Tag: labour-party

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Anas clearly cannot count or read – did he mean the forgotten 4.1%?

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Pau Hutcheon in the Daily Record tells us: Anas Sarwar says the ‘forgotten 60%’ of young people who do not attend university will be his priority as First Minister. He says Scots should not be defined by their school grades. Forgotten 60%? What is his source? Clearly not this: The number of young people in work, training or further study three months after the end of the school year has reached a record high of 95.9%. The Attainment and Initial Leaver Destination statistics 2022-23 also show that the gap between those from the most and least deprived areas progressing after … Continue reading Anas clearly cannot count or read – did he mean the forgotten 4.1%?

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Given the British Labour Party’s approach to power seeking in Scotland, whataboutery is legitimate – ‘what about Wales?’

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By stewartb The logic of the British Labour Party’s messaging for the 2026 Holyrood election – that the SNP is holding Scotland back – would be open to ridicule amongst voters if it wasn’t for the support – the complicity – of pro-Union news media. The latter’s lack of critical assessment of this and other Labour negativity about Scotland is palpable. Context- and perspective-free reporting has long been a characteristic of the mainstream media that supposedly serves Scotland. Labour’s view of the UK Before and since the UK General Election we’ve been told by the British Labour Party’s leadership just … Continue reading Given the British Labour Party’s approach to power seeking in Scotland, whataboutery is legitimate – ‘what about Wales?’

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Scotland’s homeless surge is due to UK Home Office failures and not ‘failed and distracted SNP government’ as it falls among all but very recent immigrants

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Thanks to AR for alerting me to this. BBC Scotland’s report, Homeless people living in temporary accommodation hits record high, yesterday, on homelessness increases in Scotland, focusses on one case of a mother and child, the statistics indicating ‘the highest since Scottish government records began in 2002‘ and platforming Miles Briggs, Conservative Housing Spokesperson and Scottish Labour’s Mark Griffin, to say: Scottish Conservative housing spokesman Miles Briggs said the “scandalous figures should be a source of shame for SNP ministers”. He added: “After 17 years of this failed and distracted SNP government, it is clear that they are part of … Continue reading Scotland’s homeless surge is due to UK Home Office failures and not ‘failed and distracted SNP government’ as it falls among all but very recent immigrants

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#ReleaseTheSausages

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Anonymous #ReleaseTheSausages Hands up who did not even know that they, the sausages, had been taken. Indeed most of us thought it was Hostages that had been taken and so should be released– but it appears Keir Starmer apparently knows best as he mentioned them (the captured Sausages) in his speech today at the Labour party conference in Liverpool. Next Q is this. Is Keir Starmer Liz Truss in a man’s suit ? (Yes or No). Or is he more similar to Boris Johnson ? (Also Yes or No). Also who in Scotland would now proudly admit that they actually voted Labour in the recent GE in July … Continue reading #ReleaseTheSausages

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Hospital where 4 babies were fed contaminated food and one died, had ‘entirely unsafe system’ but Health Secretary not to blame

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dorothy for alerting me to this: In the Guardian today: An NHS trust that gave four newborn babies contaminated feed has admitted that it was operating “an entirely unsafe system” at the time they became infected. The admission came during evidence by a senior doctor at Guy’s and St Thomas’ trust (GSTT), who led its investigation into the outbreak, during an inquest into how one of the very premature babies died. Not in the Guardian report, any mention of the then Conservative Government or the Conservative Health Secretary at the time, or of any comment by … Continue reading Hospital where 4 babies were fed contaminated food and one died, had ‘entirely unsafe system’ but Health Secretary not to blame

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SNP Minister’s second letter to Liz Kendall ignored by media

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Two days ago, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Shirley-Anne Somerville wrote again to the UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall: Dear Liz, I am writing to you to express further concerns, following the publication of the UK Government’s equality analysis on the impact of the introduction of a means-tested Winter Fuel Payments, which shows that across all assessed characteristics those affected by this change in policy will greatly outnumber those unaffected. The Scottish Government continues to support vulnerable households from fuel poverty through a range of actions within our limited devolved powers. This year alone, we are spending £134 … Continue reading SNP Minister’s second letter to Liz Kendall ignored by media

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More than 100 000 Scots pensioners to lose winter fuel allowance and Scottish Labour MPs all knew this BEFORE they voted to end it

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From Factchecker, The Canary, today: The new Labour Party government is stripping winter fuel payments from 1.6 million pensioners living in poverty this winter. This is according to a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) minister – showing that Labour knew this – but are ploughing ahead anyway. DWP minister Emma Reynolds disclosed the information in response to two written questions from MPs. The first was from Labour MP for Lowestoft Jess Asato. She tabled the question on 30 August. Of course, this was a little under two weeks before she voted with the government to strip pensioners of it. https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2024/09/20/winter-fuel-payments-cut-poverty-dwp/?__s=kkn8su7rxte9tzdcocwy With 8% of the population, that means more than … Continue reading More than 100 000 Scots pensioners to lose winter fuel allowance and Scottish Labour MPs all knew this BEFORE they voted to end it

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How the SNP’s Child Payment would save more than 100 000 children in England from the extreme poverty caused by the less talked-about ‘absolute’ benefit cap

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today, always Anglocentric, there’s this: Statistics released today reveal that 123,000 households in England, Scotland and Wales were affected by the benefit cap in May 2024, a rise of about 46,000 in just three months according to government figures. Introduced by George Osborne in 2013, the cap means the most a family without regular work can claim is £25,323 in London and £22,020 in the rest of the country. and this example: In our research with families affected by the benefit cap, we have spoken to parents such as Lucy, who pays £1,375 a month to rent a mould-ridden, … Continue reading How the SNP’s Child Payment would save more than 100 000 children in England from the extreme poverty caused by the less talked-about ‘absolute’ benefit cap

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The poor Millionaire Keir Starmer’s wife is lucky he isn’t just Lord Provost of Glasgow

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Anonymous Listen I remember when, in 2019, a female SNP Glasgow Lord Provost was reported by The Daily Record for claiming for 23 pairs of shoes on expenses and it was a very big story on the BBC Website for Scotland. In defence it was stated on the BBC website that: “Her role incurs personal expenses as she is required to represent the city at hundreds of events” and it was also stated that “there was no accusation of impropriety against the Lord Provost of Glasgow Eva Bolander”. “The money spent was within the civic allowance allocated to the council by the Scottish government” However the BBC article also stated that : “The issue here … Continue reading The poor Millionaire Keir Starmer’s wife is lucky he isn’t just Lord Provost of Glasgow

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Labour peer paid for a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Victoria Starmer

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Anonymous On Sky News: “Sir Keir Starmer is facing an investigation over a possible breach of parliamentary rules after failing to declare that some of his wife’s high-end clothes were bought for her by his biggest personal donor, Lord Alli”. “The Labour peer paid for a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Victoria Starmer, reportedly both before and after the Labour leader became prime minister in July, according to The Sunday Times” “This year Sir Keir has received – and disclosed – nearly £19,000 worth of work clothes and several pairs of glasses from Lord Alli, the former chairman of online fashion retailer Asos, The Times reports” “In addition, the peer, whose personal wealth … Continue reading Labour peer paid for a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Victoria Starmer