Archive
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Violent clashes between protesters and police in Southport following stabbings
VIOLENT clashes between protesters and police have erupted outside a mosque in Southport after three girls were killed in a knife attack. Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were all fatally stabbed in Southport
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Labour politicians are behaving in the same Colonial Office mould as the Tories
IT'S day 25 since the disappearance of Anas Sarwar, and we are now at the point where milk cartons are about to hit the supermarket shelves bearing a rare photograph of Anas Sarwar not sneering and the slogan: Missing, have you seen this hypocrite
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Taxes will likely be raised in Autumn Budget – Rachel Reeves
TAXES will likely be raised in the Autumn Budget, Rachel Reeves has said. The Chancellor said Labour would stick to its election manifesto promises not to raise national insurance, income tax or VAT, but left open the possibility for other tax
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Trade union leader slams Labour decision to scrap Winter Fuel Payment
THE decision to scrap the Winter Fuel Payment for those not in receipt of benefits has been slammed by the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), which called the announcement “completely unjust”. On Monday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves made several
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'Virtue signalling': Aberdeen business group blasts Labour for windfall tax hike
LABOUR have been accused of a “virtue signalling exercise” in increasing the windfall tax on oil and gas profits. Reeves confirmed in a late-afternoon policy document on Monday that the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) would be hiked up to 38% - taking
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It's time to unmask what Labour's 'fiscal rules' mean in reality
IT'S been only 24 hours since Rachel Reeves announced she had to make some “incredibly hard choices” as she withdrew investment from English public infrastructure and removed the winter heating allowance from millions of pensioners. As you would
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Scottish Water finishes 'groundbreaking' project turning wastewater into electricity
A PROJECT using wastewater to create hydropower in Scotland has officially been completed. Scottish Water said that the first of its kind hydro turbine at Hamilton Waste Water Treatment Works in South Lanarkshire is set to generate 0.42GWh of electricity
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Number 10 issues warning amid Southport stabbings disinformation
"UNHELPFUL" speculation about the deadly knife attack in Southport must be avoided while police continue to investigate, Downing Street has warned amid concerns that misreporting online could inflame community tensions. Officers should be given
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‘Growing belief Grangemouth can be saved’ ahead of rally, union says
A TRADE union has warned that oil and gas workers may “become the coal miners of our generation” ahead of a rally to protect jobs at Grangemouth oil refinery. Unite said there was a “growing belief” that Grangemouth could be saved following constructive
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Campaigners 'shocked' as development approved on Bannockburn battlefield
CONSERVATION campaigners have been left “shocked and disappointed” after councillors backed a development on Scotland’s “historic” Bannockburn battlefield site. The National Trust for Scotland is now urging Scottish Government ministers to intervene
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MPs urge UK to prevent tanker carrying jet fuel for Israel docking in Gibraltar
THE UK Government has been urged to prevent a tanker carrying jet fuel for the Israeli military from docking in Gibraltar after concerns were expressed by campaigners and MPs. Protests from trade union activists and campaigners in Spain have already
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SNP lose right to chair Scottish Affairs Committee as Labour to takeover
AN SNP MP has lost his place as chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee as Labour takeover following the General Election. On Tuesday, the allocations of which parties would chair the UK Parliament’s Select Committees were released following a
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Labour bosses' words back to haunt them after cutting Winter Fuel Payment
POLITICAL parties who are in opposition have the freedom to say basically whatever they like. That’s why Scottish Labour are constantly spouting off about lack of funding for Scottish services – and just as constantly refusing to say where
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'This is not austerity': Labour MPs sent 'lines to take' amid spending cuts
LABOUR MPs have reportedly been told to hammer home the message “this is not austerity” after Rachel Reeves confirmed swingeing cuts in a bid to plug a £22 billion “black hole”. Among the announcements, the Chancellor has made a decision to take
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Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp: What Tommy Sheppard got wrong about our convention plan
I feel the need to respond to the article in The National by Tommy Sheppard entitled: "We must take this step to independence before a citizens' convention". The article focuses on Tommy’s response to Believe in Scotland’s report, "The Scottish
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Far-right rage as Israel opens inquiry into ‘substantial abuse’ of prisoner
FAR-right protesters in Israel have forced their way into a military facility after the government launched an investigation into the “significant abuse” of a Palestinian prisoner. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) announced on Monday that an inquiry
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'Plainly wrong': Ian Murray accused of 'lie' about SNP minister amid austerity row
AN SNP MSP has accused the Scottish Secretary of choosing “to lie on air” amid a row over an apparently false statement about the SNP Finance Secretary. The contentious comment came as Ian Murray spoke on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland show on
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Irn-Bru popularity in England growing as owner reports spike in sales
IRN-Bru's popularity in England is on the rise, according to owner AG Barr. The firm said growing demand for the Scottish soft drink among customers in England has helped boost sales for the company, which is based in Cumbernauld. AG Barr,
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What do Labour's Winter Fuel Payment cuts mean for people in Scotland?
CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves has cut the Winter Fuel Payment in a bid to make up what she calls a £22 billion “black hole” in the UK’s finances. The benefit sees people born before September 25, 1957 get between £250 and £600 to help pay heating bills
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Third child, aged nine, dies after Southport knife attack
A THIRD child has died after a mass stabbing at a dance class in Southport. The girl, aged nine, died in the early hours of Tuesday morning. She has been named by Merseyside Police as Alice Dasilva Aguiar. Two other girls, Bebe King and Elsie
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'I don't accept there will be cuts': Sarwar urged to apologise for misleading voters
SCOTTISH Labour are being urged to apologise for misleading voters after Anas Sarwar claimed he did not “accept” there would be spending cuts under a Labour government during the General Election campaign. On Monday, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves
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New 3D model of Robert the Bruce's face goes on display at Scottish abbey
A NEW 3D model of Robert the Bruce’s face has gone on display to mark 750 years since his birth. The king of Scotland is being remembered by a series of events across the Historic Environment Scotland (HES) estate, with the new face model going
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Voting against ending two-child benefits cap is hardly ‘putting people first’
I READ with interest an article in our local paper, the Greenock Telegraph, about the new Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West MP Martin McCluskey’s maiden speech in the House of Commons. As a lifelong trade union activist, I was touched by his mention
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Labour’s approach to being in a hole is to just keep on digging
SO, Rachel Reeves was shocked to have identified a £20 billion fiscal black hole that will require tax increases and spending cuts to fill. There was ample warning from the Office for Budget Responsibility and Institute for Fiscal Studies that
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HMS Queen Elizabeth to leave Scotland after four months of repairs
THE Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth is set to sail into its home base of Portsmouth later following four months of repairs in Scotland. In February, the £3 billion aircraft carrier had been due to take part in Steadfast Defender – Nato’
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Number of births in Scotland falls to lowest level in 170 years
THE number of babies born in Scotland fell to a record low last year, with statisticians revealing the country’s total fertility rate was at its lowest ever level. Data from National Records of Scotland (NRS) shows there were 45,935 live births
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Rachel Reeves invited to Aberdeen to explain 'detrimental' windfall tax hike
AN increase to the windfall tax on oil and gas profits will have a “hugely detrimental” effect on the industry, an MSP has claimed, as he invited the Chancellor to Aberdeen to “reflect” on her decision. Rachel Reeves announced in a late-afternoon
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Taylor Swift issues statement after children killed in Southport stabbing
TAYLOR Swift has issued a statement after an “horrendous” attack in Southport left two children dead and more fighting for their lives. A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, remains in custody accused of murder and attempted
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Labour delay anticipated decision on blocking weapons exports to Israel
THE UK Government has put off a decision on suspending arms sales to Israel, reports say. Labour’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy had been expected to announce restrictions on at least some weapons exports as soon as Tuesday. However, he is
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Everything you need to know about ScotRail's Kids for a Quid scheme
Travelling via train can be expensive, especially if you have the whole family to think about. Luckily, ScotRail operates a Kids for a Quid scheme, allowing children to travel on any ScotRail service for just £1. If you're a parent and want
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Hope for future of top Edinburgh arts venue as lease 'buys time' to save it
THE short-term future of a top Edinburgh arts venue has been secured after the building was put up for sale. In May, the owners of Summerhall announced that they were planning to sell the site with estate agents claiming it had “endless” potential
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Winter Fuel Payment cuts will 'not be the last', Labour Treasury Secretary says
THE cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment is “not going to be the last” announced by the Labour government, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury has said. Labour MP James Murray said his party had not wanted to take the decision to cut Winter Fuel
