Explaining how the ‘SNP’s £22m tax blunder’ is just a 0.05% ’rounding error’ but PM Andy Burnham’s massive £48bn tax avoidance loss is not
The Telegraph today repeating the already discredited claim above from ‘tax expert’ Dan Neidle. I’ll leave you to read the detailed, complex for me, but very persuasive, rebuttal by Laurie Macfarlane at: https://www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/587-has-scotland-s-48-tax-rate-really-reduced-public-revenue or watch his excellent explanation at: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GfSEQfKPNsA There’s a simpler, easier to get, point made here by rptscott – the £22m is just a ’rounding error.‘ In practical terms, a £22 million figure is effectively a rounding error relative to the scale of Scotland’s public finances. Here is the context that makes this clear: Scotland’s total income tax receipts in 2024-25 were approximately £18.6 billion. The overall … Continue reading Explaining how the ‘SNP’s £22m tax blunder’ is just a 0.05% ’rounding error’ but PM Andy Burnham’s massive £48bn tax avoidance loss is not
Scottish Government’s reluctance to support and caution on e-bike/scooter trials will have massively reduced traumatic brain injuries
In the Guardian today, the above, and: Electric scooter riders are three times more likely to suffer traumatic brain injuries than motorcyclists, according to an analysis of accidents in England and Wales – which found women were particularly at risk of serious harm. Brain injuries accounted for more than a third of adult injuries on e-scooters, but riders also sustained more internal organ and blood vessel damage than did motorcyclists or pedal cyclists, the study found. The government has backed trials of rental e-scooters in England since 2020, but an additional 1m or so e-scooters are privately owned in the UK. These … Continue reading Scottish Government’s reluctance to support and caution on e-bike/scooter trials will have massively reduced traumatic brain injuries
Corridor care is much less common in Scotland but the Glasgow Times exploits one case to mislead and to scare you
In March 2026, ITV News made it very clear, above, just how rare corridor care in Scotland was, in comparison with other parts of the UK – 4 times as common in Wales, nearly 4 times in Northern Ireland, and nearly 3 times as common across England. Today, the Glasgow Times tries to exploit a single case in an effort to mislead its readers as to the true situation and to damage trust in local hospitals: They are careful not to refer to the ITV report, nor these facts: From ITV News 16 March 2026, based on their own survey: A special … Continue reading Corridor care is much less common in Scotland but the Glasgow Times exploits one case to mislead and to scare you
Listeners ‘short changed’ on quality and accuracy by BBC Radio Scotland
By Liz S BBC ‘Scotland’ is at it again….but then, (big sigh), that is what we have all come to know and expect by this British propaganda outfit that works relentlessly for the sustainment of their UK State. MSM Monitor added a post via BBC Radio Scotland (sourced from an accusation by the Labour leader of the Council in Edinburgh against the Scottish government- the SNP). The BBC Radio Scotland post on ‘X’ stated this: “Edinburgh City Council leader Jane Marr says Glasgow is being prioritised over Edinburgh when it comes to fire recovery funding. Do you think the money is being shared fairly” ? “Has Edinburgh being short … Continue reading Listeners ‘short changed’ on quality and accuracy by BBC Radio Scotland
More than one year later Great British Energy has recruited 13 of the 10 000 employees planned by 2030
Thanks to rtpscott for this From Business Green today: Publicly-owned clean energy investor and developer confirms first major solar-thermal investment will create up to 140 jobs. Great British Energy has today announced £7.5m investment in Crawley-headquartered tech firm Naked Energy to fund a new UK manufacturing facility and create up to 140 jobs. https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4534032/great-british-energy-invests-75m-naked-energy The Great British Energy Act 2025 received royal assent on 15 May 2025. According to Great British Energy’s first Strategic Plan (published around December 2025), its investments and funded projects aim to directly support at least 10,000 jobs by 2030. This focuses on areas historically dependent on oil … Continue reading More than one year later Great British Energy has recruited 13 of the 10 000 employees planned by 2030
In England 0% of estuaries and coastal waters score ‘high’ for ecological condition compared to 100% in Scotland
From BBC Climate today, the above and: England’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters remain in a challenging state with only around one in seven classed as being in good ecological condition, according to the first comprehensive assessment of their health in six years. Data from the Environment Agency shows that while 15% of rivers are classed as good, fewer than 7% of lakes reached that level. No single waterway passed a separate test for chemical pollution. Despite a record £22bn earmarked for water company environmental improvements by 2030, the overall picture has changed little since 2019. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6d0y5e3mjo Scotland’s rivers, lakes … Continue reading In England 0% of estuaries and coastal waters score ‘high’ for ecological condition compared to 100% in Scotland
In the time wealthy Washington State build NO new ferries Scotland builds TEN
Giving greater weight in public contract awards to tackle youth unemployment crisis in UK – Labour Government copies Scotland but only after 12 years!
From Catch22 yesterday, the above and: Catch22 has long recommended that government should invest more, without additional costs, into tackling youth unemployment through revising the social value model applied when it buys goods and services. We therefore welcome today’s Cabinet Office announcement of new measures for using public procurement to create jobs and address skills development. The new measures will mean that, when awarding contracts, the government will give more weighting to how its potential suppliers will generate additional social value outcomes for local growth, tackling skills shortages, and apprenticeships and work placements opportunities. We are particularly pleased that this new … Continue reading Giving greater weight in public contract awards to tackle youth unemployment crisis in UK – Labour Government copies Scotland but only after 12 years!
‘The Multiplier Effect’ – Stunning US study in 2025 made clear the enormous wider benefits of building the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa ferries on the Clyde and points confidently to a future there
From the Washington State, USA, based Lynwood Times 28 May 2025 A new independent study by Pennsylvania-based Martin Associates confirms the economic value of building the new Washington State Ferries hybrid fleet in-state, showing that each ferry constructed in the state would generate 1,298 jobs and $31.9 million in state and local taxes. Washington State Ferries, which operates the largest ferry system in the nation, solicited bids this spring to build five new hybrid ferries over a six- to eight-year period with a budget of $1.3 billion. The new hybrid electric ferries have 160-car capacity to support growing rider demand and reduce … Continue reading ‘The Multiplier Effect’ – Stunning US study in 2025 made clear the enormous wider benefits of building the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa ferries on the Clyde and points confidently to a future there
For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are still generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight
I fully support Liberation Scotland‘s UN mission to have Scotland recognised as a colony. Who ever thought it wasn’t? However, their other agenda to abuse the SNP and everything it has achieved in government, is risible and divisive. Here’s the latest – bloody catamarans again! By no measure, based on evidence globally, is Scotland’s ferry system failing. It’s the best in the World. https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/03/06/tory-mp-with-worst-local-ferry-service-in-the-uk-feeds-labour-opportunity-to-lie-about-best-ferry-service-in-the-uk/ https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/12/23/calmac-youngest-ferries-best-funding-and-most-staff/ Simlarly, catamarans are not the answer. Here’s the answer: Throughout much of 2024, the Herald worked with opposition politicians in a campaign aimed at undermining CalMac and, by association, the SNP’s competence in government. We, at TuS found several … Continue reading For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are still generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight
