From Factchecker, The Canary, today:
The new Labour Party government is stripping winter fuel payments from 1.6 million pensioners living in poverty this winter. This is according to a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) minister – showing that Labour knew this – but are ploughing ahead anyway.
DWP minister Emma Reynolds disclosed the information in response to two written questions from MPs. The first was from Labour MP for Lowestoft Jess Asato. She tabled the question on 30 August. Of course, this was a little under two weeks before she voted with the government to strip pensioners of it.
With 8% of the population, that means more than 100 000 Scots pensioners will be affected.
All of the Scottish Labour MPs, above, did what they were told and voted with the Government. None attended. I’m guessing they were busy looking at new smart-wear for when they do bother to show up.
All of the SNP MPs voted for the amendment to keep the universal award.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
BACK TO LABOUR POVERTY AND WOMEN GETTING POORER
A TYPICAL OF THE MALE DOMINATED CHAUVINIST LABOUR PARTY
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Not true. There is a greater proportion of women Labour MPs than there has ever been. The Deputy Leader is a woman, as is the Chancellor, the Home Secretary and around half of those with portfolios.
Alasdair Macdonald
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While we have 8% of the population, ours demography is proportionately older and we live in a colder part of GB, therefore IMHO this estimate of 100000 at risk is understated.
Stewart . McMutrie
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The rUK labour in Scotland party have just lost 100,000 volatile Scottish grannies n grandads votes for 2026 and beyond.
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Somehow I doubt that will happen. They like to be fooled. Happens repeatedly, as vis the recent G.E.
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I have seen these headlines Times and Telegraph but as I don’t pay cant read the whole story,maybe worth a read if anyone can,
Brexit blunder delays Border Force fleet replacement until 2030
New cutters and patrol vessels won’t be delivered until 2030 and cost £300 million, 6 times original budget.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FERRIES
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Sure I suggested this previously – Get yourself an archive add-on – If it’s already been archived you can read it immediately, if not you have to wait until it’s created it beyond the paywall – I just searched using the Times headline, the article was archived 2 days ago.
Don’t bother posting the archive link here, there’s a system glitch….
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Any headlines behind a paywall. Just Google the subject. Various articles on the subject will come up. Various articles. Regurgitated news. They all copy from each other.
The new Ferries will save £Billions on fuel over time. £10,000 a night to dock in harbours. Shetland ferry sails every night from Aberdeen approx 5 -6pm. Depending on the tide. Often half empty. £10,000 a night to dock in the harbour. That is why supply boats hang about off shore. A small ferry boat takes the personnel a shore and back.
The new ‘green’ ferries will save on fuel. That is the point of them. Save £Billions. A complete investment. The technology can be introduced and benefitted from world wide. An investment in the Scottish economy.
70,000 islanders 34 ferries. 6 on order. 1 ferry for 2,000 on average. Subsidised and subsidised flights.
10 ferries to Arran a day. Every hour. Better than some bus services. Still people complaining. Ignorance is bliss.
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Labour are finished especially in Scotland. Pensioners and their families vote. Labour targeting the old, the young, the sick and the vulnerable.
Same old, same old. Illegal wars, financial fraud, £Billions spent on decommissioning. HS2, Hinkley Point wasted £Billions. Tax evasion. Trident dumped in Scotland. Rotting subs. Redundant weaponry wasted £Billions. Brexit costing £Billions. 40% of Scotland spending decided by Westminster poor, bad decisions. Scotland in surplus in fuel and energy and nearer the source pay more. No parity because of Westminster decisions. Scotland would be much better off Independent. Not paying the rest of the UK debts. Scotland paying repayments on debts not borrowed or spent in Scotland. An absolute scandal.
People voted Labour to get the Tories out. Labour have betrayed the working class attacking the poorest in the land and allowing tax evasion. £30Billion. £3Billion in Scotland because of Westminster policies. The whole of the UK would be better off if Scotland was Independent. Westminster could not abuse Scottish resources and revenues. The Barnett Formula designed to take assets out of Scotland. Muse use the Scottish revenues. No taxation without representation.
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Labour 404 MPs 186 women
Tory 121 MPs 29 women
LibDem 72. 33 women
SNP 9 MPs 1 women
Labour MPs decided to starve their parents and other people’s parents.
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Scotland also has a higher proportion of pensioners as per the population. Another Westminster double whammy on Scotland.
One the budget is sorted re Block Grant £41Billion. The Scottish Gov can restore the fuel payment. Scottish Gov having to mitigate again. The incompetents at Westminster cannot count or read a balance sheet. Westminster corruption and lies.
Rayner going on about going on holiday. A millionaire donor paying for it. Doesn’t get pay for it herself from her massive earning. Like everyone else. Few people get millionaires paying for their holidays. Labour total corruption. Pensioners might get a bus trip. Paid for it themselves after working all their lives.
Any wealthy pensioners pay tax. Pay any payments back. 10% of pensioners pay tax. 6% of pensioners work in England. 9% work in Scotland. Many do voluntary work and help in communities. Childmind children and save the State a fortune. Pensioners born before 1950. Receive £800 a month. 1/4 of the average income. Pensioners born after 1950 receive £1000. A 1/3 of the average income. The lowest in Europe. A two tier pension system. It means more pensioners have to get benefits. The administration costs are much higher than giving pensioners a reasonable amount.
