A wee question....

If, after 13 years in power, the Tories are responsible for crumbling school buildings in England....

.... who, after 17 years of the SNP being in power, is responsible for crumbling school buildings in Scotland?

@THESNP@mastodon.social #snp @thesnp@bird.makeup
@thesnp@birdsite.tcjc.uk

#scottishpolitics

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/11174936/39-scottish-schools-dangerous-concrete-full-list-council-areas/

My article in this week's @common_weal newsletter.

It's another long one, as I take you through this year's Programme For Government.

#ScottishPolitics #Wellbeing #Growth

https://commonweal.scot/programme-for-government-2023-24/

Latest poll has Labour and SNP neck-and-neck in Scottish UK voting intentions for Westminster. This would give Scottish Labour 24-28 seats in Westminster and the SNP 18-22 seats.

Depressing for @thesnp but good news for Scotland.

Lots of other interesting findings as attached.

https://redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/scottish-independence-referendum-westminster-voting-intention-2-4-september-2023/

#snp #labour #scottishlabour #scottishpolitics

Herald
Humza Yousaf: wealth tax possible due to pressure on public finances
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23771724.humza-yousaf-wealth-tax-possible-due-pressure-public-finances

Glad to this conversation is reaching Government at last.

See my take here: https://www.thenational.scot/politics/23751213.wealth-tax-makes-sense-scotland-can

Short version: My target for a wealth tax would be land and property. Can't take them with you and you can be taxed on it whether you live in Motherwell or Monaco.

#ScottishPolitics #Wealth #Tax

Today Humza Yousaf launched his totally inadequate so-called "Programme for Government".

Here's the truth

https://twitter.com/ScottishLabour/status/1699090571409650124

#snp #scottishpolitics #politics

In my view, Scotland is being let down by the Tories in Westminster and the SNP at Holyrood. This analysis would seem to chime with that view.

"Sceptical Scotland Awaits a Positive Plan"

https://ourscottishfuture.org/sceptical-scotland-awaits-a-positive-plan/

#scotlandsfuture #scottishpolitics

Scotland's Future, a group well worth subscribing to IMHO.

"Poverty underscores every one of Scotland's miserable statistics"

Mandy Rhodes, a one time indy-sympathetic journalist, analyses the failures of the SNP and the miserable state of Scottish governance.

https://www.holyrood.com/editors-column/view,poverty-underscores-every-one-of-scotlands-miserable-statistics

#independence #scottishindependence #snp #scottishpolitics

I stopped reading at "SNP big-hitters"

A phrase that would be odds-on favourite in the World Oxymoron Championships.

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-big-hitters-threaten-quit-30839163?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

#snp #scottishpolitics

New column in this week's Common Weal newsletter is a long one but possibly the most important I've written.

Due to a loophole that must be urgently closed, Common Weal has been forced to delete from the public record several attempts to tell you how we've lobbied MSPs. We have no idea how many orgs deliberately exploit this loophole to hide their lobbying.

#Politics #ScottishPolitics #CommonWeal #Transparency

https://commonweal.scot/lobbying-transparently/

Economic strategy aside, I hope the new constructions built as part of the "Glasgow Golden Z" plan will be built to the highest standards (including the incoming PassivHaus-equivalent standards) and that they'll be designed to last a lot longer than e.g. the Buchannan Galleries they're about to tear down.

#ScottishPolitics #Glasgow #PassivHaus

https://thecommongreen.scot/2023/01/27/levelling-glasgow/

Story here: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23755881.first-look-new-plans-transform-glasgow-city-centre/

New Policy Podcast!

This week, I talk to Barry Fisher from Keep Scotland Beautiful about Scotland's litter emergency and how we could address it by making companies responsible for the waste their products produce.

#ScottishPolitics #Waste #Podcast

https://commonweal.scot/podcast/the-common-weal-policy-podcast-episode-181/

"Can you see how bad it is yet?"

Pro-independence blogger Robin McAlpine gives ten reasons why the SNP is in serious decline and ... it's not a comprehensive list!

https://robinmcalpine.org/can-you-see-how-bad-it-is-yet/

@THESNP@mastodon.social
@thesnp@bird.makeup #independence #scottishindependence #scottishpolitics #politics

"Scottish Government papers on independence contain 'nothing very new' says former Yes chief"

He could have stopped at "nothing".

"Vacuous nonsense" was the best review I saw and that was being kind.

https://dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/scottish-government-papers-independence-contain-30805356

#independence #snp #scottishindependence #scottishpolitics #politics

That'll be me in the paper again.

#UKPolitics #ScottishPolitics #Tax

https://www.thenational.scot/politics/23751213.wealth-tax-makes-sense-scotland-can/

I'm in The National today, discussing how Scotland could better tax excessive wealth.

#UKPolitics #ScottishPolitics #Inequality

https://www.thenational.scot/politics/23751213.wealth-tax-makes-sense-scotland-can/

Given there's already a police investigation into possible undeclared donations, this just gets murkier and murkier for @THESNP

Not to mention the missing £600k, the Murrel loan, the mystery campervan et al ....

#snp #politics #scottishpolitics #policescotland

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/police-probe-snp-after-cash-30795253

Wings Over Scotland, pro-independence blogger, tears SNP financial management to shreds ....

https://wingsoverscotland.com/dont-you-wonder-sometimes/

#snp #scottishindependence #independence #politics #scottishpolitics

Harsh but true .....

"The 'brutal reality' is Humza Yousaf isn't up to it, says Anas Sarwar"

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23747838.brutal-reality-humza-yousaf-isnt-says-anas-sarwar/?ref=twtrec#comments-anchor

#snp #independence #scottishpolitics #politics #scottishindependence

The Welsh public energy company is now an actual thing. Welcome Ynni Cymru. May your Scottish counterpart launch then catch up before too long.

#ScottishPolitics #WelshPolitics #Energy

https://www.edie.net/wales-launches-publicly-owned-energy-company-with-focus-on-community-renewables/

My article in this week's Common Weal Newsletter.

Recent auctions of German offshore wind show, once again, just how much Scotland lost by botching the ScotWind auction.

The devil is in the detail however, with oil companies possibly paying to protect their oil investments rather than moving into renewables.

#ScottishPolitics #EUPolitics #Renewables

https://commonweal.scot/schottwind-hergestellt-in-deutschland/