By Liz S
John Swinney does a decent thing.
He apologised for something that others did. (this is now an expected act that other political parties expect from the SNP as do the media).
He did this in his capacity as the current FM of the Scottish government.
For that he should be commended as sometimes for those who are wronged in the past all they really want is recognition of that fact and then someone to apologise to them on behalf of others.
Some may argue and question why he did this. Well his apology as the current FM was prompted because of a recent report published on what was referred to as the “Tinker experiment” .
John Swinney chose to recognise , acknowledge , empathise and so apologise to those whose families had been wronged in the past by those others in power within the UK.
BBC article 25 June 2025:
“Swinney apologises to travellers for ‘Tinker Experiment’”
“In what is known as the “Tinker Experiments”, which ran from the 1940s to 1980s, authorities aimed to “settle” travellers by forcing them to leave their lives on the road for permanent settlements”
“It involved parents being threatened with having their children taken from them and put into care if they refused to leave their settlements on roadsides. Swinney said sorry for the “injustice and prejudice” of the historic policies, the impact of which he said was still felt today”.
“Swinney’s statement coincided with the publication of an independent report by academics at the University of St Andrews into the experiments”. One of the report’s authors, Prof Ali Watson, told BBC Scotland News a range of policies had led to discrimination and dehumanisation, amounting to “cultural genocide” against Gypsy Travellers”
“The report, commissioned by Holyrood ministers, found that the UK government’s Scottish Office, as well as churches, charities, local authorities and police, were complicit in facilitating forced assimilation, resettlement and the removal of children”
So the 1940’s to 1980’s long long before even a Scottish parliament and long long before the SNP became the Scottish government.
So who were the UK governments during those times between the 1940’s and 1980’s when this happened ?
UK political parties like the Tories ,Labour & Lib Dems.
However it seems that the usual lack of grace via the Tories is the standard by which they are determined to maintain as the BBC article had noted that:
“Tory MSP Alexander Stewart welcomed the “long overdue” apology. He questioned why it had taken so long and asked if the government was considering compensation for those affected by the experiments”.
If he, Tory Alexander, means “why has it taken so long” in the context of the SNP Scottish government apologising then……….
Yes indeed why has it taken the SNP as the Scottish government so long to apologise for something another (UK) government did and will they, the SNP as the Scottish government, now compensate those wronged for that action taken by another (UK) government ?
I mean Tory MSP Alexander Stewart’s party wronged the WASPI women and then they refused to apologise and ‘compensate’ them but , hey who cares ?
Then of course Tory MSP Alexander (and the BBC in this article) conveniently forget what Douglas Ross the Tory MSP and former Tory leader at Holyrood and former MP once said about Gypsy Travellers.
Ross said that “if he was PM for the day he would impose tougher enforcement against Gypsy Travellers “. Now that deserves an apology more so now that this is the subject being discussed and thus so topical.
Labour’s Paul Kane “also welcomed the statement, and apologised on behalf of his party and called for clarity on financial redress” .
( But Labour MSP Paul and his Labour party like Tory MSP Alexander and his Tory party also refuses “compensation” and “financial redress” for WASPI women even though when Paul’s Labour party were in opposition at WM they called for compensation for WASPI women. Hypocrites are us is a common bond between the Tories and Labour).
Tory Alexander and Labour Paul also fail to recognise that as this was an action taken during times when their respective parties were UK governments that neither of their parties have ever apologised for this or indeed offered “compensation” or “financial redress” to the Gypsy community.
Nope , yet they both expect the SNP as the Scottish government to once again do what their parties have failed to do in decades for the Gypsy community.
So yet again another past wrong done by a UK political party as a UK government that expects the current Scottish government to take full accountability and responsibility for , while also expecting them as the Scottish government to compensate those wronged by their UK parties in the past.
While both of their respective HQ parties drag their heels on the Post office scandal as well as other UK scandals in either failing to agree on or finalising an appropriate compensation package to those who have been , yet again, so badly wronged by them as UK governments.
How long did it take the Tories to acknowledge and then apologise to the Post Office Sub-Postmasters and then offer compensation but not complete that fulfilment prior to them being ousted as the previous UK government. Also it is currently being reported that under the new Labour UK government “compensation is still moving far too slowly” to those who were wronged (and it is yet another thing that the Scottish government have also been dragged into while having no culpability in this at all).
That’s the UK folks.
However some Scots love it and seem to want more of this as it seems that progression for Scotland as a country is not required by some Scots hence why they still vote for UK political parties as a constant.
