The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 7

'And another guarantee I want is - if we lose this time it's best of five!'

An investigation has uncovered evidence coronavirus may have been brought to Scotland during a conference of Nike employees in Edinburgh. A BBC Scotland Disclosure investigation found more than 70 Nike employees from around the world attended a conference at Edinburgh’s Hilton Carlton Hotel on February 26 and 27, before the first confirmed covid-19 case in… Continue reading The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 7

Jun 2020. Coronavirus and the Youth in Scotland

June 2020. Almost all of Scotland’s youth are concerned about the impact of Covid-19 on their futures, according to a new study. In research commissioned by the Scottish Youth Parliament, 96% of young people said they are worried about the impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on their futures. Mental health was also a major… Continue reading Jun 2020. Coronavirus and the Youth in Scotland

Jun 2020. Care Homes in Scotland during Coronavirus Part 2

June 2020. Some care home workers who test positive for coronavirus may have to continue working, according to new official guidance. The guidance says infected staff should carry on with their work if not doing so would create an “unacceptable risk”. But this should only be for the “absolute minimum period” necessary – no longer… Continue reading Jun 2020. Care Homes in Scotland during Coronavirus Part 2

Jun 2020. Care Homes in Scotland during Coronavirus Part 1

June 2020. More people have now died in care homes in Scotland than in hospitals, according to the latest figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS), which also show that overall deaths have fallen for the fifth week running. The latest data on weekly deaths occurring in various settings shows that 1,818 deaths linked… Continue reading Jun 2020. Care Homes in Scotland during Coronavirus Part 1

The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 6

This coronavirus crisis has delivered a lesson in the power of the British state and its institutions. Rishi Sunak has added something like £60bn to public spending, and another £330bn in loan guarantees to companies. The most impressive and reassuring presences on our TV screens have been chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific… Continue reading The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 6

The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 5

Independence is itself a big idea, of course, if a somewhat blunt one. Before the pandemic struck it seemed entirely achievable, as a posh, right-wing, pro-Brexit Conservative government at Westminster moved the UK further and further away from what we might term the Scottish ideal. The trials, tribulations and revenge lust of Alex Salmond aside,… Continue reading The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 5

The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 4

The SNP likes to consider itself politically radical – an anti-establishment insurgency that would run Scotland more virtuously, more harmoniously, more Scottishly, than the British state has managed for the past 300 or so years. That the SNP has been in government for 13 years – by which time Alexander the Great had no more… Continue reading The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 4

The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 3

An SNP candidate dropped over alleged antisemitic comments has won a Westminster seat despite the party’s withdrawal of support. Neale Hanvey was the SNP candidate for the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency but was dropped in the run-up to Thursday’s poll after social media posts he made two years ago came to light. Despite his suspension,… Continue reading The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 3

The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 2

In hock to corporate lobbyists and with a record of voting with the Scottish Tories on everything from progressive taxation, outsourcing and against public ownership of rail, the SNP nonetheless appears to have convinced many London-based progressives that the politics of national identity have somehow alchemised north of the border into a vision they can… Continue reading The SNP Ain’t Scotland Part 2

Apr 2020. Coronavirus in Scotland

April 2020. Nicola Sturgeon said that easing social distancing measures could see the rates of infection rise, countering the progress that has already been made. She added: “For all of our sakes, and to protect the progress that together we have made, all of the measures that are currently in place need to remain in… Continue reading Apr 2020. Coronavirus in Scotland