So it’s political blackmail now is it from Sarwar?
By NMRN “Scottish Labour would use the money raised from closing the non-dom tax loophole in the UK to slash NHS waiting lists in Scotland, Anas Sarwar will pledge“ Does that mean that this ‘pledge’ from Sarwar would ONLY happen if Scotland voted Labour in Scotland at the next Holyrood elections and they were elected as the next Scottish government…..as the above quote stated “Scottish Labour would use the money”…….and not…..the Scottish government (meaning existing one) could have extra money for say the NHS for example….. I think we all know that if there is a Labour government at WM and the SNP are … Continue reading So it’s political blackmail now is it from Sarwar?
Despite a failing ferry service, Canadian media support local shipyards over cheap, unsafe, unreliable, outdated, foreign vessels
From the Times Colonist in British Columbia, yesterday: Editorial: B.C. Ferries’ vessels should be built in B.C. B.C. Ferries has decided to buy four more Island class boats to serve the Nanaimo-Gabriola Island and Campbell River-Quadra Island routes. Here’s the problem. All four boats will be built at a Romanian shipyard. And this makes no sense. So how can such a small economy beat out local yards here at home? No doubt part of the reason is wage rates. Romania is a poor country, and its workers earn less than ours. https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/editorial-bc-ferries-vessels-should-be-built-in-bc-8316651 Add to the above factor – low wages … Continue reading Despite a failing ferry service, Canadian media support local shipyards over cheap, unsafe, unreliable, outdated, foreign vessels
Sarwar’s non dom tax might increase medical appointments by less than 1%!
Once more, Labour have trouble with their sums. From STV today: Scottish Labour would use the money raised from closing the non-dom tax loophole in the UK to slash NHS waiting lists in Scotland, Anas Sarwar will pledge. The Scottish Labour leader will tell the party’s conference in Glasgow that the policy could fund 160,000 new NHS appointments a year. Scottish Labour’s three-day conference begins on Friday at the Scottish Event Campus and will end on Sunday. Keir Starmer said in October that £1.5bn raised by scrapping the loophole would go to funding more NHS appointments. Scottish Labour said that … Continue reading Sarwar’s non dom tax might increase medical appointments by less than 1%!
Deadly measles travelling into Scotland despite 96% vaccination rate
From Public Health Scotland, yesterday: Public Health Scotland is aware of five cases of laboratory confirmed measles in Scotland since October 2023, all of which have been linked to travel. The latest two cases were confirmed today, 16 February 2024. PHS is encouraging the public to take up the offer of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. Having two doses of the MMR vaccine is the best way to be fully protected against measles. Anyone who hasn’t had two doses of the free MMR vaccine is encouraged to visit the NHS Inform website to find out how to arrange … Continue reading Deadly measles travelling into Scotland despite 96% vaccination rate
London-based company responsible for 28 deaths in Flixborough disaster operates in Scotland
From the ever-excellent Skwawkbox today: Residents of Garston and Cressington in the south of Liverpool have begun the formal legal process to overturn the decision by the city’s Labour council to approve a site that will process more than double the quantity of a mix of dangerous chemicals that caused the 1974 Flixborough disaster, one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in human history, with a blast radius of over three miles that killed twenty-eight people in a rural area. Despite the Flixborough inquiry’s conclusions that the chemical should not be processed near residential areas, he council’s planning committee did not … Continue reading London-based company responsible for 28 deaths in Flixborough disaster operates in Scotland
Mis-representing anti-Semitism in Scotland
See anything odd, inconsistent, in the above map which suggests by colouring and by position in a table, that Scotland is the sixth worst part of the UK for anti-Semitic incidents? Even Wales is accurately broken down into regions like England so that we can see more accurately just where the problem is, but Scotland is presented as one region with the data totalled to make it seem worse. There are 34 council areas in Scotland so, on average each has had 2 anti-Semitic incidents putting most down at the bottom of that table. Remember that putting a leaflet through … Continue reading Mis-representing anti-Semitism in Scotland
Urgent calls for a state of emergency to be declared for Washington State Ferries
From KOMO News today: More than a dozen Washington state lawmakers are pushing Gov. Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency for Washington State Ferries (WSF). The end goal of the move is to make it possible for the state to get two new ferries within two years. “We have a state of emergency. The question is, do we have the political will to call it what it is,” said state representative Spencer Hutchins, (R) Gig Harbor. KOMO News has documented countless issues that WSF has and continues to face. WSF is working with fewer boats than it needs … Continue reading Urgent calls for a state of emergency to be declared for Washington State Ferries
“The Traitors: Labour has delivered one of the biggest betrayals in UK industrial history” – the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce is not holding back!
By stewartb The quote comes from an opinion piece written by the Policy Director of the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) published 15 February 2024 in the industry news journal ‘Energy Voice’. Headline: ‘The Traitors: Back-stabbing TV hit has nothing on Labour – The Traitors: Labour has delivered one of the biggest betrayals in UK industrial history with its North Sea policy’. Seehttps://www.energyvoice.com/opinion/547861/the-traitors-labour/ This is in response to the Labour Party ‘who just months after heading north to promise “no cliff-edge end” to the North Sea oil and gas sector have delivered one of the biggest betrayals in … Continue reading “The Traitors: Labour has delivered one of the biggest betrayals in UK industrial history” – the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce is not holding back!
Scotland’s Emergency Departments improving steadily as demand climbs 25% to pre-pandemic levels
After falling steadily, from the pandemic until the winter of 2022, NHS Scotland’s 4-hour waiting time performance in full Emergency Departments has stabilised with winter performance around 6% better and summer performance approaching that of 2021. This has been done against a background of climbing demand, from only 81 000 in December 2020 to 107 000 in December 2023 Continue reading Scotland’s Emergency Departments improving steadily as demand climbs 25% to pre-pandemic levels
Only 9 out of 21 Washington State Ferries in good condition
From the Courier-Herald, in Seattle, yesterday: There are so many problems with our ferry system. Constant delays, breakdowns, and staffing issues, our ferry fleet has become known around the region as one of the easiest ways to ruin your commute. While Washington currently has the largest ferry network in the nation, only nine ships of our 21 are considered in good condition1. This has resulted in some routes sporting a reliability rate as low as 75 percent. The effect on passengers is late arrivals to work, added hours to their commute, and increased frustration with a transportation network. If almost … Continue reading Only 9 out of 21 Washington State Ferries in good condition
