On:
In: Maureen Forbes

A favourite family film is Mary Poppins and, from an early age, my daughters have marched around the house singing “Sister Suffragettes” without understanding the story in the film.  Now slightly older, their awareness of the struggles faced in previous generations is developing and they’re currently moaning that they’re too young to go and see the new Suffragette film that is out.  The beginning of the week had seen my middle child and I visit London for a few days and during the obligatory Westminster tour, she was delighted to see the broom cupboard in which Emily Davison hid overnight to allow her to voteRead More →

On:
In: Political News

The Scottish National Party have today called on the Tory party to reverse their plans for swingeing cuts to tax credits, which will leave 200,000 Scottish families £1,300 worse off a year, and to consider the true impact the policy will have on their constituents. During an opposition day debate on tax credits, SNP MPs supported a Labour motion which called on the UK Government to think again about £4.3 billion of cuts to tax credits which will come into effect in April 2016. The opposition motion was supported by 295 members but a majority of 317 voted against reversing the Tory cuts to taxRead More →

On:
In: Political News

Local SNP representatives Clare Adamson MSP and Marion Fellows MP are commenting on the news from TATA Steel that 270 jobs are to go at their Scottish plants at Clydebridge and Dalzell. The Dalzell plate rolling works in Motherwell and the Clydebridge plant in Cambuslang will be mothballed as the firm cuts almost 1,200 UK jobs as a response to difficult trading conditions. SNP MSP for Central Scotland Clare Adamson said: “Today’s announcement is obviously deeply concerning for the employees at the site, their families and everyone in the local community and my heart goes out to everyone affected. “Lanarkshire’s steel industry is iconic notRead More →

On:
In: Uncategorized

Welcome to those who have shown an interest in getting your Scots Independent in digital format. You need to click the shop button above this post. Once on the shop homepage, click newspapers button and click either option in the drop down menu. For the current edtion click on the October issue and click add to cart.(back issues will also be available for a period of time i.e. Septembers issue is also available) You then click the shopping cart button on top right of page, a box appears, click checkout in bottom right corner of box. You will now be asked if you are aRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird

I’m sure that you all know the feeling when someone tries to insult you but in your eyes actually compliment you. When you’re accused of putting Scotland first (Ed, are we still allowed to say Scotland?), and you proudly plead guilty. When you’re accused of being stuck to your principles and you have no excuse, yes you are guilty of saying what you mean and please m’lud I also mean what I say! That’s roughly how I’ve been feeling over the last few months! And the reason is the accusation that we are somehow now a “one party state”. Note that none of our unionistRead More →

On:
In: Political News

The Scottish National Party has welcomed reports Labour now intend to vote with the SNP against the UK government’s fiscal charter this week, but have called for absolute clarity from the party and a commitment that all Labour MPs will oppose the charter. Nicola Sturgeon challenged Labour at the weekend to join the SNP in the vote against austerity as she published a set of alternative proposals.  Labour’s shadow Chancellor had previously said Labour would vote for Osborne’s charter. The SNP condemned Labour for considering voting with the Tories – committing to further austerity and unnecessary ideologically driven cuts. SNP Westminster Leader Angus Robertson MPRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

In the past week or so communities in Scotland have been having local services and unveilings of memorials to local lads who served their king and country in World War 1 and received honours for their bravery. Thanks to my father-in-law’s hard work with the family tree we knew Ian was related to Robert Anderson Dunsire, VC, of Buckhaven, through both their mothers. We learned through friends that the Methil Heritage Centre (http://www.methilheritage.org.uk/content/) were putting on an exhibition based around his life. We went along and spent some considerable time there. Although the volunteers in this group had designed the exhibition around a central character, thereRead More →

On:
In: Political News

NO CORBYN BOUNCE AS LABOUR VOTE CONTINUES TO FALL The SNP has today celebrated wins in six by-elections across Scotland. Overall the SNP won almost 45.9 per cent of the vote across all seven of yesterday’s by-elections – representing a 5.7 per cent swing from Labour. By contrast Labour’s vote fell by nearly 5 per cent. In the Glenrothes West and Kinglassie by-election in Fife, Julie Ford was elected for the SNP with 55.3 per cent of the vote – an increase of 8 per cent since a by-election in the same ward just one month before the 2015 general election. In the Irvine ValleyRead More →

On:
In: Grant Thoms

If you haven’t seen the images of two million Catalans taking to the streets of Barcelona then you haven’t lived. Our political friends in the north east of Spain can show the Scots a thing or two about how to demonstrate on the streets. But each to their own. Every political culture has its own particular customs and marching is at the top for independistas from Ripoll to Palma. So all this public display of political yearning had a purpose. To raise the temperature in the Catalan Parliamentary elections held on Sunday. And it worked. The alliance of the two biggest independence-supporting parties (which hasRead More →