Thanks to Paul Hutcheon I now know roughly how much is being made to all panellists as pundits in elections by TV channels

By Anonymous Here’s another joke, also not a HA HA one. Nicola Sturgeon apparently was paid £25k by ITV for punditry on GE night. Paul Hutcheon of the Daily Record told us that in a tweet where he included a picture of her , Ms Sturgeon, on a panel with ex Tory Chancellor George Osborne and also ex Labour MP Ed Balls , also now a ITV GMB part time presenter and he is also the husband of the current Labour Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Paul did however tell us that she , Ms Sturgeon, declared the cash which was why Paul then chose to reveal … Continue reading Thanks to Paul Hutcheon I now know roughly how much is being made to all panellists as pundits in elections by TV channels

Union Flag badges to be put on all Labour direct investment projects in Scotland – third time lucky?

From the National today: THE UK Government has announced plans for £1.4 billion of “direct investment” in Scotland over the next 10 years. The details of the funding, which will bypass Holyrood, were laid out by Scottish Labour on Friday. Many of the announcements are confirmations of “levelling up” funding, a project begun under the Tories. The UK Government replaced EU funding – which had been controlled by the Scottish Government pre-Brexit – with funding that they directly controlled. Labour councillors are thought to be concerned that locals might think these are SNP projects and so, Billy ‘King’ Fullarton of Kilwinning has demanded that Union flag … Continue reading Union Flag badges to be put on all Labour direct investment projects in Scotland – third time lucky?

Another ‘Union Jack’ chosen by Labour to serve you on the Scottish Affairs committee

By stewartb Speaking of Tories …. With the membership of the Scottish Affairs Committee in the House of Commons now announced (albeit one vacant place still to be formally allocated), it’s worth a moment getting to know better one member, namely Jack Rankin MP. For contest, recall the remit of this Committee: ‘The Scottish Affairs Committee scrutinises the expenditure, administration and policies of the Scotland Office, and its associated bodies. ‘The Committee also examines the wider UK Government, to assess policies and legislation that lead to direct impacts on Scotland.’ Given this, it’s relevant firstly to note that Mr Rankin is … Continue reading Another ‘Union Jack’ chosen by Labour to serve you on the Scottish Affairs committee

Scottish Tory leader conflicted by ‘perfect happiness’ over no free prescriptions but ‘palpable anger’ at winter fuel allowance cut

By Anonymous “Scots would be perfectly happy to see the end of universal free prescriptions from the NHS” says Tory leader (ITO) in Scotland. Meanwhile the same Tory leader (ITO) in Scotland was not “happy”, as in he was opposed to, Labour UK cutting the “Universal” Winter Fuel allowance for Pensioners, in fact neither were most of the people who lived in Scotland “happy” either. In fact Russell Findlay said “there was “palpable” anger at Labour across the UK” on this decision. Also he said that “Elderly folk who have slogged hard all their days feel absolutely betrayed.” Of course he condemned the Labour PM for “not carrying out … Continue reading Scottish Tory leader conflicted by ‘perfect happiness’ over no free prescriptions but ‘palpable anger’ at winter fuel allowance cut

Nuclear Power Stations – Is Scottish Government being tricked by Shanks’ Trojan Horse legislation?

I’m grateful to Frances who, after reading Labour’s new plans to streamline planning applications, wonders: This sounds ominous … Holyrood depends on  control of planning to hold back nuclear lobby? Yesterday, in the National: REFORMS to energy planning rules aimed at accelerating new clean power developments have been unveiled by the Scottish and UK governments. The Scottish Government has welcomed Labour’s announcement that they are “modernising outdated bureaucratic processes” to make it easier to develop new green energy projects. Acting Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said that the reforms – which are reserved to Westminster – would “help support Scotland realise our clean power … Continue reading Nuclear Power Stations – Is Scottish Government being tricked by Shanks’ Trojan Horse legislation?

SNP critic in the Times hides the fact that she is on the Scottish Labour executive committee to mislead on pay settlements

In the Times today: Health workers ‘driven out by SNP’s financial incompetence’ – The Scottish government has left the NHS under severe strain by budgeting for unrealistically low pay settlements, says Louise Gilmour of the GMB union Not revealed, this: What has the SNP Scottish Government settled on? The Scottish Government’s pay settlement for NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts for 2024-25 is a 5.5% pay increase, effective from April 1, 2024. What has the Labour UK Government settled on? The Labour government has agreed to a 5.5% pay increase for NHS staff in England, effective from April 1, 2024. Sources: … Continue reading SNP critic in the Times hides the fact that she is on the Scottish Labour executive committee to mislead on pay settlements

Aberfan – a warning from history of how the Labour betrayal of working communities in 1966 will be repeated by Starmer before 2026 when you can be sure to never vote for them

By Professor John Robertson Today, on the 58th anniversary of the Aberfan Disaster when 144 died in a mining tip landslide, Richie Venton of the Scottish Socialist Party has written: Starmer last week declared to the assembled profiteers at his Investment Conference that the Labour government will “rip up red tape” to “unleash growth”. As I’ve written elsewhere, so-called ‘red tape’ is better than red bandages. But in the South Wales pit village of ABERFAN, the man-made disaster didn’t mean injuries, but mass death. In writing the above, Venton directs us to his 2016 extensive account of the disaster which includes … Continue reading Aberfan – a warning from history of how the Labour betrayal of working communities in 1966 will be repeated by Starmer before 2026 when you can be sure to never vote for them

Ferries cannot be seen coping with high seas for immense £66 billion high pile of HS2 waste on BBC Scotland

By Anonymous Breaking news from a broken media aka the BBC Website reporting on the Storm where they could just not stop themselves from including Ferries in the equation of impacted services cancelled because of the Storm. “Ferry operator CalMac cancelled almost all of its Sunday sailings, cutting off services to the islands including Arran, Bute, Lewis and Harris” This obsession via the BBC in Scotland with the ferries in Scotland aka ‘the worst Ferries in the world’, allegedly , and all from Scotland only , apparently. (according to the BBC that is). A wee storm was it ( amber and yellow weather warnings) and still they cancel their Ferry services in Scotland (would … Continue reading Ferries cannot be seen coping with high seas for immense £66 billion high pile of HS2 waste on BBC Scotland

It’s good to see comparisons between Scotland and Wales

By stewartb We know that the British Labour Party and its media allies in Scotland for the Union would have voters here believe that any shortcomings, all problems in Scotland’s public services can be laid at the door of the SNP Scottish Government. So it’s good to see comparisons between Scotland and Wales – in education, health and social care, housing, poverty levels, unemployment; economic development and yes, local government funding etc. All can be scrutinised in order to assess the track record of the British Labour Party government in Cardiff during the extended period of Tory rule in Westminster: … Continue reading It’s good to see comparisons between Scotland and Wales

Not-for-profit water should be better but Welsh Labour mess that up too

stewartb It’s useful to have comparisons of the performance of key public services in different parts of the Union – and for a number of reasons. I’ve become especially interested in getting much better informed about what can be achieved by electing the British Labour Party to govern with devolved powers. Fortunately, we have Wales with its longstanding British Labour Party government in Cardiff to use as a benchmark. After all, we need to know what we might expect from a British Labour Party government in Edinburgh after 2026! In this context, how with the British Labour Party in power in … Continue reading Not-for-profit water should be better but Welsh Labour mess that up too