- Extreme0
- Feb 28, 2013
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I dance to the sweet tune of your failure so I'm never gonna stop fucking with you.
Continue to get confused and frustrated with me as I dance to your anger.
As I expect nothing more from ya you stupid runt!
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Minor Oil Spill at Western Isles
quote:A TUGBOAT that disconnected from the Transocean Winner oil rig during a severe storm in the Western Isles has been left at Stornoway port a week after it was battered off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. The Sunday Herald has learned that the towline has been left in the port at the same time as Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) officials are conducting a probe into the grounding.
Last night, a port works keeper at Stornoway who asked not to be identified, said: “It’s been in the harbour here for days and it’s a small harbour. I’ve no idea what’s happening to if though.” The Transocean Winner was carrying 280 tonnes of diesel – more than 300,000 litres – when it was blown ashore early on Monday after its towline detached from the tug Alp Forward. The rig was being towed from Norway to Malta, and was subsequently due to be scrapped in Turkey. It is now thought to have leaked more than 50,000 litres of diesel.
However, a spokesman for the Dutch-based tug owners ALP Maritime refused to speak about the potential cause of the grounding, and said it was not appropriate to speculate about any potential financial losses the firm would face. They said: “So far we know the towline broke during a severe storm and the severe weather conditions did not allow for a new towline to be reconnected to the Transocean Winner. “With the MAIB investigations currently underway we believe it’s not appropriate to make any firm statements on the root cause. “As we’re still in an assessment phase it’s also too early to say anything about potential losses.”
Last night the MAIB confirmed its investigation team had now left the site where the 17,000-tonne rig was swept ashore. An MAIB spokesperson said the results of the investigation would be published in “due course”, but refused to give details of any lines of inquiry. The MAIB would not state whether its officials would return to the site this week to pursue their investigation, which the body’s website says is into the “grounding of a semi-submersible on the west coast of Lewis after it became detached from the tug Alp Forward”.
Meanwhile, industry body Oil & Gas UK said it was closely monitoring the affected area, as it called for lessons to be learned from the incident. Mick Borwell, its health, safety and environment director said: “Oil & Gas UK has closely monitored the situation involving the stranded oil rig in Lewis and we will continue to do so, as safety and the environment are of paramount importance to our industry.
“Oil & Gas UK works to share best practice across the sector and we will ensure any lessons are learned from this incident. “We recognise that a vessel with suitable towing capabilities, which can be deployed to support HM Coastguard in the event of an emergency incident, plays an important role, in particular where there is a threat of pollution.”
The MAIB probe came as plans to airlift a salvage team on to the grounded rig had to be abandoned because of bad weather. Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) officials said conditions were unsuitable to winch the team of eight safely down to the rig, on Dalmore beach near the village of Carloway.
Rig owner Transocean and a team from Netherlands-based Smit Salvage are considering bringing in additional aircraft to help airlift the team on board, which is impossible from the sea. The MCA said it had been hoped the salvage team would be able to carry out a further damage assessment and inspect the emergency generator to establish what power was available.
Meanwhile, Western Isles Council said a “low level” of pollution had been detected by tests, but daily shoreline inspections by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency had indicated no visible sign of pollution. No-one was on board the rig when it ran aground and people are being urged to stay away from the beach. The Transocean Winner has a fuel oil capacity of 21,495 barrels and has enough accommodation for 108 people. It was built in 1983 and underwent significant upgrades in 2006.
Naturally no word from the Scottish Tories about money laundering for former soviet states that have criminals using Scotland for it's schemes, mostly because it's the UK government responsiblity who...have done nothing.
quote: INTERNATIONAL gun-runners are using Scotland to launder their profits, Mafia watchers in the former Soviet Union have said. Organised criminals are increasingly exploiting secretive and obscure Scottish shell firms as fronts for everything from cyber-scams to the wholesale looting of banks.
Last month one Scottish company was accused by Ukraine’s elite anti-corruption bureau of skimming profits from state arms exports to the Middle East. Another, despite being officially dissolved, won a bid to hire armed men in the war zone of eastern Ukraine. The Scottish Government has become so alarmed about such shell firms – usually limited partnerships or SLPs advertised as “zero-tax offshore companies” across eastern Europe – that the Sunday Herald can reveal that last week Finance Secretary Derek Mackay wrote to his UK counterparts urging a crackdown.
Now Mafia monitoring group CRiME has warned that Scotland has become a money-laundering factory for criminal gun-runners hiding behind SLPs. Journalist Andriy Lavryk, who heads CRiME, said: “For some reason the interests of arms dealers from Ukraine, Russia and the Middle East – and their customers – are concentrated in Scotland.” Lavryk stressed how hard it is to get infallible information on Scottish arms links but confirmed that corrupt officials and businessmen from across the former Soviet Union – not just the so-called “arms Mafia” – use SLPs and other British “offshore structures”. He cites a source as saying: “All the arms dealers gather in Scotland. Arms billionaires live there.”
Some law enforcement and political sources in Scotland have long been concerned that SLPs – which often exist only on paper – were putting this country on the radar of very serious international criminals. SLPs are businesses that often start of their lives advertised online in eastern Europe as “Scottish offshore companies”, firms registered in Scotland but with parent companies in the world’s shadiest fiscal paradises such as Belize or Panama.
The Sunday Herald last month revealed there are now more than 25,000 such firms registered, none of which has filed accounts and almost all of which have ownership in secretive offshore jurisdictions. We first exposed SLPs as money-laundering vehicles last year when it emerged such firms had been used to help funnel $1bn (£773m) allegedly stolen from Moldovan banks. The Herald and Sunday Herald have since revealed SLPs have been allegedly implicated in a Latvian scandal involving the now-jailed nephew of the president of Uzbekistan, and as fronts for websites peddling diet pills dubbed a scam, as well as sites offering to write essays for students.
Lavryk stressed that criminals and corrupt officials and politicians in the former Soviet Union were attracted to “offshore” companies with addresses in the EU, not just Scotland. Former Soviet criminals – and nervous legitimate business people – will choose any jurisdiction that provides a way of hiding the ultimate owner of assets – and protecting those assets from potential threats, including the taxman. But he added that there was a “specific” arms element to organised criminals who had shown an interest in Scotland.
Lavryk said: “Scottish offshores have only started to crop up relatively recently in the investigations of law enforcement and independent journalists. "Some offshore companies registered in Scotland have appeared in dubious contracts involving Ukroboronprom, a group of companies belonging to the government of Ukraine and specialising in the production and trading of military hardware, from Kalashnikovs and mortars to tanks, planes and missiles.”
Ukraine: the former Soviet republic is currently in a 'frozen' conflict with Russian-backed separatists Other sources in Ukraine stress that the prestige and kudos of Scotland and the UK also plays a role in prompting tax evaders and gangsters to use SLPs or English limited liability partnerships. Anybody controlling an SLP or LLP – which have legal personality – can open an EU bank account. Firms marketing SLPs for around £1,000 off-the-shelf claim the Scottish model has the added advantage of not having to file financial accounts if neither of its partners is a limited company.
Police Scotland and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have raided addresses where thousands of SLPs are registered. Senior law enforcement figures have been aware of the issue for some time – although sources stress any crimes committed tend to be outside their jurisdiction. The SLPs are routinely used in conjunction with banks in countries like Latvia or Cyprus. So the money they launder may never move through Scottish accounts, sources say. Scottish politicians across party lines have become increasingly concerned about the boom in SLPs – amid fears the country’s international reputation could be tarnished.
Holyrood cannot legislate because corporate law is reserved to London.
Roger Mullin, SNP Treasury spokesman in Westminster, said: “It is not acceptable that despite being raised over a year ago no action has been taken to close these loopholes. “The SNP proposed a Fair Tax Bill to take action against tax avoidance and the UK Government needs to get on with the job of stopping criminals using these methods to move and conceal their money. The Scottish Government has asked the UK to make these changes and the SNP at Westminster will be pushing for urgent action.”
Labour MSP Jackie Baillie agreed. She said: “It appears there has been very little movement on this issue since the Sunday Herald revealed the problems over a year ago. Scottish Labour believes the UK Government must consider whether the law covering limited partnerships needs to be tightened and whether it is being abused by criminals. “Scotland shouldn’t be in danger of becoming the money-laundering capital of UK.”
Ross Greer MSP, of the Scottish Greens added: “This obscure legal vehicle has made Scotland a haven for a conflict industry the Scottish public want nothing to do with. The Scottish and Westminster governments must take action to prevent SLPs being used for unethical purposes.”
Andriy Lavryk is a Ukrainian journalist and the leader of the CRiME project, which documents corruption and criminality.
Translation: David Leask
FORMER Soviet mafia adore tax havens. They are keen on “offshore zones” in the whole of the European Union – but they are especially drawn to British ones. Corrupt officials, business people and politicians in Ukraine use offshore companies to conceal their ownership of assets. Their wealth – often created through not entirely legal means – is constantly under threat of seizure. But they can make it harder for authorities to freeze their assets by hiding their ultimate beneficial ownership through a complex web of corporations in, for example, a British offshore jurisdiction.