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How to get a refund from ScotRail if your train is late or cancelled
It can be extremely frustrating when your plans are spoiled by a delayed or cancelled train. Luckily, ScotRail operates a refund service for those whose journeys have been affected by unforeseen circumstances on the tracks. If you've been left
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'Completely wrong' to say Labour knew cuts needed before election, Ian Murray claims
SCOTTISH Secretary Ian Murray has claimed it is “completely wrong” to say that Labour politicians knew public spending cuts would be needed prior to the election. Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland, Murray echoed Chancellor Rachel Reeves
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'Heartbroken': Family pay tribute after 29-year-old woman killed in motorbike crash
THE family has paid tribute to a 29-year-old woman who died in a fatal motorbike accident on a Scottish road. Candice Adam was sadly pronounced dead at the scene after a crash on the A83 at the Kilmory Roundabout in Lochgilphead on Sunday, July
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Can I appeal my SQA exam results? What to do if you're unhappy with your marks
Whether you're going to college or university or are starting an apprenticeship, your SQA exam results could be crucial for that exciting next step. However if your results are not what you expected, you may be left feeling unsure of what to do
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Scottish Government 'will need to find £100m to mitigate Labour cuts', minister says
THE Scottish Government will have to find around £100 million to mitigate Labour’s cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment, a minister has said. Ivan McKee, the Scottish Minister for Public Finance, told the BBC that the fact his government had been given
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Inside the Labour Party's obsession with controversial PFIs
THE Private Finance Initiative (PFI) was not always entirely controversial. In 1997, it looked like New Labour’s magical solution to the chronic underinvestment in public services found after Thatcher. The argument was that Labour had inherited
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From cure-all to snake oil – how did Britain fall out of love with PFI?
IT seemed like such a good idea at first. Actually it didn’t seem like all that great an idea first time around. When the concept of private finance initiatives (PFI) was dreamt up, they were dabbled with by the Conservatives under John Major but
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The Usual Suspects: Meet Labour's best pals in the great PFI wheeze
THROUGHOUT the PFI saga the same faces and names kept coming up. Like a soap opera, characters would appear, then vanish for a while, perhaps killed off as they fell out of favour with the government of the day, only to be resurrected later on.
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Karen Adam: We must not lose momentum on the road to independence
IT’S been a few weeks since Holyrood stopped for recess, and it’s refreshing to take a wee step back and observe everything from a different perspective. Since the election, while still working, I’ve tried to catch up with family and friends. It
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Steph Paton: Scotland should lead, not follow, on banning conversion therapy
THINKING back to that halcyon summer campaign ahead of the independence referendum 10 years ago, it strikes me that the image of the Yes movement – as one that takes pride in its progressivism – is a little diminished of late. For some caught up
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Scottish university to pioneer 'near-unhackable' quantum internet
RESEARCH into a high-security quantum internet which is “impervious” to hackers will progress in Scotland as part of a £160 million investment from the UK Government. It is hoped the scheme will help provide faster diagnoses for diseases, keep
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Hamish MacPherson: How could I have overlooked this ancient town?
SOME weeks ago, I asked that any reader who wanted to nominate an ancient town for inclusion in this series do so immediately as I was finalising my list that will end next week with Irvine. Christine Boyle took me up on my request and I am delighted
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Jeremy Corbyn warns 'everyone will pay huge price' with return of Labour PFIs
JEREMY Corbyn has warned that Labour appear to be moving “heavily back” towards reintroducing PFIs. In an exclusive interview with The National, the former Labour leader also said that everyone will “pay a huge price for it”. “It's like doing
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Colin Fox: The case for Scotland to bring in a National Care Service
FIGURES released by NHS England this week show the country has one of the highest per capita incidences of dementia anywhere in the world. Dr Jeremy Isaacs, national clinical director, reported: “487,432 people are living with the condition. The number
