Can the PM assure the workers that he believes bus manufacturing should have a future in Falkirk?

By Liz S So I am a tad confused or rather quite befuddled…….. Brian Leishman Labour MP for Alloa & Grangemouth is reported to now be suspended from the Labour party this afternoon “over breaching party discipline” Yet only earlier today Leishman posted a tweet, together with a linked video, that showed him feeding a line to his -then- leader Keir Starmer at today’s PMQ’s to then allow his -then – leader to spout #SNPBAD and also allow his – then – leader to give a Masterclass in hypocrisy……….(as did Leishman). I have again highlighted in bold both Leishman’s and Starmer’s brass … Continue reading Can the PM assure the workers that he believes bus manufacturing should have a future in Falkirk?

Access to NHS dentistry in Scotland – How trust in hypocritical Scottish Labour has ‘rotted away’

stewartb More on the state of dentistry in England. From The Mirror – traditionally a Labour-supporting newspaper (July 14, 2025): ‘Wes Streeting defends only paying for half the population to get an NHS dentist – Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been grilled by MPs about suggestions Labour will not substantially increase the NHS dentistry budget it inherited from the Tories’ ‘Health Secretary Wes Streeting has defended why the Government is only paying for half the population of England to get an NHS dentist. (my emphasis) ‘MPs on the Health Committee grilled Mr Streeting on whether he would “reconsider” a decision to stick with similar funding for … Continue reading Access to NHS dentistry in Scotland – How trust in hypocritical Scottish Labour has ‘rotted away’

Scotland’s economy has recently been outperforming the rest of the UK

By Liz S Labour are failing in what they promoted as being their main mission as the new UK government. Number one focus for them being “Growth” in the UK economy. On July 11th it was reported that: “Chancellor Rachel Reeves has called the economy’s recent performance “disappointing” after figures showed it shrank unexpectedly in May” Also………. “The economy contracted by 0.1%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, after also shrinking in April” Ian Murray, Labour’s so called ‘Scottish’ Secretary, declared in 2024 that Labour’s first budget as the new UK government would herald an era of “Growth” for Scotland. Yet his Labour party are … Continue reading Scotland’s economy has recently been outperforming the rest of the UK

Hell springs to mind as an apt description of that unwelcome scenario….but I believe the ball is in the court of voters in Scotland

By Liz S I am hopeful that somehow Reform UK will never emulate the same level of success in Scotland next year that they, as a (pretend) party, seem to have achieved in England. (and also via polls are anticipated as having even more success in the future via some subsequent UK elections). However they will, I am sure , gain some seats next year in the Scottish elections which I think will be both a disgrace and also very much a huge badge of shame for Scotland as a nation. Open Democracy wrote an article in June 2025 which … Continue reading Hell springs to mind as an apt description of that unwelcome scenario….but I believe the ball is in the court of voters in Scotland

Is the rot finally setting in on the Tory party ?

Liz S Just how many current and previous politicians at different levels will the Tory party lose from their party to the Reform UK party. The latest two are a former Tory Welsh Secretary Sir David Jones and now we have Sir Jake Berry also announcing that he too has defected to the Reform UK party. We also had Anne Marie Morris a former Tory MP also defect to Rerform. Then in the recent English local elections we saw ……….. Former Tory MP (and Tory Minister) Andrea Jenkinson elected as the Reform UK Mayor of Lincolnshire. Also the former Tory Councillor Sarah … Continue reading Is the rot finally setting in on the Tory party ?

Those urging sympathy for Rachel Reeves would do well to remember how the BBC treated Nicola Sturgeon when she shed tears at the Covid Inquiry

By Liz S Rachel Reeves in tears in the debating chamber in the HOC. “personal matter” apparently. However why then was she in the chamber if the “personal matter” was so upsetting for her that she could not hold back her tears while knowing she was within a public forum. Also it , as a public forum, was being televised and based on yet another major U Turn by her leader then her also knowing that that she would most likely be targeted by the opposition as the current UK Chancellor for failing to find money elsewhere. Empathy and support … Continue reading Those urging sympathy for Rachel Reeves would do well to remember how the BBC treated Nicola Sturgeon when she shed tears at the Covid Inquiry

John Swinney does the decent thing

By Liz S John Swinney does a decent thing. He apologised for something that others did. (this is now an expected act that other political parties expect from the SNP as do the media). He did this in his capacity as the current FM of the Scottish government. For that he should be commended as sometimes for those who are wronged in the past all they really want is recognition of that fact and then someone to apologise to them on behalf of others. Some may argue and question why he did this. Well his apology as the current FM … Continue reading John Swinney does the decent thing

Social housing in Scotland factcheck – 40% more availability, no damaging right to buy, bigger grants and greater fire safety

Professor John Robertson OBA Amongst all the current media frenzy about a one-year down-turn in new social media building, these important, positive, contextual facts, published in a review by the Wheatley Group in May 2024, are getting no attention: Social housing is more prevalent in Scotland than England, comprising 23% of all Scottish housing stock (11% RSLs / 12% Local Authorities), compared to 16.4% in England (10.1% RPs / 6.3% Local Authorities). Scotland has similar rate of owner-occupation than England, 63.7% compared to 64.1%. Statistics based on March 2022 returns One of the most important powers devolved to the Scottish … Continue reading Social housing in Scotland factcheck – 40% more availability, no damaging right to buy, bigger grants and greater fire safety

What’s the legacy of the British Labour Party after 27 continuous years governing in Cardiff? Think about it before voting Labour in Scotland in 2026!

By stewartb – a long read British Labour Party MSPs and MPs are ramping up the negative rhetoric about Scotland in advance of the 2026 Holyrood election. And the mainstream media for the most part are playing their part in communicating Labour’s campaign messages – with little challenge, without context, without perspective, and without cross-UK comparative analysis. Moreover, British Labour Party MPs, elected to represent Scottish constituencies, have been standing up every week at PMQs to put a ‘question’ designed ONLY to denigrate the Scottish Government and Scotland’s (devolved) public services. All to entertain their colleagues from English constituencies and … Continue reading What’s the legacy of the British Labour Party after 27 continuous years governing in Cardiff? Think about it before voting Labour in Scotland in 2026!

NHS Wales slipping into crisis after 27 years of Labour mis-rule

By stewartb Another question for Dame Jackie Baillie and her ilk! How can this (below) be happening in a nation that has been governed by the British Labour Party for 26 or 27 years? From the Wales page of the BBC News website today (June 19): ‘Treatment wait times up despite extra NHS funding’. This is what we learn about NHS Wales today: The health think tank, the Nuffield Trust now offers users of its website access to an AI powered search facility. It invites them to pose their own questions. To the question ‘What is the state of NHS Wales?’, this is … Continue reading NHS Wales slipping into crisis after 27 years of Labour mis-rule