Tag: history

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One tunnel designer accuses Scotland of falling behind on tunnels while another says they’d never pay for themselves – Who will the Herald quote?

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In the Herald today the above. Who accuses? This guy, a ‘top’ tunnel designer. How strong is the case for replacing Scotland’s west coast ferries with tunnels? UK Treasury Green Book-style present-value calculations (with discounting) often make high-upfront tunnel capital look less favourable than ongoing ferry replacement and operating costs, even when undiscounted lifetime cash costs favour tunnels. Recent Shetland analyses illustrate this divergence. https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/news/could-much-criticised-treasury-guidance-on-public-spending-d-436409/ Low traffic volumes: On sparsely populated islands, pure financial payback via tolls or conventional CBA is difficult. One tunnelling expert [Martin Knights] publicly stated Shetland-style schemes “would never pay for itself” under standard cost-benefit analysis … Continue reading One tunnel designer accuses Scotland of falling behind on tunnels while another says they’d never pay for themselves – Who will the Herald quote?

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What would Scotland’s fiscal position be outside the UK?

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By derekscott1953 Richard Murphy’s argument (above) demonstrates why the independence debate needs two sets of numbers, not one. 1. What is Scotland’s fiscal position inside the UK? GERS addresses that. We may argue about some of the assumptions, and its origins in the 1990s, but Scottish Governments do not disassociate from the analysis. Maybe they should in future in order to move this debate on? 2. What would Scotland’s fiscal position be outside the UK? That’s the estimated calculation Murphy says matters, but his articles and videos never try to provide it. I accept if we were facing another referendum … Continue reading What would Scotland’s fiscal position be outside the UK?

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STV on youth violence – Disgusting, shameful, exploitative, scare mongering and all wrong as murder by minors falls to a quarter of the level

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STV tonight in a desperate attempt to win viewers, completely misrepresent the world you live in, with this report based on anecdotal evidence only, and ignore once more the facts, the facts that matter so much to all of us if we are to live a life based on what we can expect to experience. The facts: Murder by minors – Only a quarter of the level 20 years ago! The trend is clearly and definitively the other way in Scotland. Above, the official data reveal a steady, statistically significant, falling trend in the number of homicides by minors, over … Continue reading STV on youth violence – Disgusting, shameful, exploitative, scare mongering and all wrong as murder by minors falls to a quarter of the level

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Scotland is deliberately having costs dumped on it by Westminster

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By Liz S Kevin Hague has had a lot to say on the recent released GERS figures via his ‘X account , that is in him discrediting anyone who argues that it is not an honest reflection on the reality of Scotland’s finances as a future independent country. Indeed in respect to Richard Murphy arguing that “”Scotland is deliberately having costs dumped on it by Westminster in a way that is entirely unreasonable” Hague’s response to that was this: “a quick watch and i counted at least 8 massive factual errors and/or idiotic statements – is it worth me writing them up or does … Continue reading Scotland is deliberately having costs dumped on it by Westminster

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They are certainly better together

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By Liz S I also saw on the BBC website today under their ‘Scottish’ page , the front page headlines of the newspapers where it included: The most certainly not ‘Scottish’ Daily Mail front page: “We really are better together” “Being part of the Union worth record “2.7k to every Scot”. “Known as the Union dividend”. First of all this is not a Union that Scotland is a part of. Second of all , the English gutter press constantly promoting that the UK somehow benefits Scots more than other citizens living elsewhere within the UK, is completely and also conveniently ignoring what Scotland contributes to their UK State . For example the … Continue reading They are certainly better together

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Six existing examples of Chinese investment in the UK to reveal the Ardesier denial in Scotland is deliberate de-industrialisation and economic civil war

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By Liz S So the UK Labour government vetoed the wind turbine factory in the Highlands by the Chinese firm Ming Yang Smart Energy citing “national and cyber security risks”. Yet there is already existing Chinese investment within the UK: Heathrow Airport: The Chinese state-owned sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corporation (CIC), holds a 10% stake. Utilities: Hong Kong-based tycoon Li Ka-shing’s group owns UK Power Networks and a 75% stake in Northumbrian Water Group. CIC also holds minor stakes in National Grid’s gas distribution and Thames Water. Nuclear Power: China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) has been involved in the Hinkley Point C project and planned … Continue reading Six existing examples of Chinese investment in the UK to reveal the Ardesier denial in Scotland is deliberate de-industrialisation and economic civil war

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The Hammer Of The Scots – Can Scotland afford to remain part of the Union?

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By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 Every August, a report drops like a hammer — GERS. The Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland report arrives with the same ritual timing, and the same ritual headlines. Scotland, we are told, is broke. Scotland, we are told, is subsidised. Scotland, we are told, cannot stand on its own two metaphorical feet. I must admit, it is an interesting annual event. But I really don’t want to talk about the methodology of GERS, or the fact that 25 of its 26 figures are more guesswork than estimates. Those arguments have been made many times before … Continue reading The Hammer Of The Scots – Can Scotland afford to remain part of the Union?

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Public Health Professor’s message for Scottish Labour’s nuclear plans – ‘I personally would not live near a nuclear power plant’

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Chatgpt image (copyright-free) based on photographs of the nuclear waste storage in Plymouth USA From the Plymouth Independent, two days ago: The 1972 opening of the Pilgrim nuclear power plant might have been the worst thing to happen in Plymouth’s long history. It ushered in an era of fool’s gold prosperity that, over time, exacted a steep price on what was a quintessential sleepy town. Today, Pilgrim’s lingering side effects – including more than five dozen casks filled with radioactive waste at the ocean’s edge – offer a cautionary lesson for those who believe building a new, albeit smaller, reactor is an idea worth … Continue reading Public Health Professor’s message for Scottish Labour’s nuclear plans – ‘I personally would not live near a nuclear power plant’

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As giant, clearly not troubled, Glasgow hospital is shown to be as safe as all the others how Scotland has no postcode lottery unlike in other parts

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From Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios April 2025 to March 2026, the above graph and this explanation: Assessing patient safety and the quality of care delivered in hospitals is essential. The Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) is a key indicator that measures hospital mortality. It compares the observed number of patient deaths associated with a hospital to the number predicted after adjusting for the case mix of patients. This adjustment accounts for factors such as age, underlying health conditions, and severity of illness, enabling hospitals to be compared fairly against the Scottish average. No hospitals had a significantly higher standardised mortality … Continue reading As giant, clearly not troubled, Glasgow hospital is shown to be as safe as all the others how Scotland has no postcode lottery unlike in other parts

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Scotland subsidises its ferries far more than any other country, subsidises island life far more than any other part and the Mull service is 98% reliable for half empty vehicle decks!

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The Scotsman today quotes a Labour MSP saying ‘Our islands have been let down, time and again, by the SNP.’ Readers will know that CalMac is almost certainly the best – cheapest, most frequent, most reliable, safest – in the world. How reliable, currently, has CalMac been for, say Mull? In February 2026, latest figures, in a winter month- 387 out of 392 scheduled sailings operating – 98.2%; 366 on time, 94.3%. All of the cancellations were for unsafe weather conditions. https://assets.calmac.co.uk/media/dkrpvvnm/mull.pdf Is the Scottish Government using our taxation to give the islanders a wee bit extra to try to stem … Continue reading Scotland subsidises its ferries far more than any other country, subsidises island life far more than any other part and the Mull service is 98% reliable for half empty vehicle decks!