Does anyone know anything about Ash Regan, other than the fact that she had the bottle to resign over the GRR bill? It’s a genuine question. As a more than averagely interested follower of Scottish politics I know nothing about her. She is described as being on the left. It’s really embarrassing when the poor die of cold left or the I don’t give an F about the economy left?
Right now a blank page is looking pretty bloody attractive but can anyone add some colour?
Maybe, but she's completely out of step with the party heirarchy. A no-hoper, surely.
What I find amazing is that the SNP have screwed up so badly that they don't have anyone even half decent lined up to head off Humza. Swinney, Brown or Robertson would have done as a short-term leader but all have ruled themselves out. Truly weird. Why wouldn't you want to be FM and have your name on the historical record?
Possibly for the same reason that taking over at OT after SAF was never going to work out either, especially with the former leader hanging around in the background.
But, Alex was 72. Nicola is 52.
Why did Nicola go ? The absence of any succession planning is odd.
I mean, the SNP seemed to me to be (@malcomg to the contrary) pretty competent.
How the hell did you get that idea? Living in Wales is seriously distorting your perspective.
Compared to Mark Drakeford, Commodus was a competent leader.
Lucius Aelius Aurelius didn't have to get elected. Which Mr D. has done, in contrast to PC and notably the local Tories. More than once.
Fantastic result for Douglas Ross, Sunak and Scottish Conservatives if it is Yousaf.
He will be far less popular with their 2019 voters than Forbes would have been. In fact even less popular with Scottish Tories than Sturgeon
Good evening
We do not agree too often but on this I do
Forbes had the possibility of attracting Scons, not least as her pro the oil and gas industry plus her commitment to dualling the A9 would be popular with the conservatives
Indeed the dualling of the A9 or lack of it has been a failure of the SNP, indeed one of many failures
Furthermore, there may have been a little wee bit of hyping labour chances if Yousaf and Sarwar/Starmer fight for the left vote
These are interesting times in Scottish politics and frankly until this all settles down, polls are likely to be all over the place
Tories shouldn't have voted for the Edinburgh trams if they wanted the A9 dualled.
The dualling of the A9 is not a party political subject but a real need for the economies of the Highlands and beyond
It is also a lethal road and very frustrating to drive along as I have done for over 60 years
I would suggest blaming the conservatives is like blaming labour for the last 13 years
Ahem. The SNP have been running the Scottish Govt since 2007 and have, repeatedly, pledged to dual the A9 and the A96. Even Fergus Ewing MSP (SNP -Inverness) seems to be losing his rag with his colleagues for failing to deliver. Nothing to do with trams, let alone Tories. And, yes, it is lethal as is the A96.
The A9 is an interesting road in many ways: it goes through some good scenery, but is not that scenic (compared to many other Scottish roads). It also often avoids some picturesque villages. It really needs dualling, and (from memory) some of the short sections if dualled road are probably more dangerous than if it was single carriageway. It also seems a no-brainer for dualling in its entirety, given the places it links.
So what's the problem? Money? Distance? Will?
Difficult to say. Almost seems a complete lack of interest in the North of Scotland. It's not just the A9. The A96 (Inverness - Aberdeen) is a terrible road and a cause celebre for local communities. The A83 in Argyll is a disaster area with frequent closures. And then, of course, the disaster of all disasters: the ferry contract. It makes you wonder, if Forbes, who is local and is aware of these problems, is indeed sent packing into the wilderness, whether the region might finally tell the SNP to go off and do one.
What alternative do they have that would even match their little. They are following a great tradition. Mind you they don't even hav ea motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh , merely a dual carriageway. The money is all needed for London infrastructure.
The M8 is not a motorway?
No it is a pretendy one , only two lanees so a dual carriageway in any normal persons language.
Two lanes ... gosh ... I don't think we have anything like that in Meirionnydd.
And we won't be getting anything, as the Welsh Govt has cancelled all road building.
Back to the Stone Age with the Drake & Llafur.
I can just about understand not putting dual carriageways in Meirionnydd, although it would certainly be useful from Dolgellau up to Minfordd given the traffic that road carries in summer. After all, there isn't actually that much traffic and the terrain isn't easy.
But it's sheer midsummer madness not to build a proper bridge to replace the Britannia and Menai Bridges, one of which was a lash up of a railway bridge and the other was designed for horses and carts. That's a genuine insult to Ynys Môn and demonstrates how out of touch those Valleys councillors are.
What do you think to the following for Ynys Môn:
- Designated location for new mega-city - 50 billion in funding for infrastructure - 3 million new homes - Integrated metro system and connection to UK high speed rail - New international airport - New motorway and bridge - NI-style accession to single market - Full payroll tax holiday for residents for 10 years - Irish corporate tax rates in perpetuity
Who is proposing that? Not the Welsh government, certainly.
One thing they can and should look at is electrifying the North Wales Coast line to Holyhead. That in itself would necessitate a solution to the Britannia Bridge. Also of course the tubular bridges at Conwy. But it would be a big improvement when done.
Just one of the locations I’ve pondered in the past when thinking about how we could solve levelling up and our housing crisis with a brand new mega city (others being Lincolnshire coast and Lancs around Blackpool).
Fantastic result for Douglas Ross, Sunak and Scottish Conservatives if it is Yousaf.
He will be far less popular with their 2019 voters than Forbes would have been. In fact even less popular with Scottish Tories than Sturgeon
Good evening
We do not agree too often but on this I do
Forbes had the possibility of attracting Scons, not least as her pro the oil and gas industry plus her commitment to dualling the A9 would be popular with the conservatives
Indeed the dualling of the A9 or lack of it has been a failure of the SNP, indeed one of many failures
Furthermore, there may have been a little wee bit of hyping labour chances if Yousaf and Sarwar/Starmer fight for the left vote
These are interesting times in Scottish politics and frankly until this all settles down, polls are likely to be all over the place
Tories shouldn't have voted for the Edinburgh trams if they wanted the A9 dualled.
The dualling of the A9 is not a party political subject but a real need for the economies of the Highlands and beyond
It is also a lethal road and very frustrating to drive along as I have done for over 60 years
I would suggest blaming the conservatives is like blaming labour for the last 13 years
Ahem. The SNP have been running the Scottish Govt since 2007 and have, repeatedly, pledged to dual the A9 and the A96. Even Fergus Ewing MSP (SNP -Inverness) seems to be losing his rag with his colleagues for failing to deliver. Nothing to do with trams, let alone Tories. And, yes, it is lethal as is the A96.
The A9 is an interesting road in many ways: it goes through some good scenery, but is not that scenic (compared to many other Scottish roads). It also often avoids some picturesque villages. It really needs dualling, and (from memory) some of the short sections if dualled road are probably more dangerous than if it was single carriageway. It also seems a no-brainer for dualling in its entirety, given the places it links.
So what's the problem? Money? Distance? Will?
Difficult to say. Almost seems a complete lack of interest in the North of Scotland. It's not just the A9. The A96 (Inverness - Aberdeen) is a terrible road and a cause celebre for local communities. The A83 in Argyll is a disaster area with frequent closures. And then, of course, the disaster of all disasters: the ferry contract. It makes you wonder, if Forbes, who is local and is aware of these problems, is indeed sent packing into the wilderness, whether the region might finally tell the SNP to go off and do one.
What alternative do they have that would even match their little. They are following a great tradition. Mind you they don't even hav ea motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh , merely a dual carriageway. The money is all needed for London infrastructure.
The M8 is not a motorway?
No it is a pretendy one , only two lanees so a dual carriageway in any normal persons language.
Two lanes ... gosh ... I don't think we have anything like that in Meirionnydd.
And we won't be getting anything, as the Welsh Govt has cancelled all road building.
Back to the Stone Age with the Drake & Llafur.
I can just about understand not putting dual carriageways in Meirionnydd, although it would certainly be useful from Dolgellau up to Minfordd given the traffic that road carries in summer. After all, there isn't actually that much traffic and the terrain isn't easy.
But it's sheer midsummer madness not to build a proper bridge to replace the Britannia and Menai Bridges, one of which was a lash up of a railway bridge and the other was designed for horses and carts. That's a genuine insult to Ynys Môn and demonstrates how out of touch those Valleys councillors are.
What do you think to the following for Ynys Môn:
- Designated location for new mega-city - 50 billion in funding for infrastructure - 3 million new homes - Integrated metro system and connection to UK high speed rail - New international airport - New motorway and bridge - NI-style accession to single market - Full payroll tax holiday for residents for 10 years - Irish corporate tax rates in perpetuity
Who is proposing that? Not the Welsh government, certainly.
One thing they can and should look at is electrifying the North Wales Coast line to Holyhead. That in itself would necessitate a solution to the Britannia Bridge. Also of course the tubular bridges at Conwy. But it would be a big improvement when done.
What's the problem with the Britannia Bridge? IIRC it is still a railway bridge and has been substantially rebuilt on the arch lines after that fire c. 1975.
Fantastic result for Douglas Ross, Sunak and Scottish Conservatives if it is Yousaf.
He will be far less popular with their 2019 voters than Forbes would have been. In fact even less popular with Scottish Tories than Sturgeon
Good evening
We do not agree too often but on this I do
Forbes had the possibility of attracting Scons, not least as her pro the oil and gas industry plus her commitment to dualling the A9 would be popular with the conservatives
Indeed the dualling of the A9 or lack of it has been a failure of the SNP, indeed one of many failures
Furthermore, there may have been a little wee bit of hyping labour chances if Yousaf and Sarwar/Starmer fight for the left vote
These are interesting times in Scottish politics and frankly until this all settles down, polls are likely to be all over the place
Tories shouldn't have voted for the Edinburgh trams if they wanted the A9 dualled.
The dualling of the A9 is not a party political subject but a real need for the economies of the Highlands and beyond
It is also a lethal road and very frustrating to drive along as I have done for over 60 years
I would suggest blaming the conservatives is like blaming labour for the last 13 years
Ahem. The SNP have been running the Scottish Govt since 2007 and have, repeatedly, pledged to dual the A9 and the A96. Even Fergus Ewing MSP (SNP -Inverness) seems to be losing his rag with his colleagues for failing to deliver. Nothing to do with trams, let alone Tories. And, yes, it is lethal as is the A96.
The A9 is an interesting road in many ways: it goes through some good scenery, but is not that scenic (compared to many other Scottish roads). It also often avoids some picturesque villages. It really needs dualling, and (from memory) some of the short sections if dualled road are probably more dangerous than if it was single carriageway. It also seems a no-brainer for dualling in its entirety, given the places it links.
So what's the problem? Money? Distance? Will?
Difficult to say. Almost seems a complete lack of interest in the North of Scotland. It's not just the A9. The A96 (Inverness - Aberdeen) is a terrible road and a cause celebre for local communities. The A83 in Argyll is a disaster area with frequent closures. And then, of course, the disaster of all disasters: the ferry contract. It makes you wonder, if Forbes, who is local and is aware of these problems, is indeed sent packing into the wilderness, whether the region might finally tell the SNP to go off and do one.
