Scotland’s Finances Speaking on Good Morning Scotland recently, Kate Forbes refuted the GERS figures yet again. She pointed out that much of the data is estimates, that Scotland has 40% of the UK’s renewable potential, and 25% of Europe’s wave and tidal resources. She pointed out she must balance her budget. But why not go… Read More »This Week In Scotland – Week 48
Europe The EU is in a mess over migrants, national legislation and borders. It condemned Hungary in 2018 for criminalising those helping asylum seekers. Lithuania and others want the EU to help them physically strengthen their borders against migrants. So far the EU has refused. Ukraine (not in the EU) claims the Belarus/Poland migrant crisis… Read More »This Week In Scotland – Week 47
COP26 A disappointing climate conference culminated in a commitment to phase down coal use, rather than phase it out, and to work to remove inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. The Scottish government committed £2 million to a new Climate JusticeFund to mitigate the effects of climate change on the global south, although an earlier commitment of… Read More »This Week In Scotland – Week 46
The Free State of Govan The Free State of Govan issued its first communique promising to work together with the UK government, the Scottish government and Glasgow City Council to tackle climate change, habitat loss and inequality, claiming that the existing national and international structures are achieving nothing. In the tradition of tackling social injustices,… Read More »This Week In Scotland – Week 45
Free by 23? Considerable doubt has been raised as to the likelihood of a referendum by the end of 2023, and as to how far even those claiming it actually believe it. Contrast with 2014, when work on the White Paper ‘Scotland’s Future’ began in 2011, culminating in a 650-page document which was published a… Read More »The Week In Scotland – Week 44
Tik Tok and Tourette’s Shona Craven highlighted a new trend in the online diagnosis of disorders and syndromes via the internet (‘Diagnosing disorders with TikTok is a dangerous trend’, National, 22/10/21). Girls have suddenly presented in vastly increased numbers with nervous tics, coinciding with the rise in popularity of a German TikTok artist who has… Read More »This Week in Scotland – Week 43
What is the point of university? The University of Sussex is facing calls to sack Kathleen Stock from their Philosophy Department. Her crime is having gender-critical views which in the world of student politics translates as ‘transphobia’. The protests have taken a more menacing tone with masked protesters apparently allowed to deface University of Sussex… Read More »This Week in Scotland – Week 41
Pandora Papers Following on from earlier revelations about the use of tax havens around the world, the so-called Pandora Papers recently revealed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) showed more than 330 politicians from 90 countries taking advantage of tax regimes to reduce their liability to domestic taxes, including stamp duty, for example… Read More »This Week in Scotland – Week 40
Women aren’t women anymore The Lancet’s editor-in-chief Richard Horton apologised, sort of, for giving the impression that they ‘dehumanised and marginalised’ women in their latest cover story by referring to ‘bodies with vaginas’, although he did not apologise for actually saying it. Then he lumped women together with anyone who has ever menstruated, reinforcing women… Read More »This Week In Scotland – Week 39
Gas Price Rise/Winter of Discontent With the news that another two gas supply companies have gone bust, leaving thousands of people with probably higher bills from new suppliers, the post-Covid failings of the ‘just in time’ supply model are laid bare. Pre-pandemic just-in-time was a way to keep costs low, avoid keeping supplies too long,… Read More »This Week In Scotland – Week 38
