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Have the Scottish Labour MPs joined the campaign against the ‘shameful’ Palantir NHS contracts which the SNP already rejected two years ago?

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In the Guardian today: MPs have queued up to demand the government scraps its £330m NHS contract with the spy-tech company Palantir, calling it “dreadful” and “shameful” in a debate on Thursday, after which the government said it was “no fan” of the US company’s politics. Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs led the calls for Palantir, which also works for Donald Trump’s ICE immigration crackdown and the Israeli military, to be removed as a supplier to the NHS federated data platform (FDP), with one Labour backbencher, Samantha Niblett, questioning whether it could be “trusted as a custodian of the intimate health records of … Continue reading Have the Scottish Labour MPs joined the campaign against the ‘shameful’ Palantir NHS contracts which the SNP already rejected two years ago?

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How diplomacy by the Scottish Government helped to avert all planned health service strikes in Scotland

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In the Guardian today: Many of us reluctantly supported industrial action at the beginning, with a government that wasn’t listening – wanting to support junior colleagues whose pay had fallen far behind contemporaries. Now we see how divided and conflicted resident doctors are too, and we long for a resolution. We recognise that the strikes are harmful. Communication and diplomacy are skills we pride ourselves on, and politicians have never needed them more than now. Diplomacy is the way to resolve this crisis for our NHS as well.Dr Helen HoltConsultant physician and chair of the medical staff committee, University Hospitals Dorset https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/15/strike-is-harming-the-nhs-and-dividing-doctors To what … Continue reading How diplomacy by the Scottish Government helped to avert all planned health service strikes in Scotland

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Lord Offord’s revelation does seem credible considering Sarwar declared in 2025 that he would be prepared to work with Reform UK on a case-by-case basis

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By Liz S Anas Sarwar, last night in the CH4 leader’s debate, was exposed by Malcolm Offord of trying to concoct a plan for his Labour party & Offord’s Reform UK to work together “to remove the SNP”. (BTW Paisley Town Hall ,that was where Offord said Sarwar had “bounced up to him saying we need to work together” and was where the BBC’s Debate night did their leaders debate). Now Offord’s revelation does seem credible , especially considering Sarwar once declared in 2025 , that he would be prepared “to work with Reform UK on a case-by-case basis” . So Sarwar … Continue reading Lord Offord’s revelation does seem credible considering Sarwar declared in 2025 that he would be prepared to work with Reform UK on a case-by-case basis

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East Tennessee cancer victims living ‘in the shadow’ of nuclear sites to be compensated despite having far lower rates and deaths than Scots living ‘in the shadow’ of Sellafield only 43 miles away, upwind and upstream, across the border with England

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From 6 News in Tennessee, USA, yesterday: For decades, communities in Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties have lived in the shadow of nuclear sites, now, help is finally here for those impacted. A federal program has come to East Tennessee, offering compensation to people diagnosed with cancer linked to radiation exposure. Watch the video in full at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euLZm6uyPsQ Why this area? From the Tennessee Environmental Council: Most Tennesseans think of Oak Ridge when radioactive issues are mentioned, but Tennessee is actually a major player when it comes to disposing of radioactive waste, with processors across the state: Up to 75% … Continue reading East Tennessee cancer victims living ‘in the shadow’ of nuclear sites to be compensated despite having far lower rates and deaths than Scots living ‘in the shadow’ of Sellafield only 43 miles away, upwind and upstream, across the border with England

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How I predicted Scottish Labour’s willingness to work with anyone to remove the SNP, 8 years ago

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You can just see that can’t you? Anas Sarwar ‘bouncing’ up to Lord Offal with a plan to get the SNP between them. Who thought Sarwar ever had a principle beyond ‘me first?’ Anyhow, in October 2018, I sensed the fit between the right-trending Labour Party then and that other extreme-right party, the DUP, and wrote: As the Scottish Labour Party in Scotland loses support to the Scottish Tories and to the SNP, attracted by unionist loyalty on the one wing and ‘The Real McKay’ progressive taxation on the other, its leader plans to abandon progressive politics to the SNP … Continue reading How I predicted Scottish Labour’s willingness to work with anyone to remove the SNP, 8 years ago