In Ukraine there was (and probably still is) a tried-and-tested system for skimming from government international contracts using tax haven intermediaries or consultants.
Usually the services of such middlemen consist of nothing more than a signature from a front man. However, such firms receive between 10 and 20 per cent of the value of the deal. In the courts it is very hard to prove that there were no real services provided and that some bureaucrat simply stole the money. But at the same time a government clerk responsible for the deal suddenly acquires some luxury out-of-town real estate.
So why does the Ukrainian mafia use European offshore firms? Well, first, in many countries, such an investment comes with the right to remain in that country and the ability to move around the Schengen zone. Our corrupt officials love the high life in Monaco, loud parties in Ibiza and, above all, London. Second, European offshore companies escape tough financial monitoring, because our state watchdogs do not suspect anything dodgy when they encounter a little-known firm with an office in London or Edinburgh.
In fact, regulators in Ukraine will only twig what has happened after money has been stolen and evaporated into complex offshore schemes. Right now it is impossible to calculate exactly how much money has been funnelled out of Ukraine using offshore structures registered in the EU or Commonwealth, but it is probably billions.
Basically, this is money stolen from the people of Ukraine and which could have been spent on infrastructure, education, science and health. In the final analysis, people can die because of this.
Moreover, criminal capital undoubtedly seeks to corrupt officials in the EU. This has already happened in, for example, Spain. But there is also another side to the coin of why EU “tax havens” are booming. Thanks to rife corruption throughout the post-Soviet space – where property rights are not always respected – legal businesses do not always feel their assets are safe. So they try to find some shelter for their property in those places where there is rule of law, such as European offshore zones.
And we should not forget that offshore firms are used by legal Western capital to invest in Ukraine. So I do not think Europeans should close down their offshore zones. But they must tighten controls on the companies that work in them. They should demand that such firms show who their ultimate owners are. They should carefully monitor their business. But Ukrainian corruption is ultimately our problem, not that of the EU or Scotland. So we have to fix it ourselves. And that is what we are doing. Despite stiff opposition from a corrupt bureaucracy, Ukraine is carrying out anti-corruption reforms. And not just because this will please the European Union, which we aspire to join. Simply the country, effectively at war with a nuclear power, cannot afford to let its treasury be robbed.
Kids are cunts
quote:THE MOTHER of a teenage girl who took her own life because she couldn’t handle the ridicule of being gay says better education about LGBTI issues in schools could have saved her daughter’s life. Kelly Moorhead, 36, from Dumfries, lost her daughter Chloe Orr three months ago. The confident, fun-loving teenager had come out just 12 months before her death, at the age of 14. Her twin sister Samantha followed three months later, telling Moorhead she was bisexual. The 36-year-old mum said the whole family was supportive of the girls, and she herself was “so proud” they had the courage to come out at such a young age.
Entering the LGBTI community as a family for the first time, Moorhead said she quickly realised public attitudes were not as accepting as she assumed they would be, with homophobic abuse still rife. She explained: “My Chloe used to get told ‘You choose this life'. That's something a lot of people think, adults included, not just children. A lot of them are just picking up the adults' attitudes. If the parents are that way inclined then their kids usually are as well.
“Unless it’s personal in their own family, and they know someone related who is gay then it seems to change but from what I know and all the messages I’ve had since Chloe died, it's absolutely horrendous. “All the grief and the stigma that they have to put up with is awful. Until my daughters came out I had no idea these kinds of attitudes still existed in this day and age.”
Moorhead said Chloe was comfortable with her sexuality on the outside and would always hit back if she faced bullying or abuse. But over time, day in day out, Moorhead realised it must have been affecting her daughter more than she knew.
“[Chloe] would come in the odd time and say ‘Such-and-such has asked us if me and Samantha have kissed and said we must have because we're both gay'.” she explained. “I'd just tell her they're just kids, they don't understand but these kinds of things really got Chloe. “What got her most was if she had an argument with someone at school and they'd call her a dyke. I'm just realising now that although she was no-nonsense, and she wouldn’t take any nonsense from anyone, every time she was getting called something it obviously has been hurting her.”
On the day of Chloe’s death she had been at home, and spent the day with her mum and twin sister. Around 2.45pm Moorhead picked up her youngest child from school and went to visit her sister before returning home. She said: “I had only been at my sister's half an hour and Chloe phoned me on FaceTime. “I spent half an hour on the phone with her, laughing and joking with my nieces and nephews, and I noticed my battery was going low. I said I was going to go and we were just heading home on the bike, so we would be about 20 minutes. By the time I got home she had done it.”
