Tag: history

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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!

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Scottish Labour Councillors on the board that approved the completion of the QEUH are entirely responsible for the £170m repairs to the water supply and drainage system

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Glasgow Live today: Taxpayers could face a bill of up to £170 million to repair Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus. The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) and adjoining Royal Hospital for Children have been at the centre of a major infection scandal since opening in 2015. The Mail on Sunday has reported that an estimated £120m of further rectification work is now required, on top of around £50m already spent, according to internal documents obtained through Freedom of Information legislation. Source: https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/26448700.taxpayers-face-170m-bill-repairs-glasgow-qeuh/ Why would it matter when NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board approved the completion of the hospital? It was entirely their responsibility … Continue reading Scottish Labour Councillors on the board that approved the completion of the QEUH are entirely responsible for the £170m repairs to the water supply and drainage system

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‘Destroyer Disaster’ as Royal Navy destroyer still not in service after 23 years, takes three times as long as as Scotland’s ‘Fiasco Ferries’

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HMS Daring, a Type 45 destroyer’s mission was to replace the aging Type 42 destroyers after lessons learned during the Falklands War. She was laid down in the BAE Systems yard on the Clyde , 28 March 2003, launched in 2006, commissioned in 2009 and entered active service in 2010 – 7 years later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Daring_(D32) Leaving aside the 21-year delay between the Falklands war ‘lessons’ of 1982 and the laying down in 2003, those 7 years did not lead to a ship that could do what she was designed to do because, take a breath, her engines failed in warmer … Continue reading ‘Destroyer Disaster’ as Royal Navy destroyer still not in service after 23 years, takes three times as long as as Scotland’s ‘Fiasco Ferries’

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Just as Burnham would never come to Dunsinane – In 2024, the Bishop, the thinktank Chief Exec, the editor and Gordon Brown all avoided looking north for help with child poverty

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You won’t be surprised to hear how in May 2024, campaigning for Labour, there was not a word, from Gordon Brown, this Labour Party elder, of Scotland’s far lower child poverty nor of how the SNP’s child payment is leading to its disappearance in Scotland, nor of Labour’s refusal to end the cruel two-child benefit cap, if elected. Maybe the Archbishop would mention poverty in Scotland and the Child Benefit? Not a word. It turns out the Bishop of Leicester too had a piece in the Guardian. He doesn’t know about Scotland either, it seems, but does mention Labour, if … Continue reading Just as Burnham would never come to Dunsinane – In 2024, the Bishop, the thinktank Chief Exec, the editor and Gordon Brown all avoided looking north for help with child poverty

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For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are still generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight

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I fully support Liberation Scotland‘s UN mission to have Scotland recognised as a colony. Who ever thought it wasn’t? However, their other agenda to abuse the SNP and everything it has achieved in government, is risible and divisive. Here’s the latest – bloody catamarans again! By no measure, based on evidence globally, is Scotland’s ferry system failing. It’s the best in the World. https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/03/06/tory-mp-with-worst-local-ferry-service-in-the-uk-feeds-labour-opportunity-to-lie-about-best-ferry-service-in-the-uk/ https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/12/23/calmac-youngest-ferries-best-funding-and-most-staff/ Simlarly, catamarans are not the answer. Here’s the answer: Throughout much of 2024, the Herald worked with opposition politicians in a campaign aimed at undermining CalMac and, by association, the SNP’s competence in government. We, at TuS found several … Continue reading For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are still generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight

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Rupert Lowe and the NHS in a badly ‘Restored Britain’

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By Liz S Talking of healthcare I saw this online from Rupert Lowe in a post on ‘X’ dated 5 August: “Under a Restore Britain Government, private healthcare costs will become tax-deductible. Care will be come far more affordable for millions of Brits. Our plans will hugely ease pressure on the NHS, and save you thousands of pounds. Private healthcare is not our enemy”. “Care will be come far more affordable” ? More affordable than now , via the NHS , which is FREE AT THE POINT OF DELIVERY ? “For millions of Brits” ? How many million ? What level of service will those “millions” get via private healthcare, that … Continue reading Rupert Lowe and the NHS in a badly ‘Restored Britain’

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CalMac’s future lies in restoring and growing the Clyde shipyards again

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Perhaps thinking that any bad news on CalMac ferries serves the same purpose, to damage the reputation of the SNP Government, the Scotsman serves ours well – to make a case for the Cyde. From BBC Scotland 1 July 2026: CalMac’s newest ship – the Turkish-built MV Isle of Islay – is to be withdrawn from service for repairs later this month, just 15 weeks after carrying its first passengers. The roll-on roll-off ferry entered service on 31 March, but six weeks later a hinge problem with its bow doors meant it has had to operate “single ended” ever since. The issue … Continue reading CalMac’s future lies in restoring and growing the Clyde shipyards again