By stewartb Wales Correspondent
I missed this on April Fools’ Day. The Daily Record published an article below the headline: ‘Water bills in Scotland to soar today – find out how you are affected’.
Perhaps it was a ‘slow’ day in the office. After all, the BBC News website and others had covered the rise in charges introduced by Scottish Water way back in January. On January 28, the BBC News website published a detailed, informative piece headlined: ‘Scottish Water bills set to rise 9.9% in April’. The article gave lots of factual information.
Perhaps the Record’s motivation for regurgitating old news becomes clear when one reads this, in what is an otherwise short piece containing nothing else that’s newsworthy:
‘Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie has described the rises as a “gross insult”, adding:
“The SNP is responsible for Scottish Water and approved this inflation busting rise during a cost-of-living crisis. The SNP must reverse this outrageous decision.
“Households should be protected from punishing price hikes and Scottish Water should focus on improving our water infrastructure rather than funding fat cat salaries for those at the top.” (With my emphasis)
“Gross insult”, “Outrageous”, “punishing”, “SNP must reverse”! The British Labour Party’s position – one (unsurprisingly) amplified by the Daily Record – is crystal clear.
Let’s review some other ‘old news’ from elsewhere in the UK and reflect on Ms Baillie’s demand for the protection of households in Scotland from ‘punishing price hikes’.
From Wales Online (January 30): ‘Massive increase in water bills for people in Wales – Household water bills in Wales will increase by 42% over five years and will be among the highest in the UK.’
What about price changes from April 2025? The same Welsh news site reports: ‘People are set to see their water bills go up on average from £503 to £639 from April – around a 27% increase. It’s the start of five years of increases that will see household water bills in Wales rise by a total of 42%.
And on a second, smaller water company in Wales: ‘Hafren Dyfrdwy, which serves about 87,000 customers along the Wales-England border is increasing bills by 32% from April.‘
On the basis of the readily acquired evidence, households in Scotland are being protected to a remarkable degree compared to households in Wales where Ms Baillie’s party colleagues and the Daily Record’s favoured political party have long been in power.
Are leaders of the British Labour Party intent on deceiving voters who read the Daily Record, taking them for fools? And if so, is this possible only with the connivance of this national newspaper?
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Damn Jaikie Bailiie spreads joy , happiness , bliss , rejoicing etc…whenever she LEAVES a room !
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When the leader of the British Labour Party is s conniving, cowardly, corrupt, lying, cruel, evil fool, what else would you expect of his minions stewart. Of course they have to follow his example, otherwise they would never qualify for the baubles awarded by the British State, in Baillie’s case, a Damehood. I believe the D.R, and its print allies, are only being kept afloat by dark money, because they are such an asset to the same British State, who are only to aware that they cannot afford to lose Scotland, and its riches. Traitors one and all, and I can only hope one day they get their comeuppance.
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