Moorhead, her mother and her daughter Samantha eventually found Chloe’s body in the garden shed after hearing her phone ringing outside. In the hours, days and weeks that followed, Moorhead’s life was turned upside down. She discovered a note Chloe had left – three pages long, two written in blue ink, one in pink – explaining the reasons behind her decision. The letter read: “… I can no longer live in a society where I am not normal or accepted by the majority of this world. I didn’t decide one day that I wanted to be ridiculed and pointed at for simply being me and attracted to women. Who would want that for themselves? Nobody. I’m dying to tell someone that it is a never-ending battle.”
Moorhead said: “She was embarrassed, and she did not want to be judged. She hated being judged. She felt like if she was telling her innermost feelings she would be judged. It's sad to watch. She hadn't even been out a year and now she's dead. “On the outside she was really strong and confident. Samantha, the other twin, she is more quiet and reserved. You'd have never thought it with Chloe. It shows how painful it must be day in and day out to have to put up with that crap, especially at school. “Every time someone said something it chipped away at her soul and put a dent in her arm as well. She gave up putting up with it.”
The evidence of Chloe’s feelings started showing six months after she told her family she was gay, when her mother noticed she was self-harming. Immediately she was referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) but only saw a doctor twice before she died. Moorhead feels as though, although positive about the NHS, the service in Dumfries failed her daughter.
She said: “She was seen twice in six months – once was the night when it came out about what she had been doing [self-harming], and then they went to the school once. I really do not think that’s enough for a child who is self-harming. I can only do so much at home, I can only talk to her. But professionals need to step in and help too. They failed my daughter. “The number of people who have contacted me after Chloe died telling me they are cutting themselves and things, it is so scary. I wasn’t happy in December with how CAHMS was going. I phoned my GP and explained everything that had happened and that she was still self-harming. “My doctor said to me they would make another referral for CAHMS, and told me not to let Chloe out of my sight. He told me not to give her money, not to let her go out. How is that practical with a 15-year-old? I never heard another thing from the GP, or CAHMS, until Chloe was dead.”
Moorhead explained that although Chloe’s family and main group of friends supported her, comments in the street or an off-the cuff remark in school would be what hurt her most. She said: “She had a lot of friends who were gay themselves or who had gay parents, and she had a lot of straight friends. It doesn't stop it when she's walking through town on her dinner time and people saying 'oh she's a dyke'.
“These are the kinds of words which really, really hurt. Even if someone is acting although they are not bothered, it’s when they get home and are sitting listening to their music and cutting themselves. They need to learn this is all interlinked – people cutting themselves, going out hanging themselves. It's bullying, but unfortunately what you're getting bullied for is being yourself. “It's shocking with Chloe as she was so confident and she came out, I couldn't have been any prouder of her coming out at that age. She was so secure with it at the time. This is why I think it's essential this issue is brought into schools, and made a part of the lessons in class. It can’t be an option, it needs to be part of lessons. You could easily bring it in as part of the PSE class for example. It could have saved her life.”
Since Chloe’s death, Moorhead has been proactive in Dumfries – organising charity nights and LGBTI-friendly events in an attempt to challenge the stigma gay and transgender people face. She said she is determined to tackle discrimination and is now fundraising to hold a Pride parade in Dumfries next year. She said: “I’m just trying to keep busy with the charity, help others. My message is yes, there is hate out there, but I want people who are gay, lesbian, transsexual, to see that not everyone is a bigot or has a negative attitude. There is support out there. We never will abolish hate, but I want them to see that there are people who support them. We’re here.”
A spokesperson for NHS Dumfries and Galloway said: “We cannot comment on the young person’s circumstances. We are in the process of undertaking a review of Chloe’s suicide, following local and national policy; all incidents of suicides where there has been involvement of mental health services are subject to case review, with a view to learning. Families are given the opportunity to contribute to the review, and be made aware of the outcome. The service would welcome contact from Chloe’s parent at any time.”
Jordan Daly, co-founder of the Time For Inclusive Education (TIE) Campaign, said Chloe’s death is one too many and is demanding urgent action from the Government to stop more people from self-harming or taking their own lives. The campaign is calling for education specifically about LGBTI issues to be taught in schools, to reduce homophobic bullying.
He said: "Eight years ago, I came close to a suicide attempt. It would not have taken much to push me over the edge. There are many aspects to Chloe Orr’s experience that mirror mine – I, too, found myself desperately trying to navigate my way through a labyrinth of self-discovery. I lived under a shadow of self-hatred and I repeatedly lost my way. The more I felt suffocated within myself, the more a permanent solution felt like the only way that I would find peace.
