[hibeejim21]

I was chatting to an English couple who had moved to Edinburgh from Bristol before the game today.... lovely folk and and they were saying how they had found it much easier to get a doctor and dentist here compared to England.

[ritchiebaby]

I've recently had to make use of the Scottish NHS and had absolutely no problem in getting 2 separate doctor's appontments and an immediate referral to my local hospital the following day. Excellent service and I was extremely well-looked after all the time.

[0762]

With the UK economy still stagnating (growth by a derisory 0.1% between Jan-Mar) and well known as the "sick man of Europe", it is interesting to note what is happening in the Republic of Ireland, an EU country that has recently announced it is seeking to invest its bumper windfall receipts (part of the fallout from Brexit?) into a sovereign wealth fund which could be used instead to shore up public finances in the future for day-to-day spending. On the back of rocketing corporate tax receipts, the Irish govt generated a surplus of more than £7B last year, despite spending on energy support packages and other measures. The Irish govt expects this to swell further, with budget surpluses totalling over £57B over the next four years, which could be used to tackle long term pressures such as increasing pension demands. Meanwhile here in Scotland, without the full levers of independence, the ability to save such levels of funding is a dream for us in Bella Caledonia, some one-off monies such as the £700M recently generated from the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round sale could be put aside. There is, of course, still the potential to use oil/gas and other resource revenues to set up a sovereign wealth fund, mirroring Norway with its wealth fund that now stands at more than £1.1T. The Irish situation of a small and agile economy in the EU, which has over the years broadened its focus away from a stagnating UK economy, may, dare I say it, prove to be an example to those of us north of the border if we are brave enough to follow it.
Indeed, I can remember a small trip to Dublin way back in the early 1990s with a guy who was part of the group and a Union-supporting man who observed with me how dramatically ROI had changed with tower cranes bristling all around the growing financial district; I predicted the Irish economy would overtake Scotland's economy. He laughed in my face at such a suggestion - WE HAVE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN SCOTLAND LIKE HIM, ALL PART OF THE "HOLD SCOTLAND BACK" BRIGADE!! We need to change it, and quickly convince more n more people who can be convinced and are not entrenched in this kinda self-defeating mindset. Independence is normal!! Tell a friend!!

[0762]

https://www.believeinscotland.org/how-to...democracy/

Tory suppression of the vote!!? They are not getting away with this type of photo ID shit in Scotland and I certainly agree there must be a national campaign to inform and update people re simple ways to negate this prob at the polling booth long before it ever happens. This will be a challenging activity, but it is doable!

[0762]

Given recent opinion polls, the Scottish Electorate should understand that the primary use of polls is to shape, rather than reflect voting intentions, The Labour Party in England will not deliver anything that Scotland needs or wants. Also never forget the Blair and Brown governments didn't repeal one single piece of Thatcher's anti-union legislation nor address any of her other attacks on working people. Starmer is from the same mould and appears to weakly commit to leaving one after another Tory-imposed law in place!! We, as Scot voters, should also remember that Downing Street has a revolving door and even if the English electorate chooses a Labour govt that might be more appealing than the alternative, sooner or later they will give us another Tory govt. Let's not be influenced by these opinion polls; let's make our own choices for a better, more equitable future in an independent Scotland that is built on a proper foundation of social justice and no interference on our own democratically elected Scot govt from another govt in London.

[0762]

https://www.believeinscotland.org/media-...in-rivers/

Note, just like the selective attacks on the NHS, beware of fake and misleading information that is totally disingenuous, but created to undermine the Scottish govt at every opportunity. The sewage prob was over-exaggerated from the very beginning when it was bogusly presented as some kinda major problem in Scotland and on par (or worse????) with the pollution in England thereby presenting an image of Scotland being a similar offender. IMO this level of bad SNP/Scot govt reporting will continue until the General Election takes place next year with the negative ESIC acronym being used regularly by the usual complicit players - RW press and of course the ever-loyal BBC Scotland collaborators. Note ESIC means "Everything Scottish is Crap"!! And I just remembered the latest phase of the TRAMs project in Edinburgh was just completed and operational on time and on budget!!! And hardly a word uttered by BBC Scotland and other media shit heids as it disnae satisfy the ESIC criteria of reporting that is being orchestrated by the Brit-Brexit Tory govt and other colluding unionists who represent "bitter together" interests in bringing down Scotland and the Scottish Govt with more of their blatant lies and exaggerations while ignoring and presenting an entirely different form of news coverage in the likes of Wales and Northern Ireland - ref a recent comparative UWS research study of BBC political activity/reporting - surprise, surprise, not the same at all and far more extreme regular anti devolved govt reporting in Scotland.

https://www.businessforscotland.com/scot...5634765625

And as for the unwanted Brexit con in Scotland? The negative effects of Brexit on Scottish business, and on Scots who travel, educational aspirations, comms charges, relative price rises on all kindsa products etc etc. All "shoved down our throats" by political morons who are desperately trying to normalise a failed exit from the EU while outrageously treating Northern Ireland's trade status in a totally different way - so much for the nonsensical equal partners mantra that these Brexit bastards and unionist collaborators ("Bitter Together" exemplified!) have previously uttered with impunity and continue to shamelessly deceive and mislead re issues relative to this farce that should never have happened and been unjustly forced upon Bella Caledonia and the Scottish people - WE DON'T DESERVE THIS SHIT!!!