In fact this very subject will be used by some of these Scottish voters , and too the media, as a political weapon and so apparently be further justification for them to not vote for the SNP and so allow them to keep voting either Tory, Labour, Lib Dem or even for the new cult pretend political party Reform UK.
Buyers remorse is always guaranteed , but will some of these voters in Scotland admit that to be the case post them electing any of these UK parties for either our Councils, our Scottish parliament or for the UK parliament, for some I suspect not , as they will just continue to suffer, like we too must constantly suffer for their poor and uninformed decisions in who they decide to vote for, not because they think these UK parties are better but only because they are known as a political party to support the UK. (bottom line always for some voters here).
The same UK that has caused so so much injustice and so many wrongs for so many people, yet as a UK it expects the SNP to both apologise for these injustices and wrongs and also to pick up the tab as a constant as well.
Liz S
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
One of my four great grandfathers moved as a young man from the coal pits of Ayrshire, right across Scotland in the 1890s, to Duns in Berwickshire to work as a farm labourer and live next door to the family of his bride – Watsons, thus my middle name. They are in the 1901 census around the time my grandfather is born but not in the 1891, the 1911 or later census returns. I can’t find them anywhere in the UK – travellers going off grid again? My grandfather, father and I all born not far from Kirk Yetholm with its ‘gypsy horse fairs.’ All three of us take a tan as they say and were teased for that.
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Excellent article from Liz.
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The unionists have absolutely no shame and choose to pretend a complete lack of self-awareness.
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I see BBC QT are at it again. Not shocked or surprised.
Inviting a Councillor onto their panel last night on the episode in St Andrew’s.
That’s unusual is it not as normally it is either an elected member of the UK parliament, a HOL representative or an elected member of the Scottish, Welsh or NI devolved parliaments as the political representative on their panel.
Oh wait , it was a Reform UK Councillor , not elected as such, as he was originally elected as a Tory councillor and then defected to Reform UK.
Currently in Scotland there are no actual elected by the public Reform UK MP’s, MSP’s or Councillors that could have been on the BBC QT panel last night, so BBC QT decided that they would buck the trend and so allow him, Thomas Kerr a former Tory Councillor who then defected to Reform UK as a Councillor, to be on their panel as they just love to platform , and hopefully help, any pretend party that Nigel Farage is ‘leader’ of.
It seems that BBC QT or rather BBC HQ are determined to change that situation in Scotland , as in the one where currently there are no actual elected by the public Reform UK members.
BTW Thomas Kerr is also invited onto the so called Scottish version of BBC QT, as in BBC Debate Night , but only since he defected to Reform UK in January 2025. He has now been on two episodes of Debate Night on the 13 March and also on 25 May this year. (I am confident that he will also have some other appearances both on Debate Night and also on QT , when in Scotland , as he seems to be the voice of Reform UK within Scotland and also the BBC want to platform Reform UK as a -pretend- political party both here in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK too).
I mean when BBC QT are in England we often see that Reform UK are given a disproportionate amount of appearances considering they only have five MP’s (and I refer to before the time of the local English elections when they gained Councillors).
Last night all of the other panel members were either an MP or an MSP and so Thomas Kerr stood out like a sore thumb, as does BBC QT in respect to how often they are seen to constantly be platforming many of Farage’s pretend political parties.
Also we note just how often they, BBC QT, include non politician guests who are either programme hosts or regular guests of either GB News or Talk TV (as in the two channels in opposition to the BBC whose guests and hosts often criticise the BBC, as does Nigel Farage, but someone with both power and influence within the BBC seems determined that they all, as far too regular panel members on QT, should be often heard, be seen and so be free to try to influence any gullible viewers/voters who watch this BBC programme).
The day after the English local councils elections the BBC website on their Scottish pages had this:
“Will Scotland be next to feel rise of Reform UK”?
“Reform UK are the talk of the political steamie following their breakthrough results in England’s local elections”.
“Are they poised to make similar inroads in Scotland”?
That’s your BBC trying to influence voters here into doing the same as England.
Raising the profile of Reform UK in Scotland is already happening with some of the media here (especially the BBC) as they are determined that we , like England, begin to elect Reform UK (pretend) politicians to our parliament next year.
The BBC in Scotland now see those wins in the local elections in England for Reform UK as a further justification in them now inviting someone , like say a former Tory councillor who then defected to Reform UK, onto their various TV and Radio news programmes, politics programmes and various Debate programmes.
