The actual news: The Scottish Government’s Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill aims to ensure that, apart from in the most serious of cases where people pose a risk to public safety or the delivery of justice in a case, remand is a last resort for the court. https://www.gov.scot/news/bail-and-release-from-custody-scotland-bill-passed/ That’s clear – no violent prisoners will be considered but Sharon Dowey MSP above, claims it will put public safety at risk. Has she or, indeed anyone at Con HQ, looked at the research? They probably have but didn’t like it. Here’s some: England and Wales have some of the … Continue reading SNP and alternatives to custody – Conservative MSP ignores detail and evidence to try to scare us

In a Tory-run Holyrood committee, a few island councillors get an extended opportunity to complain about their ferry services. The Mull and Iona councillor who, judging by his accent, chose to live there, presumably after a bit of research into what life is like on an island, tells us to look abroad for advice on how to run a ferry service because Scotland has ‘one of the worst in the world.’ Worse than Indonesia with 11 ferries sunk and thousands dead in only the last 20 years? Philippines with 13 and, similarly, thousands dead? Bangladesh with 18 and uncounted dead? … Continue reading ‘Scotland has one of the worst ferry services in the world?’ He needs to go island-hopping in Indonesia or Bangladesh or…

On June 5: British Labour leader Keir Starmer described nuclear power as a “key part” of the UK’s energy mix, and said his party would “push” nuclear power to “lower household energy bills, create jobs and ensure the energy security of the United Kingdom”. Starmer further accused the conservatives of a “chaotic” failure to try to open nuclear power plants during the 13 years he has been in power. As reported by “The Guardian” newspaper, the Labor leader will today visit Hinkley Point C in Somerset, one of several new nuclear facilities still not operational despite receiving the license in 2012. Starmer’s … Continue reading Scottish Labour to make big mistake on nuclear

For this who don’t see the twittering, the above and: Greece: From November to March, sailings are rare and usually serve the large islands or those that are popular to the locals! Minor and distant or tourist islands are not served at all: https://go-ferry.com/ferries-to-greek-islands#:~:text=Minor%20and%20distant%20or%20tourist,from%20there%20to%20your%20destination… Continue reading Today’s ferry twittering

In Politics home yesterday: Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has told the Covid inquiry there was a shared “assumption” across Western Europe that the only way to deal with a future pandemic was to let it rip through the population like “wildfire”. https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/covid-inquiry-jeremy-hunt-government-planned-pandemic-spread-like-wildfire There are reports but unconfirmed, that the Scottish Government, strongly advised to do so by Prof Sridhar, did not share that view and wished to lockdown earlier. More solid evidence of a better strategy in Scotland can be seen in this: Boris Johnson has been accused of following Nicola Sturgeon’s lead on coronavirus lockdowns after he put England … Continue reading Stopping the pandemic wildfire at the border

Alerted to this by Carol Vorderman via Andrew: As you will have seen yesterday, it’s been revealed that cancelling the Valneva Covid vaccine contract, based on production in Livingston, in 2021, cost the taxpayer £358 million after the UK Government tried to claim breach of contract but were defeated in court: https://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/national/23604512.axed-covid-vaccine-contract-cost-taxpayers-358m/ Yet in 2022: The location? Once built, the centre — which could be located anywhere from the “Golden Triangle” between London, Oxford and Cambridge in the south of England to a site in the North-East. You know, when the FT says North-East, they don’t mean Peterhead, they mean … Continue reading Paying millions to tell Scotland who is in charge

Calmac can, some days, have more than 500 sailings. Yesterday, there were 516 with only 6 cancellations. The last serious accident, a sinking, was: On the stormy night of 22 March 1973, on its way from South Uist to Oban, the Loch Seaforth struck rocks in Gunna Sound between the Isles of Tiree and Coll, with over 40 passengers and crew on board. All survived, without a single injury. https://www.obantimes.co.uk/2023/03/16/the-ship-that-sank-an-island/#:~:text=The%20CalMac%20ferry%20MV%20Loch,in%20Gott%20Bay%20by%20Scarinish. Globally, in the 21st Century alone, there have been around 40 incidents where ferries have sunk, often with the loss of many lives. Most have been in Africa and in … Continue reading CalMac’s incomparable safety record

Today, in a report on how the UK Government axed a contract with French firm Valneva costing UK taxpayers £358 million, there’s no comment from the Scottish Government. Why should there have been? Well, in February 2022, using the very same photo, BBC Scotland had news that the Scottish Government had invested £20m in Valneva to help keep their Livingston plant open and to protect jobs there. Imagine the UK Government had first invested in the deal and the Scottish Government had then found a way to scupper it through, for example, planning law? We’d see angry comments from Labour, … Continue reading SNP Government not asked to comment on the £20m they gave to Valneva before the UK Government sabotaged them!

Leaving aside the fact the the Murrell case is still live, as Police Scotland continue to investigate his sports socks for traces of energy-enhancing herbal supplements, this ‘somebody refuses to say‘ thing is the saddest of sad journalistic tricks. If you can’t find anything remotely interesting to report to your dwindling audience, ask some celebrity a question too sensitive or just impossible to answer, then when they don’t, gleefully report: ‘Somebody refuses to say something about somebody or something!’ It’s been everywhere in recent days, a desperate fall-back for the jobbing: Rishi Sunak refuses to say if he’ll vote on … Continue reading Sturgeon’s husband: Herald journalist refuses to say if he’s guilty of lazy journalism