What alternative do they have that would even match their little. They are following a great tradition. Mind you they don't even hav ea motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh , merely a dual carriageway. The money is all needed for London infrastructure.
The M8 is not a motorway?
No it is a pretendy one , only two lanees so a dual carriageway in any normal persons language.
Two lanes ... gosh ... I don't think we have anything like that in Meirionnydd.
And we won't be getting anything, as the Welsh Govt has cancelled all road building.
Back to the Stone Age with the Drake & Llafur.
I can just about understand not putting dual carriageways in Meirionnydd, although it would certainly be useful from Dolgellau up to Minfordd given the traffic that road carries in summer. After all, there isn't actually that much traffic and the terrain isn't easy.
But it's sheer midsummer madness not to build a proper bridge to replace the Britannia and Menai Bridges, one of which was a lash up of a railway bridge and the other was designed for horses and carts. That's a genuine insult to Ynys Môn and demonstrates how out of touch those Valleys councillors are.
What do you think to the following for Ynys Môn:
- Designated location for new mega-city - 50 billion in funding for infrastructure - 3 million new homes - Integrated metro system and connection to UK high speed rail - New international airport - New motorway and bridge - NI-style accession to single market - Full payroll tax holiday for residents for 10 years - Irish corporate tax rates in perpetuity
Who is proposing that? Not the Welsh government, certainly.
One thing they can and should look at is electrifying the North Wales Coast line to Holyhead. That in itself would necessitate a solution to the Britannia Bridge. Also of course the tubular bridges at Conwy. But it would be a big improvement when done.
What's the problem with the Britannia Bridge? IIRC it is still a railway bridge and has been substantially rebuilt on the arch lines after that fire c. 1975.
The road deck is above the rail deck and I don't think there would be room for the wires (not that I have actually measured it, but there's very little space between the top of the trains and the road deck).
Does anyone know anything about Ash Regan, other than the fact that she had the bottle to resign over the GRR bill? It’s a genuine question. As a more than averagely interested follower of Scottish politics I know nothing about her. She is described as being on the left. It’s really embarrassing when the poor die of cold left or the I don’t give an F about the economy left?
Right now a blank page is looking pretty bloody attractive but can anyone add some colour?
Maybe, but she's completely out of step with the party heirarchy. A no-hoper, surely.
What I find amazing is that the SNP have screwed up so badly that they don't have anyone even half decent lined up to head off Humza. Swinney, Brown or Robertson would have done as a short-term leader but all have ruled themselves out. Truly weird. Why wouldn't you want to be FM and have your name on the historical record?
Possibly for the same reason that taking over at OT after SAF was never going to work out either, especially with the former leader hanging around in the background.
But, Alex was 72. Nicola is 52.
Why did Nicola go ? The absence of any succession planning is odd.
I mean, the SNP seemed to me to be (@malcomg to the contrary) pretty competent.
How the hell did you get that idea? Living in Wales is seriously distorting your perspective.
Compared to Mark Drakeford, Commodus was a competent leader.
Lucius Aelius Aurelius didn't have to get elected. Which Mr D. has done, in contrast to PC and notably the local Tories. More than once.
No, he has won once (he inherited the FM from Carwyn Jones after the Sargeant suicide).
Does anyone know anything about Ash Regan, other than the fact that she had the bottle to resign over the GRR bill? It’s a genuine question. As a more than averagely interested follower of Scottish politics I know nothing about her. She is described as being on the left. It’s really embarrassing when the poor die of cold left or the I don’t give an F about the economy left?
Right now a blank page is looking pretty bloody attractive but can anyone add some colour?
Maybe, but she's completely out of step with the party heirarchy. A no-hoper, surely.
What I find amazing is that the SNP have screwed up so badly that they don't have anyone even half decent lined up to head off Humza. Swinney, Brown or Robertson would have done as a short-term leader but all have ruled themselves out. Truly weird. Why wouldn't you want to be FM and have your name on the historical record?
Possibly for the same reason that taking over at OT after SAF was never going to work out either, especially with the former leader hanging around in the background.
But, Alex was 72. Nicola is 52.
Why did Nicola go ? The absence of any succession planning is odd.
I mean, the SNP seemed to me to be (@malcomg to the contrary) pretty competent.
How the hell did you get that idea? Living in Wales is seriously distorting your perspective.
Compared to Mark Drakeford, Commodus was a competent leader.
Sat at Foley Meir FC bloke in front just said he had a Boris Johnson inspired tea. Explained to his mate, " like normal pancakes but need to be a reyt tosser to make em."
New tick for you, John?
Ground 444 tonight. 5 left across NWCFL
Give us a shout if you're ever heading into Northern League land. Will buy you a pint at some godforsaken ground.
Fantastic result for Douglas Ross, Sunak and Scottish Conservatives if it is Yousaf.
He will be far less popular with their 2019 voters than Forbes would have been. In fact even less popular with Scottish Tories than Sturgeon
Good evening
We do not agree too often but on this I do
Forbes had the possibility of attracting Scons, not least as her pro the oil and gas industry plus her commitment to dualling the A9 would be popular with the conservatives
Indeed the dualling of the A9 or lack of it has been a failure of the SNP, indeed one of many failures
Furthermore, there may have been a little wee bit of hyping labour chances if Yousaf and Sarwar/Starmer fight for the left vote
These are interesting times in Scottish politics and frankly until this all settles down, polls are likely to be all over the place
Tories shouldn't have voted for the Edinburgh trams if they wanted the A9 dualled.
The dualling of the A9 is not a party political subject but a real need for the economies of the Highlands and beyond
It is also a lethal road and very frustrating to drive along as I have done for over 60 years
I would suggest blaming the conservatives is like blaming labour for the last 13 years
Ahem. The SNP have been running the Scottish Govt since 2007 and have, repeatedly, pledged to dual the A9 and the A96. Even Fergus Ewing MSP (SNP -Inverness) seems to be losing his rag with his colleagues for failing to deliver. Nothing to do with trams, let alone Tories. And, yes, it is lethal as is the A96.
The A9 is an interesting road in many ways: it goes through some good scenery, but is not that scenic (compared to many other Scottish roads). It also often avoids some picturesque villages. It really needs dualling, and (from memory) some of the short sections if dualled road are probably more dangerous than if it was single carriageway. It also seems a no-brainer for dualling in its entirety, given the places it links.
So what's the problem? Money? Distance? Will?
Difficult to say. Almost seems a complete lack of interest in the North of Scotland. It's not just the A9. The A96 (Inverness - Aberdeen) is a terrible road and a cause celebre for local communities. The A83 in Argyll is a disaster area with frequent closures. And then, of course, the disaster of all disasters: the ferry contract. It makes you wonder, if Forbes, who is local and is aware of these problems, is indeed sent packing into the wilderness, whether the region might finally tell the SNP to go off and do one.
What alternative do they have that would even match their little. They are following a great tradition. Mind you they don't even hav ea motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh , merely a dual carriageway. The money is all needed for London infrastructure.
The M8 is not a motorway?
No it is a pretendy one , only two lanees so a dual carriageway in any normal persons language.
Two lanes ... gosh ... I don't think we have anything like that in Meirionnydd.
And we won't be getting anything, as the Welsh Govt has cancelled all road building.
Back to the Stone Age with the Drake & Llafur.
I can just about understand not putting dual carriageways in Meirionnydd, although it would certainly be useful from Dolgellau up to Minfordd given the traffic that road carries in summer. After all, there isn't actually that much traffic and the terrain isn't easy.
But it's sheer midsummer madness not to build a proper bridge to replace the Britannia and Menai Bridges, one of which was a lash up of a railway bridge and the other was designed for horses and carts. That's a genuine insult to Ynys Môn and demonstrates how out of touch those Valleys councillors are.
What do you think to the following for Ynys Môn:
- Designated location for new mega-city - 50 billion in funding for infrastructure - 3 million new homes - Integrated metro system and connection to UK high speed rail - New international airport - New motorway and bridge - NI-style accession to single market - Full payroll tax holiday for residents for 10 years - Irish corporate tax rates in perpetuity
Fantastic result for Douglas Ross, Sunak and Scottish Conservatives if it is Yousaf.
He will be far less popular with their 2019 voters than Forbes would have been. In fact even less popular with Scottish Tories than Sturgeon
Good evening
We do not agree too often but on this I do
Forbes had the possibility of attracting Scons, not least as her pro the oil and gas industry plus her commitment to dualling the A9 would be popular with the conservatives
Indeed the dualling of the A9 or lack of it has been a failure of the SNP, indeed one of many failures
Furthermore, there may have been a little wee bit of hyping labour chances if Yousaf and Sarwar/Starmer fight for the left vote
These are interesting times in Scottish politics and frankly until this all settles down, polls are likely to be all over the place
Tories shouldn't have voted for the Edinburgh trams if they wanted the A9 dualled.
The dualling of the A9 is not a party political subject but a real need for the economies of the Highlands and beyond
It is also a lethal road and very frustrating to drive along as I have done for over 60 years
I would suggest blaming the conservatives is like blaming labour for the last 13 years
Ahem. The SNP have been running the Scottish Govt since 2007 and have, repeatedly, pledged to dual the A9 and the A96. Even Fergus Ewing MSP (SNP -Inverness) seems to be losing his rag with his colleagues for failing to deliver. Nothing to do with trams, let alone Tories. And, yes, it is lethal as is the A96.
The A9 is an interesting road in many ways: it goes through some good scenery, but is not that scenic (compared to many other Scottish roads). It also often avoids some picturesque villages. It really needs dualling, and (from memory) some of the short sections if dualled road are probably more dangerous than if it was single carriageway. It also seems a no-brainer for dualling in its entirety, given the places it links.
So what's the problem? Money? Distance? Will?
Difficult to say. Almost seems a complete lack of interest in the North of Scotland. It's not just the A9. The A96 (Inverness - Aberdeen) is a terrible road and a cause celebre for local communities. The A83 in Argyll is a disaster area with frequent closures. And then, of course, the disaster of all disasters: the ferry contract. It makes you wonder, if Forbes, who is local and is aware of these problems, is indeed sent packing into the wilderness, whether the region might finally tell the SNP to go off and do one.
What alternative do they have that would even match their little. They are following a great tradition. Mind you they don't even hav ea motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh , merely a dual carriageway. The money is all needed for London infrastructure.
The M8 is not a motorway?
No it is a pretendy one , only two lanees so a dual carriageway in any normal persons language.
Two lanes ... gosh ... I don't think we have anything like that in Meirionnydd.
And we won't be getting anything, as the Welsh Govt has cancelled all road building.
Back to the Stone Age with the Drake & Llafur.
I can just about understand not putting dual carriageways in Meirionnydd, although it would certainly be useful from Dolgellau up to Minfordd given the traffic that road carries in summer. After all, there isn't actually that much traffic and the terrain isn't easy.
