New Chinese deal at Ardersier more likely to go ahead but create few jobs

___________________________________________________________ Help Talking-up Scotland keep going. Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 ___________________________________________________________ Thanks to rtpscott for alerting us to this: In the P&J yesterday, the above and: The owner of Ardersier Port has struck a new deal with a Chinese company as the fallout from the UK Government blocking a £1.5 billion wind farm factory continues. Port owner and developer Haventus has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese offshore wind manufacturer Dajin. The partnership will see them explore opportunities across both the UK and European markets. It will look at combining Dajin’s … Continue reading New Chinese deal at Ardersier more likely to go ahead but create few jobs

Data centres need huge amounts of water for cooling? Easily solved in Scotland, put them near-shore in any of our 31 460 lochs

___________________________________________________________ Help Talking-up Scotland keep going. Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: MR JW ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 ___________________________________________________________ From the Scottish Greens a few days ago: Every proposed hyperscale data centre in Scotland must face a full environmental impact assessment, the Scottish Greens have said. The call follows the Scottish Government’s decision to require assessments for proposed developments in Edinburgh and at Auchtertool in Fife. Ministers have introduced a new requirement for councils to notify them about data centre applications exceeding 50 megawatts. However, there is still no requirement for environmental assessments to be conducted as standard across Scotland. This … Continue reading Data centres need huge amounts of water for cooling? Easily solved in Scotland, put them near-shore in any of our 31 460 lochs

Glasgow’s ‘super-hospital directly downwind of another massive waste treatment plant approved by Scottish Labour in 2012

The new South Clyde Energy Centre due west of the QEUH to get the very most of the pollution into the wards. No comparable hospital in the World faces such threat. With this massive incinerator, approved by the Labour-run council in 2012, the QEUH will be exposed to even greater threat than it already faces. By Joe Murray The South Clyde Energy Centre (SCWC) an Energy from Waste (EfW) Incinerator being built at North Cardonald in Glasgow is sited around 500 metres and directly upwind of the Queen Elizabeth University and Sick Children’s Hospitals (or the Southern General as locals … Continue reading Glasgow’s ‘super-hospital directly downwind of another massive waste treatment plant approved by Scottish Labour in 2012

‘Destroyer Disaster’ as Royal Navy destroyer still not in service after 23 years, takes three times as long as as Scotland’s ‘Fiasco Ferries’

HMS Daring, a Type 45 destroyer’s mission was to replace the aging Type 42 destroyers after lessons learned during the Falklands War. She was laid down in the BAE Systems yard on the Clyde , 28 March 2003, launched in 2006, commissioned in 2009 and entered active service in 2010 – 7 years later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Daring_(D32) Leaving aside the 21-year delay between the Falklands war ‘lessons’ of 1982 and the laying down in 2003, those 7 years did not lead to a ship that could do what she was designed to do because, take a breath, her engines failed in warmer … Continue reading ‘Destroyer Disaster’ as Royal Navy destroyer still not in service after 23 years, takes three times as long as as Scotland’s ‘Fiasco Ferries’

‘What can Dublin teach us?’ The SNP’s competence in government endlessly revealed by Labour’s fear of looking north for answers to England’s woes

This last 12 years, I’ve regularly read UK politicians and even academics talk of looking elsewhere for ideas on how to resolve one of England’s many worries, from knife murders, to protecting women, to hospital safety, to fire safety in tower blocks and to social housing demands. I’ve even written to the academics to then be told how they love Scotland and to be politely thanked for my help, too late of course. Here we go again. In the Guardian today: Alan Milburn is guiding a metal loop along the serpentine wire of an electrical buzzer game as he explains … Continue reading ‘What can Dublin teach us?’ The SNP’s competence in government endlessly revealed by Labour’s fear of looking north for answers to England’s woes

Giving greater weight in public contract awards to tackle youth unemployment crisis in UK – Labour Government copies Scotland but only after 12 years!

