

 

 

October 2014: At the time of the Scottish Referendum campaign Richard was a director of “Better Together”.

With his strong family links to Cumbria, England he was more than pleased with the result to remain in the UK, stating that, “a strong Labour movement across the whole of the UK, and not divided up via boundaries” was an important thing for him to preserve.

His election to public office in Scotland was reported in the Whitehaven News, as a triumph, “flying the flag over the border”.  So much for his preference of not, “dividing the country via boundaries”.

He evidently does not see Scotland as a nation state preferring to wrap himself in the Labour Party , one country UK coat. http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/clerics-to-retire-1.952060?referrerPath=news

 

 

 

 

October 2014: Richard Baker Hypocrisy On Housing

“It is extremely disingenuous for Richard Baker to criticise the Scottish Government on its record for delivering affordable housing considering Labour’s extremely poor performance while in administration.

“Between 2003 and 2007 Labour built a total of 6 houses.

In contrast the Scottish Government is on target to deliver 30,000 new affordable homes by 2016.

As of March this year the total delivered since 2011 was 19,900.

“The recent changes to the Help to Buy scheme also mean that the housing market has been made much more accessible to first time buyers.

It is particularly useful here in the North East where there are many areas with higher than average house prices.

“I’m sure people in the North East will see Richard Baker’s comments for what they are, an attempt at political point scoring.

http://aberdeenvoice.com/2013/10/richard-baker-buchan-observer-21-10-14/ http://aberdeenvoice.com/2014/10/allard-highlights-labour-hypocrisy-housing/