Tag: politics

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Edinburgh’s loss making trams project was forced on the SNP minority government by the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems and now they want to shift the blame

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In the Scotsman, last week: The Edinburgh Trams have made a net loss of more than £44 million since opening ten years ago, figures have revealed, mainly due to borrowing costs associated with building the original line. Coming in at over £400m over budget and three years late, the capital’s trams have not run a profit since 2017. Sue Webber, Conservative MSP for the Lothian region, said: “These eye-watering losses only add insult to injury for those living and working in the capital. They already had to endure the construction bill for the trams spiralling out of control and reaching over £1 billion. There … Continue reading Edinburgh’s loss making trams project was forced on the SNP minority government by the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems and now they want to shift the blame

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Sorting child poverty the Scottish way – the Archbishop, the Bishop, the thinktank Chief Exec, the editor and Gordon Brown all avoid looking north

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By Professor John Robertson Again, alerted by Dottie’s Phone You won’t be surprised to hear there’s not a word, from this Labour Party elder, of Scotland’s far lower child poverty nor of how the SNP’s child payment is leading to its disappearance in Scotland, nor of Labour’s refusal to end the cruel two-child benefit cap, if elected. Maybe the Archbishop will mention poverty in Scotland and the Child Benefit? Not a word. It turns out the Bishop of Leicester too had a piece in the Guardian yesterday. He doesn’t know about Scotland either, it seems, but does mention Labour, if … Continue reading Sorting child poverty the Scottish way – the Archbishop, the Bishop, the thinktank Chief Exec, the editor and Gordon Brown all avoid looking north

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The 30 year-long neglect of patient safety in NHS England exposed as SNP Government records 17 years of its ‘at the very top pillar’ safety programme first launched by Nicola Sturgeon

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By Professor John Robertson Many thanks to Dotty’s Phone for alerting me to this. Today, the Health Editor at the Sunday Times has reported: Why don’t things get better on #patientsafety? One reason is that the NHS & government do sweet FA to act on inquiry recommendations. The @Thirlwall_Inq [led by a senior judge] has published a comprehensive assessment of the last 30 years of inquiries. It is not a good read: https://thirlwall.public-inquiry.uk/2024/05/17/review-of-previous-recommendations-published/ More from the thread following the above comments, at: https://x.com/ShaunLintern/status/1791508298404950168 The above report is getting very little coverage anywhere and certainly will not be used by Scotland’s … Continue reading The 30 year-long neglect of patient safety in NHS England exposed as SNP Government records 17 years of its ‘at the very top pillar’ safety programme first launched by Nicola Sturgeon

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Sir Keir Starmer, The Man Without Qualities

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By Professor John Robertson “For when we lie nowadays it is not so much out of weakness as out of a conviction that a man cannot prevail in life unless he is able to lie.” When you hear Sir Keir Starmer speak, the title of Robert Musol’s pre-war novel, the Man Without Qualities, forced on many 1960’s students, can pop into your head. He doesn’t excite. He doesn’t even interest but too often, he disappoints and it’s chilling. When he was asked after his big speech: Two weeks ago, some of Labour’s traditional voters abandoned the party because of issues … Continue reading Sir Keir Starmer, The Man Without Qualities

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Ferries out of service? 29% out of service in affluent Washington State and only 9% out of service in Scotland as Calmac continues at 99% on time

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By Professor John Robertson, Scotland’s only Ferry Correspondent who looks at other ferry services too. From King 5 Seattle today: Washington State Ferries (WSF) is preparing to see more than 300,000 passengers for Memorial Day Weekend, enough people to fill T-Mobile Park six times. This is the start of the busy summer season when the ferries see double the number of passengers as they do in the winter. This influx of people comes as the system struggles with a shortage of boats. Washington State Ferries has 21 boats in its fleet, but only 15 are in service currently. They need … Continue reading Ferries out of service? 29% out of service in affluent Washington State and only 9% out of service in Scotland as Calmac continues at 99% on time

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As BBC Scotland try to locate blame for the infected blood scandal IN Scotland, the facts speak of Labour’s incompetence and guilt

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Headlining on BBC Scotland today: The head of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has apologised to the thousands of victims in Scotland who were infected by HIV or Hepatitis C through NHS blood products. Though apologising, he claims, astonishingly: In Scotland, the vast majority of infections came from Scottish blood donations. In the 1970s and 80s, the country was largely self-sufficient in blood products. In addition to having adequate local donations for the populations needs, the Protein Fractionation Centre in Edinburgh had the capacity to process blood plasma to manufacture treatments for haemophilia or certain forms of immune … Continue reading As BBC Scotland try to locate blame for the infected blood scandal IN Scotland, the facts speak of Labour’s incompetence and guilt

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Extremists? Tories love them, are them!

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By NMRN RISHI Sunak has mentioned “Scottish Nationalists” in a major speech referring to the “extremist” threats facing the UK…..meanwhile we are all old enough to remember when the Tories, under Theresa May as PM, sought an agreement with the DUP. Where she made an “Extreme” kind of decision in giving one billion pounds, as a bribe to the DUP, in return for their support in the HOC to help her government win/pass votes in there………post the 2017 GE when she , as the new Tory leader, lost them their Tory majority that they, as a party, previously had before she called that 2017 … Continue reading Extremists? Tories love them, are them!

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How grudging Guardian editorials on SNP leader have persuaded even my intelligent 70s Scottish-university educated friends that the SNP has failed

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By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian editorial on John Swinney, today: Scotland’s new first minister is an experienced and unflashy politician who can read the public mood. Almost everything that John Swinney has said and done since replacing Humza Yousaf this week shows he grasps the palpable wish – south of the border as well as north – for more effective government that is led by more sensible politicians who do not spend their time playing to the gallery. The question, after 17 years governing Scotland, is whether any SNP leader can now deliver this. Mr Swinney therefore owns Scotland’s current … Continue reading How grudging Guardian editorials on SNP leader have persuaded even my intelligent 70s Scottish-university educated friends that the SNP has failed

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Wake up Scotland….you are being played!

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By NMRN This was not just a Tory defection to Labour….this was a Natalie Elphicke Tory defection to Labour……. The Labour party , but mostly Starmer, have shot themselves in the foot here…… Plus Sarwar & co are currently canvassing in Scotland for his party for the next GE…..so would be odd , considering this defection is all over most of the UK media, if the media here in Scotland did not raise this questionable defection at HQ with the branch office manager…….. When I say “raise it with him” then I mean that they , the media, should be … Continue reading Wake up Scotland….you are being played!

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‘It is very easy for Tories to cross over to Labour these days, THEY ARE THE SAME B****Y PARTY!’

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By stewartb ‘It is very easy for Tories to cross over to Labour these days, THEY ARE THE SAME BLOODY PARTY, ..’ How far will Labour-supporting newspapers in Scotland like the Daily Record be prepared to go on behalf of the ‘precious Union’ to protect/shield the party that many left leaning, progressive folk in England are now calling LINO – ‘Labour in Name Only’? This from today (8 May) : ‘Labour’s draft New Deal for Workers now “unrecognisable” See https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2024/may/labour-s-draft-new-deal-for-workers-now-unrecognisable ‘Responding to the recent New Deal documents sent to the trade unions by the Labour Party, the leader of Unite Sharon … Continue reading ‘It is very easy for Tories to cross over to Labour these days, THEY ARE THE SAME B****Y PARTY!’