Tag: politics

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Six existing examples of Chinese investment in the UK to reveal the Ardesier denial in Scotland is deliberate de-industrialisation and economic civil war

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By Liz S So the UK Labour government vetoed the wind turbine factory in the Highlands by the Chinese firm Ming Yang Smart Energy citing “national and cyber security risks”. Yet there is already existing Chinese investment within the UK: Heathrow Airport: The Chinese state-owned sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corporation (CIC), holds a 10% stake. Utilities: Hong Kong-based tycoon Li Ka-shing’s group owns UK Power Networks and a 75% stake in Northumbrian Water Group. CIC also holds minor stakes in National Grid’s gas distribution and Thames Water. Nuclear Power: China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) has been involved in the Hinkley Point C project and planned … Continue reading Six existing examples of Chinese investment in the UK to reveal the Ardesier denial in Scotland is deliberate de-industrialisation and economic civil war

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The Hammer Of The Scots – Can Scotland afford to remain part of the Union?

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By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 Every August, a report drops like a hammer — GERS. The Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland report arrives with the same ritual timing, and the same ritual headlines. Scotland, we are told, is broke. Scotland, we are told, is subsidised. Scotland, we are told, cannot stand on its own two metaphorical feet. I must admit, it is an interesting annual event. But I really don’t want to talk about the methodology of GERS, or the fact that 25 of its 26 figures are more guesswork than estimates. Those arguments have been made many times before … Continue reading The Hammer Of The Scots – Can Scotland afford to remain part of the Union?

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Most of the heavier crude oil from Rosebank will be sent to the Netherlands because only Grangemouth could refine it

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By Liz S “The new and upgraded high-voltage transmission infrastructure in Scotland (new pylons, higher-capacity overhead lines, substations, and related works) is primarily required to transmit surplus electricity across the border into England and the wider Great Britain system” Yes indeed, but it’s not just electricity as the BBC website has this article, dated 11 August 2026, on their website on the Scottish Politics page: “What is happening with the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields”? Included within this BBC article are the below statements of how, once again , the UK/Britain are again reliant on assets/resources sourced from Scotland , that are … Continue reading Most of the heavier crude oil from Rosebank will be sent to the Netherlands because only Grangemouth could refine it

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‘Panic’ and fear of ‘serious sexual or violent re-offence or even murder’ in England because of the demands on probation staff with only half the level in Scotland

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BBC UK online and repeated across BBC Breakfast today, has dramatic and deeply disturbing news: The chief inspector of probation for England and Wales has told the BBC the early release of thousands of prisoners could lead to “a serious sexual or violent offence or even murder” because of the demands on probation staff to monitor offenders. and One probation officer told the BBC the upcoming releases had put him and his colleagues into “a state of panic”. We can’t cope with this – we’ve been saying that to anybody who will listen. At the minute I think it’s pure … Continue reading ‘Panic’ and fear of ‘serious sexual or violent re-offence or even murder’ in England because of the demands on probation staff with only half the level in Scotland

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GERS does not even claim an independent Scotland would have faced a deficit last year but BBC Scotland still pretend it does

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Scotland would have faced last year. You decide – BBC Scotland staff are thick as mince or institutionally corrupt? Is this claim today by BBC Scotland, true? No. It’s a dirty big lie. The GERS (Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland) figures published on 12 August 2026 for 2025-26 report a notional net fiscal balance (deficit) of £25.3 billion, or −10.9% of GDP, for Scotland as part of the UK. This is an estimate of the gap between revenue raised in Scotland and public spending for/on behalf of Scotland under existing UK arrangements; it is not a figure for the deficit … Continue reading GERS does not even claim an independent Scotland would have faced a deficit last year but BBC Scotland still pretend it does

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English drug baron’s county lines gang exploiting vulnerable women and children across Scotland from Inverness and Glasgow and onto Aberdeen

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From the P&J yesterday, the above and: Viktor Kihu, 25, recruited people to his OCG which was called Harlem to use their properties in county lines drug operations. The Inverness Courier on the same day, revealed his wider empire: With the same text – This case follows another important development in the recognition of this plage: In the P&J today, the above. What has driven his demand? Police report a notable increase in drug offences in Inverness. Gangs target the region because of demand, less competition, and vulnerable people. Cases involve women and sometimes children being coerced into the networks. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy0xdxdl40o How widespread … Continue reading English drug baron’s county lines gang exploiting vulnerable women and children across Scotland from Inverness and Glasgow and onto Aberdeen

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As giant, clearly not troubled, Glasgow hospital is shown to be as safe as all the others how Scotland has no postcode lottery unlike in other parts

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From Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios April 2025 to March 2026, the above graph and this explanation: Assessing patient safety and the quality of care delivered in hospitals is essential. The Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) is a key indicator that measures hospital mortality. It compares the observed number of patient deaths associated with a hospital to the number predicted after adjusting for the case mix of patients. This adjustment accounts for factors such as age, underlying health conditions, and severity of illness, enabling hospitals to be compared fairly against the Scottish average. No hospitals had a significantly higher standardised mortality … Continue reading As giant, clearly not troubled, Glasgow hospital is shown to be as safe as all the others how Scotland has no postcode lottery unlike in other parts

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Scotland subsidises its ferries far more than any other country, subsidises island life far more than any other part and the Mull service is 98% reliable for half empty vehicle decks!

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The Scotsman today quotes a Labour MSP saying ‘Our islands have been let down, time and again, by the SNP.’ Readers will know that CalMac is almost certainly the best – cheapest, most frequent, most reliable, safest – in the world. How reliable, currently, has CalMac been for, say Mull? In February 2026, latest figures, in a winter month- 387 out of 392 scheduled sailings operating – 98.2%; 366 on time, 94.3%. All of the cancellations were for unsafe weather conditions. https://assets.calmac.co.uk/media/dkrpvvnm/mull.pdf Is the Scottish Government using our taxation to give the islanders a wee bit extra to try to stem … Continue reading Scotland subsidises its ferries far more than any other country, subsidises island life far more than any other part and the Mull service is 98% reliable for half empty vehicle decks!

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Let’s hope that Andy Pandering’s visit to Scotland is a tiny and so-very-fleeting part of his UK whistle–stop tour

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By Liz S From James Foster on X regarding the announcement of Andy Burnham doing a UK cost of living Tour this week: “Why does @AndyBurnham need to tour the country to discover that the cost of living is too high, people are keeping less and less of their own money, high streets have been decimated, rents are through the roof, social housing is in desperately short supply, and inequality continues to grow?” “None of this is a revelation. These problems have been documented relentlessly for years by official statistics, councils, charities, economists, researchers and, most importantly, the people living through … Continue reading Let’s hope that Andy Pandering’s visit to Scotland is a tiny and so-very-fleeting part of his UK whistle–stop tour

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The real purpose behind this so-called House of Lord’s ‘inquiry’ into Peter Murrell

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By Liz S According to the not so ‘Scottish’ Daily Mail “The Peter Murrell scandal is set to be investigated by peers in the House of Lords, the Mail can reveal”. That’s an investigation by Peers who are not members of the SNP party, who are all mostly non Scottish Peers or House Jocks and so are, by a majority , pro UK Peers and so then they all are (except the 2 Green Peers) anti Scottish independence unelected bureaucrats within the HOL’s. So what or rather who prompted this ? Well Jack McConnell had initially called for a joint inquiry between a Scottish Parliament committee and its counterpart in Westminster. So I suspect that he is (heavily) involved in … Continue reading The real purpose behind this so-called House of Lord’s ‘inquiry’ into Peter Murrell