Scotland’s extraordinary fiscal contribution to UK economy revealed and that’s before Oil and gas revenue!

Many thanks to Andrew for spotting this From The London Economic yesterday but largely ignored elsewhere: Scotland’s annual tax contributions to the UK have increased by £14.2 billion over the last decade, with income tax, capital gains tax and taxes on productions such as environmental levies driving this increased contribution. New analysis shows that the Scottish public sector generated an annual revenue of £73.3 billion during the last financial year, a 24 per cent increase versus a decade ago, equating to an increased contribution of £14.2 billion to the UK economy. As a result, Scotland now accounts for 8 per … Continue reading Scotland’s extraordinary fiscal contribution to UK economy revealed and that’s before Oil and gas revenue!

Beauty treatment – BBC ecstatic to report ‘Scotland worst in Europe’ again as Fife woman dies in Türkiye

beauticians providing customers with cosmetic injections, according to healthcare professionals. Close thing there with that claim. Türkiye is in the Eurovision Song Contest and many go there for cosmetic surgery. BBC Scotland, first thing and throughout the day has another ‘expert’ to damn the Scottish Government for lack of action. Yesterday, it was a London-based climate change rep. The ‘healthcare professionals?’ Frances Turner Traill of the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses. The evidence? From the longer website report: Jackie Partridge of the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses said: “Colleagues across the rest of the world are shocked and in disbelief … Continue reading Beauty treatment – BBC ecstatic to report ‘Scotland worst in Europe’ again as Fife woman dies in Türkiye

Disenfranchising Scottish Tory voters?

Leah Gunn Barrett In today’s Scotsman, John McClellan claims that the First Minister’s wish to see all Tory MPs voted out in the general forthcoming general election is tantamount to disenfranchising Scottish voters. Nonsense. First, he doesn’t acknowledge the deep unpopularity of Sunak’s government and the concomitant decline in support for a party that has presided over a recession, falling living standards, rising inequality, increasing poverty and failing public services. Given this abysmal record, who in their right mind would vote Tory?  Second, the Scottish People haven’t voted for Tory since 1959 but have had to endure their execrable policies for half that time.  … Continue reading Disenfranchising Scottish Tory voters?

Thanks to SNP policies Scots far less likely to have fallen behind on bill payments

Media reports based on research by Debt Justice today have drawn attention to large numbers unable to keep up with debt payments after 14 years of Tory mismanagement of the economy, soaring costs and high taxation. The researchers kindly provided me with the breakdown across the 4 nations, not being covered in other media reporting. In South-east England, 21% had fallen behind or missed payments on any three months in the last year. In the North of England, it was 16% and in the Midlands, it was 14%. In sharp contrast, in Scotland the figure was 9%. These differences are … Continue reading Thanks to SNP policies Scots far less likely to have fallen behind on bill payments

Will Scottish Labour donor call for Matheson to be shot?

Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ By NMRN BBC Scotland website Politics page third story….a continuing saga…..on… Michael Mathieson…..who is… The former Health Secretary……as he…. Resigned. The End.…no….that cannot be allowed to be….as To aggravate matters on this situation even further……now he has ….via BBC article…. “been found to have breached the MSPs code of conduct“…and thus…. “The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) published its findings on Thursday”. “Holyrood’s standards committee will now decide if he should be sanctioned”…..and… Of course in this story on BBC Scotland’s politics page we … Continue reading Will Scottish Labour donor call for Matheson to be shot?

BBC Scotland Business covers Scotland’s economy thriving under SNP leadership despite the limits

Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ From the Scottish Government yesterday: BBC Scotland’s coverage today: Ferries! Remember the ferry quota! Is the above from the SNP Government not just a freaky statistical exception? From the ONS in June 2023: Freaky stats? Nope, a purple patch for Scotland going back decades. ‘From 2016 to 2021, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all had a trade surplus?’ Well, for two of those, not so much you’d be rolling out the capital investment on … Continue reading BBC Scotland Business covers Scotland’s economy thriving under SNP leadership despite the limits

Labour candidate for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock could not support move to save one thousand seven hundred local children from poverty

Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock Labour candidate, Elaine Stewart, must do what Sir Keir Starmer tells her to do. Any suggestion of disloyalty and she’d be dumped quickly. Last year End Child Poverty made clear the role of the Two Child Benefit Cap in pushing 1.5 million UK children into poverty. There are 1 710 of them in the Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency. What would Labour and a Scottish Labour MP do about this? Continue reading Labour candidate for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock could not support move to save one thousand seven hundred local children from poverty

BBC Scotland fails to notice Police Scotland raiding 24 Scottish homes alongside Dorset officers in pursuit of gangs with XL bullies exploiting 22 vulnerable people in Aberdeen

Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ STV, Sky, the National and the Daily Mail, along with the locals are following these dramatic events. From STV News today: Eight XL bully dogs and more than 600 weapons including guns, nunchucks and knuckledusters have been seized in a week of police raids on county lines drug gangs across the UK. A total of 1,874 suspects were arrested across the country in the week ending March 10, with 245 drug dealing phone lines closed down. Another 1,653 people … Continue reading BBC Scotland fails to notice Police Scotland raiding 24 Scottish homes alongside Dorset officers in pursuit of gangs with XL bullies exploiting 22 vulnerable people in Aberdeen

Freedom of Information attempt and edited photies to put Sturgeon in police car

I don’t know if the above fake image is any better or worse than the one Princess Kate did of her own family but Nicola in a polis car clearly floats a few boats. Just last week, Police Scotland responded to this daftie: Your recent request for information is replicated below, together with our response. Under the Freedom of Information Scotland Act, I am interested to know if it was a Police Car that was used to take Nicola Sturgeon to the Covid Enquiry in Edinburgh this morning.   If so, why was this and also what was the cost involved … Continue reading Freedom of Information attempt and edited photies to put Sturgeon in police car

The huge gap between Scottish Labour and the world of food banks

Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ I’m sure the photographer was just trying get in all the food brought to an Irvine food bank by local rich guy, the former Director of the British Council in India, the former Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner and British Deputy High Commissioner for South Asia, Allan Gemmell, Order of the British Empire 2016 (when Boris Johnson was Foreign Secretary) and now Labour (Starmerite) candidate for Central Ayrshire, but it doesn’t half tell a story. … Continue reading The huge gap between Scottish Labour and the world of food banks