But it's sheer midsummer madness not to build a proper bridge to replace the Britannia and Menai Bridges, one of which was a lash up of a railway bridge and the other was designed for horses and carts. That's a genuine insult to Ynys Môn and demonstrates how out of touch those Valleys councillors are.
What do you think to the following for Ynys Môn:
- Designated location for new mega-city - 50 billion in funding for infrastructure - 3 million new homes - Integrated metro system and connection to UK high speed rail - New international airport - New motorway and bridge - NI-style accession to single market - Full payroll tax holiday for residents for 10 years - Irish corporate tax rates in perpetuity
Who is proposing that? Not the Welsh government, certainly.
One thing they can and should look at is electrifying the North Wales Coast line to Holyhead. That in itself would necessitate a solution to the Britannia Bridge. Also of course the tubular bridges at Conwy. But it would be a big improvement when done.
Just one of the locations I’ve pondered in the past when thinking about how we could solve levelling up and our housing crisis with a brand new mega city (others being Lincolnshire coast and Lancs around Blackpool).
I doubt if there's room for a city that large. They would probably jump at the rest if you made that part a bit smaller.
The SNP have fucked it, in the views of this member of the party. We will be looking back in a couple of years and recognising that they had everything they needed over the period 2016-2022 to make Scottish independence a reality and the over-cautious and timid Sturgeon screwed it up, then fucked off and left the choice of leader to be (at this stage, but increasingly looking like the reality) a total hellscape shitstorm.
A nobody in Ash Regan who is being solidly ignored by the media even though there's only three candidates so far (presumably as the only one who actually sounds like they want independence), the religious Kate Forbes who though functionally competent and photogenic actively harms herself every time she's asked about anything because her views sound like something from 1964, even if they've nothing to do with her policies (which have yet to be stated), and Humza fucking Yousaf.
If it's the latter then syonara to both independence and SNP's large election winning victories.
Well done guys, well done. SLOW HANDCLAP.
I'm sure someone will be along in a minute to tell me it's not that bad, but, mmm, yes it does appear that bad from where I'm sitting right now.
I totally agree but you were far too nice about Sturgeon, her and The Magpie have done well for themselves assuming they avoid incarceration and they have left all their weird o crew of misfits , no users, grifters and troughers everywhere there is a big pay day. Will be years to clear all that dross out for sure.
Only hope is that Regan wins it , she at least wants independence.
The door is surely open for Regan if she runs a good campaign. One man’s nobody is another’s dark horse. Could she actually do it? Is she VALUE?
Fantastic result for Douglas Ross, Sunak and Scottish Conservatives if it is Yousaf.
He will be far less popular with their 2019 voters than Forbes would have been. In fact even less popular with Scottish Tories than Sturgeon
Good evening
We do not agree too often but on this I do
Forbes had the possibility of attracting Scons, not least as her pro the oil and gas industry plus her commitment to dualling the A9 would be popular with the conservatives
Indeed the dualling of the A9 or lack of it has been a failure of the SNP, indeed one of many failures
Furthermore, there may have been a little wee bit of hyping labour chances if Yousaf and Sarwar/Starmer fight for the left vote
These are interesting times in Scottish politics and frankly until this all settles down, polls are likely to be all over the place
Tories shouldn't have voted for the Edinburgh trams if they wanted the A9 dualled.
There is more than enough blame to go around to everyone in respect of the Edinburgh Trams. Even the Inquiry itself has proven a disgrace with Lord Hardie's report now several years overdue and massively over budget.
Except that the SNP didn't want them in the first place. Forced on them by the Tories and everyone else as well.
Which reminds us that the Greens could do huge damage if the arithmetic you correctly mention was to change.
The management of the contracts, once granted, was, well, sub-optimal, to put it kindly.
Indeed. Edinburgh Council was not at its best. If there is such a thing.
But the combination of old infrastructure (which all had to be redone, though that will pay off in the long run) and heavy engineering for a tram line was always going to be tricky.
The first stage of Edinburgh's tram system seems to have been a mess (We were in Edinburgh just before Christmas, and the phase 2 scheme seems to be progressing well). But many other cities have introduced new tram systems over the last few decades: Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, Croydon. Was Edinburgh's scheme uniquely mishandled?
It's not a tramway, but in my part of the world the (mis)guided bus appears to have been a tragic waste of funds and opportunity.
Also: what are the ridership figures of phase 1 compared to the pre-building predictions?
The Leeds tram system must have been built awfully quietly
Fantastic result for Douglas Ross, Sunak and Scottish Conservatives if it is Yousaf.
He will be far less popular with their 2019 voters than Forbes would have been. In fact even less popular with Scottish Tories than Sturgeon
Good evening
We do not agree too often but on this I do
Forbes had the possibility of attracting Scons, not least as her pro the oil and gas industry plus her commitment to dualling the A9 would be popular with the conservatives
Indeed the dualling of the A9 or lack of it has been a failure of the SNP, indeed one of many failures
Furthermore, there may have been a little wee bit of hyping labour chances if Yousaf and Sarwar/Starmer fight for the left vote
These are interesting times in Scottish politics and frankly until this all settles down, polls are likely to be all over the place
Tories shouldn't have voted for the Edinburgh trams if they wanted the A9 dualled.
The dualling of the A9 is not a party political subject but a real need for the economies of the Highlands and beyond
It is also a lethal road and very frustrating to drive along as I have done for over 60 years
I would suggest blaming the conservatives is like blaming labour for the last 13 years
Ahem. The SNP have been running the Scottish Govt since 2007 and have, repeatedly, pledged to dual the A9 and the A96. Even Fergus Ewing MSP (SNP -Inverness) seems to be losing his rag with his colleagues for failing to deliver. Nothing to do with trams, let alone Tories. And, yes, it is lethal as is the A96.
The A9 is an interesting road in many ways: it goes through some good scenery, but is not that scenic (compared to many other Scottish roads). It also often avoids some picturesque villages. It really needs dualling, and (from memory) some of the short sections if dualled road are probably more dangerous than if it was single carriageway. It also seems a no-brainer for dualling in its entirety, given the places it links.
So what's the problem? Money? Distance? Will?
Difficult to say. Almost seems a complete lack of interest in the North of Scotland. It's not just the A9. The A96 (Inverness - Aberdeen) is a terrible road and a cause celebre for local communities. The A83 in Argyll is a disaster area with frequent closures. And then, of course, the disaster of all disasters: the ferry contract. It makes you wonder, if Forbes, who is local and is aware of these problems, is indeed sent packing into the wilderness, whether the region might finally tell the SNP to go off and do one.
What alternative do they have that would even match their little. They are following a great tradition. Mind you they don't even hav ea motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh , merely a dual carriageway. The money is all needed for London infrastructure.
The M8 is not a motorway?
No it is a pretendy one , only two lanees so a dual carriageway in any normal persons language.
Two lanes ... gosh ... I don't think we have anything like that in Meirionnydd.
And we won't be getting anything, as the Welsh Govt has cancelled all road building.
Back to the Stone Age with the Drake & Llafur.
I can just about understand not putting dual carriageways in Meirionnydd, although it would certainly be useful from Dolgellau up to Minfordd given the traffic that road carries in summer. After all, there isn't actually that much traffic and the terrain isn't easy.
But it's sheer midsummer madness not to build a proper bridge to replace the Britannia and Menai Bridges, one of which was a lash up of a railway bridge and the other was designed for horses and carts. That's a genuine insult to Ynys Môn and demonstrates how out of touch those Valleys councillors are.
What do you think to the following for Ynys Môn:
- Designated location for new mega-city - 50 billion in funding for infrastructure - 3 million new homes - Integrated metro system and connection to UK high speed rail - New international airport - New motorway and bridge - NI-style accession to single market - Full payroll tax holiday for residents for 10 years - Irish corporate tax rates in perpetuity
Who is proposing that? Not the Welsh government, certainly.
One thing they can and should look at is electrifying the North Wales Coast line to Holyhead. That in itself would necessitate a solution to the Britannia Bridge. Also of course the tubular bridges at Conwy. But it would be a big improvement when done.
What's the problem with the Britannia Bridge? IIRC it is still a railway bridge and has been substantially rebuilt on the arch lines after that fire c. 1975.
The road deck is above the rail deck and I don't think there would be room for the wires (not that I have actually measured it, but there's very little space between the top of the trains and the road deck).
Thanks, sounds right. Unless they go battery operated [edit} for a few moments to bridge the gap on the Britannia, and indeed also the Conwy tubes, etc.. A little poking around suggests precisely that.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
I am sure we will hear lots about this here, just like we constantly hear about Labour bankrupting things.
Whilst I'm here, Wandsworth still hasn't collapsed or turned into a woke, socialist hellhole. The Tories lied?
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”...
Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. What they want is to use the Equality Act as a sword to fight their own personal battles, rather than as a shield to prevent others from discrimination.”
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
I'm sure our Surrey correspondents know more, but the general principle is that councils can't get enough revenue because of the effective capping of council tax rises. They can borrow money to buy assets to generate revenue. This works brilliantly until it doesn't, as happened in Thurrock.
It's utterly insane, but rational in the crazy world of council finance. And nobody really expected interest rates to rise this much.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
Yes, I'm afraid a number of local authorities who have gone into the property speculation market to fund local regeneration projects are going to end up in a bad way.
The centre of Woking (for those who don't know it) has been transformed by the Victoria Square development. Apart from the hotel and office space which they can't let (Woking is well served by train connections to London and southern England), there's an enormous M&S and a Gail's bakery. Existing shops and houses have been demolished and the Council's ambitions were to provide ever more residential accommodation in and close to the Town Centre.
It probably looked good on paper in the early 2010s and attractive for councils looking for alternative funding and income streams and no longer wanting to be dependent on the capricious political whim of whichever Party was in power at the time.
The LDs took back control of Woking last year (the former Conservative leader got herself on to the County Council and is already a Cabinet member) but have been left holding the financial baby. Whether they will need a section 114 notice I don't know but they must be perilously close.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
This is what happens when council workers try and play act as investment managers. What a disaster for the tax payers. Hopefully everyone involved in this borrowing scheme never handles another penny of taxpayer money.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
This is what happens when council workers try and play act as investment managers. What a disaster for the tax payers. Hopefully everyone involved in this borrowing scheme never handles another penny of taxpayer money.
Fantastic result for Douglas Ross, Sunak and Scottish Conservatives if it is Yousaf.
He will be far less popular with their 2019 voters than Forbes would have been. In fact even less popular with Scottish Tories than Sturgeon
Good evening
We do not agree too often but on this I do
Forbes had the possibility of attracting Scons, not least as her pro the oil and gas industry plus her commitment to dualling the A9 would be popular with the conservatives
Indeed the dualling of the A9 or lack of it has been a failure of the SNP, indeed one of many failures
Furthermore, there may have been a little wee bit of hyping labour chances if Yousaf and Sarwar/Starmer fight for the left vote
These are interesting times in Scottish politics and frankly until this all settles down, polls are likely to be all over the place
Tories shouldn't have voted for the Edinburgh trams if they wanted the A9 dualled.
