Gray's Theorem, or, The Identification of a Need Creates the Finance to Meet It.

A few years ago, Wendy Alexander marched into a meeting of telecomms providers in Scotland, and stated that they should be able to cable the Highlands for £5m.

Given that the cost per metre for cabling broadband links was in the region of £130, there was a lengthy pause in the proceedings, whilst everyone tried to find a way of explaining to Wendy that her decimal points were in the wrong place.

Now Wendy meant well; her heart was indeed in the Hielans, it's just a pity her head was otherwise engaged.

Now, in the middle of a financial bollocks which was overseen in large part by his own Labour chums in Westminster, we get Iain Gray demanding that everyone in Scotland gets a broadband service delivery guarantee.
No mention, you'll note, of cost.

Indeed, Iain seems to have an imperfect grasp of the constitutional situation.
He indicates that telecomms should be viewed as a necessary utility, along with gas and electricity.
Both of the latter are reserved to London, Iain.
Where the money is.
Broadband is devolved to Scotland, where the money isn't.
In fact, the money isn't here to the tune of £1bn over the next two years.

I hope the sunsets are pretty on the planet that Iain is currently inhabiting, but maybe he could indicate what services should be chopped to make way for his latest piece of rhetoric.