Tag: uk-politics

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Ayrshire Labour MPs could easily have voted against ‘plunging a rising number of children into poverty’ with no long term harm to their ‘careers’ or salaries but were too afraid to do so

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In Ayrshire Live on 24th July 2024: New Labour MPs vote to keep two-child benefit cap despite branding it ‘cruel’ previously During the election campaign Kilmarnock and Loudoun’s new MP previously called the two-child benefit cap “cruel”. All four of Ayrshire’s new Labour MPs have voted with the UK Government to keep the two-child benefit cap. Central Ayrshire MP Alan Gemmell, Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP Lillian Jones, Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock MP Elaine Stewart and North Ayrshire and Arran MP Irene Campbell all backed Prime Minister Keir Starmer. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/new-labour-mps-vote-keep-33314784 Today in the Guardian: Labour restores whip to three more MPs who opposed two-child benefit cap – Labour has restored … Continue reading Ayrshire Labour MPs could easily have voted against ‘plunging a rising number of children into poverty’ with no long term harm to their ‘careers’ or salaries but were too afraid to do so

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‘Good news about SNP’ ban on BBC Scotland Glenn Campbell confirms

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By Liz S So today , so far, in the BBC website on their Scottish Politics page they have found room for the non story that is “No Cat ban in Scotland John Swinney confirms”, as currently it is the third story on that page. Scanning that whole page on the BBC website, and too on their main Scottish page, they have , so far, not managed to find any room for a real political story impacting Scotland. That is where yesterday the GB Energy Chairman, Juergen Maier, confirmed to SKY News in an interview with them that the jobs … Continue reading ‘Good news about SNP’ ban on BBC Scotland Glenn Campbell confirms

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Labour MPs have been mostly supportive of what a Keir Starmer led Labour UK government has being doing

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By Liz S It seems that no matter how much the media here try to protect Labour and damage the SNP well some of the voters in Scotland are making up their own minds about who is really bad and who is really good, and the recent polls for Scotland are telling us that it is not the media who gets to decide this but the public. I see too that we have also reached the point now where some within the media are trying to blame all of these bad polls for Labour upon Keir Starmer as the Labour … Continue reading Labour MPs have been mostly supportive of what a Keir Starmer led Labour UK government has being doing

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Labour hypocrisy well on-track

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stewartb The Scotrail fare rise is covered on the Scotland page of the BBC News website (January 21). The BBC opened the article to readers’ comments and what a catalogue of evidence-free, statistics-free bile! This is the BBC headline ‘ScotRail fares set to increase by nearly 4%’. (By the way, the ’to nearly 4%’ in the headline could have been shorten to the accurate ‘to 3.8%’.) The article adds: ‘Transport Scotland said a 20% discount on season tickets would continue until September and the travel card Flexipass – which offers 12 single journeys for the price of 10 – has been expanded … Continue reading Labour hypocrisy well on-track

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Scotland has to decide in 2026 whether they will vote for slogans from Labour

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By Liz S Whether Labour are indeed holding off and so preparing to announce benefits for Scotland next year prior to the Scottish election then why wait until then as that surely will be too obvious and also too tactical ? Yes I do know that is who Labour are politically. Though will most of the political damage and the fallout for Labour in Scotland not already have happened by next year ? Many of Reeves announcements, for England, were for the future so why not also include something for every nation within the UK. It also stinks to make … Continue reading Scotland has to decide in 2026 whether they will vote for slogans from Labour

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British Labour Party leaders find ways to excuse their track record in government by reference to external factors when they don’t have the SNP to blame

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By stewartb The British Labour Party’s leader in the Holyrood parliament, Anas Sarwar MSP is quoted in a Holyrood magazine article from February 14, 2024 entitled: ‘Labour unveils new ‘blueprint for economic growth’. It was a fairly typical ‘blame the Scottish Government’ piece useful for illustration. ‘Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused the SNP-Green government of “failing” businesses and “choking off opportunity and hurting families and companies in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and a cost-of-doing-business crisis”. (my emphasis) And: ‘The Labour Party argues that the SNP has failed to grow the economy over its 17 years in government ..’ It’s worth recalling … Continue reading British Labour Party leaders find ways to excuse their track record in government by reference to external factors when they don’t have the SNP to blame

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Labour MP, Elaine Stewart, former boxing club treasurer, sits nervously on her hands and betrays the 7 000 Waspi women in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock

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In the vote today in the House of Commons, to follow the Ombudsman’s recommendation and compensate the Waspi women, Elaine Stewart, MP for Ayr Carrick and Cumnock, did not vote, resulting in the betrayal of these women, many caring for elderly and vulnerable relatives, minding grandchildren so that their sons and daughters can work in this difficult cost-of-living crisis or seriously unwell themselves. 10 of her Labour colleagues did have the courage to vote. You have to wonder how a volunteer and the treasurer of Doon Valley amateur boxing club could be so chicken. 10 Labour MPs did have the … Continue reading Labour MP, Elaine Stewart, former boxing club treasurer, sits nervously on her hands and betrays the 7 000 Waspi women in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock

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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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Airports ‘across the UK’ could be expanded but only if they’re in London

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By Liz S The BBC published an article on their website on 21 January 2025. In this article they stated that “Airports across the UK could be expanded, including the controversial third runway at Heathrow under government growth plans” However “across the UK” was an exaggeration as within the article the only airports that the BBC specified were all in London, with only Heathrow, Luton and Gatwick noted. So much for “Scotland at the heart of the UK government” with Labour. As it seems the only money available for “infrastructure” and “growth” is for projects in England and not in … Continue reading Airports ‘across the UK’ could be expanded but only if they’re in London

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Comparison of educational performance across UK at odds with Labour Party spokesperson’s claim of ‘failure’ in Scotland.

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By stewartb A report from the Centre for Cities provides striking comparative analysis of levels of educational qualifications across 65 of the UK’s cities and large towns. Source: Centre for Cities (January 2025) Cities Outlook 2025 (https://www.centreforcities.org/publication/cities-outlook-2025/ ) The Centre’s research is summarised in two tables (reproduced below). In Table 10, the remarkable finding is that all four areas in Scotland within the scope of the Centre’s study of UK urban locations appear in the top ten in terms of the percentage of the working age population with high-level qualifications. (The report explains ‘high-level qualifications’: equivalent to Regulated Qualifications Framework … Continue reading Comparison of educational performance across UK at odds with Labour Party spokesperson’s claim of ‘failure’ in Scotland.