The dualling of the A9 is not a party political subject but a real need for the economies of the Highlands and beyond
It is also a lethal road and very frustrating to drive along as I have done for over 60 years
I would suggest blaming the conservatives is like blaming labour for the last 13 years
Ahem. The SNP have been running the Scottish Govt since 2007 and have, repeatedly, pledged to dual the A9 and the A96. Even Fergus Ewing MSP (SNP -Inverness) seems to be losing his rag with his colleagues for failing to deliver. Nothing to do with trams, let alone Tories. And, yes, it is lethal as is the A96.
The A9 is an interesting road in many ways: it goes through some good scenery, but is not that scenic (compared to many other Scottish roads). It also often avoids some picturesque villages. It really needs dualling, and (from memory) some of the short sections if dualled road are probably more dangerous than if it was single carriageway. It also seems a no-brainer for dualling in its entirety, given the places it links.
So what's the problem? Money? Distance? Will?
Difficult to say. Almost seems a complete lack of interest in the North of Scotland. It's not just the A9. The A96 (Inverness - Aberdeen) is a terrible road and a cause celebre for local communities. The A83 in Argyll is a disaster area with frequent closures. And then, of course, the disaster of all disasters: the ferry contract. It makes you wonder, if Forbes, who is local and is aware of these problems, is indeed sent packing into the wilderness, whether the region might finally tell the SNP to go off and do one.
What alternative do they have that would even match their little. They are following a great tradition. Mind you they don't even hav ea motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh , merely a dual carriageway. The money is all needed for London infrastructure.
The M8 is not a motorway?
No it is a pretendy one , only two lanees so a dual carriageway in any normal persons language.
Two lanes ... gosh ... I don't think we have anything like that in Meirionnydd.
And we won't be getting anything, as the Welsh Govt has cancelled all road building.
Back to the Stone Age with the Drake & Llafur.
I can just about understand not putting dual carriageways in Meirionnydd, although it would certainly be useful from Dolgellau up to Minfordd given the traffic that road carries in summer. After all, there isn't actually that much traffic and the terrain isn't easy.
But it's sheer midsummer madness not to build a proper bridge to replace the Britannia and Menai Bridges, one of which was a lash up of a railway bridge and the other was designed for horses and carts. That's a genuine insult to Ynys Môn and demonstrates how out of touch those Valleys councillors are.
What do you think to the following for Ynys Môn:
- Designated location for new mega-city - 50 billion in funding for infrastructure - 3 million new homes - Integrated metro system and connection to UK high speed rail - New international airport - New motorway and bridge - NI-style accession to single market - Full payroll tax holiday for residents for 10 years - Irish corporate tax rates in perpetuity
Who is proposing that? Not the Welsh government, certainly.
One thing they can and should look at is electrifying the North Wales Coast line to Holyhead. That in itself would necessitate a solution to the Britannia Bridge. Also of course the tubular bridges at Conwy. But it would be a big improvement when done.
Just one of the locations I’ve pondered in the past when thinking about how we could solve levelling up and our housing crisis with a brand new mega city (others being Lincolnshire coast and Lancs around Blackpool).
I doubt if there's room for a city that large. They would probably jump at the rest if you made that part a bit smaller.
It also has deep water ports, if that helps.
Flat too, and actually 714km2 (I just checked) which is almost identical to Singapore (728km2).
If the idea of working four days a week for the same pay sounds like music to your ears, the results of a pilot program from the United Kingdom may give you cause for hope.
Dozens of companies there took part in the world’s largest trial of the four-day workweek — and a majority of supervisors and employees liked it so much they’ve decided to keep the arrangement. In fact, 15 percent of the employees who participated said “no amount of money” would convince them to go back to working five days a week.
If anything else it demonstrates tremendous naïveté to think that the way to win hearts and influence people is to jump out of the blocks with statements about your opinions on gay marriage and children born out of wedlock…
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
Slough went bankrupt for much the same reasons they built crap no one wanted. The company I worked there actually rented 1 floor out of the 3 above the council offices from them. There was one other company renting half a floor from the council. When renewal of contracts came up the company asked for a rent reduction as plenty cheaper out there the council insisted of a substantial rent increase even though they could only rent out half the space at that time....result the company went sod off we are moving offices and did so slough council ended up with more or less 3 unrented floors
It’s actually a very interesting leadership bid. This sort of occasional airing of laundry is fascinating for those of us who don’t follow the party very closely. It shows just how far Salmond and Sturgeon dominated the narrative up till now.
He would do the pilot project by posting photos on here?
Please God no!
AND if Horse does decide to take photos of the . . . affected area . . . suggest that he make sure the curtains at the photo booth in his local shopping mall, are shut VERY tightly!
If the idea of working four days a week for the same pay sounds like music to your ears, the results of a pilot program from the United Kingdom may give you cause for hope.
Dozens of companies there took part in the world’s largest trial of the four-day workweek — and a majority of supervisors and employees liked it so much they’ve decided to keep the arrangement. In fact, 15 percent of the employees who participated said “no amount of money” would convince them to go back to working five days a week.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
This is what happens when council workers try and play act as investment managers. What a disaster for the tax payers. Hopefully everyone involved in this borrowing scheme never handles another penny of taxpayer money.
Apart from the generous pay-offs......
Those responsible will no doubt get a golden parachute and turn up at another council. Once above a certain level in the public sector the way to get promoted seems to be to fail....cf cressida dick
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
Yes, I'm afraid a number of local authorities who have gone into the property speculation market to fund local regeneration projects are going to end up in a bad way.
The centre of Woking (for those who don't know it) has been transformed by the Victoria Square development. Apart from the hotel and office space which they can't let (Woking is well served by train connections to London and southern England), there's an enormous M&S and a Gail's bakery. Existing shops and houses have been demolished and the Council's ambitions were to provide ever more residential accommodation in and close to the Town Centre.
It probably looked good on paper in the early 2010s and attractive for councils looking for alternative funding and income streams and no longer wanting to be dependent on the capricious political whim of whichever Party was in power at the time.
The LDs took back control of Woking last year (the former Conservative leader got herself on to the County Council and is already a Cabinet member) but have been left holding the financial baby. Whether they will need a section 114 notice I don't know but they must be perilously close.
Got a lovely Pizza Express, mind. Fit for a King (almost).
If anything else it demonstrates tremendous naïveté to think that the way to win hearts and influence people is to jump out of the blocks with statements about your opinions on gay marriage and children born out of wedlock…
In a weird way I admire the integrity - she has a specific set of personal beliefs, she's entitled to them even where I disagree with them, she's continued to stick by them rather than do the normal politician thing and lie/dissemble just to get the big job, she's not proposing any policies to directly impose those beliefs on anybody else.
But equally though, they're not beliefs that make me especially inclined to want her in charge on the basis that if she thinks those, what else is she thinking that might make other policies at other times.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
This is what happens when council workers try and play act as investment managers. What a disaster for the tax payers. Hopefully everyone involved in this borrowing scheme never handles another penny of taxpayer money.
I'm really not sure how these councils get into these positions. Even in better financial times buying shopping centres and residential skyscrapers seems like a really bad idea. They appoint investment managers or are part of pension pools that appoint managers all the time and it generally works fine as far as I know, why try to become property barons?
If anything else it demonstrates tremendous naïveté to think that the way to win hearts and influence people is to jump out of the blocks with statements about your opinions on gay marriage and children born out of wedlock…
In a weird way I admire the integrity - she has a specific set of personal beliefs, she's entitled to them even where I disagree with them, she's continued to stick by them rather than do the normal politician thing and lie/dissemble just to get the big job, she's not proposing any policies to directly impose those beliefs on anybody else.
But equally though, they're not beliefs that make me especially inclined to want her in charge on the basis that if she thinks those, what else is she thinking that might make other policies at other times.
Indeed - it's good that someone in politics has firm values on something. But it doesn't follow that the public will like those values, so there's a price to pay.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
This is what happens when council workers try and play act as investment managers. What a disaster for the tax payers. Hopefully everyone involved in this borrowing scheme never handles another penny of taxpayer money.
Apart from the generous pay-offs......
Those responsible will no doubt get a golden parachute and turn up at another council. Once above a certain level in the public sector the way to get promoted seems to be to fail....cf cressida dick
Hang on. Aren't elected Councillors responsible for this? They sure as hell would be if it were a Labour Council.
Perhaps explains why some GOP state senators want to make administering an mRNA vaccine a felony ?
'Reduction in death'? 🤨
Vaccines are fantastic and everyone should have them as appropriate, but I think there might be some key words missing between 'reduction in' and 'death', unless being vaccinated reduces mortality in cancer, heart and other issues too.
If the idea of working four days a week for the same pay sounds like music to your ears, the results of a pilot program from the United Kingdom may give you cause for hope.
Dozens of companies there took part in the world’s largest trial of the four-day workweek — and a majority of supervisors and employees liked it so much they’ve decided to keep the arrangement. In fact, 15 percent of the employees who participated said “no amount of money” would convince them to go back to working five days a week.
I'm instinctively in favour, so it will be very interesting of it becomes the norm.
You'd have loved Ted Heath's innovative three-day week. Three 10-hour days instead of 36 hours spread over five days meant a 5% drop in take-home pay. In return I saved 2 days' bus fare and enjoyed a four-day weekend. Pity about the country.
Does anyone know anything about Ash Regan, other than the fact that she had the bottle to resign over the GRR bill? It’s a genuine question. As a more than averagely interested follower of Scottish politics I know nothing about her. She is described as being on the left. It’s really embarrassing when the poor die of cold left or the I don’t give an F about the economy left?
Right now a blank page is looking pretty bloody attractive but can anyone add some colour?
Maybe, but she's completely out of step with the party heirarchy. A no-hoper, surely.
What I find amazing is that the SNP have screwed up so badly that they don't have anyone even half decent lined up to head off Humza. Swinney, Brown or Robertson would have done as a short-term leader but all have ruled themselves out. Truly weird. Why wouldn't you want to be FM and have your name on the historical record?
Possibly for the same reason that taking over at OT after SAF was never going to work out either, especially with the former leader hanging around in the background.
But, Alex was 72. Nicola is 52.
Why did Nicola go ? The absence of any succession planning is odd.
I mean, the SNP seemed to me to be (@malcomg to the contrary) pretty competent.
Living in Wales is seriously distorting your perspective.
If the idea of working four days a week for the same pay sounds like music to your ears, the results of a pilot program from the United Kingdom may give you cause for hope.
Dozens of companies there took part in the world’s largest trial of the four-day workweek — and a majority of supervisors and employees liked it so much they’ve decided to keep the arrangement. In fact, 15 percent of the employees who participated said “no amount of money” would convince them to go back to working five days a week.
I'm instinctively in favour, so it will be very interesting of it becomes the norm.
I think flexibility in skilled white collar jobs will just continue to increase in various directions. Short hours is another - working 9-3, 5 days a week for example, ideal for parents of school age children.