Of course with Reform UK getting that kind of publicity, assumed legitimacy and establishment acceptance from the BBC (and other media) then some gullible voters who are seemingly susceptible to suggestion may yet again fall for the (bad) patter from a (pretend) party like Reform UK as they perform to the camera.
Reform UK, like Labour and the Tories, (and the Lib Dems) are not on the side of the Scottish people as they, as branch offices in Scotland, are far too compromised by their respective HQ’s in England, who let’s be honest are the ones calling the shots as to what their branch offices do as those who sit within devolved parliaments and also within any UK Councils too (including Scottish Councils , where we now see that they as Scottish Councils include defected Tories who are now Reform UK Councillors).
I do hope that no one will fall for what the biased BBC propaganda is trying to promote in these so called debate programmes , as this has now become very much an obvious pattern that we see with them , as in whom they often have as guests on their panels (and in their audiences too).
However based on the Scottish results of last year’s UK GE and the result of the recent Scottish by-election I am not convinced that we will avoid the worse happening next year in the Scottish elections, as it seems that both disenchanted and politically disengaged voters seem to be either not voting at all or voting in a way that eventually ensures either regret at not voting or buyers remorse in voting for the wrong party for them as voters .
So I wonder will they, as voters or non voters, be able to buck that trend next year ?
Well the ball is in the court of the SNP , best that they, as a party, push all out for independence in their election campaign next year as they have nothing to lose now, other than yet another election, that is if they do not finally take a stand for independence as their main objective in next year’s elections. At least then based on the results of next year’s elections will we finally see how people in Scotland truly respond to and so really feel about a determined call for independence from the SNP.
It will either be a resounding YES or another weak win for NO.
Liz S
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I gave up on the BBC when they started charging over 80s for a license. I refuse to pay to get their anti-Scottidh propaganda. QT is one of the worst vehicles for this in choice of panelists, venues and constant interruptions of Scots by FB.
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I do not watch it either I just find out who’s on it via social media.
Like you I am not open to willingly listening to lies and propaganda.
It’s a stitch up every week and FB regularly oversteps the mark as a mere host as her intel that she relates is not always reliable, not that she nor the BBC cares about that.
Liz S
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I will just add this comment here ,may go unnoticed and may not be acknowledged or noticed by anyone but hey it is better out than in (for me that is). Ha Ha.
Israel and the US bomb Iran.
23 June 2025 BBC Breakfast programme.
David Lammy the Labour UK Foreign Secretary states that Iran should be the one who has to “show restraint & step back”. (an action he expects them to take after being attacked by Israel).
So Iran is attacked but the UK Labour Foreign Secretary urges them not to retaliate but instead he expects them to allow themselves to be bombed and their citizens killed.
Thus giving carte blanche to Israel to continue attacking them and then with Israel knowing that there is no risk to them, as Iran are showing “restraint” and choosing to “step back”, they , Israel, continue their aggression.
So is this Lammy’s position for the UK ?
Where if his UK State was attacked by a foreign aggressor aka another hostile country then the UK government would “show restraint and step back” in other words not retaliate.
Well that is seemingly his obvious position for Iran , yet we are also expected to believe that the UK State needs an increase on their defence spending in what they as a government describe as there currently being “a volatile world”.
Who makes it volatile ?
Would that be the kind of leaders who think that they can appear strong if they choose violence over peace and also governments who vastly increase their spending on defence while neglecting the needs and wants of their own citizens at home?
Worse still is that we also have yet another current fool for a UK PM who advocates that “negotiation and de-escalation” is the best tactic to apply in this current situation between Israel the aggressor and those other countries they choose to attack.
Where Israel are the ones who are determined to consistently attack other nations within the Middle east region and Starmer’s UK government are still reported to be supplying Israel with weapons and also supporting them in justifying their attacks on other countries as being a “right to defend themselves” while he , Starmer, is also allowing and so condoning the training of Israeli soldiers within the UK.
So how can one as a UK PM declare you want to see negotiation and a de-escalation of the violence while also as a UK PM you know your country is supplying Israel with the weapons to continue the violence and so allow it to escalate with even more violent attacks on others, thus the UK is complicit , and so they are making it unnecessary for Israel to consider negotiation as they, Israel, know they have the support of other countries like the UK.
Starmer is no diplomat but just another political hypocrite who says one thing but does the opposite , in other words he speaks with a ‘forked tongue’. (constantly).
On the 25 June 2025 Starmer also tweeted:
“In an era of global uncertainty, we can no longer take peace for granted. My government is investing in our national security by purchasing 12 new F-35A fighter jets, supporting thousands of high-skilled jobs and opportunities for working people. Secure at home, strong abroad.”
