Every colony which left the English Empire was told they were “not ready,” “not viable,” or would become unstable after independence, except Scotland where no reason can be offered
From STV today: John Swinney is to press the Prime Minister for a second independence referendum after MSPs backed his call for Westminster to grant Holyrood the powers for such a vote to take place. The Scottish First Minister, who is due to meet Sir Keir Starmer for talks in June, said those talks would be “an opportunity for me to progress the will of Parliament”. He spoke out after MSPs backed, by 72 votes to 55, a motion demanding Westminster deliver a Section 30 order to transfer powers to Scotland that would allow a second referendum. However, Downing Street … Continue reading Every colony which left the English Empire was told they were “not ready,” “not viable,” or would become unstable after independence, except Scotland where no reason can be offered
Highest level of common mussel production ever recorded in Scotland after years of Scottish Government support
From Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2025 published today: The Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2025 was published today. This Official Statistics publication details statistics on the employment, production and value of shellfish from Scottish Shellfish Farms. It is structured to follow trends within the common mussel, Pacific oyster, native oyster and king scallop species sectors. Some statistics are given for the 10-year period 2016-2025. Some key figures from this publication are: Source: https://www.gov.scot/news/scottish-shellfish-farm-production-survey-2025/ This achievement was mainly driven by Scotland’s shellfish farming industry, but the Scottish Government has played a major supporting roles because aquaculture and fisheries management are … Continue reading Highest level of common mussel production ever recorded in Scotland after years of Scottish Government support
Long after Murrell was charged, trust in the SNP was way ahead and after this smelly media feeding frenzy has passed, it will be the same
Only two months ago and at the end of a bloody, dirty, campaign by the other parties, the SNP remained miles ahead in terms of trust. From Ipsos, the Paris-based, no-horse-in-the-race trusted pollster, these are big leads and utterly remarkable for a party in power for near two decades. Take out the undecided/none of these and the SNP figure will be even higher. Yes, I see Reform UK on immigration – one-trick pony. Finally, the leaders: Look at the Satisfied figure – 40% for Swinney! As for UK leaders: Swinney is even further ahead. Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/snp-extend-their-lead-while-scottish-labour-support-slumps Continue reading Long after Murrell was charged, trust in the SNP was way ahead and after this smelly media feeding frenzy has passed, it will be the same
5 Conservative, 5 Labour, 1 Lib Dem and 0 SNP MPs have been accused of a betrayal of public trust and were punished by the courts
434 ‘UK’ nurses and midwives who should have been banned and have worked for last 12 years are almost certainly not in Scotland – here’s how I know
In the Guardian today: Nurses and midwives who should have been banned from treating patients have practised over the last 12 years because of “potentially dangerous” failings by a medical regulator. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has admitted that its “completely and utterly unacceptable” mistakes meant it failed to protect the public from about 15 professionals whom it should have banned from ever working in healthcare in the UK because they had broken the law. The nurses and midwives told the NMC about their criminal convictions when they applied to join or stay on the regulator’s register, which they need to … Continue reading 434 ‘UK’ nurses and midwives who should have been banned and have worked for last 12 years are almost certainly not in Scotland – here’s how I know
Four years after SNP bill in Scotland, only children in England and Wales still seeing extreme violence while held needlessly in jail
In the Guardian today: Children seeing extreme violence while held needlessly in jail, says England and Wales watchdog Prisons inspectorate finds almost 100 children each year are remanded to custody only to be bailed or moved. One child told inspectors he had watched through his window as another child was stabbed and had “found that scary”. Most were in custody for the first time, few were given clear information about why they were being held, and some said they were confused and frightened. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/27/children-violence-remand-jail-england-wales-watchdog Can this happen in Scotland? The media operating in Scotland will be busy bottom-feeding for examples … Continue reading Four years after SNP bill in Scotland, only children in England and Wales still seeing extreme violence while held needlessly in jail
Guardian writer’s scenic 111-mile, 3½-hour, bus trip for just £2. Now who did that? Oh, yes John Swinney’s SNP
In the Guardian today: A new cap on bus fares in the Highlands and islands makes exploring this stunning archipelago in Scotland a breeze – The views are remarkable. From one window, gorse-gold hills roll west towards mountains patched with snow. On the other side, fields of new spring lambs slope down to a silver sea. Elsewhere, the bus crosses wide estuaries and cascading burns. There are thatched crofts, rocky bays and birch woods starred with anemones. One of the most remarkable things about this scenic 111-mile, 3½-hour trip on bus X99 is that it costs just £2. Until March 2026, a … Continue reading Guardian writer’s scenic 111-mile, 3½-hour, bus trip for just £2. Now who did that? Oh, yes John Swinney’s SNP
Houses for older people and people with disabilities – very sheltered – Scotland has nearly three times as many in the SNP era as it had in the Labour era
From Housing statistics: Housing for older people and people with disabilities, last updated 26 May 2026, the above extract and: Housing for older people and those with disabilities is currently provided by Local Authorities through the Housing Statistics Annual Return. https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-housing-for-older-people-and-people-with-disabilities/ Note the level of such housing provision in the last days of Labour in Scotland (2007) and in recent years, under the SNP, with approaching three times the level of provision. Continue reading Houses for older people and people with disabilities – very sheltered – Scotland has nearly three times as many in the SNP era as it had in the Labour era
How the social sector housing stock in Scotland plummeted in the Labour years but is recovering in the SNP years
Above, left, the social housing stock in Scotland, increasing by 6.5% in the SNP years and, above right, decreasing by 17.6% in the Labour years. From Housing Statistics: Social housing stock, last updated 26 May 2026, published yesterday, the above tables and: These figures provide the total number of social housing stock in Scotland. They are updated each year using information from Housing Statistics Annual Returns and stock figures from the Scottish Housing Regulator. https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-social-housing-stock/ Continue reading How the social sector housing stock in Scotland plummeted in the Labour years but is recovering in the SNP years
Producing more than half of the UK electricity from wind but Scots will just have to go ‘tribal’ to pay their bills
with their bills is on the rise in Scotland according to Consumer Scotland. BBC Reporting Scotland in their regular wee BBC Breakfast inserts go on to suggest, via two brothers, a ‘tribal’ strategy, as they put it themselves, where they, their families and others live in the one house to keep energy bills down. So, it’s just up to us to cope with high energy bills is it? Are you sure we couldn’t do something else like political independence and the powers to tax the energy companies? Does Scotland produce enough energy to meaningfully generate enough tax revenue to then … Continue reading Producing more than half of the UK electricity from wind but Scots will just have to go ‘tribal’ to pay their bills
Talking-up Scotland 