I quite fancy the idea of a 9 day fortnight and I could easily do that if I wanted but I’d have to take a 10% pay cut and just can’t quite bring myself to do it.
A former colleague works 100 days a year, in batches, and just travels the rest of the time.
Does anyone know anything about Ash Regan, other than the fact that she had the bottle to resign over the GRR bill? It’s a genuine question. As a more than averagely interested follower of Scottish politics I know nothing about her. She is described as being on the left. It’s really embarrassing when the poor die of cold left or the I don’t give an F about the economy left?
Right now a blank page is looking pretty bloody attractive but can anyone add some colour?
Maybe, but she's completely out of step with the party heirarchy. A no-hoper, surely.
What I find amazing is that the SNP have screwed up so badly that they don't have anyone even half decent lined up to head off Humza. Swinney, Brown or Robertson would have done as a short-term leader but all have ruled themselves out. Truly weird. Why wouldn't you want to be FM and have your name on the historical record?
Possibly for the same reason that taking over at OT after SAF was never going to work out either, especially with the former leader hanging around in the background.
But, Alex was 72. Nicola is 52.
Why did Nicola go ? The absence of any succession planning is odd.
I mean, the SNP seemed to me to be (@malcomg to the contrary) pretty competent.
Living in Wales is seriously distorting your perspective.
If anything else it demonstrates tremendous naïveté to think that the way to win hearts and influence people is to jump out of the blocks with statements about your opinions on gay marriage and children born out of wedlock…
It may not win hearts and influence people in metropolitan Edinburgh and Glasgow. It may win hearts in small town and rural Scotland.
It’s actually a very interesting leadership bid. This sort of occasional airing of laundry is fascinating for those of us who don’t follow the party very closely. It shows just how far Salmond and Sturgeon dominated the narrative up till now.
Since her views were known I don't really follow why they were not an issue before if they are now. Yes yes, being leader is a big step up, but she was still in a leadership position.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
This is what happens when council workers try and play act as investment managers. What a disaster for the tax payers. Hopefully everyone involved in this borrowing scheme never handles another penny of taxpayer money.
Apart from the generous pay-offs......
Those responsible will no doubt get a golden parachute and turn up at another council. Once above a certain level in the public sector the way to get promoted seems to be to fail....cf cressida dick
Hang on. Aren't elected Councillors responsible for this? They sure as hell would be if it were a Labour Council.
Elected councillors certainly sign off but non elected officials are the ones putting the proposals together because lets face it elected councillors largely don't know their arse from their elbows on the whole.
Much like parliament and the civil service I am pretty sure a lot of proposals are skillfully steered by non elected officials. This is why we keep getting the same id card proposal over and over whether the home secretary is labour or tory.....every change of minister gives unelected officials chance to push their pet schemes over and over again
He would do the pilot project by posting photos on here?
Please God no!
AND if Horse does decide to take photos of the . . . affected area . . . suggest that he make sure the curtains at the photo booth in his local shopping mall, are shut VERY tightly!
If Horse uses the photo booth in Woking town centre, would it help attract visitors to Woking?
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
Yes, I'm afraid a number of local authorities who have gone into the property speculation market to fund local regeneration projects are going to end up in a bad way.
The centre of Woking (for those who don't know it) has been transformed by the Victoria Square development. Apart from the hotel and office space which they can't let (Woking is well served by train connections to London and southern England), there's an enormous M&S and a Gail's bakery. Existing shops and houses have been demolished and the Council's ambitions were to provide ever more residential accommodation in and close to the Town Centre.
It probably looked good on paper in the early 2010s and attractive for councils looking for alternative funding and income streams and no longer wanting to be dependent on the capricious political whim of whichever Party was in power at the time.
The LDs took back control of Woking last year (the former Conservative leader got herself on to the County Council and is already a Cabinet member) but have been left holding the financial baby. Whether they will need a section 114 notice I don't know but they must be perilously close.
Got a lovely Pizza Express, mind. Fit for a King (almost).
Only suitable for "straight-forward" shooting parties!
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”...
Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. What they want is to use the Equality Act as a sword to fight their own personal battles, rather than as a shield to prevent others from discrimination.”
Perhaps explains why some GOP state senators want to make administering an mRNA vaccine a felony ?
'Reduction in death'? 🤨
Vaccines are fantastic and everyone should have them as appropriate, but I think there might be some key words missing between 'reduction in' and 'death', unless being vaccinated reduces mortality in cancer, heart and other issues too.
The graphs are specifically covid deaths, but it would be interesting to see the non covid deaths. My hunch would be for a small drop in these too in the vaccinated, partly from cardiovascular disease, and partly from confounding variables.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
Yes, I'm afraid a number of local authorities who have gone into the property speculation market to fund local regeneration projects are going to end up in a bad way.
The centre of Woking (for those who don't know it) has been transformed by the Victoria Square development. Apart from the hotel and office space which they can't let (Woking is well served by train connections to London and southern England), there's an enormous M&S and a Gail's bakery. Existing shops and houses have been demolished and the Council's ambitions were to provide ever more residential accommodation in and close to the Town Centre.
It probably looked good on paper in the early 2010s and attractive for councils looking for alternative funding and income streams and no longer wanting to be dependent on the capricious political whim of whichever Party was in power at the time.
The LDs took back control of Woking last year (the former Conservative leader got herself on to the County Council and is already a Cabinet member) but have been left holding the financial baby. Whether they will need a section 114 notice I don't know but they must be perilously close.
Wonder what @Heathener makes of this as she clearly has some locall knowledge.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
This is what happens when council workers try and play act as investment managers. What a disaster for the tax payers. Hopefully everyone involved in this borrowing scheme never handles another penny of taxpayer money.
Fantastic result for Douglas Ross, Sunak and Scottish Conservatives if it is Yousaf.
He will be far less popular with their 2019 voters than Forbes would have been. In fact even less popular with Scottish Tories than Sturgeon
Good evening
We do not agree too often but on this I do
Forbes had the possibility of attracting Scons, not least as her pro the oil and gas industry plus her commitment to dualling the A9 would be popular with the conservatives
Indeed the dualling of the A9 or lack of it has been a failure of the SNP, indeed one of many failures
Furthermore, there may have been a little wee bit of hyping labour chances if Yousaf and Sarwar/Starmer fight for the left vote
These are interesting times in Scottish politics and frankly until this all settles down, polls are likely to be all over the place
Tories shouldn't have voted for the Edinburgh trams if they wanted the A9 dualled.
The dualling of the A9 is not a party political subject but a real need for the economies of the Highlands and beyond
It is also a lethal road and very frustrating to drive along as I have done for over 60 years
I would suggest blaming the conservatives is like blaming labour for the last 13 years
Ahem. The SNP have been running the Scottish Govt since 2007 and have, repeatedly, pledged to dual the A9 and the A96. Even Fergus Ewing MSP (SNP -Inverness) seems to be losing his rag with his colleagues for failing to deliver. Nothing to do with trams, let alone Tories. And, yes, it is lethal as is the A96.
The A9 is an interesting road in many ways: it goes through some good scenery, but is not that scenic (compared to many other Scottish roads). It also often avoids some picturesque villages. It really needs dualling, and (from memory) some of the short sections if dualled road are probably more dangerous than if it was single carriageway. It also seems a no-brainer for dualling in its entirety, given the places it links.
So what's the problem? Money? Distance? Will?
Difficult to say. Almost seems a complete lack of interest in the North of Scotland. It's not just the A9. The A96 (Inverness - Aberdeen) is a terrible road and a cause celebre for local communities. The A83 in Argyll is a disaster area with frequent closures. And then, of course, the disaster of all disasters: the ferry contract. It makes you wonder, if Forbes, who is local and is aware of these problems, is indeed sent packing into the wilderness, whether the region might finally tell the SNP to go off and do one.
What alternative do they have that would even match their little. They are following a great tradition. Mind you they don't even hav ea motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh , merely a dual carriageway. The money is all needed for London infrastructure.
The M8 is not a motorway?
No it is a pretendy one , only two lanees so a dual carriageway in any normal persons language.
Two lanes each way, or two lanes with one each way?
The former there's quite a fair bit of around here. Never seen a motorway with only one lane each way though.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”...
Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. What they want is to use the Equality Act as a sword to fight their own personal battles, rather than as a shield to prevent others from discrimination.”
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
This is what happens when council workers try and play act as investment managers. What a disaster for the tax payers. Hopefully everyone involved in this borrowing scheme never handles another penny of taxpayer money.
Apart from the generous pay-offs......
Those responsible will no doubt get a golden parachute and turn up at another council. Once above a certain level in the public sector the way to get promoted seems to be to fail....cf cressida dick
Hang on. Aren't elected Councillors responsible for this? They sure as hell would be if it were a Labour Council.
Elected councillors certainly sign off but non elected officials are the ones putting the proposals together because lets face it elected councillors largely don't know their arse from their elbows on the whole.
Much like parliament and the civil service I am pretty sure a lot of proposals are skillfully steered by non elected officials. This is why we keep getting the same id card proposal over and over whether the home secretary is labour or tory.....every change of minister gives unelected officials chance to push their pet schemes over and over again
Yes but. Other Councils have avoided this kind of lunacy.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
Surprised (pleasantly) by that from Badenoch.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
It’s actually a very interesting leadership bid. This sort of occasional airing of laundry is fascinating for those of us who don’t follow the party very closely. It shows just how far Salmond and Sturgeon dominated the narrative up till now.
There's also this question. Most people don't practice exactly the way of life Kate Forbes represents- trad religion, trad morality, and all that. The political realm and anoraks, abundantly represented in and around PB, are suddenly consumed by a sort of bullying hatred of someone who, when all is said and done comes across to normal people as just a nice girl, a bit old fashioned but on the whole would make a decent daughter in law.
It seems to me that lots of people won't care much, unless instructed by the media, and would view her as OK, and actually quite like her image. People don't mind people who go to church and have stable sets of practical values. They often rely on them for things.
Whether she is value betting wise I don't know. I think she may have to stand down.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”...
Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. What they want is to use the Equality Act as a sword to fight their own personal battles, rather than as a shield to prevent others from discrimination.”
Perhaps explains why some GOP state senators want to make administering an mRNA vaccine a felony ?
'Reduction in death'? 🤨
Vaccines are fantastic and everyone should have them as appropriate, but I think there might be some key words missing between 'reduction in' and 'death', unless being vaccinated reduces mortality in cancer, heart and other issues too.
The graphs are specifically covid deaths, but it would be interesting to see the non covid deaths. My hunch would be for a small drop in these too in the vaccinated, partly from cardiovascular disease, and partly from confounding variables.
Probably I agree, and it would be interesting. I was mostly joking, but with an element of annoyance that a lot of people [though not as many anymore] act like Covid is the only thing that matters and ignore everything else. The CDC chart was accurate as you'd expect, Eric Topol's commentary on it was not.
