Largs community councillor and Herald really taking the p***, in the gutter, and discreetly between the car doors

In the Herald today: A community councillor has renewed calls to reopen public toilets in Largs, warning that long ferry queues are leading to people urinating in nearby streets. Andy Adair, 85, said the issue had been raised previously but that he was advised to report incidents of public urination to police rather than seek a wider solution. As I remember, there’s a big toilet block near the terminal. Regardless of the length of the queues, why aren’t they using the public toilets, only yards from the terminal? Further down, we read: Ah, the public toilets are closed? Is that not … Continue reading Largs community councillor and Herald really taking the p***, in the gutter, and discreetly between the car doors

How Alex Salmond fought to prevent and to get justice for 600 000 war dead in Iraq while that apparently ‘nice’ Andy was 100% for the war

In 2003, as 1 million in London and 100 000 in Glasgow (me limping in at 99 990) marched against the US/UK plans to bomb and to invade Iraq, only one major party leader stood on the platform to denounce it – Alex Salmond, SNP leader at the time. One year later: Still with the courage he needed, in July 2016: Why do I say courage? He had the courage to oppose a war sanctioned by Parliament and dear to the US administration and then, as the horrors grew and the dishonesty of leaders like tony Blair became clear, to … Continue reading How Alex Salmond fought to prevent and to get justice for 600 000 war dead in Iraq while that apparently ‘nice’ Andy was 100% for the war

Scotland’s gutter press sink slowly into a sheuch like the ones being dug around Nethy Bridge

Above at 9.52pm last night, Police Scotland tell the bitter-for-some truth about the Cairngorm wildfire. Undeterred, 12 hours later, the schadenfreude lot in the newspapers reporting Scotland badly are still telling the news that’s no longer of any use to you, helping to remind you why they’re all going down a sheuch like the ones being dug around Nethy Bridge. Isn’t it not sad. The weather has rained on their parade Continue reading Scotland’s gutter press sink slowly into a sheuch like the ones being dug around Nethy Bridge

Apocalypse Now?

A Nethy Bridge local still at home (?) despite the looming ‘Apocalypse’, interviewed by Sky, perhaps minutes before Police Scotland said it was safe to return, makes one of the many OTT comments, harvested from 2 or 3 residents by Sky and BBC Scotland, to try to make Cairngorm wildfire into evidence, like that in France and Spain, of something deeply worrying. Ignoring the calm reassurances of the Minister, informed by Fire and Police chiefs, they have rather let locals blame the Scottish Government directly for perceived failures such as not having ‘our own’ aircraft or not calling in the … Continue reading Apocalypse Now?

BBC Home and BBC Breakfast report that Cairngorm wildfire residents can return home safely but 12 hours later BBC Scotland are hiding that to keep the SNP Government blame game alight

If, down in Salford or wherever, you’re just reporting the news, there it is above the latest on the Cairngorms wildfire and the folk of Nethy Bridge. It’s the opening sentence in a report, largely based on police statements, last updated around 1am: Residents of the village of Nethy Bridge, near the wildfire that has been burning in the Cairngorms, have been told they can return to their homes after being evacuated on Friday night. The fire was declared a major incident due to a change in weather, but that has now been stood down by Police Scotland. The news … Continue reading BBC Home and BBC Breakfast report that Cairngorm wildfire residents can return home safely but 12 hours later BBC Scotland are hiding that to keep the SNP Government blame game alight

Tell Andrew Bowie, Shadowy Secretary of State for Scotland – No fire service in the UK has direct access to helicopters and the Scottish Government cannot just ‘call-in’ the Army but it has thousands of firefighter not as yet called upon

As the Cairngorm wildfire faces heavy rain tomorrow, local MP and Shadowy Secretary of State for Scotland said: Increasing numbers of constituents had been getting in touch to express concern. In a letter, external to Scottish government minister Gillian Martin he claimed the SNP-led administration had “failed to treat the situation with the seriousness and attention that it deserves”. He singled out the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) lack of direct access to helicopter support. Currently it calls in private companies with helicopters and specialist equipment when needed. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2k7g15v3epo Do any of the UK’s fire service boards have their own helicopters? No. UK … Continue reading Tell Andrew Bowie, Shadowy Secretary of State for Scotland – No fire service in the UK has direct access to helicopters and the Scottish Government cannot just ‘call-in’ the Army but it has thousands of firefighter not as yet called upon

The Edinburgh Tourist Levy to raise £50m a year, to build 472 new houses for locals and more city centre police officers

Reader Arty Hetty has been hearing rumours from elements stirring against the Tourist Levy: ‘Far as I know Edinburgh council are introducing a tourist tax, with the proceeds apparently going to be used to build houses for workers from outwith Scotland, not for services for the residents that are impacted by tourism…needs more investigation but that’s what I saw reported recently.’  stewartb (with added comment below from Legerwood) responding to these rumours: How does it stack up against what the Council is stating? There is an abundance of information on the Levy and what has already been agreed in terms of its … Continue reading The Edinburgh Tourist Levy to raise £50m a year, to build 472 new houses for locals and more city centre police officers

After failures on child grooming and stabbing Scotland seems unable to even run a decent wildfire as two Aberdeen women ignore it

Fresh from not being able to include Scotland in multiple youth stabbing and sex grooming panics, BBC Scotland can only find the above to illustrate Aberdeen after folk were warned to keep their windaes shut in case they choked from the Cairngorms wildfire which has ‘flared up’ in time for rain tomorrow. BBC Scotland are blowing frantically on the embers with big reports and photos from now 38 hours ago. They’ll have to work hard if they are going to keep up with this stuff from BBC UK, looking south to France and Spain where they know all about wildfires … Continue reading After failures on child grooming and stabbing Scotland seems unable to even run a decent wildfire as two Aberdeen women ignore it

SNP Government builds more than four times as many per head homes for social rent than England as Burnham takes over – let’s see what happens?

Thanks to Dottie once more. From the Resolution Foundation, yesterday: In the last year just 12,000 social rent homes were built in England, a fifth of the ‘affordable’ total Britain’s new Prime Minister has put “council housing” at the heart of his programme for government. [1] The case for building more affordable homes is strong: near-record numbers of families in England are living in temporary accommodation today, and 1.3 million households are on local authority housing waiting lists. But whether Andy Burnham means building more homes for social rent, councils building more themselves or both, there is a price tag attached. https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/housing-outlook-q3-2026/Continue reading SNP Government builds more than four times as many per head homes for social rent than England as Burnham takes over – let’s see what happens?