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A Labour Government agrees to compensate those infected by blood products from US prisons approved by another Labour Government in 1976, and despite warnings from their own Health Secretary. The Labour Scottish Secretary was there failing to protect us

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Today, the Guardian has: Compensation payments will rise for people affected by the infected blood scandal, including an extra £35,000 each for former pupils who were experimented on at school without their knowledge, the paymaster general has announced. The government has allocated £1bn for the payments. The final report of the inquiry into what has been described as the biggest treatment disaster in NHS history was published in May 2024. The compensation scheme that followed has also been blighted by controversy. People who were infected, and their relatives, had complained about delays, qualifying criteria, the size of payments and the complex application process. Among … Continue reading A Labour Government agrees to compensate those infected by blood products from US prisons approved by another Labour Government in 1976, and despite warnings from their own Health Secretary. The Labour Scottish Secretary was there failing to protect us

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Why is Crisis Scotland being so fulsome in its praise for a 2040 Scottish Labour aspiration 14 years after this election?

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By stewartb Governing with devolved powers, how might Crisis Scotland and others judge the credentials of the British Labour Party in Scotland when (supposedly) setting ‘a new standard of aspiration’ and a pledge ‘to end homelessness by 2040′? What about the Party’s actual delivery in government rather than its aspiration for 14 years’ hence? From Crisis (10 April,, 2025): The Homelessness Monitor: Wales 2025. ‘This fifth Wales-focused Monitor report takes a look at where homelessness stands in Wales, focusing particularly on the implementation of the Ending Homelessness in Wales High Level Action Plan, including planned extensive legal reforms, as well as the ongoing impacts … Continue reading Why is Crisis Scotland being so fulsome in its praise for a 2040 Scottish Labour aspiration 14 years after this election?

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Institute for Fiscal Studies’ shocking revelation – Scottish Labour does not have a plan to reduce child poverty

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In the Daily Record, three days ago, the above claim but it’s all talk as the IFS has exposed. From Initial response to the Scottish Labour manifesto, published yesterday: Despite signalling that Scottish Labour wants to see falls in child poverty, the manifesto proposes little new cash support for families with children beyond additional support for childcare. The policy to increase the Scottish child payment to £40 a week for children under one is already planned by the outgoing government for 2027–28, as is the plan for breakfast clubs in primary schools. Whilst there is a plan to ‘review’ the … Continue reading Institute for Fiscal Studies’ shocking revelation – Scottish Labour does not have a plan to reduce child poverty

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Another charity duped into thinking that Labour will do anything for the homeless despite it still being 67% higher for children in England

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Crisis Scotland today has: We warmly welcome Scottish Labour’s pledge to end homelessness by 2040. This is the first manifesto commitment of its kind in a Scottish election and sets a new standard of aspiration. We call on all other parties contesting the Scottish government elections to share in this ambition and thereby create the political consensus needed to make it a reality. https://www.crisis.org.uk/about-us/crisis-media-centre/crisis-scotland-responds-to-scottish-labours-election-manifesto/ Crisis already know that only the SNP can be trusted to actually do anything significant: A 2022 study by Crisis found: The proportion of people suffering from the worst forms of homelessness in Scotland is about half as … Continue reading Another charity duped into thinking that Labour will do anything for the homeless despite it still being 67% higher for children in England

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As UK Government fails 7 out of 10 targets for England, Scottish Government initiatives push Scotland well ahead of the rest of the UK in preserving nature but this is all they have to criticise it weeks before the Election

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The Guardian’s Severin Carroll today has: MSPs not told about collapse of funding deal for Scottish nature restoration Exclusive: Ministers accused of trying to keep investment firm’s withdrawal from partnership with NatureScot under wraps. A funding deal to raise £100m from private investors for urgently needed nature restoration in Scotland has fallen through without the Scottish parliament being told. The Guardian has learned that Aberdeen, the investment firm, decided to withdraw from a partnership with the agency NatureScot to raise at least £100m for conservation projects from commercial and private investors late last year. Scottish government ministers did not disclose that when the Highlands … Continue reading As UK Government fails 7 out of 10 targets for England, Scottish Government initiatives push Scotland well ahead of the rest of the UK in preserving nature but this is all they have to criticise it weeks before the Election