BBC NEWS: "The Scottish Socialist Party also paid its respects and repeated the call for the troops to be home for Christmas.

Party leader Tommy Sheridan said: 'Our condolences go out to the parents of those Black Watch soldiers killed in Iraq.

'Yet more parents and loved ones are going to go through the nightmare of losing family members because of an illegal occupation which is about oil and world domination and has nothing to do with freedom.

'All the troops must be withdrawn from Iraq by Christmas or yet more tears will be shed and blood spilled on the alter of Bush and Blair's war for oil.'"

Evening News: "Scottish Socialist Mr Fox said the move would give a 'raw deal' to elderly patients. He added: 'We have already seen the closure of the Northern General Hospital and the Eastern General when we were told it would improve services.

'Now NHS Lothian are telling us the closure of the Royal Victoria will mean things get better. But this is a deterioration of services. Edinburgh Royal Infirmary is like a Hoover, sucking everything in.'
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