Tag: politics

1 Comment

National Wealth Fund to support Scottish economy with £1bn boost for windfarm 270 miles off Berwick-on-Tweed but only 29 miles off Norfolk

johnrobertson834

By Liz S This below is still not anywhere on the BBC website as of 16.55pm on 12/11/26: The National reported this morning that: “Andy Burnham has been accused of getting “basic facts” wrong after he hailed English investment in response to a question about Scottish “deindustrialisation” “The Prime Minister pointed to a £1 billion boost for wind farms off the coast of Norfolk in response to a question from SNP MP Graham Leadbitter in the Commons on Wednesday” On Facebook the Grasp The Thistle account wrote: “Andy Burnham has been accused of “telling fibs” after he claimed that £1 … Continue reading National Wealth Fund to support Scottish economy with £1bn boost for windfarm 270 miles off Berwick-on-Tweed but only 29 miles off Norfolk

2 Comments

Who has ordered the branch manager to U-turn?

johnrobertson834

By Liz S The BBC are promoting this: “Scottish Labour leader says the UK should re-join EU” Is it a mere coincidence that Marra is stating this now, as in when his new Labour leader at HQ , Andy Burnham, is also supposedly keen for the UK to get closer to the EU and eventually re-join ? No it is not. In September Micahel Marra was interviewed by Politico. In that interview he stated: “What we do need is a closer relationship because we know the economic cost that’s resulted from Brexit. I want to see us doing that on … Continue reading Who has ordered the branch manager to U-turn?

1 Comment

Housing supply? Glasgow leaves Liverpool and Manchester in their dust

johnrobertson834

From STV yesterday: Council moves ahead with £674m plan for thousands of affordable homes in Glasgow. The council’s ‘ambitious’ plans could see 12,000 additional homes and city centre commercial conversions if funding is made available Glasgow City Council is moving ahead with plans to build thousands of affordable homes across the city at a cost of £674m. According to council bosses, the “ambitious programme” will deliver 6,500 new homes, with another 12,000 to be delivered should funds be made available. It is part of the council’s strategic housing investment programme (SHIP) for 2027 to 2032, which addresses the city’s housing … Continue reading Housing supply? Glasgow leaves Liverpool and Manchester in their dust

2 Comments

Scottish Labour MP fawns over PM despite e-bike injury and death being six times higher in England than in SNP Scotland

johnrobertson834

Martin might be Glasgow MP but he clearly knows little of the city as he desperately tries to show it in a bad light it, based on the facts about e-bike ad e-scooter injuries and death. The Daily Record, 12 September 2026, put its finger on the underlying factor in the above surge of e-bike police confiscations: Beyond local anti-social behaviour, they have become the preferred transport for county lines drug-running and street robbery, offering escape for criminals.https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/take-back-control-e-bike-37654208 While many of the children riding these e-bikes to deliver drugs are local, the entire drug distribution operation in Scotland has been … Continue reading Scottish Labour MP fawns over PM despite e-bike injury and death being six times higher in England than in SNP Scotland

Leave a comment

Scotland has clearer, more generous approach to adult social care than the chaotic system in England, an international outlier in using means-testing to exclude people entirely

johnrobertson834

In the Guardian today, the above and: Successive governments in England have been “asleep at the wheel” on social care, leaving the system to grow as a chaotic patchwork of local services with no clear vision, Louise Casey, the head of the social care commission, is to warn. Lady Casey, who is preparing proposals for a big review of adult social care, will say the result is that in effect “no one is in charge” of a system that provides vital services for millions of vulnerable people. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/nov/11/louise-casey-england-social-care-system Scotland has a clearer, more generous national approach to adult social care … Continue reading Scotland has clearer, more generous approach to adult social care than the chaotic system in England, an international outlier in using means-testing to exclude people entirely

1 Comment

Further evidence that the Clyde will build Royal Navy warships for many years after independence

johnrobertson834

In the Herald today, the above and: Scotland’s defence industry and military infrastructure are being highlighted at a major UK-Norway security summit in Oslo this week. Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander is attending the Atlantic Future Forum, held aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which was built at Rosyth. Does this suggest that within NATO an independent Scotland would be able to build warships for the Royal Navy? No, it seems: From the UK Defence Journal in March 2024: The UK Government has refuted claims that an independent Scotland would continue to build ships for the Royal Navy. In … Continue reading Further evidence that the Clyde will build Royal Navy warships for many years after independence

5 Comments

This BBC senior manager who did not know about Jimmy Savile got four times the pension pot for less service than BBC Scotland’s 44 year-service NHS Scotland victim today

johnrobertson834

From BBC Scotland today, headlining, the above and: An NHS executive has received a near £400,000 redundancy pay-off after retiring from a health board, new figures show. Following a 44-year career in the health service, Mary Morgan retired as chief executive of NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) in May. But it has now been revealed Morgan received a £378,000 payment “under contractual redundancy terms” as part of an exit that came after NHS NSS was merged into a new quango called Public Services Delivery (PSD) Scotland in April. A PSD Scotland spokesperson said Morgan retired after an “exceptional career” and … Continue reading This BBC senior manager who did not know about Jimmy Savile got four times the pension pot for less service than BBC Scotland’s 44 year-service NHS Scotland victim today

2 Comments

Six years later, The Times catches up with our observation that YouGov has been ‘gaslighting’ us for years

johnrobertson834

In December 2020, six years ago, I noted YouGov polls reporting small Yes leads of 1 and 5% while all around were reporting on average a 7.5% lead. https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2020/12/03/dont-fear-the-next-yougov-poll-on-indepedence/ I wrote: It’s all down to their sampling bias. and suggested this might be a factor in preferring that sampling bias over those six years: YouGov was founded in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare and future MP Nadhim Zahawi (above) at the time both active in the British Conservative Party. In 2001 they engaged BBC political analyst Peter Kellner, who became chairman, and then from 2007–2016, President. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouGov#:~:text=YouGov%20was%20founded%20in%20the,from%202007%E2%80%932016%2C%20President … Continue reading Six years later, The Times catches up with our observation that YouGov has been ‘gaslighting’ us for years

1 Comment

AHOY SCOTLAND: FULL STEAM ASTERN!

johnrobertson834

By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 — More money to keep us afloat. Less investment to help us move forward — Since the Labour government’s budget last month, there has been quite a bit of talk about Westminster giving Scotland an additional £600 million to ‘spend’. But there’s a little more to that story than meets the eye — or the ears for that matter. Firstly, the £600 million isn’t an annual payment. It’s the total additional funding spread across four years. And secondly, when you look at where the money is going, things become a wee bit less impressive. It … Continue reading AHOY SCOTLAND: FULL STEAM ASTERN!

Leave a comment

UK (sic) youth job crisis is 55% greater than anything in Scotland

johnrobertson834

In the Guardian today: Fixing UK’s [sic]youth jobs crisis demands much more investment, TUC boss warns. Paul Nowak also calls on government to avoid arbitrary benefit cuts before much-anticipated Milburn report is published this week. Fixing Britain’s youth jobs crisis will require ministers to drastically increase investment in employment support while avoiding arbitrary cuts to benefits, the head of the trade union movement has said. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/nov/09/uk-young-people-job-work-employment-crisis-paul-nowak-milburn-review There is, of course, not mention of Scotland in the above. Here’s why:: BBC Breakfast 18 June 2026 had the above headline story of 1 012 000 16 to 24 year-olds not in employment, … Continue reading UK (sic) youth job crisis is 55% greater than anything in Scotland