It’s actually a very interesting leadership bid. This sort of occasional airing of laundry is fascinating for those of us who don’t follow the party very closely. It shows just how far Salmond and Sturgeon dominated the narrative up till now.
There's also this question. Most people don't practice exactly the way of life Kate Forbes represents- trad religion, trad morality, and all that. The political realm and anoraks, abundantly represented in and around PB, are suddenly consumed by a sort of bullying hatred of someone who, when all is said and done comes across to normal people as just a nice girl, a bit old fashioned but on the whole would make a decent daughter in law.
It seems to me that lots of people won't care much, unless instructed by the media, and would view her as OK, and actually quite like her image. People don't mind people who go to church and have stable sets of practical values. They often rely on them for things.
Whether she is value betting wise I don't know. I think she may have to stand down.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
Surprised (pleasantly) by that from Badenoch.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
Good for Badenoch. She has that interesting and rare quality that when she speaks you want to know what she has to say.
Perhaps explains why some GOP state senators want to make administering an mRNA vaccine a felony ?
'Reduction in death'? 🤨
Vaccines are fantastic and everyone should have them as appropriate, but I think there might be some key words missing between 'reduction in' and 'death', unless being vaccinated reduces mortality in cancer, heart and other issues too.
The graphs are specifically covid deaths, but it would be interesting to see the non covid deaths. My hunch would be for a small drop in these too in the vaccinated, partly from cardiovascular disease, and partly from confounding variables.
Probably I agree, and it would be interesting. I was mostly joking, but with an element of annoyance that a lot of people [though not as many anymore] act like Covid is the only thing that matters and ignore everything else. The CDC chart was accurate as you'd expect, Eric Topol's commentary on it was not.
From 2-0 up versus Real Madrid, to now 2-4 down.
Part of the issue is that it’s communicating science via Twitter, so nuance and accuracy are lost to brevity.
If anything else it demonstrates tremendous naïveté to think that the way to win hearts and influence people is to jump out of the blocks with statements about your opinions on gay marriage and children born out of wedlock…
In a weird way I admire the integrity - she has a specific set of personal beliefs, she's entitled to them even where I disagree with them, she's continued to stick by them rather than do the normal politician thing and lie/dissemble just to get the big job, she's not proposing any policies to directly impose those beliefs on anybody else.
But equally though, they're not beliefs that make me especially inclined to want her in charge on the basis that if she thinks those, what else is she thinking that might make other policies at other times.
On the other hand, her implicit social conservatism might work out well, insulating Scotland from the worst of whatever the next wokey cokey trend is that Keir Starmer and Humza Yousaf and their ilk will be virtue-signalling themselves into a frenzy over. Compulsory sex ed at 3, re-education camps for the white and privileged etc.
It’s actually a very interesting leadership bid. This sort of occasional airing of laundry is fascinating for those of us who don’t follow the party very closely. It shows just how far Salmond and Sturgeon dominated the narrative up till now.
There's also this question. Most people don't practice exactly the way of life Kate Forbes represents- trad religion, trad morality, and all that. The political realm and anoraks, abundantly represented in and around PB, are suddenly consumed by a sort of bullying hatred of someone who, when all is said and done comes across to normal people as just a nice girl, a bit old fashioned but on the whole would make a decent daughter in law.
It seems to me that lots of people won't care much, unless instructed by the media, and would view her as OK, and actually quite like her image. People don't mind people who go to church and have stable sets of practical values. They often rely on them for things.
Whether she is value betting wise I don't know. I think she may have to stand down.
I hope Kate Forbes wins.
Part of me does too. Trouble is I am strongly unionist, so don't agree with her. But I think the treatment she had got is abominable.
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
This is what happens when council workers try and play act as investment managers. What a disaster for the tax payers. Hopefully everyone involved in this borrowing scheme never handles another penny of taxpayer money.
Apart from the generous pay-offs......
Those responsible will no doubt get a golden parachute and turn up at another council. Once above a certain level in the public sector the way to get promoted seems to be to fail....cf cressida dick
Hang on. Aren't elected Councillors responsible for this? They sure as hell would be if it were a Labour Council.
Elected councillors certainly sign off but non elected officials are the ones putting the proposals together because lets face it elected councillors largely don't know their arse from their elbows on the whole.
Much like parliament and the civil service I am pretty sure a lot of proposals are skillfully steered by non elected officials. This is why we keep getting the same id card proposal over and over whether the home secretary is labour or tory.....every change of minister gives unelected officials chance to push their pet schemes over and over again
Yes but. Other Councils have avoided this kind of lunacy.
Wasn't claiming they hadn't. Some councils get unlucky and the unelected executives try to make a name for themselves pushing grandiose schemes. Most councillors however have not the knowledge to question the figures put before them. This is why many councils invested money in icelandic banks....the upsides of high rates were pushed without the downsides being given sufficient emphasis
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
This is what happens when council workers try and play act as investment managers. What a disaster for the tax payers. Hopefully everyone involved in this borrowing scheme never handles another penny of taxpayer money.
Apart from the generous pay-offs......
Those responsible will no doubt get a golden parachute and turn up at another council. Once above a certain level in the public sector the way to get promoted seems to be to fail....cf cressida dick
Hang on. Aren't elected Councillors responsible for this? They sure as hell would be if it were a Labour Council.
Elected councillors certainly sign off but non elected officials are the ones putting the proposals together because lets face it elected councillors largely don't know their arse from their elbows on the whole.
Much like parliament and the civil service I am pretty sure a lot of proposals are skillfully steered by non elected officials. This is why we keep getting the same id card proposal over and over whether the home secretary is labour or tory.....every change of minister gives unelected officials chance to push their pet schemes over and over again
To a degree that's true, but the thing is most councils are not financial basket cases (though a great many are under tremendous strain). They have very limited options and councillors will find they cannot generally just shoot from the hip and ignore reality (I think they've encountered this in Dorset recently).
Even with most councillors, not being experts, not being the most financially savvy people, they would need to be savvy enough to spot utter absurdity, as it is their responsibilty. And council officers are not going to be bold enough to propose such things without direction from those councillors.
If anything else it demonstrates tremendous naïveté to think that the way to win hearts and influence people is to jump out of the blocks with statements about your opinions on gay marriage and children born out of wedlock…
In a weird way I admire the integrity - she has a specific set of personal beliefs, she's entitled to them even where I disagree with them, she's continued to stick by them rather than do the normal politician thing and lie/dissemble just to get the big job, she's not proposing any policies to directly impose those beliefs on anybody else.
But equally though, they're not beliefs that make me especially inclined to want her in charge on the basis that if she thinks those, what else is she thinking that might make other policies at other times.
On the other hand, her implicit social conservatism might work out well, insulating Scotland from the worst of whatever the next wokey cokey trend is that Keir Starmer and Humza Yousaf and their ilk will be virtue-signalling themselves into a frenzy over. Compulsory sex ed at 3, re-education camps for the white and privileged etc.
Maybe, though probably might have been better calling it quits at the GRR stuff rather than moving it onto the gay marriage and then doubling down with the kids born out of wedlock element, probably moving a bit too far in the other direction at that point...
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”...
Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. What they want is to use the Equality Act as a sword to fight their own personal battles, rather than as a shield to prevent others from discrimination.”
Kemi has the potential to be a genuinely interesting politician but I agree this is unlikely to help Forbes much.
I would think an endorsement by a prominent Tory would be the kiss of death to a prospective SNP leader.
It is increasingly obvious that the SNP can only agree on independence, and absolutely nothing else.
True, but the way for a revolutionary movement to succeed is to hold together with blind focus on one goal, with everyone putting aside any disparate views on anything not essential to that goal. The suffragettes focussed for decades on votes for women. They didn't get bogged down on exactly what it MEANS if gender is culturally rather than biologically determined, they just kept saying women need the vote.
The SNP have got fat in office and decided to argue about complete irrelevancies which is the end result of most movements like this.
Forbes would be interesting as she might bring back in some of the Alba nutters at the expense of losing some others to the Greens. Whoever wins will be fighting the East Lothian People's Front and the People's Front of West Lothian at any rate. The unwind with the cult of Nicola gone is already interesting.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
Surprised (pleasantly) by that from Badenoch.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
Very much agree on that last point. I hear Drew Hendry, MP for Inverness Badenoch and Strathspey, withdrew his support. The idea that he didn't know her views is, quite frankly, laughable. One must assume he had decided it is no longer politically expedient to continue to support her, rather than having any actual objection. Shabby behaviour imo.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
Surprised (pleasantly) by that from Badenoch.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
The issue isn't lies versus truth. The issue is one of professionalism.
Freedom of conscience is very important and everyone is free to hold whatever religious or non-religious beliefs they choose, in the privacy of their own home and their own Church etc. But when you go to work, especially as a politician or in the legal sphere etc you should be professional enough to check your personal religion at the door and not let it dominate. So long as you are prepared to have your own beliefs, but accept that others have their own beliefs that may be very different, then people are free to choose and there's no need for religion and politics to mix. Forbes could be ultra-orthodox and I wouldn't give a damn, if she was able to keep her religion and politics separate but she has been unable to do so.
Religion is like a penis. Its OK to have one, its OK to be proud of it, and its OK to exercise it however you want with other consenting adults, even in ways other people find weird. But don't take it out and put it on display in the workplace, and whatever you do don't try and shove it down other people's throats against their will.
It’s actually a very interesting leadership bid. This sort of occasional airing of laundry is fascinating for those of us who don’t follow the party very closely. It shows just how far Salmond and Sturgeon dominated the narrative up till now.
There's also this question. Most people don't practice exactly the way of life Kate Forbes represents- trad religion, trad morality, and all that. The political realm and anoraks, abundantly represented in and around PB, are suddenly consumed by a sort of bullying hatred of someone who, when all is said and done comes across to normal people as just a nice girl, a bit old fashioned but on the whole would make a decent daughter in law.
It seems to me that lots of people won't care much, unless instructed by the media, and would view her as OK, and actually quite like her image. People don't mind people who go to church and have stable sets of practical values. They often rely on them for things.
Whether she is value betting wise I don't know. I think she may have to stand down.
She's a fairly young person with, apparenty, old fashioned morality on some issues, I'm surprised she was not a hate figure already for such heresy. It will be interesting how far the criticisms of her will extend as this goes on.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”...
Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. What they want is to use the Equality Act as a sword to fight their own personal battles, rather than as a shield to prevent others from discrimination.”
Kemi has the potential to be a genuinely interesting politician but I agree this is unlikely to help Forbes much.
I would think an endorsement by a prominent Tory would be the kiss of death to a prospective SNP leader.
It is increasingly obvious that the SNP can only agree on independence, and absolutely nothing else.
True, but the way for a revolutionary movement to succeed is to hold together with blind focus on one goal, with everyone putting aside any disparate views on anything not essential to that goal. The suffragettes focussed for decades on votes for women. They didn't get bogged down on exactly what it MEANS if gender is culturally rather than biologically determined, they just kept saying women need the vote.