What about this Tory 22 billion black hole ?
So where is the money coming from to pay for defence that is then money that is not able to be found for WASPI women, Benefit recipients and Pensioners (last winter) ?
It seems the logic of Labour is that the UK as a nation, and indeed other western nations as well as Israel can all defend their nations and fight back if attacked but that rule does not apply to any Muslim nation or nation the UK and some others do not like or have trade with.
However in this scenario with Israel we see the UK, America and also very much their compliant media fail to identify Israel as the aggressor in this conflict.
Israel attacks and then whoever they attack they , as those who are the attacked, then become the problem as in Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran but when attacked Keir Starmer and his Foreign Secretary expects no retaliation, expects restraint and then has an expectation for them who are being attacked to negotiate with their aggressors. (Israel).
Meanwhile in Scotland there are people who will continue to either ignore all of this or be wilfully oblivious to it and so still vote for Labour in all subsequent elections while trying to frame the SNP as being the baddies , not through their actual lived experience in Scotland but only because Labour and their media tell them that is the case.
I may have given up on trying to convince peeps in Scotland , as I am a tad fed up at being scunnered with it all, however they as Labour voters in Scotland , do not get to try to take Labour’s side in their fake arguments in support of Israel and neither does their media. (or indeed do they get to back Labour up in other weak and poor political decisions that they have made as a UK government ).
Of course what is not promoted by the MSM but is promoted by alternative media is the fact that “Lammy has consistently refused to condemn or even acknowledge Israel’s war crimes in Gaza and Since becoming an MP in 2000, the man who would be foreign secretary has accepted donations from the pro-Israel lobby on numerous occasions. The value of these donations is £32,550, Declassified has found”.
“Lammy is a supporter of the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) group, which works to promote the interests of Israel within the Labour Party”.
Lammy was also forthright in condemning Russia on Ukraine and in identifying what Russia were doing was tantamount to “war crimes” but he was far more reticent in condemning Israel and their actions in Gaza and in October 2024 when Israel bombed the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, and killing over 50 civilians.
Lammy was asked about this and he defended Israel and justified that action in him responding that “it’s wrong to bomb a refugee camp but clearly if there is a military objective it can be legally justifiable. It’s for Israel to explain its actions”.
Yes , apparently it’s up to Israel to explain their actions in Gaza but Lammy will explain and spell out who he thinks Russia is and identifies them as aggressors who commit “war crimes”.
On 15 November it was reported that “Lammy abstained on the parliamentary vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and indicated that shadow ministers who voted in favour of the motion would have to resign”.
Labour have enabled and emboldened Israel to continue to take the actions they have taken in Gaza thus Labour are as culpable for the murder of innocent Palestinian civilians as those who dropped the bombs and fired the shots.
The Tories and other UK parties are no different either as they have supported Labour and Israel as we all know of the existence of ‘Conservative Friends of Israel’ , Liberal Democrats Friends of Israel and also Labour Friends of Israel.
(Friends with benefits in that they , Labour, will not call out the nation of Israel when it chooses to kill innocent people including women and children as Labour worry that their political funding could be impacted as money talks with UK political parties and so it buys their silence, their support and their propaganda).
Starmer is heard to often declare that “The UK stands with Israel” yet I know there are a huge amount of people within the UK who do not agree with this.
So who is he, Starmer, speaking on behalf of ?
Not me that’s for sure.
Starmer like Trump is making the world far more volatile in his passive attitude towards Israel thus enabling and emboldening them to do as they want which includes the genocide of the Palestinian people which Keir Starmer and his Labour government refuse to acknowledge or condemn.
I hate the UK State and I also hate all of the parties who support it and who , as UK parties, pretend it , the UK, is a State that supports free speech, civil rights and seeks peace in the world when all of that , as actual rights and as a position , are only limited to those people and those countries that they say are allowed to have those rights and freedoms.
(It is certainly not us in Scotland that’s for sure or any Muslim country, though certain Muslims in certain political parties are willing to ignore that within their own political party like Sarwar and also Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf, as with power comes corruption , which they both would call ‘compromise’ ).
What a **&%%$$ mess and no wonder some voters have bailed out and abandoned politics but one assumes in doing that they also then do not vote in any election for anyone, maybe it is time some party in Scotland supportive of Scottish independence gave them a reason to begin voting again in elections…….like say some political party explaining why and what independence could unleash for them as citizens of Scotland in the future. I and other know what could happen with an independent Scotland and we just need others in Scotland to fin ally ‘grasp the Thistle’.
Liz S
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