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On the 23rd January, someone wrote to the Scottish Government to ask:
Please provide copies of any internal correspondence, submissions, briefings or approvals relating to the decision.
Please provide the total cost incurred by the Scottish Government in producing, packaging and sending the Baby Box.
They got a reply on 4th February and it was published yesterday.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202600503409/
In the correspondence you can see that the Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville had seen Mayor Mamdani express a desire to introduce a similar baby box in New York. Sharing his views on poverty, she clearly thought it would be a good, nice, normal, thing to do, to send him one, to help inform his planning.
Somerville seems likely to have see or read something along these lines:
In the Independent on 23rd January 2026:
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani has received a baby box from the Scottish Government. Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary, Shirley Anne-Somerville, said the gift aims to help the city leader develop his own “baby basket” plans. The 34-year-old’s proposal was a part of his mayoral campaign, focused on the cost of living.
Mr Mamdani has previously cited Scotland, Chile, and Finland as examples of where the policy has been introduced. More than 360,000 baby boxes have been given out to Scottish parents since the launch of the scheme in 2017.
Note that the question to the Scottish Government about the cost was fired of the same day as the media reports that the Mayor had mentioned Scotland’s baby box? I can see them now, drooling on the keyboard.
How much was it?
Your tasks:
- Guess who asked for reasoning and the cost?
- Guess which media outlet they work for?
- Write the headline.
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Talking-up Scotland 
The Scotsman?
Never read it so not familiar with journalists, but it smacks of the notorious ’come in, you’ll have had your tea’ 😂
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Some typical British “warmth and empathy” from the “journalist” about a typically warm and empathetic Scottish thing…
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Well , I know it wasn’t the Beano as that has far superior journalistic standards than any MSM outlet in Scotland .
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The baby box also contains a poem welcoming the new baby. It was written by Jackie Kay. I hope they included it in the box they sent to New York.
https://artcollection.salford.ac.uk/2020/07/23/welcome-wee-one-a-poem-by-professor-jackie-kay-cbe/
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I nominate Brian Wilson for no other reason than he is small and not very tall either.
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Micheal Blackley,Tom Harris , Daily Mail ?
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More than 90% of the parents of new born Scots claim their birth right, baby box. So even universal rights are not enjoyed universally.
Just to add to Ledgerwood’s helpful contribution about the accompanying poem, here it is along with a poetic response which doesn’t quite get the spirit of this beautiful endowment.
‘Welcome Wee One’ is the title of the poem. It captures a mother’s intense joy and feelings of love and hope. The welcome is also comes from the people of Scotland, an ancient, humane and egalitarian land where every child is welcome.
Welcome Wee One
O ma darlin wee one
At last you are here in the wurld
And wi’ aa your wisdom
Your een bricht as the stars,
You’ve filled this hoose with licht,
Yer trusty wee haun, your globe o’ a heid,
My cherished yin, my hert’s ain!
O my darlin wee one
The hale wurld welcomes ye:
The mune glowes; the hearth wairms.
Let your life hae luck, health, charm,
Ye are my bonny blessed bairn,
My small miraculous gift.
I never kent luve like this.
Jackie Kay, Maker, 2017
Ten years ago the lovely Ruth Davidson demanded Jackie Kay write a Baby Box poem which reflected Tory values. Don’t laugh, just yet. Next day, challenged and inspired, a poet who wasn’t the Maker obliged.
F*** off ye wee tyke
Ye wee scrounging bastird
Haund oot for a haund oot
And yir jist o’er the bloody door
Heard working families’ bawbees
Buying a bairns box o’ baubles
Something for nothing
Johann Lamont wis richt
Get tae f***, ye wee shite
The Hale wurld despises ye
Lying in yir ‘Free’ box
In Gorbals, Muirhouse, Fintry or
Coatbrig
Waiting for air free nursery,
Education, healthcare
When we could be spendin’ it aa
On Trident, HS2 and Buck Hoose
I never kent hatred like this.
Bruce Naughton
Edinburgh
The National 9.1.2017
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