The SNP have got fat in office and decided to argue about complete irrelevancies which is the end result of most movements like this.
Forbes would be interesting as she might bring back in some of the Alba nutters at the expense of losing some others to the Greens. Whoever wins will be fighting the East Lothian People's Front and the People's Front of West Lothian at any rate. The unwind with the cult of Nicola gone is already interesting.
It would be interesting to have a bet on who is back first as leader of their party, Sturgeon or Johnson?
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
Surprised (pleasantly) by that from Badenoch.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
Very much agree on that last point. I hear Drew Hendry, MP for Inverness Badenoch and Strathspey, withdrew his support. The idea that he didn't know her views is, quite frankly, laughable. One must assume he had decided it is no longer politically expedient to continue to support her, rather than having any actual objection. Shabby behaviour imo.
The problem isn't her views. She can hold her own views in private, everyone is free to have private beliefs for religion.
The problem is the way she has handled it. She has allowed her views to taint politics. I dislike Yousaf's politics but he handled it very well when asked the same question by saying he has his own views but its his job to ensure that those with other views are protected too. That's right. If Forbes had done that, this would be a non-issue. She chose not to.
If anything else it demonstrates tremendous naïveté to think that the way to win hearts and influence people is to jump out of the blocks with statements about your opinions on gay marriage and children born out of wedlock…
In a weird way I admire the integrity - she has a specific set of personal beliefs, she's entitled to them even where I disagree with them, she's continued to stick by them rather than do the normal politician thing and lie/dissemble just to get the big job, she's not proposing any policies to directly impose those beliefs on anybody else.
But equally though, they're not beliefs that make me especially inclined to want her in charge on the basis that if she thinks those, what else is she thinking that might make other policies at other times.
On the other hand, her implicit social conservatism might work out well, insulating Scotland from the worst of whatever the next wokey cokey trend is that Keir Starmer and Humza Yousaf and their ilk will be virtue-signalling themselves into a frenzy over. Compulsory sex ed at 3, re-education camps for the white and privileged etc.
Maybe, though probably might have been better calling it quits at the GRR stuff rather than moving it onto the gay marriage and then doubling down with the kids born out of wedlock element, probably moving a bit too far in the other direction at that point...
I haven't really been following the campaign - don't know what's been said about kids born out of wedlock.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”...
Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. What they want is to use the Equality Act as a sword to fight their own personal battles, rather than as a shield to prevent others from discrimination.”
Kemi has the potential to be a genuinely interesting politician but I agree this is unlikely to help Forbes much.
I would think an endorsement by a prominent Tory would be the kiss of death to a prospective SNP leader.
It is increasingly obvious that the SNP can only agree on independence, and absolutely nothing else.
True, but the way for a revolutionary movement to succeed is to hold together with blind focus on one goal, with everyone putting aside any disparate views on anything not essential to that goal. The suffragettes focussed for decades on votes for women. They didn't get bogged down on exactly what it MEANS if gender is culturally rather than biologically determined, they just kept saying women need the vote.
The SNP have got fat in office and decided to argue about complete irrelevancies which is the end result of most movements like this.
Forbes would be interesting as she might bring back in some of the Alba nutters at the expense of losing some others to the Greens. Whoever wins will be fighting the East Lothian People's Front and the People's Front of West Lothian at any rate. The unwind with the cult of Nicola gone is already interesting.
It would be interesting to have a bet on who is back first as leader of their party, Sturgeon or Johnson?
It'll be Johnson. With even the Cabinet wobbling already on Rishi I'm no longer convinced he makes it much past May's inevitable shellacking.
It’s actually a very interesting leadership bid. This sort of occasional airing of laundry is fascinating for those of us who don’t follow the party very closely. It shows just how far Salmond and Sturgeon dominated the narrative up till now.
There's also this question. Most people don't practice exactly the way of life Kate Forbes represents- trad religion, trad morality, and all that. The political realm and anoraks, abundantly represented in and around PB, are suddenly consumed by a sort of bullying hatred of someone who, when all is said and done comes across to normal people as just a nice girl, a bit old fashioned but on the whole would make a decent daughter in law.
It seems to me that lots of people won't care much, unless instructed by the media, and would view her as OK, and actually quite like her image. People don't mind people who go to church and have stable sets of practical values. They often rely on them for things.
Whether she is value betting wise I don't know. I think she may have to stand down.
I think she is an intelligent person with a definite and unusual worldview.
She would be a great poster on pb.com.
It would be fun discussing things & arguing with her. I am sure she can defend her views with great skill.
In fact, I think you do her an injustice with "a nice girl, a bit old fashioned but on the whole would make a decent daughter in law".
You make her sound like a dull homebody. I think she is way smarter and more interesting than that.
It is just ... I am not sure those qualities make her a great choice for a leader of a political party in the twenty-first century.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”...
Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. What they want is to use the Equality Act as a sword to fight their own personal battles, rather than as a shield to prevent others from discrimination.”
Kemi has the potential to be a genuinely interesting politician but I agree this is unlikely to help Forbes much.
I would think an endorsement by a prominent Tory would be the kiss of death to a prospective SNP leader.
It is increasingly obvious that the SNP can only agree on independence, and absolutely nothing else.
True, but the way for a revolutionary movement to succeed is to hold together with blind focus on one goal, with everyone putting aside any disparate views on anything not essential to that goal. The suffragettes focussed for decades on votes for women. They didn't get bogged down on exactly what it MEANS if gender is culturally rather than biologically determined, they just kept saying women need the vote.
The SNP have got fat in office and decided to argue about complete irrelevancies which is the end result of most movements like this.
Forbes would be interesting as she might bring back in some of the Alba nutters at the expense of losing some others to the Greens. Whoever wins will be fighting the East Lothian People's Front and the People's Front of West Lothian at any rate. The unwind with the cult of Nicola gone is already interesting.
It would be interesting to have a bet on who is back first as leader of their party, Sturgeon or Johnson?
Only Johnson wants it. In a way Sturgeon sacked the rest of us.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
Surprised (pleasantly) by that from Badenoch.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
The issue isn't lies versus truth. The issue is one of professionalism.
Freedom of conscience is very important and everyone is free to hold whatever religious or non-religious beliefs they choose, in the privacy of their own home and their own Church etc. But when you go to work, especially as a politician or in the legal sphere etc you should be professional enough to check your personal religion at the door and not let it dominate. So long as you are prepared to have your own beliefs, but accept that others have their own beliefs that may be very different, then people are free to choose and there's no need for religion and politics to mix. Forbes could be ultra-orthodox and I wouldn't give a damn, if she was able to keep her religion and politics separate but she has been unable to do so.
Religion is like a penis. Its OK to have one, its OK to be proud of it, and its OK to exercise it however you want with other consenting adults, even in ways other people find weird. But don't take it out and put it on display in the workplace, and whatever you do don't try and shove it down other people's throats against their will.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”...
Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. What they want is to use the Equality Act as a sword to fight their own personal battles, rather than as a shield to prevent others from discrimination.”
Kemi has the potential to be a genuinely interesting politician but I agree this is unlikely to help Forbes much.
I would think an endorsement by a prominent Tory would be the kiss of death to a prospective SNP leader.
It is increasingly obvious that the SNP can only agree on independence, and absolutely nothing else.
True, but the way for a revolutionary movement to succeed is to hold together with blind focus on one goal, with everyone putting aside any disparate views on anything not essential to that goal. The suffragettes focussed for decades on votes for women. They didn't get bogged down on exactly what it MEANS if gender is culturally rather than biologically determined, they just kept saying women need the vote.
The SNP have got fat in office and decided to argue about complete irrelevancies which is the end result of most movements like this.
Forbes would be interesting as she might bring back in some of the Alba nutters at the expense of losing some others to the Greens. Whoever wins will be fighting the East Lothian People's Front and the People's Front of West Lothian at any rate. The unwind with the cult of Nicola gone is already interesting.
It would be interesting to have a bet on who is back first as leader of their party, Sturgeon or Johnson?
Maybe they'll do a week long job swap and give us all a good laugh.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
Surprised (pleasantly) by that from Badenoch.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
The issue isn't lies versus truth. The issue is one of professionalism.
Freedom of conscience is very important and everyone is free to hold whatever religious or non-religious beliefs they choose, in the privacy of their own home and their own Church etc. But when you go to work, especially as a politician or in the legal sphere etc you should be professional enough to check your personal religion at the door and not let it dominate. So long as you are prepared to have your own beliefs, but accept that others have their own beliefs that may be very different, then people are free to choose and there's no need for religion and politics to mix. Forbes could be ultra-orthodox and I wouldn't give a damn, if she was able to keep her religion and politics separate but she has been unable to do so.
Religion is like a penis. Its OK to have one, its OK to be proud of it, and its OK to exercise it however you want with other consenting adults, even in ways other people find weird. But don't take it out and put it on display in the workplace, and whatever you do don't try and shove it down other people's throats against their will.
But if people keep asking to see it?
In private, do as you please. Share as you like, between consenting adults privately.
In public? Don't take it out, no matter what people say, especially when the cameras are rolling.
Sometimes it is a relief to remember incompetence is not a UK only affliction. Though if it was the UK the new trains would be delivered a lot more than just 2 years late, as the story says is the case here.
Two top Spanish transport officials have resigned over a botched order for new commuter trains that cost nearly €260m ($275m; £230m).
The trains could not fit into non-standard tunnels in the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria.
The head of Spain's rail operator Renfe, Isaías Táboas, and the Secretary of State for Transport, Isabel Pardo de Vera, have now left their roles.
The design fault was made public earlier this month.
The Spanish government says the mistake was spotted early enough to avoid financial loss. However the region of Cantabria has demanded compensation
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
Surprised (pleasantly) by that from Badenoch.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
Very much agree on that last point. I hear Drew Hendry, MP for Inverness Badenoch and Strathspey, withdrew his support. The idea that he didn't know her views is, quite frankly, laughable. One must assume he had decided it is no longer politically expedient to continue to support her, rather than having any actual objection. Shabby behaviour imo.
Perhaps he thought she might have a bit of talent when it comes to presenting her views to the public, what with her being a top ranking politician and all.
Personally when I’ve been with religious people (including Wee Frees) I’ve tended to avoid the subject of religion with them unless they bring it up. I find it perfectly plausible that a don’t ask, don’t tell policy operated in the SNP when it came to religion just as it operates in loads of other parts of society.
It’s actually a very interesting leadership bid. This sort of occasional airing of laundry is fascinating for those of us who don’t follow the party very closely. It shows just how far Salmond and Sturgeon dominated the narrative up till now.
There's also this question. Most people don't practice exactly the way of life Kate Forbes represents- trad religion, trad morality, and all that. The political realm and anoraks, abundantly represented in and around PB, are suddenly consumed by a sort of bullying hatred of someone who, when all is said and done comes across to normal people as just a nice girl, a bit old fashioned but on the whole would make a decent daughter in law.
