Tag: scotland

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Elaine Stewart MP and Rachel Reeves – What is Scotland getting and when is it getting it?

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By Liz S When Elaine Stewart awakes from her stupor perhaps she can digest this below and then ask the Chancellor “What’s Scotland getting and when” ? Labour UK government future plans and projects and more importantly the locations of these future government plans/projects. Heathrow expansion – location London. Also they have backed the expansion of City Airport and Stansted Airport – location around London. Expand Luton Airport and build an emergency runway at Gatwick Airport will be delivered soon – location London. Reopen the Doncaster Sheffield Airport, aiming to turn it into a thriving regional hub – location is regional hub … Continue reading Elaine Stewart MP and Rachel Reeves – What is Scotland getting and when is it getting it?

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Scottish Government call for closer energy links with Europe to cut bills is ignored by ‘Scottish’ media

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Posted just after midnight, this morning, and so in plenty of time for consideration and publication, but there is none, the Scottish Government has called for closer energy links with Europe: The Scottish Government is calling for closer co-operation with Europe to help lower energy bills and boost investment. Ahead of upcoming UK Government talks with the EU the Scottish Government has published a report, identifying  a number of opportunities to more closely align with the European Union on energy matters. These include: Estimates from the UK energy industry predict that unless the UK moves toward closer cooperation with the EU … Continue reading Scottish Government call for closer energy links with Europe to cut bills is ignored by ‘Scottish’ media

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Martin Geissler projects his vacuous cynicism onto Stephen Flynn

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By Liz S This is a long comment but it exposes BBC bias against the SNP and the BBC’s support For the Labour party. The BBC have another new radio and TV programme called “Scotcast” which they promote as being a ‘Scottish’ news podcast. It is broadcast Monday to Thursday on BBC Radio and also on the BBC Scotland TV channel 9 and later on BBC Scotland channel 1 . It is hosted by Martin Geissler. Last night they covered Waspi women. Martin said at the outset “The UK government has gone to war with the Nation’s grannies, surely on … Continue reading Martin Geissler projects his vacuous cynicism onto Stephen Flynn

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Research – school achievement higher and attainment gaps far smaller in Scotland than in rest of UK

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By Professor John Robertson OBA: From UK Poverty 2025 The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, today: There are differences between the statistics on attainment in schools in the four UK nations which limit comparisons but the size of the gap between the most and least deprived at the ages of 11 and 16 can be usefully compared. First, 11 year-olds, percentage of most deprived and of least deprived achieving literacy and numeracy and size of gap: So, far more of both the least and the most deprived in Scotland achieve target literacy and numeracy levels … Continue reading Research – school achievement higher and attainment gaps far smaller in Scotland than in rest of UK

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Demand for emergency food parcels in parts of England surges to more than EIGHT times higher as unique Scottish Child Payment begins to reduce child poverty

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By Professor John Robertson OBA: From UK Poverty 2025 The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, today: Food banks in the Trussell network distributed 3.1 million emergency parcels across the UK in 2023/24, more than one million of which were for children (Trussell, 2024). This was the largest number on record (topping last year’s previous record high) and represented a 94% increase since 2018/19. The magnitude of this change varied across regions of the UK. The increase in London was 171% and Yorkshire and the Humber 157%. In Scotland it was only 21%. Research … Continue reading Demand for emergency food parcels in parts of England surges to more than EIGHT times higher as unique Scottish Child Payment begins to reduce child poverty

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Suspected drug deaths fall dramatically by 30% in last 4 years as world-first SNP scheme bites

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By Professor John Robertson OBA: From Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly ​reports with the most recent released today: That gives a total of 1 001, down from 1 200 in 2023 and a peak of 1 411 in 2020. Suspected drug deaths based on police assessment at the scene of death have now fallen 29% in 4 years and 17% in the last year. Possible explanation? After a pilot phase ending in 2018, the Scottish Government began to embed Naloxone opioid overdose reversal kits across NHS Scotland. Shortly after, the kits which can be administered by anyone, were adopted … Continue reading Suspected drug deaths fall dramatically by 30% in last 4 years as world-first SNP scheme bites

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Scotland’s progressive taxes, increasing tax base and inward migration – the Scottish Government statements the MSM are not telling you about.

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We’ve recently had Tom Hunter, City of London representatives and the IFS calling for reduced income taxes in Scotland. These have been widely reported but Scottish Government responses have seen little light. From Income tax and First Minister meeting with City of London Corporation correspondence: FOI release, published yesterday, selected responses from a very long set: Our tax policies are grounded in evidence and carefully balance the need to raise revenue with the impacts on taxpayers and the economy. The evidence continues to suggest that our policy approach raises significant additional revenue for investment in vital public services. Our tax … Continue reading Scotland’s progressive taxes, increasing tax base and inward migration – the Scottish Government statements the MSM are not telling you about.

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SNP will still win the Holyrood election even if Paul Hutcheon keeps telling them lies about NHS Scotland

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I know, I know, they have to keep coming up with excrement of the male bovine, but the Record’s Paul Hutcheon is special. Yesterday, he had: The SNP will lose the Holyrood election if the NHS is the top issue of voters That’s a big IF. First, opinion poll after opinion poll, recently is clear. The SNP will be the biggest party by far. Cons, Labour and Reform will fight it out for second place. The evidence is at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/01/14/averages-from-seven-2014-bias-free-polls-have-snp-15-points-ahead-labour-stuck-cons-in-trouble-reform-a-wee-worry-and-lib-dems-pleased-to-hang-on-to-5th-place/ and https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2024/11/23/westminster-polls-snp-recovering-labour-plummeting-cons-consolidating-in-heartlands-and-reform-still-too-wee/ Second, NHS Scotland is doing far better than the other NHS areas in the UK. Despite Paul’s best … Continue reading SNP will still win the Holyrood election even if Paul Hutcheon keeps telling them lies about NHS Scotland

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Scottish Labour in a panic as Welsh Labour plan to ban liars like Jackie Baillie

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From the National on 23rd January 2024: MSPs were threatened with expulsion from the Holyrood chamber amid a raucous First Minister’s Questions which saw John Swinney accuse Jackie Baillie of giving false information about the NHS. Baillie had lied about NHS Scotland A&E waiting times. She criticised the ‘SNP’s‘ handling of A&E performance, saying: “Each week the First Minister says sorry and each week it gets worse.” The SNP leader said Dame Jackie’s assertions were “not true”. The FM was correct in pointing out that an increasing percentage has been seen [full ED] in 4 successive weeks from 56.7% to 62.4% by week-ending … Continue reading Scottish Labour in a panic as Welsh Labour plan to ban liars like Jackie Baillie

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Patient satisfaction surveys rate NHS Scotland improving and far more highly than NHS England to cast doubt on 4th Health Secretary media witch-hunt

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By Professor John Robertson OBA: In the Guardian today: A quarter of people in England experienced poor NHS care over the last year but fewer than one in 10 of them complained about it, a report by the patient watchdog has revealed. 1 From the Health and Care Experience Survey 2023/24: National Results published on 28th May 2024, only 12% of the 104 000 Scots responding, rated their experience as poor or very poor, down from 15% in the previous year.2 The patients are not wrong. NHS Scotland is doing far better than other NHS areas. See: Once more we witness a gormless witch-hunt … Continue reading Patient satisfaction surveys rate NHS Scotland improving and far more highly than NHS England to cast doubt on 4th Health Secretary media witch-hunt