Tag: uk-politics

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Fair unbiased and accurate assessment of Scottish Government (SNP-led) actions vs Reform UK’s position on A9 and A96 dualling (as of June 2026)

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By Jim Mennie Reform raised this at FM’ Questions yesterday 2nd June and @StephenFlynnSNP replied. I think it’s only fair that this should be reported factually. The Scottish Government remains the SNP minority administration (58 MSPs). Reform UK holds 17 regional list MSPs and has no executive power. Only the Government can fund, procure and build these projects. Opposition parties can scrutinise and campaign, but cannot allocate budgets or award contracts. Historical context: Why early progress on the A9 was blocked (2007–2011 period) This is the part that is frequently omitted or downplayed in current debates. When the SNP formed … Continue reading Fair unbiased and accurate assessment of Scottish Government (SNP-led) actions vs Reform UK’s position on A9 and A96 dualling (as of June 2026)

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Alexander must resign after a career of closeness to Mandelson

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What are the full reported instances of Douglas Alexander praising Peter Mandelson AFTER the latter had supported and stayed in the home of the convicted paedophile and child trafficker Geoffrey Epstein? Key Reported Praises by Alexander (Post-2024) These emerged from released documents/WhatsApps in 2026, drawing criticism (e.g., SNP calls for Alexander to resign over “sycophantic” messages): https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/douglas-alexander-peter-mandelson-kirsty-blackman-scottish-scottish-secretary-b2987923.html Douglas Alexander and Peter Mandelson had a long-standing professional and political relationship within the Labour Party dating back to the 1990s New Labour era. Key Pre-2024 Links Continue reading Alexander must resign after a career of closeness to Mandelson

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Scotland’s Oil and Gas Industry – Same Old Tory Hypocrisy

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By Jim Mennie That the Tories are posing as eternal champions of the oil and gas industry should come as a surprise to voters in Aberdeen South considering their history of husbanding this resource. Most brazenly hypocritical is their promise to abolish the Energy Profits Levy – a tax they introduced in 2022 and which Kemi Badenoch and Andrew Bowie voted for! And then we have this from sitting Tory MSP Alexander Burnett in a March 2017 edition of the P&J’s Energy Voice showing how they put being in government at Westminster before their own constituents: Tory MSP dismisses call … Continue reading Scotland’s Oil and Gas Industry – Same Old Tory Hypocrisy

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HS2 is a testament to the massive transfer of money from the poor to the professional classes

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By derekscott1953 HS2 is a testament to the massive transfer of money from the poor to the Professional classes – lawyers, land-owners, consultancies, NGOs, layer upon layer of takers, who, given the massive cost rises, late delivery and dubious benefits, are clearly ‘unprofessional’. £102 or 103 billion, up from £35 billion, all to shave minutes off the journey into London. History does not repeat itself but it often rhymes, said Mark Twain, and this rhymes with the banker crisis. Banker even rhymes with another word that has come to define those working in that lower ring of Dante’s inferno. That … Continue reading HS2 is a testament to the massive transfer of money from the poor to the professional classes

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Swinney praised by all right-thinking folk ie not James Cook for his compassionate policy on essential food prices

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By Liz S BBC website top story Scottish politics page: “Swinney defends food prices policy ahead of first minister vote” “SNP leader John Swinney has denied his food prices policy is an attempt to force a fight with the UK government” “defends” and “attempt to force a fight with the UK government” ? So we are still in a cost of living crisis where it seems that the Labour UK government are not willing to do anything to help relieve the pressure on those families who are feeling the squeeze. Yet somehow the BBC (James Cook) thinks that Mr Swinney’s position in trying “to legally cap the price … Continue reading Swinney praised by all right-thinking folk ie not James Cook for his compassionate policy on essential food prices

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Restore Britain’s position – You live in England, you speak English

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By Liz S Rupert Lowe , an English Nationalist , has now created a new party that he has called ‘Restore Britain‘. Reading his many daily posts on ‘X’ you will see how often he sees England and English as the same as Britain and Britishness , as for him there seems to be no distinction between the two. Yesterday he wrote (yet another) long post about Councils , Reform UK ones, “spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on foreign language translation” He concluded his post in stating this: “Let me be clear about Restore Britain’s position. We would scrap ALL foreign language … Continue reading Restore Britain’s position – You live in England, you speak English

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Described by Nicola Sturgeon as ‘incoherent and absurd’ Andy Burnham, is no friend to Scotland

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By Liz S So it seems a Labour MP, Josh Simons, is willing to give up his seat to allow Andy Burnham to stand in his seat in a (unnecessary) by-election. Josh Simons was the former Labour Together Director , he stood down from that role in order to stand as a Labour candidate in the 2024 UK GE. The recent scandal(s) connected to him were : While running the think-tank Labour Together, Simons commissioned an American public affairs firm, Apco, to investigate journalists who were reporting on the think-tank’s undeclared political donations. Simons subsequently emailed the National Cyber Security … Continue reading Described by Nicola Sturgeon as ‘incoherent and absurd’ Andy Burnham, is no friend to Scotland

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Rejected by people but still loved by billionaires – Smug Anas leads Scottish Labour to its end

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The Corporate Herald too, has no problem with anti-democratic behaviour today. Watching Anas reveal his true non-Labour-as-was values, only a lingering rump of Labour loyalists stayed him last week. You can see from that face, that Mussolini ‘visionary’ face, that Anas won’t let stupid voters affect his self-esteem when two super rich brothers will give him lots of money. You’ll know from those terrible counter-productive YouTub videos of him, parading Glasgow streets like a well-spoiled son, that Scottish Labour had wads to spend but no members to knock your door. They’ve been getting cash by the barrowload for years. Here’s … Continue reading Rejected by people but still loved by billionaires – Smug Anas leads Scottish Labour to its end

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Ayrshire MP backs leader candidate who pompously refused us a referendum, is closest to private healthcare and to Lord Mandelson

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In his local Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald today, the above and: He insists the former health secretary already has the support of more than 81 Labour MPs – the number needed to back a single candidate to trigger a leadership contest against PM Keir Starmer. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s World at One, Mr Gemmell said: “It’s clear in conversations with MPs and with the unions that the party wants a discussion, a battle of ideas, an open contest, a broad contest for the direction that we should take and how we fix the problems that we’re in. “I hope … Continue reading Ayrshire MP backs leader candidate who pompously refused us a referendum, is closest to private healthcare and to Lord Mandelson

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Former Labour MP who allegedly threatened to give a woman ‘a doing’ to advise Malcolm Offord

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By Liz S I read this yesterday. The former Labour MP, Ian Davidson, who lost his seat in 2015 to the SNP, has now taken up a role as adviser to Malcolm Offord following the Scottish elections. Davidson was selected in 2017 and also in 2019 to be the Labour candidate but failed to win yet again. So what possible political advice could Davidson provide to Offord ? Well in October 2011 the BBC reported that: “An SNP MP has withdrawn from a Commons committee over allegations that she was threatened by its Labour chairman” (Ian Davidson). “Dr Eilidh Whiteford, the MP for … Continue reading Former Labour MP who allegedly threatened to give a woman ‘a doing’ to advise Malcolm Offord