It’s never easy to fully articulate what that period was like, yet I can still feel it. I’ve been left with scars. But I’m breathing and my heart beats – I’m still here. I survived myself – but Chloe didn’t, and the truth is that there are too many young people who have induced their own ending long before it was due. Why? Because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. That we are in the midst of a social epidemic is not a rhetorical metaphor – it’s a reality. LGBTI young people are self-harming, they are killing themselves, they are suffering from mental health problems and, so far, there have been no real steps taken to rectify this.
With TIE, we have been campaigning for an LGBTI inclusive education system because we believe that if we can tell young people from an early age that it’s perfectly natural to be LGBTI, then we can avoid the issues that so many face later in life.
Kelly Moorhead believes that if her daughter was supported at school, then she may still be here. The question that we have to ask ourselves is simple – how many more young people have to die before we buckle-up and tackle these issues? Because this article should never have had to be printed and Chloe should still be here. Our government have been quick to support our campaign, but now it’s time for action and not just words."
Scottish Labour can't seem to do anything right without hitting a hurdle
quote: LABOUR’s plan to create a leader’s political office for Kezia Dugdale by clawing back £10,500 from each MSP’s staffing allowance appears to be in breach of parliamentary rules. The money is intended to create a support network for Dugdale, including funding posts such as chief of staff, communications director and political director.
However, the staffing allowance – currently £85,000 a year for each MSP – can only be used for parliamentary purposes, principally in servicing constituency business, not for party political work. Staff are employed by MSPs individually and not by parties. And while it is permissible to pool staff between members this can only be for parliamentary business and purposes, and not political work. It is a breach of the rules to use employees to campaign, to further the aims of the party or to carry out political undertakings.
The party lost 13 of its MSPs in May – almost 40 per cent of the total – but in its worst election result in 100 years it is also estimated to have lost around £150,00 in income. In the last Parliament, Labour were the official opposition. Their operation was paid for by what is known as Short money – the annual payment to opposition parties – a leaders’ allowance, party cash and £3,400 from every MSP out of their allowances.
Short money is calculated by the total number of MSPs a party has – £7,977 per member – and Labour’s has fallen by over £100,000 following the election. The money paid for the research and press activities of the leader and her group of MSPs. Short money is named after Ted Short, Leader of the House, who introduced the payment scheme in the 1974-76 Harold WIlson government in order to “enable opposition parties more effectively to fulfil their Parliamentary functions”. It was not to be used for political purposes but to help fund administration costs.
Labour’s catastrophic result which has led to the funding drop means the party now has to come up with new ways of bridging the gap. A Labour spokesman confirmed that the plan was to triple the amount MSPs contribute from their allowance, to £10,500 each, and that the money “comes from MSP staffing budgets”. He added that it was to “support the work of the parliamentary Labour group – policy development and research, group business within the Parliament and so forth”. A central pool of staff will work for the group, he said, confirming that other parties have similar arrangements. The Reimbursement of Members’ Expenses Scheme makes clear what is and what is not permissible.
Under the heading “Integrity” it says: “A member shall not submit a claim which relates to party political activity and a member shall not enter into any arrangement which could give rise to a benefit to a party political organisation”. A Scottish Parliament spokesman added: “The Scottish Parliament’s expenses scheme includes provision for staff to be employed through a group pool in order to support MSPs in carrying out their parliamentary duties. The expenses scheme is founded on the principle that parliamentary resources can only be used for parliamentary purposes.”
The staffing budget for each MSP in the new Parliament, at £85,000 a year, is up from £62,000. Members alsoreceive an allowance for office costs of more than £17,000, but this is reduced if members share offices, as is likely to happen in Glasgow with the four list MSPs in office setting up in Kinning Park in facilities provided through Anas Sarwar.
The Parliament expenses scheme is overseen by the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body, the SPCB, made up of five MSPs and the Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh. The Parliament spokesman pointed out that “all expenses claims must be supported by receipts and/or supporting documentation before the Parliament will reimburse a Member.”
There is no independent body for administering the scheme, as there is in the Westminster Parliament where IPSA, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, regulates and passes MPs’ business costs and expenses. IPSA was set up in the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal. An arrangement where part of an MP’s allowance was diverted to subsidise the national party would clearly not be sanctioned.
Audit Scotland is the body whose job is to ensure that public money is spent properly. It audits the Parliament and also publishes an annual report as well as regularly detailing MSPs expense claims.
