As election looms Fergus Ewing should not be aiding the prospects of the very parties responsible for the lack of money for the Nairn Bypass in the first place and for long resisting the dualling of the A9
On BBC Scotland this morning, Fergus claims he’s found documents suggesting no funding has been identified to take the Nairn Bypass scheme forward. The folk of Nairn have my sympathy but they should know that their MSP is now campaigning with BBC Scotland and the gutter-press, to help the election 2026 prospects of the very parties which in 2007, forced the minority SNP government to proceed with the £1bn Edinburgh Trams Project and have no choice but to slash spending on roads. Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dumbs combined to overpower the SNP which had proposed scrapping the scheme as part … Continue reading As election looms Fergus Ewing should not be aiding the prospects of the very parties responsible for the lack of money for the Nairn Bypass in the first place and for long resisting the dualling of the A9
Scottish Government provides better support for business
introduced in England by the UK Government. BBC Scotland today, with a story to suggest something is worse in Scotland than in England. There’s a debate in the Scottish Parliament tomorrow on business rates which they’ve managed to find someone to stand in a shopping street and try to present as a crisis that only exists in Scotland. The facts? Based on an AI search of 87 sources, Scotland’s system is often seen as more coordinated and interventionist. Summary Table Aspect Scotland England Better for SMEs? Rates Relief (Core Small Biz) Very generous (combined RV up to £35k+, 100% bands) … Continue reading Scottish Government provides better support for business
Scotland’s Auditor General fails to audit the most important thing in the NHS and England’s doesn’t even try when he really should do
Thanks to cuckooshoe for alerting us to this: Scotland’s high-profile media auditor, Stephen Boyle, has been all over with his latest claim of delayed discharges costs damaging NHS Scotland.1 From the Institute for Government report – Performance Tracker 2025: Hospitals – published on 14 November 2025: There was no month in 2024/25 in which general and acute bed occupancy was below 91.4%, well above the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s recommendation that trusts should have an upper ceiling of 85% for bed occupancy.2 The auditor general for England has not audited this in living memory and certainly never bothers to … Continue reading Scotland’s Auditor General fails to audit the most important thing in the NHS and England’s doesn’t even try when he really should do
London-born, entirely England-educated, nephrologist with no understanding of Scotland’s 500 years plus history of universal free-education thinks he can tell us what to do
Sir Peter William Mathieson, above, born in Colchester, educated entirely in England with only a medical science degree, and principal of the university where anti-working class Scots bias is the norm1, is on BBC Scotland today to tell us: Edinburgh University’s principal says Scottish students should be asked to pay towards their tuition, as the sector is in “danger” under the current system. Prof Sir Peter Mathieson said that Scotland – where undergraduate tuition is free for most students – could adopt a “graduate repayment scheme” based upon salary. Mathieson insisted Scotland’s funding model was “not sustainable”, but said he … Continue reading London-born, entirely England-educated, nephrologist with no understanding of Scotland’s 500 years plus history of universal free-education thinks he can tell us what to do
In Scotland, 97% of patients experience no delay in hospital discharge – it’s been the same since records began but only one of 4 auditor generals in the UK seems interested in this stuff, wonder why
From BBC Scotland today: NHS Scotland spent £440m last year on beds for patients who were unable to get out of hospital despite being ready to be discharged, according to public spending watchdogs. The report from the Audit Scotland and the Accounts Commission said one in nine hospital beds were occupied because of delayed discharges in the 12 months to April 2025. People experiencing a delayed discharge collectively spent more than 720,000 clinically unnecessary days in hospital last year. It’s only in the 12th paragraph, of BBC Scotland‘s report on the effort’s of the UK’s most well-known Auditor General, Stephen … Continue reading In Scotland, 97% of patients experience no delay in hospital discharge – it’s been the same since records began but only one of 4 auditor generals in the UK seems interested in this stuff, wonder why
Tory MSP criticises Scot Gov for winter weather problems but Tory/LD Aberdeenshire council had just removed 1 200 grit bins amid budget cuts only months earlier and then suffered the greatest disruption
Government response to winter weather disruption in the north. Tim Eagle [Con] says support for Moray, Aberdeenshire and the Highlands was too slow given the severity of the conditions and argues that ministers should have brought in extra help. It’s a Daily Mail story picked up by the highly trained researchers at Pacific Quay or just phoned in by the Scottish Cons. Politically-motivated pass-the-buck – local councils hold primary responsibility for on-the-ground actions in their areas, such as declaring major incidents, clearing roads, managing school closures and supporting residents. Moray Council has been Conservative-led since May 2022 and Aberdeenshire has … Continue reading Tory MSP criticises Scot Gov for winter weather problems but Tory/LD Aberdeenshire council had just removed 1 200 grit bins amid budget cuts only months earlier and then suffered the greatest disruption
As Trump takes Venezuela and talks of Cuba and Greenland; as Putin will not let Ukraine go and as China threatens Taiwan, is a different world emerging, with new lessons for Scotland?
