Preparations continue for the wealth that’s going to flow ashore in East Lothian from offshore wind but there’s still no sign of the county and its citizens benefiting from it. Research from the House of Commons library confirmed what I had suspected that there’s a gap in legislation. If the turbines were onshore, then community benefit would apply, and funds… Read more »
A billion pounds pledged to the NHS by Nicola Sturgeon, who could possibly disagree? We want the best health service we can possibly afford. Compounding that Covid has proven costly and not just in lives, with waiting times lengthening and delays increasing. But is it all about the money? And with life expectancy increasing and pressures through the benefits of… Read more »
The sea can be viewed either as an obstacle to transport or a means to achieve it. For long Scotland was in the former category, building great ships and sailing the Seven Seas. Recently, though, it’s been the latter, as maritime links shrank and then the Rosyth direct service to Europe ended in 2010. But with Brexit beckoning, you’d have… Read more »
SUPREME COURT RULING: ALBA REACTION MACASKILL CONDEMNS FULL SCALE ASSAULT ON THE POWERS OF THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT TIME FOR SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT TO ACT ON INDEPENDENCE Responding to today’s ruling by the Supreme Court ALBA Party Depute Leader Kenny MacAskill MP said: “ This was always going to be the outcome and is the inevitable consequence of Devolution. It is the reason… Read more »
TIME FOR THE GREENS TO “GET REAL” AND DELIVER RENEWED FERRY LINK FROM ROSYTH TO EUROPE SAY ALBA MPS ALBA Party MPs Kenny MacAskill MP and Neale Hanvey MP have launched a discussion paper on the maritime opportunities for Scotland as they call on the Scottish Greens to “get real” in delivering the direct ferry link from Rosyth to Europe they promised… Read more »
Crossing St Andrews Square I saw the revised plaque to Henry Dundas. Now I’m fully supportive of change ensuring his role in slavery’s laid bare. It’s important that Scotland’s role accounted for. Hence changes are welcome. For long its simply been a man high up on a plinth, with few able to say who it was. But why’s there no… Read more »
Reading Barbara Castle’s biography recently was a reminder of Labour Party conferences when they huge national events and where Scotland was a pivotal part of them. But no more, now it’s a diminished show and north of the border’s an irrelevance to most in the British Labour Party. The great debates and battles that waged within them whether between Gaitskill… Read more »
MACASKILL TO HAND IN MODEL SHIP TO BUTE HOUSE AS HE WARNS “STURGEON MUST NOT SCUTTLE THE SCOTTISH FLEET” ALBA Depute Leader and MP for East Lothian Kenny MacAskill will together with local representatives from Greenock and Inverclyde Cllr Jim McEleny and Cllr Chris McEleny will hand in a model of a Cal Mac ferry to the First Minister at her official residence, Bute House, 6… Read more »
Parliament debated cuts to Universal Credit last week. A few Tories spoke out against it knowing the severe hardship it’s going to cause. They included former social security Ministers who know just how inadequate our benefits system is. But as ever Boris Johnsons large majority drove it home. I spoke in it, mentioning how I’m from a generation who viewed… Read more »
In Greenock recently I visited the memorial to those who had been killed on 8th April 1820 during the Radical War or Rising of 1820, call it what you will. It’s poignant as the eight names displayed contain three teenagers and an eight-year-old. They’d been part of a crowd seeking to free prisoners who’d been captured in Paisley and were… Read more »