The SNP Council Tax freeze has triggered an avalanche of gleeful and unresearched attacks quickly accusing them of betraying their commitment to progressive taxation. The Herald’s Garavelli, has joined in today, from a self-perceived position on the left with the poor. Quickly, before dealing with the issue, some may remember that in 2020, Garavelli was paid by openly rightist group, Tortoise, to attempt the assassination of Alex Salmond: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/04/who-paid-dani-garavelli/ OK, back to progressive taxation. Council Tax with its bands is clearly progressive though it could be more so by taxing the rich a bit more. So, at first sight, a … Continue reading Yousaf’s Council Tax freeze for all is progressive – Jimmie Reid Foundation

From India Education Diary, yesterday: Over the last three years, M2M Ferries has maintained a remarkable 99% punctuality record.  https://indiaeducationdiary.in/m2m-ferries-receives-a-maritime-excellence-achievers-award-at-the-global-maritime-summit/ Scotland’s CalMac ferries fall well short of that 99% with only 95.4% reliability. In 2020, one of M2M’s ferries capsized chucking all 80 passengers in the sea. All were rescued. Comments under a report from Republic World point to overcrowding on the ferry. In December 2022, another M2M ferry crashed into a jetty. A Mull councillor is reported as telling Reporting Scotland: 99% is not even good enough for me and if you want businesses like mine to thrive on … Continue reading CalMac challenged to match 99% reliability by Indian ferries at ‘minor cost’ of only one over-crowded sinking and only one crash

Sometimes I wish I was teaching about percentages to 11 year-olds again. We could look at these by-election results and the media coverage and have a good laugh at adults. In Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Labour claimed a ‘seismic’ win and the media let them do it despite the turnout collapsing and their vote having actually fallen. That the SNP vote had not turned out, foolishly I’d say, in their own protest against a ‘crisis’ wholly of the media’s construction, pretty much explains what happened – a percentage swing in a reduced turnout where your vote actually falls means nothing. … Continue reading By-elections – Labour vote FALLS or stagnates to tell even an 11 year-old that Starmer is talking seismic mince

Thanks once more to Dorothy for alerting me to this: Note the wee print under the photo – 85 dangerously substandard maternity units in NHS England. The ‘Scottish’ media are quiet. If they had something, they’d be all over it like nappy rash. I searched for ‘Scotland maternity inspections substandard‘ – only English ‘hits’. I searched the Healthcare Improvement Scotland site – nothing. I tried ‘Scotland maternity hospital inspection concerns‘ – bingo! As in the headline, only one minor concern in 2017 and another in 2013 but hey, using Reporting Scotland editorial standards, that’ll do. Get Gulhane or Baillie on … Continue reading ‘Two-thirds [85!!] of England’s maternity units dangerously substandard’ right now but one in Glasgow had rusty equipment in 2017 and another in Aberdeen was dirty in 2013 so no different, eh?

In the latest of TuS Ferry Newsletter instalments we note in passing that the ‘ferry fraud fiasco’ was fake news, that the Herald’s leading ferry guy, Martin Williams could bear to report that, but concentrate on what matters. Before today’s storms, on Tuesday 17 October, CalMac had 95.4% of sailings on time with only the wee Tarbert-Portavadie ferry out and only 2 of the 20 equally wee Oban-Craignure crossings cancelled. Meanwhile in the more temperate waters of British Columbia, BC Ferries are once more in the news: BC Green House Leader Adam Olsen says the state of BC Ferries is … Continue reading Canadian ferries get blown into ‘rough political waters’ even while the seas are calm

By Alasdair Galloway So, yet again a freeze on Council Tax. Almost an SNP staple. It is likely to offer some good headlines, but how good an idea is it really? First of all, unless the Scottish Government provide the necessary funding  to make good the Council Tax loss caused by the freeze, no matter its benefit (eg not paying more Council Tax) is lost because in some regards the can has only been kicked a bit further down the road, as local government is likely to end up even more badly financed. Therefore, set against those good headlines you … Continue reading Another Council Tax Freeze

By Alasdair Galloway I sent this letter to the Herald over the weekend. It was published today. THE recent article by Tom Gordon was headlined “Humza Yousaf: voters don’t see independence as relevant to daily life” (The Herald, October 14). Certainly independence comes well down the list of the perceived importance of current issues in many polls, so it seems difficult to disagree. If you are unemployed or can’t get quick access to NHS treatment, a comparison with independence is unlikely to loom large. However, this misses out that independence and unemployment (for instance) are not identical types of issue. … Continue reading Independence and a better Scotland – The perils of writing to the Herald

Spotted today by the ‘AI-enhanced’ PolicyMogul but missed by the LowIQ-retarded Scottish media: Energy Minister Gillian Martin will tell the world’s largest Arctic conference that Scotland can help power its northern neighbours’ journey to net zero. During meetings at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland, the Minister is expected to highlight Scotland’s expertise in renewable energy and seek to strengthen international partnerships in delivering technologies like green hydrogen and offshore wind. The Assembly takes place from 19 to 21 October 2023 and will be attended by ministers, diplomats and academics from countries including Sweden, Norway, the US and Canada. … Continue reading SNP Minister in another independent Arctic trade policy venture to p*** off Cleverly again

From SEPA’s Scottish household waste statistics 2022, issued today: Source: https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/3zFECr8AwC8oz7mXF7Lc0n?domain=sepa.org.uk/ Continue reading Massive reduction in Scotland’s household waste