Former Glasgow City Council leader will decide whever to launch a high-stakes politcal comeback for Labour. And apparently he's moved left because he supports Jeremy Corbyn (Their words, not mine)
quote:A controversial former Glasgow City Council leader will decide today whether to launch a high-stakes political comeback for Labour. Steven Purcell, who quit the post after suffering from problems with cocaine and alcohol, has to inform his party by Wednesday if he wants a return to the city chambers.
He told the Sunday Herald yesterday: "After a final discussion with my family tomorrow at our normal Sunday get together I will make my final decision either way then." However, opinion is divided on the prospect of a Purcell candidacy, with one Labour source saying there is “no appetite” for “resurrecting figures from the past”.
Purcell led Scotland’s largest local authority between 2005 and 2010, but resigned after checking in to a rehab clinic in Peebleshire that specialises in treating alcohol and drug addictions. He also quit as a councillor and became a business consultant. It later emerged that police officers from the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) had visited him as leader to warn him about a potential blackmail threat.
The Herald revealed earlier this month that Purcell, six years on from the trauma of leaving front-line politics, is mulling over a Glasgow comeback at next year’s local government elections. Potential candidates have to submit a nomination form to a Local Campaign Forum (LCF) by the middle of the week. An assessment panel will interview applicants and make recommendations on whether a nominee should be included on a panel of candidates.
If he made it on to the panel, Purcell would be expected to seek candidacies in either the northwest of the city – his old stomping ground – or the southside, where he lives. LCFs across the country are expected to put potential candidates through their paces. One of the questions LCF members are likely to ask applicants is whether they have ever done anything that could embarrass the party.
One Labour insider said : “There is next to no appetite in Glasgow Labour for Steven to return. We need new candidates, rather than resurrecting figures from the past.” However, another source was more positive: “He’s like a talented football player you once liked. You want to see a flash of the talent back.”
As a councillor, Purcell was firmly on the New Labour wing of the party and helped deliver a £220m public-private partnership programme (PPP) to refurbish and rebuild city secondary schools. He was also tipped as a future First Minister. However, he has since moved to the left and supports UK leader Jeremy Corbyn.
In an interview in 2014, he said of his past troubles: “Of the small number of times I had foolishly partaken in the use of cocaine I knew it hadn’t been filmed because I knew who was in the room and I was lucid enough to recall who was there.” He also said at the time: “I resigned because I had a drink problem. I recognised it was getting so severe that I was not functioning at the level the leader of a city should."
Gormless twat fails to understand politcal dynamic in Scotland and no I'm not talking about Corbyn
quote:Labour's only Scottish MP has accused Jeremy Corbyn of a lack of understanding of the political dynamic in Scotland by failing to rule out an alliance with the SNP. Ian Murray, who resigned as shadow Scottish secretary in June, said the SNP's proposal for full fiscal autonomy would create a £7.6 billion hole in Scotland's economy.
His successor Dave Anderson, the English MP appointed to shadow the Scotland and Northern Ireland portfolios, said an SNP alliance may be a price worth paying to stop another Conservative government. Writing in the Daily Record, Mr Murray said: "Jeremy Corbyn isn't interested in being Prime Minister. Owen Smith, the other candidate, understands the need for a Labour Government.
"He knows that to help working class families get a fair crack of the whip, we need to appeal to as many people as possible. "Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn appear to be doing the exact opposite. "In recent days my successor as shadow scottish secretary, Dave Anderson MP, suggested there could be a deal between Labour and the SNP to form a UK Government.
"This isn't the first time Jeremy and his allies have shown a lack of understanding of the political dynamic in Scotland. "During the passage of the Scotland Act, the SNP were forced by right wing Brexiteer Tories to table an amendment that would have blown a £7.6 billion hole in Scotland's finances.
"People across the UK need a Labour Government. "Only an Owen Smith win will restore credibility to our battered party and give hope that the Tories can be thrown out of office."
Asked about an SNP coalition on Thursday, Mr Anderson said: "It is far too early to even contemplate that, but what I am not prepared to do on behalf of the Labour Party nationally is to rule that out completely. "If that is the price we have to pay to prevent another rabid rightwing Tory government then, I tell you what it is, we have got to at least think about it and discuss it."
Scottish Labour MSP Neil Findlay, who supports the re-election of Mr Corbyn, rejected claims that a deal would be struck with the SNP.
He said: "Progressive alliances are not an option when you are engaged with a party that is not progressive. The SNP have cut council budgets more than (George) Osborne, cut 140,000 college places and failed to support a 50p tax rate on the wealthiest.
