By cuckooshoe This morning on BBC Breakfast “But when Ian brought up Scotland’s child payment – which was introduced in 2018 and doubled in March and gives cash to low-income families – she challenged him. Naga said: “The Scottish government can’t do anything new at this moment in time so those practical steps are retrospective.” Can’t do anything new?Are they retrospective? Take this BBC Scotland report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-62598583 “How a family of 14 is coping with rising costs” The youngest child is 4 months old and the eldest one is 17 years old. In April the Scottish Child Payment doubled from … Continue reading BBC’s Naga Munchetty ignorant of Scottish Child Payment

Above, ignoring the SNP’s now longstanding position to the left of Labour on social policies, including child benefits, affordable housing and progressive taxation, that millionaire Starmerite, living-wage denier, Anas Sarwar feels able to include the SNP in accusations entirely appropriate, and only so, for his Tory chums. For a quick reminder of the evidence that the SNP is the party of the left in Scotland, see: Meanwhile in Labour Wales, working with Plaid in the interests of the people, the Tories operate in the old way, clear that they, not Labour, are the only nasty party: Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister … Continue reading Labour leader asleep at the wheel

From TuS reader Golfnut, yesterday, the above which he suggests: UK gov figures show exports of electricity as being 16 TWH, which just happens to be the same figure for Scotland. Statista has it as: In 2021, electricity exports from the United Kingdom amounted to 4.17 terawatt-hours, the third largest figure reported in the 21st century. https://www.statista.com/statistics/323379/electricity-export-volumes-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/#:~:text=Electricity%20exports%20in%20the%20United%20Kingdom%20(UK)%202000%2D2021&text=In%202021%2C%20electricity%20exports%20from,in%20the%2021st%20century The FT has this also modest figure of less than 2 TWh: So, where are the other TWh going? To homes and businesses across RUk? And, what’s it worth? Well in 2021, UK electricity imports cost $3.2 billion so, the current exports based on … Continue reading All of the UK’s electricity exports and more are from Scotland

From TuS regular Gordon: The Herald is in trouble. ‘Journalists’ going on strike. They won’t be missed spewing out nonsense. Getting by on advertising. The readership declining. Trying hard with Clickbait. Not succeeding. 75% of declining readership support Independence. Under FPTP, one person, one vote, the SNP would sweep the board above the lot of them. There would be no opposition. The SNP already sweeps the board with restriction put in place by unionists to always let 3rd useless unionists in. D’Hondt. A quota. A million votes go in the bin to let 3rd unionists in. The electorate encouraged to … Continue reading Comment: Not just the Herald in trouble

in the Herald today: Professor James Mitchell is one of the nation’s leading expert on the constitution, devolution, the Scottish Parliament and Government. He’s seriously worried about the state of our democracy. In a no-holds-barred conservation with our Writer at Large, he lays it on the line about independence, the SNP, Westminster and systemic political failure IF you want to diagnose the health of Scottish democracy, there is only one man to turn to: Professor James Mitchell from Edinburgh University, a leading authority on Scottish politics. He has spent a lifetime dissecting the constitution, devolution, and the workings of the Scottish Government. … Continue reading No Neil Mackay, Scottish democracy is in relatively good health

Looking further into the Ipsos MORI poll, of 1 000 Scots, on views of Scottish independence, with the survey done only 2 days ago, there is much encouragement to be found. The poll is being ignored by the Scottish media, with good reason, for them, that is. Not only are the above results encouraging, when you recalculate with the don’t knows removed, we pass the magical 60% approval figure for some of the questions asked. From the above, we get 61.5% indicating they want to take the country in a very different direction from England and 59.5% saying Scotland should … Continue reading New poll: More than 60% want to take Scotland in a very different political direction to England

BBC Scotland have nothing on this. They’re busy with increases in E-coli in a nursery (Where’s Prof Pennington when you need a bacteriologist?), bin strikes (None in BBC Wales apparently), a sex assault, a serial rapist and cancer. They do have Harry Styles and a wee fox cub to cheer you up but, of course, nothing that might conceivable reflect well on an SNP Government. BBC Scotland could have had this: Covid infections fall for the fifth successive week in Scotland They prefer this kind of thing, from March 2022: Covid hospital numbers in Scotland reach new peak. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-60806381 BBC … Continue reading BBC Wales has an attitude problem – talking-up Wales

What row? Yes it’s Sharon Dowey List MSP for Ayr, again, accusing the FM of going gallivanting overseas. Will Dowey’s BFF, Liz Truss, know what gallivanting means? Anyhow, leaving a mess behind, gallivanting overseas while there’s a crisis here. Isn’t that something the Tories do best? Boris on holiday leaving the whole country in a cost-of-living crisis? Boris on serial holidays as the pandemic struck? Dominic Raab refusing to end his holiday while the Taliban were at the gates of Kabul? Liz Truss taking a holiday from reality? The FM is in Denmark on business. Labour/Tory councils, including the one … Continue reading Only Tories can leave a real mess behind

Scotland’s MSM are reading the latest Ipsos Scotland poll on independence as implying a lack of support for the SNP strategy of holding a referendum without Westminster approval or of using an election win with a clear manifesto commitment as a mandate: The Herald: Voters divided over plan to use election as ‘de facto indyref’ The Record: New independence poll finds less than 40% back Nicola Sturgeon’s ‘de facto’ referendum plan The Express: Nicola Sturgeon in new independence poll blow as support for Scexit vote next year slumps With regard to: A majority of voters vote for pro‐independence parties, like … Continue reading Latest Poll: 57% back Nicola’s plan for a referendum WITHOUT UK Government approval

In the Daily Record today: Scottish Conservative MSP for South Scotland, Sharon Dowey, said: “Despite numerous announcements from the SNP on their mission to tackle NHS capacity, the figures show that the situation is only getting worse. I’m calling on Humza Yousaf [health secretary] to get a grip on this problem. “It’s nerve-racking waiting on an operation and to be told that it can’t go ahead will be devastating news for those suffering a lot of pain. That’s why Humza Yousaf must make sure that NHS Ayrshire & Arran have adequate resources to deal with their patients.” https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/cancelled-operations-across-nhs-ayrshire-27821371?IYA-reg=8cb5bf56-7ace-4e9f-860f-ba0bd78585bc Norfolk and … Continue reading Ayrshire Tory List MSP has better hospitals than the ones Liz Truss doesn’t seem to care about