Tag: politics

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The Scottish Health Service won’t be safe under an English Labour government

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First of three pieces from Leah Gunn Barrett This was published in the December 19th edition of the Edinburgh Evening News. An English Labour government is the last thing Scotland needs. English Labour’s shadow health spokesperson, Wes Streeting, said spending more on health comes at the expense of “other worthy causes” and that “under Labour you can have a well-funded NHS or you can lift kids out of poverty, but you can’t have both.”[1] That’s a false choice. It implies that governments are limited in what they can spend to help their people. Taxpayers don’t fund the NHS, the government … Continue reading The Scottish Health Service won’t be safe under an English Labour government

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Why is BBC England or UK press not reporting ‘Longest-ever NHS strike will sink Sunak’s waiting list pledge, say health chiefs’

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In the Observer today: One of Rishi Sunak’s key targets for the NHS – to eliminate waits of longer than 65 weeks for operations and other procedures by March – is likely to be missed because of strike action, health bosses warned this weekend. The health service faces the longest national strike in its history when junior doctors walk out for six days from 7am on Wednesday. One NHS trust leader said he expected about a third of operations to be cancelled at his trust. Strike action by consultants, junior doctors and nurses over the last year has hampered the work to … Continue reading Why is BBC England or UK press not reporting ‘Longest-ever NHS strike will sink Sunak’s waiting list pledge, say health chiefs’

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‘My New Year’s Wish is for Scotland to put the failing UK out of its misery’

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I couldn’t put it better than or as well as, Leah Gunn Barrett: This was published in the December 30th Edinburgh Evening News. I wrote it in response to Ian Murray’s regular Thursday column, which was full of the usual drivel about how an English Labour government will be good for Scotland. Ian Murray promises Labour will go into the 2024 election year with a positive policy platform that will put Scotland’s interests first. When have we heard that one before?  He says, presumably with a straight face, that Keir Starmer has changed Labour into a credible alternative to the … Continue reading ‘My New Year’s Wish is for Scotland to put the failing UK out of its misery’

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We can’t end poverty when we’re trapped in the failing UK

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Leah Gunn Barrett This letter was published in The National on December 21st and explains why Scotland, a naturally wealthy nation, suffers from high levels of endemic poverty. The cure is simple – we must end our colonial status and restore our sovereignty. There’s been a chorus of criticism of the Scottish government over its recent budget from unionist politicians and media. But why should anyone be surprised over Scotland’s dismal state? The reason is our status as a de facto English colony.   As a colony, we don’t own our own resources so we can’t provide heat and power for the costs … Continue reading We can’t end poverty when we’re trapped in the failing UK

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Daily Record gets Sturgeon tax wrong in sad effort to malign her

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In the Record today: Nicola Sturgeon can avoid paying the new higher rate of tax announced in the budget despite earning up to £300,000 from a book deal. The former First Minister set up a company to manage the income from her lucrative deal with publishers Pan Macmillan earlier this year. Sturgeon is the sole director of the firm which will be subject to just 19 per cent corporation tax on any profits it makes rather than the new 45 per cent rate set by the SNP/Green government in last week’s budget. Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy MSP said: “Everyone already assumed that Nicola Sturgeon had … Continue reading Daily Record gets Sturgeon tax wrong in sad effort to malign her

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SNP’s Scotland seems very attractive to the world if you look at actual evidence, Chris Deerin

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From Ernst & Young on 19 June 2023: https://www.ey.com/en_uk/news/2023/06/scotlands-foreign-investment-grows-with-record-results Who is Chris Deerin really? Not just a journo. See this from October 2023: That’s according to research for a think tank. The Commission on School Reform says ministers must work with councils to reverse the trend. The Scottish government says it’s looking at challenges that influence attendance…..the figures are based on Freedom of Information requests from the Scottish local authorities who were able to respond to them. The figures suggest nearly one in three children are missing an average of one day a fortnight, while nearly 20% of high school pupils miss … Continue reading SNP’s Scotland seems very attractive to the world if you look at actual evidence, Chris Deerin

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English Labour has fully gone over to the dark side

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Leah Gunn Barrett English Labour has fully gone over to the dark side. Keir Starmer, praising Thatcher for bringing ‘meaningful change’ to the UK, shed the last bit of straggly wool trying to disguise the neoliberal wolf Labour has become.[1] Why anyone in Scotland would cast a vote for English Labour that promises more of Thatcher’s wanton destruction is mind-boggling.  Many won’t remember her trail of wreckage. It started with her economic ignorance. She foolishly believed a government’s finances were like a household’s so she slashed public investment in heavy industry – shipbuilding, steel, coal, engineering, and manufacturing – making it … Continue reading English Labour has fully gone over to the dark side