S4M-04421 # John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Scottish National Party): That the Parliament notes the ongoing debate concerning a possible merger between BAE Systems in Glasgow and EADS; notes with interest the recent comments of the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling MP, and some backbench Conservative MPs, who recognise that, in some cases, a merger or acquisition is not in the long-term interest of the consumer or country as a whole; recalls examples, such as the mergers between the Royal Bank of Scotland and ABN Amro, AOL and Time Warner, Lloyds TSB and the Bank of Scotland, and Scottish Power and Iberdrola, which it considers have been of doubtful benefit to customers, staff or the wider national interest, and believes that a review of merger and acquisition policies might be of widespread advantage.