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In: Margaret Hamilton
With: 0 Comments

For some considerable time now I have struggled to understand why the Scottish Government’s decision to implement the minimum unit pricing policy has been such a bug bear to the Scottish Whisky Association. Way back we used to go to their fringe meeting at SNP conference. They were a nice bunch of guys who chatted informally while allowing the invited delegates to try different whiskies. When we started the Moray Whisky fundraiser stall for Moray SNP constituency they were extremely complimentary of our display and promotion of the Speyside malts. Two things happened. Firstly, the wooden marquee bouncy floor and health and safety meant noRead More →

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In: Guest Blogger
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In June’s SI I touched on the stickier than usual response we’d been getting on the doorsteps in Aberdeenshire, both for the local and the Westminster elections. It’s something which had been apparent for a while, but even then, it was hard to imagine that MPs of the stature of Alex Salmond and Eilidh Whiteford might be in any serious danger of losing their seats. Just how wrong can you be? On the surface it looks like a remarkable turnaround for the politics of an area which has long had competing Tory and deeply anti-Tory tendencies. However, before our mood turns as blue as theRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird
With: 1 Comment

Over the course of a good number of years working as a Training Developer in the Civil Service, one of the early things I learned was the importance of doing a “What have we learned” session at the end of each event. It was a great way of working out what went well, where we needed to make improvements and also as a “Team Builder”. There were few punches pulled, on occasion an ego or two might get slightly bruised and we celebrated the things which worked and as our unofficial motto had it “copy with pride” any good ideas or processes from others. OverRead More →

On:
In: Grant Thoms

This week, Paul Kavanagh (aka “The Wee Ginger Dug”) gave a talk to the City of Stirling branch of the SNP in what can only be described as a morale-boosting, motivational address for fellow independence travellers. It’s a talk, which he explained was something he does on a regular basis the length and breadth of Scotland. As with many non-SNP members in the independence movement, he has his views of how to win independence and many of them I agree with. For independence, we must increasingly let it be ‘whatever people want it to be’, i.e. the important detail of whether we are in theRead More →

On:
In: Jim Lynch, Uncategorized

Gordon Wilson The week ending 1 July this year was a momentous one for Scotland.  At 5.30 on the morning of Sunday 25 Jun, the SNP’s former leader, Gordon Wilson, died in Roxburgh House Dundee.   He had been ill for a few short weeks. When I joined the SNP Gordon was the National Secretary, then the second most powerful person in the Party, after the Chairman.  At that time I was unaware of his colourful past as the instigator of Radio Free Scotland.  I had never seen any of the broadcasts, as they came at the closing down of the BBC for the night, butRead More →

On:
In: Jim Lynch

Slight problem with items this week, Scottish Parliament in recess, Compiler struggling with Windows 10, Word, and old age😊   Sunday 2nd July SNP WARN UK GOVERNMENT AGAINST BYPASSING PARLIAMENT ON SYRIA STRIKES The SNP’s Defence spokesperson has written to Michael Fallon warning the UK government against bypassing parliament in order to “fall blindly in line to the Trump tune,” with extended military action in Syria without approval. During Business Questions, Stewart McDonald MP raised Sir Michael Fallon’s TV interview in which the Defence Secretary stated that the UK “will fully support any US action”, reminding the UK government that any attempt to bypass parliamentRead More →

On:
In: Maureen Forbes

It is the end of another school year and for my eldest child, the end of primary school as he looks forward to starting at the big school after the holidays. Having spent his time in P7 in the brand new Noss Primary in Wick and the wonderful learning environment that if offered, he will now be the first full S1 in the newly opened Wick High with all the opportunities that this community campus has available including the adjacent public library and swimming pool. Neither school has been without its problems during construction and settling in with many more no doubt to come butRead More →

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In: News

We are saddened to share the press release from the SNP with you, below. Gordon had a long history with the Scots Independent newspaper and published quite a few books through us. He was a good friend the newspaper and its volunteers. GORDON WILSON, FORMER SNP LEADER, DIES AGED 79 It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Gordon Wilson. Gordon passed away earlier this morning in hospital after a short illness. He was leader of the Scottish National Party from 1979 to 1990, and was SNP Member of Parliament for Dundee East from 1974 to 1987. First Minister and SNP leaderRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird

The 2017 General Election may well go down in history as the “Ironic Election”. A seemingly popular PM decides to go to the Country on a weekend walk in Wales after denying no less than seven times that she would call an election. Summing up just how much the concept of collective responsibility matters now. The same PM campaigns on a mantra of bringing “strong and stable” government and claims that if she is not returned to No 10 there would be a “coalition of chaos”. She is returned to Number 10 (albeit on a very short lease) and creates the worst possible coalition ofRead More →