Edinburgh’s loss making trams project was forced on the SNP minority government by the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems and now they want to shift the blame

The original contract for Edinburgh trams was signed when Labour held power (Image: Newsquest)

In the Scotsman, last week:

The Edinburgh Trams have made a net loss of more than £44 million since opening ten years ago, figures have revealed, mainly due to borrowing costs associated with building the original line.

Coming in at over £400m over budget and three years late, the capital’s trams have not run a profit since 2017.

Sue Webber, Conservative MSP for the Lothian region, said: “These eye-watering losses only add insult to injury for those living and working in the capital. They already had to endure the construction bill for the trams spiralling out of control and reaching over £1 billion.

There something missing, a big thing missing from the above report. This form a Herald reader’s letter last year:

In his attempt to deflect responsibility from Labour/LibDem mismanagement of the Edinburgh tram project, Richard Allison (Letters, September 21) fails to appreciate that the SNP consistently opposed the scheme as TIE’s business case never stood up.

When the SNP minority government took office in 2007, they were forced into diverting £500 million from the transport budget for dualling the A9 into the tram project by Tory, Labour and Lib Dem MSPs.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23807757.real-blame-trams-project-not-lie-snp/

That it takes a reader to tell the truth, tells you a lot about the Herald.

Will the Scotsman try to blame the SNP Government for the infected blood scandal started by Labour in 1976 and ignored by the Cons and New Labour for the next 31 years?

Will they blame the SNP for the drug deaths triggered by Thatcherite economics from 1979 and then ignored by the Cons and Labour for the next 28 years? Oh yes, they already have.

5 thoughts on “Edinburgh’s loss making trams project was forced on the SNP minority government by the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems and now they want to shift the blame”

  1. Remember it well the SNP was outvoted and when they said they would put no more money into the trams the shower of unionist were screaming mad SNP always wanted to put the money into the A9,Murdo Fraser never voted in was one of the worst of the shower.

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  2. Expect to hear soon that the SNPeeeee was to blame for the Two World Wars , the South Sea Bubble fiasco , the Darien Scheme and the great Fire of London !

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  3. The Trams are subsidised and the charge for travel is too low. Bus passes cannot be used on the Trams by pensioners from the rest of Scotland. They paid for it.
    The bus service to the airport still has to run more frequently. Costing more overall.

    Edinburgh transport is subsidised, in Scotland’s wealthiest city.

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  4. In addition to your valid point on “There something missing…”, Rachel Amery at least reports “…mainly due to borrowing costs associated with building the original line ” before allowing List MSP Sue Webber to hide her hypocrisy – Tory AND Labour governments imposed the borrowing model, but it is the Tories who have whacked up the interest rates which have imposed further stress….

    To a Tory mind, only turning a profit will do, it is why Webber interprets “..the capital’s trams have not run a profit since 2017″ as “These eye-watering losses…”, it is baked into the Tory cake.

    No matter where you look in England, public servicing ‘businesses’ teeter on the brink of bankruptcy, and this looks set to continue no matter which party forms the next government…. eg Only Tory embarrassment saved NHS trusts from going belly-up in face of a global pandemic, but they’re slowly building up the debt mountain again because that’s what rocks London’s financial boat….

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