From Catch22 yesterday, the above and: Catch22 has long recommended that government should invest more, without additional costs, into tackling youth unemployment through revising the social value model applied when it buys goods and services. We therefore welcome today’s Cabinet Office announcement of new measures for using public procurement to create jobs and address skills development. The new measures will mean that, when awarding contracts, the government will give more weighting to how its potential suppliers will generate additional social value outcomes for local growth, tackling skills shortages, and apprenticeships and work placements opportunities. We are particularly pleased that this new … Continue reading Giving greater weight in public contract awards to tackle youth unemployment crisis in UK – Labour Government copies Scotland but only after 12 years!

BMA Scotland and BBC Scotland accused of barely undergraduate level of criticism of GP walk-in clinic scheme before project is fully underway and worthy only of ‘F – do not resubmit’ result and invitation to seek counselling on course change

BBC Scotland, Aimee Stanton, yesterday claimed, despite revealing the above graph in their own report: GP walk-in clinics see low attendance leading to accusations of failure – A series of walk-in GP clinics which the Scottish government said would end the “8am rush” for appointments have seen low attendance rates, first figures show. and: Dr Iain Morrison, chairman of the BMA’s Scottish GPs committee, said doctors had expressed reservations about the walk-in clinics when they were first announced – and it now looked like a case of “I told you so”. He told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast (RSB): “In terms … Continue reading BMA Scotland and BBC Scotland accused of barely undergraduate level of criticism of GP walk-in clinic scheme before project is fully underway and worthy only of ‘F – do not resubmit’ result and invitation to seek counselling on course change

As another private care home is exposed how we disclosed Anas Sarwar backing a care home cash cow milking the tax-payer

Today BBC Scotland has this below, reminding us of the above: BBC Scotland, in June 2023 exposed a Care Home owner who seems not to be a Tory or Labour donor. It’s taken them three years to find one. Three years ago, we had this: By stewartb So the care home visited by Anas Sarwar MSP is being used to justify his claim of care homes at ‘breaking point’? If so, this company’s situation must have changed radically since 22 December 2022. This is the date Applecross Nursing Home Limited submitted its Annual Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March … Continue reading As another private care home is exposed how we disclosed Anas Sarwar backing a care home cash cow milking the tax-payer

One of Andy Burnham’s first acts will be to copy John Swinney on digital ID

In the Guardian today: Andy Burnham is expected to scrap Keir Starmer’s plans for digital ID cards in a “reset of priorities” when he enters Downing Street on Monday. The new Labour leader plans to redirect the resources earmarked for the scheme towards tackling the cost of living, his team indicated on Saturday.https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/18/burnham-to-scrap-starmers-digital-id-scheme-in-reset-of-priorities 10 months ago: There’s something missing from all the media coverage of Labour’s Digital ID proposal and it’s darker than any worries we might have about Scots ‘declaring ourselves British.‘ From the Canary factchecker 27 September 2025 ago: As Keir Starmer moves to impose ‘digital ID’ on the UK, … Continue reading One of Andy Burnham’s first acts will be to copy John Swinney on digital ID

SNP buy Prestwick Airport for just £1, make £14 million profit and create 5 000 jobs in only 4 years while its sister airport in Kent goes out of business in only 6 months to become just a lorry park

From Ian McConnell, the Herald‘s token unbiased, intelligent and ethical journalist but clearly not in control of the headlines, today, has the above and: Source: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26268301.prestwick-airports-flights-success-financial-results-revealed/?ref=ebbn&nid=1388&u=54f15f1382a35160f5f9fbd9de82faff&date=130726 We can add that £3.9m and 200 jobs to the figures I had last November. The Ayrshire Daily New’s Doug Maclean, has a fine piece of journalism serving the information needs of the community. Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Robert Martin for alerting me to this. Both Prestwick airport and its sister airport at Manston in Kent were available for sale in 2013. Both were losing money and the company that owned them were not able or prepared to … Continue reading SNP buy Prestwick Airport for just £1, make £14 million profit and create 5 000 jobs in only 4 years while its sister airport in Kent goes out of business in only 6 months to become just a lorry park