Tag: politics

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Othering is a constant tactic Labour choose to deploy,

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Anonymous It is unfortunate for both her and her party that she, Ms Baillie, as one who is ‘afflicted’ by excess weight , is then , in her role as Labour’s Health spokesperson, the one who communicates the message of: “Weight-loss jabs, alongside changes to diet and exercise, have the potential to be a game-changer in the fight against diabetes and cardiovascular disease“ Physician heal thyself or being a Labour MSP and Labour’s Health spokesperson keep telling others to do that which you yourself are obviously both failing to do or even attempting to do. Baillie delivering this message on weight is like an existing chain smoker being … Continue reading Othering is a constant tactic Labour choose to deploy,

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Will Audit Scotland ever get real and fully acknowledge the UK context in which Scotland is governed?

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By stewartb – a long read In recent times leading, broadly centrist, London-based think tanks and others have been arguing that the fiscal practices of Westminster/Whitehall governments have long been dysfunctional. Their damning consensus raises a crucial question: how do ‘dependent’ governments in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh – constrained to operate within devolved settlements – manage their nations’ public finances and the resourcing of devolved public services in an optimal manner to meet national needs and wants? The relevance of this is brought to mind by the recent Audit Scotland report on the state of Scotland’s public finances in which … Continue reading Will Audit Scotland ever get real and fully acknowledge the UK context in which Scotland is governed?

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Why all three 3 Scottish tower block fires have not resulted in ‘towering infernos’ and why in England they seem to be missing the point

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today, the above, and: Far too many high and medium-rise buildings are still unsafe after the Grenfell disaster, with dangerous cladding remaining on at least 2,400 blocks, a housing minister has warned. Wajid Khan, a Labour peer and housing minister, said on Friday that remediation work had not started at approximately 50% of properties being monitored for their unsafe cladding. He told the House of Lords there is a need to “go further, faster” on 2,415 residential buildings over 11 metres in height in England. Figures show that of 4,834 buildings on the register 983 have started remediation, … Continue reading Why all three 3 Scottish tower block fires have not resulted in ‘towering infernos’ and why in England they seem to be missing the point

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NHS Scotland/Scottish Government to avoid ‘toxic staffing row splitting the NHS’ in England, with more training and better conditions

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Health this morning: Julia’s first four years as a physician associate [PA] was everything she hoped it would be. After working in the NHS for the best part of a decade in a non-patient facing role, she was delighted to be on the wards supporting doctors and the wider healthcare teams. “I loved the contact I had with patients, assessing them and playing a part in their care. I felt supported and part of a team.” That all changed about a year ago. “Suddenly we came under attack. Doctors in the radiology department started refusing … Continue reading NHS Scotland/Scottish Government to avoid ‘toxic staffing row splitting the NHS’ in England, with more training and better conditions

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Desperately promoting Sarwar

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By Anonymous All part of the media establishment’s quest to try and get Labour elected as the next Scottish (INO) government. The Herald knows full well that those people in Scotland who voted Labour in the GE did not vote FOR Labour but instead they voted AGAINST the Tories remaining as the UK government. So his , Sarwar’s, supposed ‘achievement’ in 37 Labour MP’s being elected in Scotland in the GE , was not anything to do with him ‘Changing’ the minds of many within Scotland , but instead it was some of the Scottish public making a wrong decision, in them allowing themselves to (yet … Continue reading Desperately promoting Sarwar

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Fifth Health Secretary in a row averts deadly health strikes

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Today in the National: JUNIOR doctors in Scotland have accepted an 11% pay rise, totalling £64.1 million, the Scottish Government has said. Resident doctors – the new preferred moniker for junior medics – and dentists in training will see an 8.5% increase backdated to April of this year and a further 2.3% rise effective from October 1, a cumulative rise of 11%.  Health Secretary Neil Gray (above) said: “I am very pleased that resident doctors and dentists in training have voted to accept the Scottish Government’s pay offer. This demonstrates how much we value them and ensures that … Continue reading Fifth Health Secretary in a row averts deadly health strikes

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Anas Sarwar gets ‘Herald Scottish Politician of the Year’ despite his favourability rating falling 20 points to well below John Swinney and after taking Labour down 14 points to below the SNP

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From the Herald today: Anas Sarwar has been named The Herald Scottish Politician of the Year in recognition of his work securing Scottish Labour’s stunning result at the General Election. The party returned 37 MPs, a huge jump on the one won in 2019. How are things going with that? In the short time since the General Election in July 2024, support for Scottish Labour has plummeted from as high as 37% just before it, to 23% in October. This suggests that Anas Sarwar has diddly chance of becoming the next First Minister. According to YouGov, he is currently popular with only … Continue reading Anas Sarwar gets ‘Herald Scottish Politician of the Year’ despite his favourability rating falling 20 points to well below John Swinney and after taking Labour down 14 points to below the SNP

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Only Scots would abolish the ‘obscene’ cost of the Monarchy

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In the Guardian today: ‘Obscene’: Anger after cost of King Charles’s coronation revealed. The coronation of King Charles in May 2023 cost taxpayers at least £72m, official figures have revealed. The cost of policing the ceremony was £21.7m, with a further £50.3m in costs racked up by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/21/obscene-anger-after-cost-of-king-charless-coronation-revealed Typically in a press report, the ‘anger‘ is just from the tiny protest group – Republic. No opinion poll is referred to, for the obvious reason that they all indicate continuing support for the monarchy, other than in one place. In January this year, YouGov … Continue reading Only Scots would abolish the ‘obscene’ cost of the Monarchy

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School suspensions – When bad things are happening in England they’re NOT always ‘happening across the UK’ too

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Today, I just happened to catch Chanel 5‘s Scottish presenter Storm Huntley talking about Primary School suspensions in England and adding, based on her lack of knowledge of what happens in Scotland, the above. From April 2024: From the Scotsman, no friend of the SNP Government, on 25 March 2024: Across Scotland, there were 11,675 cases of temporary exclusion of any length of time, with just one pupil being expelled, as previously revealed by The Scotsman. The figures compare to 39,553 temporary exclusions and 164 permanent in 2007, when the SNP came to power.1 So, with 10 times the population, … Continue reading School suspensions – When bad things are happening in England they’re NOT always ‘happening across the UK’ too

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SNP MSP campaigns for years to get Tory council to act on derelict sites but BBC Scotland ignore that and credit late-arriving Labour MSP to aid his campaign for 2026

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By stewartb It’s unfortunate that the specific derelict site in Dumfries is not named. From the picture, I wonder if it is what is referred to locally as the ‘former Interfloor factory’? For information and interest, a search of the official record of the Scottish Parliament shows that the SNP MSP for South Scotland, Emma Harper has been campaigning for the problem of derelict sites locally to be solved. In August 2022, Harper together with Heathhall Community Council launched a public petition: ‘to call on Dumfries and Galloway Council to take immediate and effective action to address the vacant, derelict, … Continue reading SNP MSP campaigns for years to get Tory council to act on derelict sites but BBC Scotland ignore that and credit late-arriving Labour MSP to aid his campaign for 2026