Tag: uk-politics

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Will Sir Keir then apologise for wilfully retaining the two child limit from July 2024 to November 2025?

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By Liz S Keir Starmer posted this on ‘X’ on 8 January…. “I won’t apologise for lifting almost half a million children out of poverty. I won’t apologise for putting money back in people’s pockets. That’s why we are scrapping the two-child limit”. Will he then apologise for wilfully retaining the two child limit from July 2024 to November 2025 , as this Tory generated policy was one that his Labour UK government decided to retain, so then he and his Labour party decided to keep punishing those families with children who were in poverty. Also surely he, Starmer, should feel the need to apologise to the seven Labour MP’s who his … Continue reading Will Sir Keir then apologise for wilfully retaining the two child limit from July 2024 to November 2025?

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The Herald is recycling the unmet ‘scrap unfair Council Tax‘ promise. Nothing could be easier than scrapping it – could it?

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stewartb I see The Herald is recycling the unmet ‘scrap unfair Council Tax‘ promise. Nothing could be easier than scrapping it – could it? Dear ChatGPT: ‘why, despite promises, has council tax not been scrapped in Scotland? Response (unedited except for my added emphasis): ‘Scotland has not scrapped council tax despite repeated promises (particularly from the SNP) for several key, fairly practical reasons — not simply because politicians changed their minds on a whim. Here’s the core of the issue: Initial 2007 Promise Fell Apart QuicklyWhen the SNP first came to power at Holyrood in 2007, their manifesto pledged to scrap council … Continue reading The Herald is recycling the unmet ‘scrap unfair Council Tax‘ promise. Nothing could be easier than scrapping it – could it?

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BBC Scotland considers that voters in Scotland don’t need to know of Labour’s actual track record in government in Cardiff and Westminster

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stewartb You may have noticed this rare occurrence: a positively-framed headline about NHS Scotland was published (December 23) on the Scotland page of the BBC News website: ‘A&E waiting times improve ahead of busy festive period’. On long waits, the BBC reported that during a week in mid-December: ’14% of patients waited over eight hours, compared to 16.9% the week before, and 6.9% had waits of more than 12 hours, down from 8.6% previously.’ The headline’s positivity was soon countered in the article by the BBC sharing with us the views of opposition politicians. Displaying the usual BBC blind spot over notions … Continue reading BBC Scotland considers that voters in Scotland don’t need to know of Labour’s actual track record in government in Cardiff and Westminster

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Why is one trans tribunal in Scotland 55 to 4 times more times newsworthy than another in England?

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No images of her here. I’m sure we all know what she looks like. Professor John Robertson OBA This is not about the substance of these trans tribunals at all but about the different level of media coverage of one Scottish case compared with two other cases in England. The above table shows the coverage of three trans tribunals in the UK in the last month. The case in Fife in Scotland was covered 55 times in the sample of 8 MSM outlets compared to only 4 times and twice in the other two cases. This is a shocking contrast … Continue reading Why is one trans tribunal in Scotland 55 to 4 times more times newsworthy than another in England?

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In less than 4 years child poverty in England predicted to be 45% greater and in Wales’58% higher than in Scotland, affecting millions of them

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No disgusting images required here Professor John Robertson OBA What are the predictions for child poverty rates in the future in the 4 nations? Based on an AI search of 56 documents: Predictions for future child poverty rates in the four UK nations vary by source and depend on policy changes, economic growth, and devolved measures.The most recent official UK government projections (November 2025, from the Department for Work and Pensions) estimate 4.3 million children in relative low income after housing costs by FYE 2030 (the end of the current parliament), a reduction of about 400,000 from FYE 2025 under … Continue reading In less than 4 years child poverty in England predicted to be 45% greater and in Wales’58% higher than in Scotland, affecting millions of them

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No evidence that any SNP MSP was spied on by staff

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Professor John Robertson OBA In my post earlier, I pointed out that there were no confirmed reports, ever, of an employer being spied on by an employee in the UK but many of the opposite. The supposedly Scottish media and Jackie Baillie have loved the rumours and have made as much hay as they can with them but even this morning BBC Scotland has burst their balloon with: The Scottish Parliament says no “covert bugging devices” were involved in reports of MSPs being secretly recorded by members of staff. The Scotsman newspaper reported that a former worker had placed “listening … Continue reading No evidence that any SNP MSP was spied on by staff

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8 YouGov sub-polls suggest steadily strengthening SNP support and hitting 40%

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Pollster YouGov is no friend of Scottish Independence or of the SNP and, in full Scotland-only polls, uses sampling adjustments to consistently get No majorities and low SNP support, amidst other pollsters getting a run of Yes majorities and SNP strength. You can see this anomalous pattern in the last 9 months as other pollsters find quite large Yes leads in polls of 1 000 and more, their unerring ability, with to a lesser extent Survation, to pull out very different results So, when we come to the Scottish sub-polls, though the sample is small, it is not skewed by … Continue reading 8 YouGov sub-polls suggest steadily strengthening SNP support and hitting 40%

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It may be a different battle for the SNP in the West and South of Scotland in May 2026

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Professor John Robertson OBA While Scotland-wide polls have Reform UK in second place pushing Labour down into third place and a major loss of list MPSs, this may conceal regional variations and exaggerate their threat in some parts. Only Paris-based, Ipsos, publish regional breakdowns with consistent scientific sampling that can be reasonably compared over time, though limited slightly by a Westminster context in one (18 June 2025) and Holyrood in the the other (10 December 2025). The results are above and suggest different tactics for SNP campaigns in the West and South of Scotland. Key points: Comments? Continue reading It may be a different battle for the SNP in the West and South of Scotland in May 2026

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Will we win independence by our own hands or will events happen to us that matter more and ease our way?

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Important – I offer this as a starter for comment. I’m not, as you may know, an expert in this geopolitical field in any way. Professor John Robertson OBA Fifty years ago, I had to write an essay about the extent to which Karl Marx believed that individuals or powerful forces determined historical outcomes. The above quote, I thought, was a good starting point. I got a low B pass. He seems to be saying that we can influence events but within the limits imposed on our freedom of movement by forces such as climate change, geography, pandemics, wars or … Continue reading Will we win independence by our own hands or will events happen to us that matter more and ease our way?

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A nuclear power station is ‘on the front line of an election battle?’ Says who? Just one Labour councillor? Thought control in a democracy exemplified

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Professor John Robertson OBA Headlining the BBC Scotland website this morning, the above and: The future of nuclear power in Scotland is shaping up to be a battleground at next year’s Holyrood election – and Torness, on the banks of the Forth, is on the frontline. The Labour government at Westminster has declared its intention to usher in a new “golden age” of nuclear. But the SNP government at Holyrood opposes new nuclear power stations and can use planning laws to prevent them being built – even though energy policy is reserved to the UK Parliament. No one seems to … Continue reading A nuclear power station is ‘on the front line of an election battle?’ Says who? Just one Labour councillor? Thought control in a democracy exemplified