It seems to me that lots of people won't care much, unless instructed by the media, and would view her as OK, and actually quite like her image. People don't mind people who go to church and have stable sets of practical values. They often rely on them for things.
Whether she is value betting wise I don't know. I think she may have to stand down.
I think she is an intelligent person with a definite and unusual worldview.
She would be a great poster on pb.com.
It would be fun discussing things & arguing with her. I am sure she can defend her views with great skill.
In fact, I think you do her an injustice with "a nice girl, a bit old fashioned but on the whole would make a decent daughter in law".
You make her sound like a dull homebody. I think she is way smarter and more interesting than that.
It is just ... I am not sure those qualities make her a great choice for a leader of a political party in the twenty-first century.
TBF Algarkirk wasn't talking about his/her perception, but about that of many members of the general public.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
Surprised (pleasantly) by that from Badenoch.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
Very much agree on that last point. I hear Drew Hendry, MP for Inverness Badenoch and Strathspey, withdrew his support. The idea that he didn't know her views is, quite frankly, laughable. One must assume he had decided it is no longer politically expedient to continue to support her, rather than having any actual objection. Shabby behaviour imo.
Perhaps he thought she might have a bit of talent when it comes to presenting her views to the public, what with her being a top ranking politician and all.
Personally when I’ve been with religious people (including Wee Frees) I’ve tended to avoid the subject of religion with them unless they bring it up. I find it perfectly plausible that a don’t ask, don’t tell policy operated in the SNP when it came to religion just as it operates in loads of other parts of society.
Except I'm sure I read it flagged up on here even, a place without massive knowledge of internal scottish politics, and she was a senior figure, a rising star - it seems pretty implausible there was not mention of her views floating about, people gossip about rising stars after all.
Forbes is a talented politician who has the most important role in the Scottish government that doesn't involve leadership. Given her political opinions, it is easy to understand why people may not wish to be led by her. It may be different in 30 years, or it may not, but it is too soon now.
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”
I mean, she’s not wrong. Kate Forbes is totally free to believe what she wants to believe. And people are totally free to make their own minds up on whether they think she should be FM and hold those beliefs.
Surprised (pleasantly) by that from Badenoch.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
Very much agree on that last point. I hear Drew Hendry, MP for Inverness Badenoch and Strathspey, withdrew his support. The idea that he didn't know her views is, quite frankly, laughable. One must assume he had decided it is no longer politically expedient to continue to support her, rather than having any actual objection. Shabby behaviour imo.
Perhaps he thought she might have a bit of talent when it comes to presenting her views to the public, what with her being a top ranking politician and all.
Personally when I’ve been with religious people (including Wee Frees) I’ve tended to avoid the subject of religion with them unless they bring it up. I find it perfectly plausible that a don’t ask, don’t tell policy operated in the SNP
Comments
Will buy you a pint at some godforsaken ground.
(Caersws, though, not Môn.)
It also has deep water ports, if that helps.
The door is surely open for Regan if she runs a good campaign. One man’s nobody is another’s dark horse. Could she actually do it? Is she VALUE?
https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/could-hs2-trains-continue-to-wales-11-05-2022/
A local council in Surrey has signalled it is close to effective bankruptcy after amassing debts worth almost £2bn to fund a property investment spree, raising fresh questions over the fragile health of local authorities after years of austerity.
Woking borough council said it was “in the territory” of being unable to meet its financial obligations, amid a surge in debt interest costs on its investments, which include a shopping centre, residential skyscrapers and 23-storey Hilton hotel.
I’m struggling to see the connection between austerity (not that we ever had austerity) and a council borrowing a load of money on questionable investments.
And I don’t know anyone in Woking who wanted these skyscrapers built.
It’ll be a long time before the Tories run Woking again.
Having my hemorrhoids looked at
Whilst I'm here, Wandsworth still hasn't collapsed or turned into a woke, socialist hellhole. The Tories lied?
(sorry!)
The U.K.’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, launched a full-throated defense of under-fire Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes amid a bitter row over same-sex marriage....
.... Badenoch told a POLITICO event in London Tuesday night that she would defend the right of Forbes to hold those views, and refused to condemn her comments in her role as equalities minister.
“I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash. “That’s one of the things that makes this country great. It’s one of the reasons why many people want to live here.”...
“It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “And she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”
Badenoch also condemned SNP politicians who have yanked their support from the under-fire contender. Shelved endorsements of Forbes, she argued, show “the level of un-seriousness of many of the people who engage in political activity and commentary.”...
Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. What they want is to use the Equality Act as a sword to fight their own personal battles, rather than as a shield to prevent others from discrimination.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-equalities-minister-kemi-badenoch-defends-under-fire-snp-hopeful-kemi-badenoch-faith-conservative-party-free-church-scotland/
It's utterly insane, but rational in the crazy
world of council finance. And nobody really expected interest rates to rise this much.
The centre of Woking (for those who don't know it) has been transformed by the Victoria Square development. Apart from the hotel and office space which they can't let (Woking is well served by train connections to London and southern England), there's an enormous M&S and a Gail's bakery. Existing shops and houses have been demolished and the Council's ambitions were to provide ever more residential accommodation in and close to the Town Centre.
It probably looked good on paper in the early 2010s and attractive for councils looking for alternative funding and income streams and no longer wanting to be dependent on the capricious political whim of whichever Party was in power at the time.
The LDs took back control of Woking last year (the former Conservative leader got herself on to the County Council and is already a Cabinet member) but have been left holding the financial baby. Whether they will need a section 114 notice I don't know but they must be perilously close.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unAyLx0amy4
A campaign source has been in touch to say she intends to “fight on”
Don’t expect to hear much from her tomorrow as she attempts a reset
https://twitter.com/GlennBBC/status/1628135211090251793?s=20
If the idea of working four days a week for the same pay sounds like music to your ears, the results of a pilot program from the United Kingdom may give you cause for hope.
Dozens of companies there took part in the world’s largest trial of the four-day workweek — and a majority of supervisors and employees liked it so much they’ve decided to keep the arrangement. In fact, 15 percent of the employees who participated said “no amount of money” would convince them to go back to working five days a week.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/02/21/four-day-work-week-results-uk/
AND if Horse does decide to take photos of the . . . affected area . . . suggest that he make sure the curtains at the photo booth in his local shopping mall, are shut VERY tightly!
Surely the SNP MSPs at least should have seen the issue coming?
Fit for a King (almost).
But equally though, they're not beliefs that make me especially inclined to want her in charge on the basis that if she thinks those, what else is she thinking that might make other policies at other times.
Aren't elected Councillors responsible for this?
They sure as hell would be if it were a Labour Council.
Vaccines are fantastic and everyone should have them as appropriate, but I think there might be some key words missing between 'reduction in' and 'death', unless being vaccinated reduces mortality in cancer, heart and other issues too.
I quite fancy the idea of a 9 day fortnight and I could easily do that if I wanted but I’d have to take a 10% pay cut and just can’t quite bring myself to do it.
A former colleague works 100 days a year, in batches, and just travels the rest of the time.
Much like parliament and the civil service I am pretty sure a lot of proposals are skillfully steered by non elected officials. This is why we keep getting the same id card proposal over and over whether the home secretary is labour or tory.....every change of minister gives unelected officials chance to push their pet schemes over and over again
“For me, it would be wrong according to my faith.”
SNP leadership contender Kate Forbes on having children outside marriage"
https://twitter.com/paulhutcheon/status/1628009155708571649
All very undecided yet, it's fair to say
https://twitter.com/conor_matchett/status/1628133056782520320?s=46&t=_FOkwaqJMTyN-pngdb7UJg
The former there's quite a fair bit of around here. Never seen a motorway with only one lane each way though.
Well it makes a change from East Ham and Leicester I suppose
Handily the site has saved my previous comment.
It is increasingly obvious that the SNP can only agree on independence, and absolutely nothing else.
Telling lies would, indeed have been easy.
The backers claiming that they didn’t know is risible.
It seems to me that lots of people won't care much, unless instructed by the media, and would view her as OK, and actually quite like her image. People don't mind people who go to church and have stable sets of practical values. They often rely on them for things.
Whether she is value betting wise I don't know. I think she may have to stand down.
From 2-0 up versus Real Madrid, to now 2-4 down.
Even with most councillors, not being experts, not being the most financially savvy people, they would need to be savvy enough to spot utter absurdity, as it is their responsibilty. And council officers are not going to be bold enough to propose such things without direction from those councillors.
The SNP have got fat in office and decided to argue about complete irrelevancies which is the end result of most movements like this.
Forbes would be interesting as she might bring back in some of the Alba nutters at the expense of losing some others to the Greens. Whoever wins will be fighting the East Lothian People's Front and the People's Front of West Lothian at any rate. The unwind with the cult of Nicola gone is already interesting.
Freedom of conscience is very important and everyone is free to hold whatever religious or non-religious beliefs they choose, in the privacy of their own home and their own Church etc. But when you go to work, especially as a politician or in the legal sphere etc you should be professional enough to check your personal religion at the door and not let it dominate. So long as you are prepared to have your own beliefs, but accept that others have their own beliefs that may be very different, then people are free to choose and there's no need for religion and politics to mix. Forbes could be ultra-orthodox and I wouldn't give a damn, if she was able to keep her religion and politics separate but she has been unable to do so.
Religion is like a penis. Its OK to have one, its OK to be proud of it, and its OK to exercise it however you want with other consenting adults, even in ways other people find weird. But don't take it out and put it on display in the workplace, and whatever you do don't try and shove it down other people's throats against their will.
LFC not going through from this.
The problem is the way she has handled it. She has allowed her views to taint politics. I dislike Yousaf's politics but he handled it very well when asked the same question by saying he has his own views but its his job to ensure that those with other views are protected too. That's right. If Forbes had done that, this would be a non-issue. She chose not to.
She would be a great poster on pb.com.
It would be fun discussing things & arguing with her. I am sure she can defend her views with great skill.
In fact, I think you do her an injustice with "a nice girl, a bit old fashioned but on the whole would make a decent daughter in law".
You make her sound like a dull homebody. I think she is way smarter and more interesting than that.
It is just ... I am not sure those qualities make her a great choice for a leader of a political party in the twenty-first century.
In public? Don't take it out, no matter what people say, especially when the cameras are rolling.
Two top Spanish transport officials have resigned over a botched order for new commuter trains that cost nearly €260m ($275m; £230m).
The trains could not fit into non-standard tunnels in the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria.
The head of Spain's rail operator Renfe, Isaías Táboas, and the Secretary of State for Transport, Isabel Pardo de Vera, have now left their roles.
The design fault was made public earlier this month.
The Spanish government says the mistake was spotted early enough to avoid financial loss. However the region of Cantabria has demanded compensation
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64717605
Personally when I’ve been with religious people (including Wee Frees) I’ve tended to avoid the subject of religion with them unless they bring it up. I find it perfectly plausible that a don’t ask, don’t tell policy operated in the SNP when it came to religion just as it operates in loads of other parts of society.