"When the SNP take the right decisions, and genuinely oppose austerity, they will find themselves in the same voting lobby as Jeremy Corbyn's Labour."
50/50 Ratio for Female/Male is actually doing more damage to women seeking higher education because there aren't that many men that head to higher education compared to women
quote:SCOTTISH universities have been told to recruit more male students to address a long-standing gender gap. Funding chiefs have instructed universities to raise participation rates for men after a growing divide since the 1990s - despite acknowledging the policy will "displace" females.
Last year, just 42.5 per cent of Scotland's 141,000 undergraduates were male compared to 57.5 per cent who were female - a difference of some 21,000 students. Under a new sector-wide policy the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) wants universities to reduce the participation gap to just five per cent by 2030.
An SFC report on the issue states: "All universities with an underrepresentation of male students will set out... how they will tackle the underrepresentation of male students. "There is significantly more work going on currently to tackle female under-representation in certain subject areas than overall male underrepresentation. "We recognise that to address male underrepresentation could create displacement of some potential female students."
The SFC said universities also need to address a disparity in drop-out rates between male and female students with males from deprived backgrounds much more likely not to finish their courses. The SFC's Gender Action Plan adds: "We will therefore develop a strategy specifically focused on male engagement and success and seek to build any additional requirements into institutional action plans.
"We will work with each institution to identify where they have an imbalance between male and female students within completion or retention by subject and encourage them to outline their ambitions to address it... and what action they will take to realise their ambitions."
The plan stems from a Scottish Government drive to improve gender balance in particular subject areas which was launched in 2014 by former Education Secretary Michael Russell. As a result that SFC announced earlier this year that Scottish universities and colleges would be given quotas for the recruitment of male and female students in particular subject areas such as engineering and teaching.
Moyra Boland, deputy head of the school of education at Glasgow University, said a crucial aspect of the gender imbalance was the gap in school performance at Higher.
Figures from the Scottish Qualifications Authority for last year show female pupils accounted for 55 per cent of entries at Higher and they also enjoyed better pass rates and more A grades than their male counterparts.
She said: "Because entry to higher education is getting tougher universities are choosing candidates who have the highest grades and the greatest potential and in recent years female pupils have outperformed males in school exams. "Equity of opportunity is critical, but it is about balancing equity with excellence because universities want to attract the best candidates to their degree courses."
Alastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland, added: "The overall underrepresentation of men at university is very concerning and the figures have remained very stubbornly stuck for the last few years. "Unfortunately, fewer males progress to S6 and significantly lower proportions achieve the set of Highers needed to go on to university. We need to break down the classroom peer pressure that discourages boys, in particular, from doing well at school."
Angela Alexander, NUS Scotland Women’s Officer, added: "The figures in this report demonstrate that the societal injustices that women continue to face, and the gender stereotyping we still find in society, can also be harmful to young men and boys.
"The Gender Action Plan presents clear goals we need to achieve in order to tackle the misguided notion that some occupations are for men and some are for women, and the ingrained sexism that gives rise to that notion, and in turn address the disparity that exists across educational courses, and education as a whole."
Turns out that computers are in fact tories in disguise
quote:HUNDREDS of vulnerable people in Scotland were left penniless and having to turn to food banks over the weekend after a controversial new online benefits system crashed.
Computer problems prevented payments getting to families, disabled and unemployed people across East Lothian, the first local authority in Scotland to roll out the full Digital Universal Credit Service, which has to be claimed online, and replaces previous benefits such as housing, jobseekers’ allowance and income support with a single monthly payment.
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) said it was working to ensure that everyone received their benefits today but it was cold comfort for many who spent the weekend struggling to feed their families.
East Lothian MP George Kerevan received complaints from constituents desperate for help after the system went down and failed to make vital payouts to those in need. He said: “All computer systems fail occasionally, so the real test is how the human agency involved – in this case the DWP – reacts.
“Sadly, in this case, the response has been atrocious. Rather than take the initiative and alert clients and the public, the DWP has gone to earth issuing a bland “everything is under control” statement. “This is not just outrageous it demands a proper inquiry.”
The DWP said there had been a “small-scale” problem that had been fixed and they were hoping to have all benefits paid by today. A DWP spokesman said: “We experienced a small-scale problem with one of our service providers that has now been resolved. We will ensure that everyone is paid their benefits.”
When the pilot of the new universal credit system was launched in March, it was branded an “experiment in cruelty” by local councillor Fraser McAllister. At the time he said: “We are living in a high-cost, low-wage society. It is an experiment and like all experiments there are unknowns but one of the most definite outcomes is that the poor will become poorer and more vulnerable. It is an experiment in cruelty.”