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Martin McClusky ,the new Labour MP for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West, received and accepted a donation of £10,000 from the Labour Think Tank ‘Labour Together Ltd.
Their former Director, Josh Simons, had said a supposed ‘joke but it was really more of an offensive and flippant remark (which was in very bad -that is – was in poor taste) as in he said that “shipping gangs smuggling asylum seekers should be sent on a barge from England to Scotland”.
Funny is it not , how the joke is always on Scotland though, and when , as a crass supposed joke, it is said by an Englishman (woman) at Scotland’s expense then there is never any question of him (or her) ever being called anti Scottish.
But what is not so funny is the fact that a Labour candidate/now MP , Martin McClusky, would accept a financial donation from this Think Tank after such a crass joke was made against Scotland and also against such an emotive and tragic subject , as in asylum seekers, by the Director of that same Think Tank.
So who are Labour Together Ltd ?
Well you can look at their website which you will find under the name of their Think Tank Labour Together Ltd.
I did, and I was amazed to read that “Labour Together Ltd was built, as in formed, by a group of Labour MP’s.
Among them , as Labour MP’s, are some familiar names Rachel Reeves, Lisa Nandy , Wes Streeting, Steve Reed, Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell. (where it stated on their website that it , as a Think tank, was formed “to make Labour electable again).
Now some of these same Labour MP’s who built (formed) this Think Tank are now Labour Ministers.
However their former faux pas Director , Josh Simons, who made the crass joke about asylum seekers and Scotland is no longer the Director of this Labour Think Tank, as he stood down when he was elected as a Labour MP, in the recent UK GE.
Josh Simons was selected to be one of Labour’s candidates after he made the tasteless supposed ‘joke’ about asylum seekers and Scotland.
Well of course he was .
As with him being selected by Labour as their candidate in the English area of Makerfield, then who within the UK Labour party or indeed within their Scottish branch would object to his selection as a Labour candidate after him making such an offensive supposed joke – or indeed who within his new constituency ,as voters who elected him , cared about him either disrespecting Scotland or Asylum seekers ?
So guess who is now this new , Labour Together Ltd, Think Tank Director ?
None other than the former Labour MP and Shadow Minister Jonathan Ashworth who lost his seat in the recent UK GE !
(Jobs for the boys, as even when they lose their seat as an MP -as in rejected by voters in their constituency- then , just like the Tories, the party will always find a new job for them – so yet another no “change” there then from what the former Tory government often did in them too finding a job for a MP who lost their seat).
The address of Labour Together Ltd is East Finchley in London. (of course it is).
Of course it makes perfect sense , to Labour that is, that an MP elected in Scotland , as in Martin McClusky, would receive a financial donation of £10,000 from a Think Tank based in London, England which was founded, as a Think Tank, by English Labour MP’s.
As is that not how it always works (or plays out within their UK).
But wait was he the only one who received money from them, as a Labour MP elected in Scotland, via a financial donation ?
Well I decided to research this to see who also, as a Scottish Labour MP, received money from this Labour Think Tank via looking at the UK parliament’s register of Interests for specific MP’s.
So far I have found some of the other new (and an old one too as in Ian Murray) Labour MP’s also elected in Scotland in July 2024 who were also recipients of financial donations from this London based Labour Think Tank.
They include Ian Murray who received two separate amounts from them which when added together , as amounts, was approx £10,000, Pamela Nash also received £10,000 from them, Chris Murray who is my MP in Edinburgh East also received £10,000 from them, Michael Shanks also got £10,000 from them, Kirsty McNeill received £5000 from them, Zubir Ahmed also received £10,000 from them, Torcuil Crichton also received £10,000 from them and Douglas McAllister also received £10,000 from them.
So I have not checked out all of the 37 Labour MP’s who were elected in Scotland in July of this year in the UK GE via the UK parliament’s Register of Interests which specifies an MP’s earnings/work via external work or donations (and gifts) received .
However some others that I did check out did not get donations from Labour Together Ltd but a lot got donations from other sources like say Unison (based in London) who donated £4800 to new Labour MP and Johanna Baxter, who was formerly the Head of local government for Unison Scotland.
I guess some of the key seats for Labour in Scotland ,via their Think Tank , were the ones seen as needing to get a big donation from that Labour Think Tank.
One does wonder where all of the money originally came from for Labour Together Ltd to dish out so many thousands of pounds to their Labour candidates in Scotland?
After the GE , where Labour won 37 seats in Scotland, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said it was a “historic day” and he also said that the new Labour MPs would “make decisions for the people of Scotland” well that has proven to be false based on all of the WM parliament votes so far in the new parliament session post the GE.
Where these Labour MP’s who were elected in Scotland obviously put themselves and their party first long before even considering (if they even did at all) the people of Scotland in their voting behaviour (pattern), as an MP, in the HOC.
What is true though is that some of those new Labour MP’s elected in Scotland can indeed be bought for English Labour silver (via a Labour Think tank based in London) to sell out the people of Scotland.
Tangled web they (Labour party) weave when first they practise to deceive.
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WHY IS BAILLIE THE SO CALLED SCOTTISH MP
NOT TAGGED WITH VOTING AGAINST POOR SCOTS
IS SHE HIDING AS USUAL BEHIND HER ENGLISH BOSSES
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100,000 x £300 = £30million taken out of the pockets of Scotland’s OAPs
money they would have spent on other things, on a wee trip doon the toun.
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