From the Scotsman on 28 April: Baroness Goldie said the activities of Russian vessels suspected of gathering intelligence will be watched closely. Earlier this month, a joint investigation by European broadcasters claimed a Russian ship called the Admiral Vladimirsky was part of an operation to map undersea infrastructure. https://www.scotsman.com/news/defence/uk-vigilant-over-alleged-russian-spy-ships-in-scottish-waters-4124222 Reassured? Only if things have improved in terms of the UK armed forces capabilities, in the last six years under more Tory mismanagement, so probably no? In 2017, pre-Ferrygate this was the situation: How could an independent Scotland protect its waters without the Royal Navy? Just the same? December 21, 2017 © … Continue reading Calmac ferries to get guns and sonar but further delayed

In the wake of a refusal to reveal party membership and despite easy access to the full letter of complaint from two constituency Labour groups (below), BBC Scotland has chosen to omit the more critical comments and to soften the scandal with this headline: Formal complaint made over Scottish Labour selection process https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65436301 In the BBC Scotland report’s text, some of the letter’s more mundane, descriptive, content has been used but the very challenging, apparently suspicious of a right-wing Party HQ’s intentions to exclude leftist non-Starmerites, direct questions have been ignored. In particular: You can see what they’re worried about … Continue reading Scottish Labour accused of lack of transparency again, over candidate selection

In the Times Education Scotland yesterday but as with so many positive reports, not making the MSM unlike the alleged under-reporting of bullying: A major piece of research into how well Scottish universities are preparing teachers for the profession has found that the system “as a whole is generally healthy, and there is definitely no ‘crisis’”. The project ran for six years – during which teaching graduates in Scotland were tracked from 2018 to 2022 – after concerns had been raised about how well teachers were being prepared for the profession. Now – as the Measuring Quality in Initial Teacher … Continue reading Teacher Education as a whole is generally healthy, and there is definitely no ‘crisis’

Reading between the lines in this BBC Scotland report, it looks like SFA is actually happening for the obvious reason that the Navy don’t operate wee ferries. Now if you wanted your car taken by landing craft and dumped on a muddy shore or if you were happy to be helicoptered off an assault ship, we’re talking! We read: An assessment is ongoing over whether military help is the solution for Highland Council’s Corran Ferry. There has not been a car ferry on the five-minute crossing of Loch Linnhe in Lochaber for three weeks due to issues with the main … Continue reading Navy worried that they might crash a ferry just like the Army crashed ambulances?

This was posted today on the Scottish Government’s announcements website. It took me five minutes to think what I would say. I’m a 71.9 year-old volunteer. None of our professional ‘journalisms’ is on this story yet. Will they be, later? I suppose it can be hard for someone young and vigorous to find and read a website, especially one hosted by their enemy, that SNP. Anyhow here’s what the Ukraine Statement says, in brief: Title of Policy Change to the residency criteria for access to tuition fee and living cost support- UK nationals and their family members who have fled … Continue reading SNP Government today – Ukraine and Afghan refugees to get free tuition and living cost support

By stewartb The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has just published this: ‘Healthy people, prosperous lives: The first interim report of the IPPR Commission on Health and Prosperity’.  The Commission was established to ‘test one central hypothesis: that a fairer country is a healthier one, and that a healthier country is a more prosperous one’. The report is here: http://www.ippr.org/research/publications/healthy-people-prosperous-lives This is the UK! The report paints a very negative picture of life for many in this precious Union. After more that a decade of Tory governments in Westminster – rejected by a majority of Scotland’s electorate, as usual … Continue reading UK is clearly very far from OK!

As the opposition parties bray for SNP transparency while refusing to be so themselves, the Labour branch revealed its membership in February 2021 to be under 16 000, less than a quarter of the SNP currently at 74 9000. The UK Lib Dems claim 73 000 but I doubt that gives the Scottish Lib Dems 7 300. The Conservative Party has 172 000 but I even less doubt that the Scottish Tories have 17 000, half at best? Continue reading SNP membership only more than FOUR times higher than that of Labour Party’s Scottish Branch

At the current rate, three more Calmac ferries would cost approaching £1 billion. In February 2023, and once more missing me, thanks to our ‘quality’ MSM coverage: From the Scottish Parliament: In 2023-24 the amount paid out in devolved social security benefits is forecast to increase by around £1 billion – from £4.2 billion in 2022-23 to £5.2 billion in 2023-24.  Most of the £1 billion increase in spending is focused on: Adult Disability Payment and Personal Independence Payment, increasing by £642 million and Scottish Child Payment, increasing by £216 million. Together these two make up 81% of the increase in Social … Continue reading What is the news? Ferries or care for the vulnerable?

For some time now, in coalition with the Daily Record, not-voted for MSP (Con) Sharon Dowey (above), has been using figures for her local Ayr hospital, to fuel her calls for Humza Yousaf to resign. Things have gone wrong for her recently as University Hospital Ayr’s A&E department has performed better than its Crosshouse neighbour for the last 4 weeks and hit 70% within 4 hours in the most recent week for data, well ahead of the national figure of 63.4%. The Prime Minister’s Richmond constituency is within the NHS Humber And North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board. They do not … Continue reading Ayr list MSP embarrassed as local A&E surges to 70% and to 33% better than the PM’s local

I should know about this kind of thing but I didn’t. Did you know about this? Child Winter Heating Assistance is a benefit from the Scottish Government. It was first paid in 2020. It’s a payment to help disabled children and young people and their families with increased heating costs over winter.  It’s paid once a year. The payment for winter 2023-2024 is £235.70.  https://www.mygov.scot/child-winter-heating-assistance I knew us old folk, regardless of need, get a winter heating payment and I know all about the much-celebrated Scottish Child Payment – ‘a watershed‘ in showing that poverty can be tackled: https://www.jrf.org.uk/press/scottish-child-payment-extension-watershed-already-showing-poverty-can-be-tackled-political The … Continue reading BBC Scotland trainee warned after asking why they didn’t tell anyone about this!