Image: Alamy By stewartb It’s fair to say – I think – that having a positive future relationship between Scotland and the European Union will matter to many voters in Scotland, even whilst within the UK.  It is in this context that the following insights are relevant: they shine a light on failings by the Westminster parliament, notably by HM Official Opposition, to hold Tory government/s to account over Europe. Source: Institute for Government (September 2022) Accountability after Brexit – Parliament and the UK–EU relationship. (https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/accountability-after-brexit-parliament-uk-eu-relationship.pdf ) In this report the Institute for Government (IfG) examines the extent of Westminster’s … Continue reading If “Brexit is not ‘done’ enough for parliament to ignore it”, why are Labour MPs absent from a key Commons committee?

Regular letter writer of ill-informed SNPbad accusations to the Herald, Express and others, Bob McDougall of Kippen, gets another wee rant in the Herald today, on policing. He claims to be a researcher but offers no facts. I’m left with the easy task of providing them: Crime: In the year ending June 2022, the police in Scotland recorded 285,974 crimes. This was 5% lower than the 300,747 crimes recorded in the year ending June 2021, and 5% lower than the 301,376 crimes recorded in the year ending June 2018.https://www.gov.scot/news/recorded-crime-in-scotland-year-ending-june-2022/#:~:text=In%20the%20year%20ending%20June,the%20year%20ending%20June%202018. In England & Wales in the year ending March 2022 overall … Continue reading First Minister accused of being soft on police by hiring too many?

According to BBC England today: Hundreds of protesters gathered in central London on Saturday to urge the government to reform the childcare sector and parental leave. March of the Mummies demonstrators want “affordable childcare, flexible working and properly paid parental leave”. The event was one of several marches held in cities across the UK including in Bristol, Glasgow and Norwich. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-63439262 The Mummies were in Glasgow, in some number too. Come to SNP Glasgow, Scotland to protest Tory policies? (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest) Do they know about this? Two significant measures by the Scottish government help reduce the cost of … Continue reading Why were a hundred or so in George Square to demand affordable childcare?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election Comparing the predicted Labour and Con support in the 7 polls after his anointment and the 7 before, the averages are: Cons 24.3% and 21.4%, a less than 3% improvement. Labour 51.4% and 53%, a less than 2% fall. The Cons will now cling on for two years. Labour remain impotent. In two years time a lot can happen. Ukraine win and the weapons ‘provided’ by Boris are reported as having been critical, Boris returns, there’s another Labour civil war…..you know….the Cons win again. Devolution is reversed. We have to get 60% to win a referendum. 300 Scots soldiers … Continue reading The Sunak minor swell but the long-term survival of the Cons

Image: Morning Star All of Scotland’s MSM including BBC Scotland are making the vote on the proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act, bad news for the SNP with headlines like: How bad is the gender reform rebellion for the SNP? As always with these reports, there’s another way of looking and reporting. Only one of the big three parties was not split on this, Labour. Two Cons voted with the SNP. All of Labour’s MSPs backed the changes. This will no doubt be good news for Labour in terms of support from the Trans community but there are very … Continue reading How bad is the gender reform full compliance for Labour?

From Survation with a poll of 1682 in the UK and a sub-set of 157 Scots for 26-27 October: UK: Con 26.8% Lab 51.2% Scotland: Con: 12% Lab 27.8% SNP 54.4% https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election Signs perhaps of a partial, post Sunak, Con recovery at 30% in England but little sign of either a Labour surge or a Con recovery in Scotland. This follows People Polling on 26 October with 99 Scots, which had Labour at 37% (51% in UK) but Cons at only 7% with SNP at 47%: https://peoplepolling.org/tables/202210_GBN_W43_full.pdf#subsection*.12 Techne, also on the 26-27 October, do not have a Scottish sub-poll. Small … Continue reading Another sub-poll casts doubt on Labour surge post Sunak in Scotland as SNP hit 54%

From BBC Health today: On Friday 21 October, Cameron Stone, 20, arrived at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital by car after being referred by his GP. He had been unable to keep food and drink down for a week and was dehydrated with a painful abdomen. “A&E was chaotic – more like a supermarket queue than a hospital,” said his mother, Debbie Barnfield. Cameron was put on a drip in A&E. Ten hours later he was moved to a small side room with other patients and given a reclining chair on which to spend the night. “He was absolutely shattered and had … Continue reading ‘I wouldn’t bring a member of my family to this [English] hospital,’ says medic but neither local Tory MP nor Labour opposition are interested

IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK From increasingly ‘regular’ contributor, Alasdair, definitely not George, Galloway For me, this started from watching ‘Politics Today’ (BBC2) on Wednesday 20th October (Truss’s final PMQs). You can find it here https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001d98k/politics-live-19102022. There is no need to sit through the whole thing. The part I am interested in – a rant by the then Northern Ireland Minister, Steve Baker – comes toward the end, starting at 1 hour and 31 minutes. His argument is that since the National Insurance Act 1911 (not a typo – 1911!) there has been “100 years of reckless spending promises that couldn’t be … Continue reading Really Angry!

BBC Scotland, followed no doubt by the ‘Scottish’ newspapers tomorrow, has headlined this as a crisis for the SNP Government as 7 SNP MSPs voted against ‘Scottish government plans to make it easier for someone to change their legally-recognised gender.’ Whether or not these plans are justifiable or not is clearly a controversial matter but the media coverage is simple. The SNP was divided, as were the Conservatives, where Jamie Greene and Sandesh Gulhane voted in favour. Only Scottish Labour, who whipped to support the legislation, recorded no votes against, making them the party most supportive of the legislation. Watch … Continue reading Will women’s groups condemn ‘whipped’ Scottish Labour for their undivided support of gender recognition plans?

One of the Scotsman’s dafter headlines today suggesting that Police Scotland might rely on England. I’ll be quick. Crime: In the year ending June 2022, the police in Scotland recorded 285,974 crimes. This was 5% lower than the 300,747 crimes recorded in the year ending June 2021, and 5% lower than the 301,376 crimes recorded in the year ending June 2018.https://www.gov.scot/news/recorded-crime-in-scotland-year-ending-june-2022/#:~:text=In%20the%20year%20ending%20June,the%20year%20ending%20June%202018. In England & Wales in the year ending March 2022 overall crime returned to and exceeded pre-coronavirus pandemic levels. The 6.3 million crimes recorded was 4% higher compared with the year ending March 2020. https://www.gov.scot/news/crime-almost-halved-over-the-decade/ All things being equal, … Continue reading Reliance on England: With half the crime and 50% more officers?