Is there less family debt in Scotland due to Scottish Government action?
The Guardian story today has no Scottish data and I await, once more, a breakdown from the TUC. Three years ago, they made similar claims and the Scottish media picked up on it uncritically. I was able to offer evidence that might qualify their claims. I suspect it still applies: Council Tax debt was a major factor in debt crisis in Scotland due to the Scottish Government’s actions. See this quote from ‘The job of protecting Scottish poor from excesses of Tory austerity’ (http://newsnet.scot/archive/job-protecting-scottish-poor-excesses-tory-austerity/): ‘Scotland has statutory protection for people with solvable or temporary financial difficulties through the Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS). This … Continue reading Is there less family debt in Scotland due to Scottish Government action?
On new affordable housing, Boris, it’s Tories nil SNP thousands
From BBC UK today with, of course, no BBC Scotland interest: A government plan to create 200,000 new homes for first-time buyers has resulted in no homes being built, the National Audit Office has found. Announced in 2014, “starter homes” were meant to be aimed at those under the age of 40 and sold at a 20% discount. Former prime minister David Cameron committed to the scheme in the 2015 Conservative Party manifesto as a way of tackling the affordable housing crisis. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50296672 However, thanks to a parliamentary question from the Dim Lebs on July 16th 2019, we can reveal … Continue reading On new affordable housing, Boris, it’s Tories nil SNP thousands
Scottish Government maintains the pace of preparations for soon-to-be achieved normality
Ludo thierry SNP Scottish Government maintains the pace of preparations for soon-to-be achieved normality by strengthening bilateral collaboration in key policy areas with Ireland – Link and snippets from news.gov.scot below: https://news.gov.scot/news/scottish-irish-joint-review Work to look at collaboration in key policy areas. The Irish and Scottish governments are launching a joint bilateral review to look at how the countries can work together over the next five years. The review, announced by Tánaiste Simon Coveney and External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop, is the first undertaken by the two countries, and will cover collaboration in key policy areas including trade, research and culture, … Continue reading Scottish Government maintains the pace of preparations for soon-to-be achieved normality
Douglas Fraser’s report on NHS spending and satisfaction is worse than useless it’s LIES
There are at least two big problems with the report tonight on BBC Reporting Scotland. First, Fraser said: ‘Remember, the bigger a share health gets the more a squeeze is applied elsewhere – on schools, police, welfare.’ Nonsense! Public spending is not a closed system. There many other ways to increase health spending without cutting other areas such as these. We could tax the rich, the corporations, including the oil companies, a bit more. We could cut spending on nuclear weapons and useless aircraft carriers. We could stop attacking other countries and spending millions every time we launch a cruise … Continue reading Douglas Fraser’s report on NHS spending and satisfaction is worse than useless it’s LIES
Second poll puts SNP support at 50% and over and pro-Indy parties at 56% again
From ORB International with 146 adult Scots and fieldwork on 30-31 October: Con 16% Lab 15% DimLeb 8% Brexit 3% SNP 52% Green 4% Click to access BaselineTables_ForWebsite.pdf This echoes the YouGov poll already reported here today putting the SNP at 50% and pro-Indy parties, the same, at 56%: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2019/11/04/yougov-put-snp-at-50-pro-indy-parties-at-52-and-support-for-indyref2-at-56/ Continue reading Second poll puts SNP support at 50% and over and pro-Indy parties at 56% again
BBC Scotland don’t report ‘honour-based’ abuse ‘slightly’ lower in 2018
From a Freedom of Information response by Police Scotland today, we can exclusively, because no one else is interested, that the number of reportes honour-based abuse incidents fell from 137 in 2017 to 131 in 2018. The biggest falls were in Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, with Glasgow static and increases in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Forced marriages were, using Reporting Scotland guidelines, ‘slightly increased’, by 1 to 53 cases. https://www.scotland.police.uk/assets/pdf/434027/526774/526830/19-2293?view=Standard Continue reading BBC Scotland don’t report ‘honour-based’ abuse ‘slightly’ lower in 2018
Recent tweets: Politicising health, drug deaths, racism and re-offending
SNP exonerated by BBC figures as Scotland’s drug deaths are shown to be caused by neoliberal UK Governments in the 1980s and 90s https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2019/10/05/common-space-labour-and-bbc-collude-to-present-unreliable-research-undermining-scotlands-achievements-in-reducing-hate-crime/ 20 year low in criminal re-conviction rates As probation goes into crisis in England the Scottish model is plagiarised Continue reading Recent tweets: Politicising health, drug deaths, racism and re-offending
YouGov put SNP at 50% pro-Indy parties at 52% and support for Indyref2 at 56%
Based on 158 adults living in Scotland with fieldwork on 31 October to 1 November: Con 22% Lab 15% DimLeb 10% SNP 50% Brexit 1% Green 2% Click to access TheSundayTimes_191101_VI_w.pdf There have been a few recent sub-polls suggesting SNP support lower and I’ve commented on the quite consistent patterning across the pollsters. Small sub-polls are, of course, quite unreliable on their own but when a pollster gets the same figure over many sub-polls then they start to mean something. Typically, YouGov places the SNP support higher, average 43%, and they’ve done many more (19) polls since 1st June 2019. … Continue reading YouGov put SNP at 50% pro-Indy parties at 52% and support for Indyref2 at 56%
8% of the population far more of lots of other things but Scottish Government still not satisfied
From the Scottish Government today: Businesses and projects celebrating locally produced food and drink can apply for a share of £100,000 of funding. Grants of up to £5,000 from the Connect Local Regional Food Fund are available to support collaborative food and drink projects during their early stages. Since 2018, the fund has awarded £259,000 to 57 innovative projects across Scotland, including supporting the Ethical Farming Conference, believed to be the first conference on the emerging ‘ethical’ farming sector, the Street Food Zone at the Stranraer Oyster Festival and the launch of a new St Andrews Street Market. https://news.gov.scot/news/support-for-food-and-drink-sector This … Continue reading 8% of the population far more of lots of other things but Scottish Government still not satisfied
And now a former provost moves over to SNP
Ludo Thierry Remember the song that Indy supporters used to sing ‘Come and Join Us – Come and Join Us’? – Well, it seems that many good people are doing exactly that. Following on from the great news that Baillie Anne McTaggart is backing Indy we now hear that former Provost of Fife Frances Melville has also declared she is supporting SNP candidate Stephen Gethins for the Fife N.E. constituency in the election. Well done that Provost. Link and snippet below: (I’m noticing Provost Frances Melville shares her name with the very famous Scottish Suffragist and I’m wondering if there … Continue reading And now a former provost moves over to SNP