Amongst other things I’m not a renowned global politics theorist or historian so here’s a, for me, fascinating AI-produced and sourced essay. I look forward to your thoughts: The geopolitical landscape in early 2026 indeed appears to be shifting toward a more assertive era of great-power competition, where major actors like the United States, Russia, and China are pursuing territorial or influence-based ambitions with less regard for traditional norms of sovereignty and international law. This could signal the emergence of a “different world”—one reminiscent of 19th- or early 20th-century spheres of influence, where smaller entities face heightened risks of coercion, … Continue reading As Trump takes Venezuela and talks of Cuba and Greenland; as Putin will not let Ukraine go and as China threatens Taiwan, is a different world emerging, with new lessons for Scotland?
Anas won’t say – There is a higher percentage of the people, in my home city of Glasgow alone, being treated for life-threatening conditions such as heart disease and cancer within 18 weeks than in any part of England
Anas and Kenny, a duo going nowhere? Anas uses the one NHS card they have, waits over one year for by definition non-life-threatening conditions are shorter in England, which they owe to Boris Johnson after he spent millions clearing it, by paying the private sector to work weekends and evenings. John Swinney has, rather, gone for reducing the numbers on the 18-week [then 12]waiting list made up of those who are on it for the very obvious reason, their lives are at risk: From Public Health Scotland 18 March 2025, for 2024 [Latest release], we can see that in Glasgow in December … Continue reading Anas won’t say – There is a higher percentage of the people, in my home city of Glasgow alone, being treated for life-threatening conditions such as heart disease and cancer within 18 weeks than in any part of England
After 14 years of the SNP lower drink-drive limit Scotland has by far the safest roads and drivers in the UK
From the Guardian today: Tougher rules on drink-driving, eye tests for older motorists and automatic emergency braking in new cars will be mandated by the government in an attempt to significantly reduce casualties on Britain’s roads. The first road safety strategy in more than a decade aims to save thousands of lives with a range of measures, from training and technology to stiffer penalties for offenders. The proposals, to be announced on Wednesday, seek to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035. The number of deaths has declined since the 1970s but that improvement slowed … Continue reading After 14 years of the SNP lower drink-drive limit Scotland has by far the safest roads and drivers in the UK
Private rents 40% higher in England and significantly stronger safety nets through generous Discretionary Housing Payment funding in Scotland
With another of their sickly, tasteless images today, the Herald has: Scotland’s housing costs safety net is failing with tens of thousands of families in need locked out of homes as support fails to cover soaring private rents, ministers have been warned. Explosive [sic] new analysis which lays bare the reality for those most in need, shows that just eight per cent of private rental homes are affordable for those relying on state support, deepening a national housing emergency declared by Holyrood nearly two years ago. What’s missing? Cost of rent? Source – https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/privaterentandhousepricesuk/december2025 Support for Housing? In summary, while the baseline … Continue reading Private rents 40% higher in England and significantly stronger safety nets through generous Discretionary Housing Payment funding in Scotland
Talking-up Scotland 