The Chancellor’s mini budget was sadly even worse than expected. The disgraceful lifting of caps on bankers’ bonuses was compounded by further actions all of which threaten not just our economy but our society. The pound’s tanking, interest rates are rocketing, and inflation’s soaring. Yet the actions taken by the Chancellor fail to address them and instead we’re almost certainly… Read more »
It’s quite a while now since I read Sonia Nazario’s outstanding book “Enrique’s Journey”. It narrates the journey of a young lad from Honduras seeking to join his mother in the promised land of the USA. It’s heart rendering, the risks and dangers faced and eye opening in the guilt felt by the absent mothers sending remittances home, often earned… Read more »
Lifting the cap on bankers’ bonuses is a microcosm of the insanity matched with hedonism that defines the Truss regime. Interest rates are rising, the pound’s tanking, and energy costs are soaring for the many, yet it’s to be party time once again for the few. The policies detailed in Britannia Unchained – a 2012 book by five Tory MPs including Liz… Read more »
Remembrance was required following Queen Elizabeth’s sad passing and cancellation of events was a consequence. However, it has resulted in a worrying lack of scrutiny in Parliament. There’s much to be done and reducing what would have been the recess for party conferences is therefore essential. Some protests at ceremonial events I found distasteful. Funeral events should be sacrosanct. There’s… Read more »
The SNP trumpeting lodging written legal arguments with the Supreme Court on Indy Ref 2 was spin over substance. Sadly, a trait that’s all too habitual from Nicola Sturgeon’s administration. Of course, their Lordships acceding to the request had more substance than me sending them a copy of the Beano. But the right to appear, it was not. Besides simply… Read more »
Politics in Westminster, as life more generally in the country, was brought to a halt by the sad passing of the Queen. Rumours and staff scuttling about, soon saw statements made about her ill health and then her tragic passing. A live long lived and a death mourned by so many. For most including myself she’s the only Monarch we’ve… Read more »
Scrutiny of Liz Truss’s plan to address the energy cost crisis has been overshadowed by events but will return with a vengeance. For the measures are far from adequate, as will be painfully evident when bills start arriving, and at levels that will remain eye-watering for most and simply unaffordable for many. The UK Government’s strategy also includes more nuclear, fracking and a… Read more »
Reflecting on my tenure as Justice Secretary I wish I had pushed harder on restorative justice. I was supportive of RJ as its termed and was kept informed of progress. However, what’s clear to me now’s that there’s a difference between what a Minister prioritises and what they just support or approve of. The former will be delivered but the… Read more »
The Truss camp suggestion that they may change the threshold in a future referendum may or may not come to pass. There was much playing to the gallery during the campaign. But all the same it’s indicative of an attitude of mind and a positioning towards Scotland that’s set to be intransigent at best, and more likely both combative and… Read more »
Leasing the Tallink Ferry to house Ukrainian refugees in Leith’s an imaginative response to a difficult situation by the Scottish Government. Safe and secure accommodations required, and this provides it, even if it can only be for a short period of time. Having crossed the Baltic on this or a sister ship I know that the cabins are small, and… Read more »