Broadcaster STV records highest revenue, lowest debt and best viewing share since 2008 March 10, 2022 Scotland’s free-to-air broadcaster STV capped off an “exceptional” 2021 by recording its highest revenue, best viewing share and lowest level of debt since 2008. The network registered a 35 per cent increase in revenue from two years ago, with a near 40 per cent operating profit. Its chief executive also said the company dramatically slashed [...]
Energy giants pump £75m into offshore wind schemes following UK ban on Russian oil imports March 9, 2022 Two energy giants will pump £75m into offshore wind projects, which could light 8.5m homes, as Britain looks to wean itself on dependence for Russian oil. ScottishPower and Shell have set aside the cash stimulus for initiatives to improve clean energy, after the duo were awarded rights to develop floating wind projects off the country’s [...]
Boris Johnson’s political headache isn’t over as the threat to the Union rears its head again March 2, 2022 Boris Johnson has often been both the Houdini and the Heineken politician over the past decade. But if he survives the latest party-gate scandal he may unwittingly walk into a much bigger domestic political headache, with more than just his career on the line – the future of the union. Of course he will do [...]
‘Brexit has failed to deliver a single benefit while communities bear the brunt’, angry Scottish minister tells UK govt January 31, 2022 Scotland has not seen any benefits from Brexit, a minister has said ahead of a meeting with the UK Government. Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon hit out at the UK leaving the EU two years on from the finalisation of a deal to leave the bloc. Ahead of a meeting of the inter-ministerial group [...]
Plans to require Airbnb-style rentals to obtain licence from local council Scotland move in Scotland November 23, 2021 New government proposals in Scotland will require properties that are used for short-term lets and Airbnb-style rentals to get licences from the council. Ministers want to tackle the growth of Airbnb-style rentals in popular tourist areas such as Edinburgh and will ask individual councils to set the requirements for granting a licence while allowing uncapped [...]
Scotland: Covid passports lead to chaos with hundreds refused entry October 25, 2021 Vaccines passports have led to chaos in Scotland as hundreds of people were refused entry to venues, the BBC reported. According to the Scottish Hospitality Group, a trade body that is opposed to the scheme, during its first weekend of implementation, the vaccine passport scheme lead to venues denying access to people 550 times and [...]
Sturgeon’s dismal domestic record has derailed the SNP’s train of separatism October 8, 2021 Nicola Sturgeon believes in destiny. In an interview with the Financial Times published yesterday, the First Minister claimed that another referendum on Scottish independence is inevitable because of the demographics of independence. “I’ve got democracy on my side”, she argued, “if they think it’s about playing a waiting game, I’ve probably got time on my [...]
Police launch probe into multiple sudden, unexplained child deaths in Scotland September 26, 2021 Scotland’s Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) – which has a duty to investigate all sudden, unexpected and unexplained deaths – has instructed officers from Police Scotland to investigate four deaths at the flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QUEH) in Glasgow. The deaths being looked at include that of a 73-year-old woman at the [...]
Independent Scotland would have to find extra £8.5bn in savings September 17, 2021 An independent Scotland would have to find a whopping £8.5bn in additional savings upon leaving the Union, a new report from the Institute for Government has found. Before Covid-19 struck, the Scottish deficit stood at 8.0 per cent, but the IfG warned that it was unlikely that Nicola Sturgeon’s government would be able to borrow [...]
UK could be forced to move nuclear weapons abroad if Scottish independence bid succeeds September 2, 2021 Britain’s nuclear weapons could be moved to France or the United States in the event of Scottish independence, Ministry of Defence contingency plans reveal. Several anonymous officials were cited by the Financial Times on Wednesday as saying they had been briefed on plans which could see Britain’s nuclear deterrents, currently based in Scottish ports, relocated [...]