The San Juan Islands are part of an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of San Juan County.
In the archipelago, four islands ONLY are accessible to vehicular and foot traffic via the Washington State Ferries system.
From the Islands Weekly, yesterday:
San Juan Islands brace for decade of ferry uncertainty despite billion-dollar state investment | New boats won’t serve islands; aging vessels and service disruptions are “the new normal,” officials warn – The stark reality: None of the three new hybrid-electric ferries funded by Ferguson’s proposal will serve the San Juan Islands, and the first replacement vessel won’t arrive until 2030 at the earliest.
“It’s safe to say that we have yet another decade of very concerning service levels across the Washington State Ferry system, not just San Juan County, but across the system,” San Juan County Council member Justin Paulsen said in a recent interview. “There is no quick fix.”
The billion-dollar investment that bypasses the islands.
Once more, imagine this was in Scotland.
Talking-up Scotland 
Things
Are
Better
In
Scotland.
John Lawson
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O/T
Kemi sacks Robert Jenrick.
Better late than never .
Surely it was obvious long before now that he was the Tory , as in the future Reform UK, enemy within.
Apparently Nigel is going to call him , as in pretend that they have not already spoken…..many many times is my guess.
Strange too that most of the Tory defects now welcomed into Reform UK were some of the same Tories that Nigel Farage once made most disparaging remarks about, including their lack of trustworthiness and their failings as politicians.
I now believe that surely many non staunch Scots must be realising that Farage is in fact forming a new Tory party.
That will include many former Tories rejected by the electorate in the 2024 UK GE, and who, as former Tory MP’s and Tory Ministers, also previously made disparaging remarks about Nigel Farage, in what was obviously formerly a mutual lack of appreciation from both sides. .
It has now been announced that the unelected former Tory , Lord Malcolm Offord , is to be Reform UK’s leader in Scotland , which I am sure will be for him a stepping stone to try to return to WM at some point in the future.
Thomas Kerr and Graham Simpson sidelined for a millionaire who formerly donated a lot of money to his , and also their , former party the Tories.
#Cronyism.
My husband and I got a election campaign letter signed by Nigel , with a picture of him and Offord at the top of the ‘letter’, and the text of the letter is hilarious in that it states:
“Lord Offord of Garvel a leading Conservative in Scotland , has just joined Reform and given up his Tory peerage to stand for us as ‘plain old Malcolm from Greenock in the May elections”.
Firstly ” a leading Conservative in Scotland” ?
Nope, he was a Tory at WM in the HOL’s who some alleged bought his peerage via donations to the Tories. No one elected him in Scotland so he was forced upon us via the Scottish Office by the Tory UK government , when he once the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State against Scotland in the Scottish Office .
“Given up his Tory peerage”
Well the operative word here is “Tory” as in he has not given up his peerage but his “Tory Peerage”. As a life peer cannot renounce their title, they can resign their membership from the House of Lords. This means they lose the right to sit and vote in Parliament, but they retain the title itself. Someone is trying to pull a fast one here.
Also Offord as a member of the HOL could not have stood in the Scottish elections as a candidate. So his decision was a selfish one and not a noble one (pun intended).
Offord’s life peerage cannot be relinquished
Also if things do not pan out for Reform UK in Scotland, will he then return to the HOL’s in the future as a crossbencher, or if Nigel gets his way then Offord could become a future Reform UK peer.
“plain old Malcolm from Greenock in the May elections” ?
A millionaire , former Tory peer , who apparently is a Yacht(s) owner, drives a Jaguar and so there ain’t nothing “plain” about old Offord when one considers his financial status, indeed drop the “plain” and keep the “old” then replace “plain” with ‘Privileged old Malcolm formerly from Greenock, but not any more’.
BTW Farage in announcing Offord today as the (pretend) leader of (the pretend party) Reform UK in Scotland also said that:
“about 100 Scottish candidates had undergone vetting and training in London“.
“In London” ?
That tells you everything you need to know about this English Nationalist party, whose HQ leader in 2014 clearly represented England’s interests over Scotland’s (still does) , as he was promoting that Scotland should be reigned in and so more attention and an even bigger political voice should be given to England.
19 September 2014 Nigel Farage said “Time to stop Scots tail wagging the dog” .
Fast forward to 2026 and Farage dare not repeat this quote , as apparently he now wants us “tail wagging Scots” to elect candidates of his (pretend) party to our Scottish parliament !
If I was John Swinney or indeed an SNP candidates for the May elections, then I would start researching Offord’s beloved HQ leader’s former many negative opinions (and I suspect also his current opinion as well ) upon Scotland within the UK , compared to his clearly representing and promoting England’s interests within the UK first and foremost over all other nations within the UK.
Not because Farage cares for people within England but he knows the people in England are the King makers in UK GE’s .
Voting for Reform UK in May will not see any “reform for Scotland” but it will give the media in Scotland an excuse to platform yet another UK party against the SNP and against Scottish independence.
BTW the ‘No Borders Campaign’ now dissolved, and had a company address at Acanchi Ltd, 32-34 Great Marlborough St, London and companies house also now states that , for the various companies with him as a current Director, that Offord’s current ‘country of residence’ is England.
That figures for Offord’s position in English politics at WM , so where is his base aka his residence within Scotland , that will then make him eligible to stand as a candidate in the Scottish elections……….in Greenock Ha Ha?
