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Council Tax payments in Rutherglen and Hamilton West amongst very lowest in UK until of course Labour take over

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By stewartb Whilst on the theme of cross UK comparisons, I recently came across a report from the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TA) which examined what it referred to as the ‘burden’ of Council Tax (CT) in England, Scotland and Wales. (This Tufton Street-based organisation is not one I’ve ever referred to before – at least not positively – but, usefully in this instance, it’s a source likely to seen as credible not just by Tories but nowadays probably also by the leadership of a rightward leaning Labour Party!) See: McGoldrick, C, (August 2023) Britain’s council tax burdens. (https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/britains_council_tax_burdens_2023 ) The TA compiled … Continue reading Council Tax payments in Rutherglen and Hamilton West amongst very lowest in UK until of course Labour take over

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Why is Joseph Rowntree Foundation so interested in ‘politically charged elements in Holyrood?’

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By stewartb The reasons why the JRF has such a relatively high level of interest in Scotland are not known: I could speculate but without evidence this would have no merit. However, there is information in the JRF’s 2022 Annual Report that does touch on the point made earlier about it simply responding to ‘commissions’ from third parties. I don’t think this applies here for reasons that should become obvious.. See https://www.jrf.org.uk/legal/annual-report-and-accounts On the Foundation’s financial assets, the report states: ‘The endowment, which is the value of the investment portfolio less outstanding liabilities, REDUCED FROM £498.1 MILLION TO £423.1 MILLION BETWEEN … Continue reading Why is Joseph Rowntree Foundation so interested in ‘politically charged elements in Holyrood?’

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Are there no ‘Poverty in England’ reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation?

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By stewartb I don’t doubt that the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) does important work on a crucial matter, poverty. But I agree with the thrust of the main blog post that sometimes its communications on matters in Scotland can be – let’s say, ‘problematic’. The JRF is certainly ‘interested’ in Scotland. Searching its website reveals a series of ‘Poverty in Scotland’ reports, dating from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017! A similar search reveals ‘Poverty in Wales’ reports only from 2020 and 2018; we find ‘Poverty in Northern Ireland’ reports from 2022 and before that 2018. Why does Scotland … Continue reading Are there no ‘Poverty in England’ reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation?

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Rutherglen By-election Alert – voters should be wary of eye-watering prices for dirty water if Labour get in control

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From BBC Business a few hours ago: Water companies in England and Wales want bills to increase by £156 a year by 2030 to pay for upgrades and reduce sewage discharges. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66979271 In response from the SNP: The SNP has said “independence is the only way to guarantee key services are safe in public hands” – as privatised water companies in England and Wales seek to increase bills by £156 a year. Responding to the news, SNP Energy spokesperson Dave Doogan MP warned “families in England and Wales are paying an eye-watering price for failing services under Westminster control” and challenged … Continue reading Rutherglen By-election Alert – voters should be wary of eye-watering prices for dirty water if Labour get in control

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Old data on poverty do not justify grudging commentary on SNP’s achievement

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Skipping gaily by the worst ever doctors’ strike in history, not in Scotland, respecting the clearly prime importance of the Rangers job, Reporting Scotland leap excitedly first thing, ahead of their website, on the latest report on poverty. The good news, for them, is that those progressive SNP policies are seemingly not working. The latest report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Scotland titled Poverty in Scotland 2023 is full of assertions about the level of poverty in the present in Scotland yet the data on which it is based seems to be at least one, perhaps two (?), years old. … Continue reading Old data on poverty do not justify grudging commentary on SNP’s achievement

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Labour call for urgent fungal inspection of ferries in case of deadly spread from hospitals

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Jimmy Shanks, Labour Councillor, has returned to campaign in Rutherglen, from a holiday in Washington State USA. While there, Jimmy had to be evacuated from the 50 year-old Walla Walla ferry, above, which ran aground due to “gross bacterial and fungal growth” in its fuel supply system, leading to severe fuel filter plugging and loss of power. You can read the full story here: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/fungal-growth-plugged-fuel-filters-on-wsf-ferry-causing-grounding Local media inferred that the vessel’s advanced age was a contributing factor to the fungal growth but the Walla Walla is by no means old in the Washington State Ferries fleet where the oldest, the … Continue reading Labour call for urgent fungal inspection of ferries in case of deadly spread from hospitals

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The letters they won’t publish – why anyone living in Scotland WOULD “want to cut from England and rejoin the EU

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By Alasdair Galloway On Thursday of last week, the Herald published this from well-known Better Together supporter and long-time Labour party member, Peter Russell Begins AMANDA Brown (Letters, September 27) asks for one single reason why anyone living in Scotland would not “want to cut from England and rejoin the EU”. She has surely not heard of the Scottish Government’s own GERS figures that give 10 billion such reasons: each of these one pound sterling in revenue which Scotland receives from the rest of the UK. These support the services we receive here and which she praises so fulsomely. (She … Continue reading The letters they won’t publish – why anyone living in Scotland WOULD “want to cut from England and rejoin the EU

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Factcheck – CalMac is probably best comparable ferry service in world

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Since a Mull councillor shouted that CalMac was the ‘worst ferry service in the world’, unchallenged on BBC Scotland, a few months ago, I’ve been scouring for evidence. I’ve done this because as a recovering sociologist, media feeding frenzies like the one we’ve seen on Scotland’s ferries make me twitch. I think, hang on, maybe there’s a yawning chasm emerging here, between the world of panic being constructed and the facts on the ground and that I should be looking into that chasm. What do I mean by the facts on the ground? Well, importantly compared with other comparable ferry … Continue reading Factcheck – CalMac is probably best comparable ferry service in world

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Ferrygeddon with SIX out of only 21 ferries out of service at the same time…..in Washington State

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From Kiro(7): SEATTLE — Our region’s ferry woes continued Wednesday when riders on several routes saw delays and cancellations. Washington State Ferries says there are six boats out of service and have informed lawmakers about the issues. The ferry Walla Walla was taken out of service on Friday when crews found damage to one of its propellers. Since then, officials say it has been a game of Tetris, reassigning fleets, which has impacted passengers who take the Edmonds-Kingston ferry. “State ferries face two big challenges. One of them is sort of short and medium-term, and that is due to staffing … Continue reading Ferrygeddon with SIX out of only 21 ferries out of service at the same time…..in Washington State