East Lothian was chosen for the pilot as it offers a different demographic to the areas currently being tested in England, such as London and Great Yarmouth. Kerevan added: “Since its full service roll-out in East Lothian and a few other constituencies in the UK, service users have faced innumerable access problems. “Many lack computer skills, are vision-impaired or have psychological problems that make concentration difficult. “In addition, universal credit has been used as camouflage for a wholesale cut in social welfare spending. “This latest crisis – involving the universal credit system crashing – is the final straw.”
Non-religious parents and pupils in Scotland are being given advice on their legal rights by the Humanist Society...and that Religion should gently caress off in general anyways
quote:NON-RELIGIOUS parents and pupils in Scotland are being given advice on their legal rights and options after complaints about statutory religious education in schools.
The Humanist Society Scotland (HSS), which campaigns on behalf of non-religious people, have released two new advice booklets – A Guide for Non-Religious Parents and A Guide for Non-Religious Young People – to help older pupils, parents, and carers understand their rights within education.
Each book includes advice on how to opt out of religious observance, what resources are available to schools and how to make a complaint when they feel their rights have not been respected. HSS said their guides are a helpful tool to “empower the two-thirds of non-religious young people in Scotland” to have a greater say over their own education Copies have been sent to all 32 directors of education with a letter urging them to make sure that parents and pupils are made aware of their right to withdraw from religious observance.
The society also accused the Scottish |Government of “dragging its feet” over children’s rights after refusing to allow senior pupils to opt out of religious classes. HSS head of communications and public affairs, Gary McLelland, said: “Many people across Scotland feel uncomfortable about the religious content of the school system but are unsure about what their legal rights are.
“Every week, we hear from parents asking for advice about opting their child out of religious observance, or pupils wanting to include non- religious views – such as humanism – in their own RME classes, but are not sure how to do it. “We know from our own research that not all parents are aware of their right to withdraw from religious observance. Schools really do have a responsibility to let parents and carers know what their legal rights are. That’s why we’ve created these booklets. "We want to give parents and young people a guide to their legal rights here in Scotland.
“It is our ultimate aim to see religious observance scrapped and replaced with a more inclusive activity, such as philosophy, but until then we will campaign to make sure that all parents and young people are aware of their rights.”
In June, humanists’ calls for pupils to have a legal right right to opt out of religious observance in schools were rejected by the Scottish Government. The refusal was made a week after a United Nations report recommended ministers repeal existing guidance which makes it compulsory for children to attend faith-based classes and events unless their parents have requested an opt-out.
Senior pupils in England and Wales have been allowed to withdraw from religious education lessons since 2006, and the HSS wants to see this right extended to Scotland. But the Scottish Government dismissed its demand, insisting its guidance to headteachers said religious and moral education in schools should also include teaching pupils about “non religious beliefs”.
McLelland added: “In June, we highlighted the fact that the Scottish government continues to drag its feet over children’s rights by not allowing senior pupils to opt out of religious observance – it really is time the we had a serious discussion about the place that religion has in Scottish education today.”
Even former spin doctor says Scottish Labour are hosed (Paywalled)
quote:Scottish Labour may be doomed unless it endorses independence, according to its former top spin doctor in Scotland.
Simon Pia, who served as spokesman for former party leaders Johann Lamont, Iain Gray and Wendy Alexander, said the Scottish party must adopt a more credible position on constitutional change after it was decimated in the last Holyrood and Westminster elections.
Writing in The Sunday Times, he argues: “Not only must it send a clear message to the electorate but it must take the initiative rather than feebly react to events. It cannot remain in denial and must be prepared for all…
The Genes are invading your privacy, The Mitochondria are rebelling, you will be on fire and your human rights will burn away into ashes
Scottish Government intervenes at the request of a landowner
Did someone in the Scotsman have a meltdown recently? Very unusual for the likes of the Scotsman
RBS to disappear for customers outside Scotland Followed by...
Scottish Indy would still prompt them to move office lol
Seems to me that the Clyde has actually caused more deaths recently. And naturally this happened at a street close enough where I tend to be at during parts of the week
Common Weal/Space have their own social network...no it's not Kiltr.
Creative Scotland raises concerns for low-income artists
Landlords are the bane of everyone, including farmers
Rape Crisis Scotland, Engender and Scottish Women's Aid are opposing the UK welfare reform due to the two child policy & rape clauses being a thing.
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Aug 7, 2016 21:59