Liz S
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James Kelly of Scot Goes Pop posted this today:
“BBC: “Former Conservative minister Lord Malcolm Offord has been named as Reform UK’s first Scottish leader.” All jokes aside, that’s really sloppy reporting. Reform UK’s first Scottish leader was Michelle Ballantyne between 2021 and 2022″
Indeed she was James, however that’s the BBC communicating non verified news from somewhere other than within England……….
Yet it is also the same BBC that promotes the dangers of “Fake news on social media” yet constantly ignoring or simply choosing to broadcast their won special version of “BBC fake news“.
They , BBC News teams, have one friggen job FFS (not up to it, clearly).
Liz S
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*choosing to broadcast their won special version of “BBC fake news“.
choosing to broadcast their own special version of “BBC fake news“.
Liz S
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Just announced now that Robert Jenrick has indeed defected to Reform UK.
Alas the bubble burst on that ‘news’ when Kemi B sacked Jenrick earlier today….
Reform UK sucking up the dregs of the Tory party, as a perfect fit for Reform UK , who as a pretend party, are now the latest dregs of UK politics …………no doubt more dregs will join them, but Farage has now hinted that “high profile Labour defection can also be expected next week”.
This is UK politics folks , as in the same UK politics that was supposed to offer us Scots stability and a sense of being Better Together with the rest of the UK………
Well that bubble also bloody well burst ……….not long after 2014 actually….and nothing has changed since then for us and ‘them’.
If you are not mad now then be prepared to become extremely mad very very soon….also thanks to the UK politics aided by the UK S*** media that has infiltrated Scotland , aka as an UK media infestation given that Scotland is overrun with a huge Pro UK media contingent all working against Scotland in them all constantly TALKING DOWN SCOTLAND.
Or just keep having to put up with this turmoil, instability, lies and corruption that comes with UK politics and too the unsavoury input of most within the UK media.
I do sometimes wonder what is the bloody point.
We will all feel embarrassed if Reform UK do get into our Scottish parliament in May, as they neither respect nor support it as a parliament, but alas some types of voters who are staunch , will always choose to vote against Scotland and also against both it’s and their own best interests .
You cannot argue with stupid nor argue with Bigots either , as they are too set in their ways to either listen or ever really care.
Reform UK appeals to them as it is Hate over Hope that makes Reform UK more appealing to them as Bigots, and so then worth supporting and voting for.
I note that Karma still comes around for those who deserve a visit from it………..though it has been long overdue in coming for Nigel Farage…………but it will do , as it will also come and visit all of those Tory defectors to Reform UK……….just as it has visited the Tory party and now also is visiting the Labour party (and Starmer awaits his visit that is coming soon to him).
Vote SNP then support and so vote for Scottish independence.
Liz S
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I am confused. If the islanders are Canadian, surely the responsibility for ensuring inter-island and island to mainland movement lies with BC’s governor, not Washington State’s?
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O/T apologies
“Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has given an “unequivocal apology” after a party leaflet was delivered to homes with a made-up quote from a maternity campaigner“
“Claire Fleming spoke out after her picture and a quote criticising NHS provision was posted out in Glasgow”
“Fleming is quoted on the leaflet saying: “Local NHS services have deteriorated under SNP. Waiting lists are too high but these aren’t just numbers on a bit of paper, these are people’s lives. Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour will fix our NHS.”
However she told BBC Scotland drivetime that “Not a single thing that is written there is anything I have ever said.”.
Shocking yet so Labour is it not.
When she complained the party “blamed it on a admin error”.
Speaking in the chamber John Swinney said:
“I do not think today is the day for Mr Sarwar to be in a strong position to accuse me of talking rubbish because this morning, a campaigner, a health campaigner, has raised the fact publicly that she has requested from Mr Sarwar a formal apology after a campaign leaflet, which I have in front of me, was posted to thousands and thousands of homes around the country with a false quotation in support of his party in the leaflet.
“And the campaigner who was falsely quoted asked a fair question: if they have written that out of nowhere, what else have they lied about?”
This is not a solitary example of Labour trying to mislead voters as it was reported that Michael Shanks Labour MP and Minister of State for Energy “has been rebuked by the UK statistics watchdog over a video attacking Scotland’s NHS that may have ‘misled’ the public – but he has not deleted it. The video accused the Scottish government of “doctoring NHS figures.”
Strange that as BBC Wales reported that it was in Labour run Wales that a a Welsh Health board had doctored figures in that “Thousands of patients were not counted on waiting list data over a five-month period, corrected figures have revealed“
“More than 11,600 cumulative cases in north Wales were not recorded as waiting for planned treatment between April and August last year”.
Labour trying to win in May by cheating , as in cheating voters with their constant lies , dodgy data and empty promises.
Sorry again for too many posts by me today , I really should take a long long break from posting………..Ha Ha
Liz S
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Factual, accurate and informative as always Liz, please keep up your posting habit 🙂
Imagine if we had a state broadcaster with just some of those traits!
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🙂
Just another wee bit of info Stephen on this (latest) Labour scandal (another one)…….
Sarwar was confronted by a Reporter about both the image and the fake quote of the individual , who was furious at this, that was fraudulently included in Labour’s election campaign leaflet and his response was…..
“Well this is news to me” ?
Really ?
Sarwar the supposed leader of Labour in Scotland allowing an unverified quote aka a fake quote to be included in a Labour campaign leaflet and also an image being added too, without the consent of the individual.
So how then can he defend and promote anything in that election campaign leaflet that have now been posted out to voters in Scotland.
Never trust Labour , as it seems apparent that they are no different to the Tories or to the latest UK political rogues that are Reform UK.
(I should be a banned from this site for overloading it with my comments………..Ha Ha)
Liz S
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