Alasdair Galloway Some may remember a piece I wrote on March 24th,  which was published here (https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2021/03/24/something-not-about-alex-nicola-or-even-james-hamilton/), which concluded “Call it what you want – collapse of a dysfunctional UK state, divorce, or whatever. It does though seem to me that a referendum is not necessarily going to be the only way forward.” An event took place – or at least we had notice – in the last few days which may, in due course take this forward. That event – as the title suggests – is accession to, at least the power of DUP leader, if not FM of … Continue reading Gladstone and Lloyd George were brought down by Ireland, so what chance does Boris have?

As the infection rates of the UK and India converge, after India failed to match the UK peak by some way, will the authorities in India soon be requiring Brits to quarantine on arrival? If the current trends continue, will India put the UK on their Red List? Remembering when the film Slumdog Millionaire was labelled ‘poverty porn’ will BBC coverage of the pandemic in India come to be known as ‘pandemic porn?’ Sources: https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=ind&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usnj&areasRegional=usia&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usnd&areasRegional=ussd&cumulative=0&logScale=0&per100K=1&startDate=2020-09-01&values=cases Continue reading Will India put UK on Amber List?

Only Wales, Israel, UAE, Mongolia and Scotland have now administered more than 100 vaccines for every 100 people. That’s not what the public want to know says Puttick of the Times: No, indeed, says Holt of BBC Scotland speaking from back in February: And, Scotland NOT lagging behind other UK nations! What? Surely not. Don’t tell ‘them’ they might vote SNP: Douglas Ross: ‘It’s a tiny increase by Scotland made to look better by a decline in the figures for England. Who is in charge there? Remind me. Graphs: https://www.travellingtabby.com/uk-coronavirus-tracker/ Continue reading Most of World lagging behind Scotland with more vaccinations than people

The Herald opens with: MINISTERS have provoked anger for telling teachers to watch out for critics of Covid-19 public health messaging in a bid to prevent radicalisation of children. The Education Scotland ‘prevent extremism’ advice says that official “reporting procedures” should be implemented to curb children’s access to fake news and combat “extremists’ disinformation” over Covid-19 – indicating effectively that the parents could end up carrying the can. Melodramatc, paranoid, nonsense in a desperate attempt to construct another ‘crisis’ in schools. There is a huge amount of fake news, misinformation and downright quackery right across social media and, at times, in the tabloids urging … Continue reading Herald joins campaign to reduce vaccine uptake

When I see Susan Dalgety, former First Minister, Dame Jack MacConnell’s PA, I smell bile and hypocrisy, that popular New Labour aftershave favoured by the likes of Brian Bad Vibrations Wilson, even at the bottom of the Scotsman’s front page, I read no further, for my own health: The headline’s enough. ‘We’ need new suffragettes? Aye, right! Dalgety is the right-of-centre, establishment type that would have been sticking hoses down suffragette throats in some prison cell. Here she is her natural home, Johnson’s old Scottophobic rag, the Spectator, attacking her ‘own’ if it were possible for sociopathic Blairites to ever … Continue reading Susan Dalgety means we don’t need new hypocrites

By stewartb Still on the matters of 2021 qualification assessments and their politicisation. On the Scotland page of the BBC News website today, under the headline ‘Scottish exams body to be reformed amid grades row’, we learn this: ‘… convenor of the education committee on the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP), is the only young person on the NQ21 group. He told Radio Scotland he did not feel listened to, and that his voice was “drowned out”. He said the views of young people had to be considered more.’ On the SYP’s own website there is a blog written on 3 … Continue reading Scottish Youth Parliament adopt the ‘bad habits’ of their parliamentary elders?

From stewartb On schools and specifically on the 2021 assessment of national qualifications. I note that BBC Scotland is taking full advantage of the politicisation of the assessment process by opposition parties in Holyrood. The appeals procedure seems now to be the main target of criticism. At FMQs on 3 June an ‘outraged’ Douglas Ross asked: “Will the First Minister do the right thing, concede that she has got this badly wrong and guarantee that no pupil who appeals will be downgraded? No matter how rare she says that is, it will be a risk for young people if they … Continue reading The politicisation of the assessment process

By stewartb There is much trumpeting today of the UK concluding a free trade agreement with Norway, Iceland and Lichstenstein. Given these three countries are European Economic Area members, I suspect the net additional benefit over the situation prior to Brexit is rather limited, if any for the UK. However, it is framed a bit differently elsewhere! Can you spot the key factor missing from UK coverage – unless you know differently? “This free trade agreement seeks to safeguard as close trade relations as possible following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Economic Area (EEA).” And then this: “The EEA … Continue reading If Lichtenstein can do it…

From YouGov today with 1 703 18+ adults based on field work on 2nd and 3rd June 2021, Con support is up 3 points to a shocking 46% with Labour support static at 30% from 29% in May. Click to access TheTimes_VI_Track_210603_W.pdf In December 2019, the Cons won a majority of 80 seats with a vote of only 42.4% to 40% for Labour. Do Scots need a stronger warning? SNP support is typically around 47-48%. Why do I refer to the Cons as the ENP? From the Guardian in March 2021: If traditional class politics has finally faded away, what … Continue reading English National Party as popular as Scottish National Party in latest poll

From SNP Media today: New research has revealed that Scotland’s green energy sector contributes £5.2billion every year to the economy and employs 22,000 people, but previous studies have shown the Tories are holding back Scotland’s renewables industry with extortionate costs. The research by the Fraser of Allander Institute shows that the renewables sector produces 97% of Scotland’s electricity and is a ‘vital part of Scotland’s economy’ by supporting jobs in other industries such as construction and manufacturing. However, Tory energy policies are holding the industry back by charging astronomical prices for companies to access the infrastructure needed to distribute the energy … Continue reading Research shows Tory energy policies holding Scotland back