[0762]

At the height of Trumpian America, folk here would say, "Ach, but at least we're no America"! However, today the USA had the decency and the cojones to indict Trump, a disgraced former leader btw! Meanwhile Boris Johnson got to reward the very people who helped him to continually fail upwards whilst simultaneously making them unelected legislators over all our lives1? Forever! Such are the dividends of remaining in this precious Union of which we are supposed to be an equal partner (NOT!!!). In no sane universe is this the best possible outcome for Scotland - not that I'm holding my breath although it's no surprise support for Scotindy is finally rising again. But it falls upon our leaders in Holyrood to get us out of this bourach asap and deliver us the powers to determine a normal, self-determining prosperous future that has nothing to do with this calamity and everything to do with embracing Scotland's vast potential for the benefit of all the Scottish people. And also great to get away from the regular media/press attacks from across the border in another country against the sovereign country we live in and the Scot Govt that we democratically elected. Independence is normal!! Tell a friend!

[0762]

I notice Scottish Labour's Jackie Baillie made a dame in the King's birthday honours list!!??? Jeezzzzz!!! Unbelievable and undeserved!!
Didn't Robert Burns write about a dame in "Tam O'Shanter?? "Where sits oor sulkey, sullen dame, gathering her brows like a gathering storm, nursing her wrath to keep it warm".
She has indeed worked tirelessly for the rulers of the British Empire and their supremacy over the communities and people of Scotland. Is she going to accept it? Of course she is! Dame Commander of the excellent order of the British Empire?? Commander of what empire one may ask? Most excellently, the horrible, barbaric British Empire no longer exists, except in the fevered imagination of the backward-looking idiots who backed this bestowal - not the King btw: backed by his loyal servants of the Tory-Brexit Brit govt!! Also the definition of a commander: one in an official position of command and control!!!??? You couldn't make this up!!! An anachronistic throwback to feudal medieval times - a system that should be abolished together with The House of Lords aka The House of Cads.
Lastly, to any reader who has any doubts re the damning description of the now defunct British Empire, I recommend the book, "Legacy of Violence", written by Professor Caroline Elkins. I thought I knew plenty about the horrors committed in the name of British imperialism - this book is an eyeopener!! And anyone picking up an honour with the words British Empire attached to it really must be ignorant of the black history attached to it.

[0762]

https://www.believeinscotland.org/five-t...ouncement/

The First Minister formally unveils the vision for indy Scotland's constitution, the 4th white paper in the Building a New Scotland series: "Creating a modern constitution for an independent Scotland". Read it if you have any serious interest in the future positive route towards eventual full independence for Scotland. The key points cover "The Constitution", "The Route", "The Interim Constitution" and "The Permanent Constitution"
At the current time I implore everyone in Scotland, irrespective of any views on policy, to unite in the fight to protect devolution in our country from clear attacks by a desperate Tory-Brexit govt and with the UK gradually falling into the pit of history, these bastards are trying to pull us in as it goes down. The power grabbing is easily identifiable; "levelling up"? A political hyperbole in bogusly handing Scotland "pin money", but not consulting the Scot Govt either and contemptuously bypassing Holyrood. WE MUST FIGHT TO DEFEND OUR DEVOLVED POWERS. Note years ago during the Brexit debate many people like Jim and myself put out strong warnings of this threat. It has materialised! WE MUST HOLD THE BRITISH-ENGLISH GOVT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS AND DEMAND THAT ACTIONS AFFECTING SCOTLAND ARE MADE WITH OUR AGREEMENT. The Tories denial of a power grab disregards the principles of democracy and accountability re devolved governance that a huge majority of people support in Scotland. And note a recent comment re this issue by the First Minister, "With rights in Scotland under threat as never before because of the actions of the British Govt, and the Scottish Parliament being undermined, INDEPENDENCE HAS NEVER BEEN MORE URGENT OR ESSENTIAL"! Btw the Labour Party and Starmer will not change a damn thing when it comes to the rights of our people, workers' rights, serious eco policies to drive towards net zero, nuclear energy, WMDs at Faslane, proper fiscal use of our home-produced energy, the constitutional issue (no grown-up conversation at all!!). Starmer and Labour/Scot Labour not touching any of the Tories ludicrous legislation at all, even the recent ludicrous granting of oil exploration licenses.

[0762]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65988094

Sad news for Humza Yousaf, the SNP and everyone in the Scottish Nationalist-indy movement - WINNIE EWING, MADAME ECOSSE, HAS PASSED AWAY AT THE GRAND OLD AGE OF 93! RIP.
She was a political icon who will always be remembered as turning over a solid unionist-Labour constituency in a Hamilton by-election (1st SNP MP 1967) and shaking the very foundations of Westminster politics to the point where she was covertly followed at night by the British secret service until complaining to a close friend, a Labour govt official, who put a stop to this alarming and unacceptable position. Also known to have been physically abused by some Westminster MPs because of her threatening political position to the Union, albeit early days. She was a pioneer of Scottish politics and opened the way for eventual Scot devolution, a resurrected Scot Parliament after over 300 years, and eventual Scottish independence which will come about in my life time - an inspiration to many women like Nicola Sturgeon (and others) to enter politics and persevere with a strong character and resolve to serve Scotland and its people.