Why does nicola sturgeon not sit at westminster

During his premiership, Gordon Brown found it more difficult than his immediate predecessor to form cross-party alliances or forge initiatives that enjoyed bipartisan support. Undoubtedly it was his upbringing in the Scottish Labour movement that inculcated in him a deep, tribal animosity towards any opposing political party, particularly the Conservatives. Incumbered by this weakness in government, he brought it with him into civilian life when he left politics altogether in 2015. It’s not difficult to see, in his many public utterances since, his continuing simmering rage against the party that displaced Labour in government. But when it comes to the defence of the Union, such partisan jibes are not just unhelpful – they’re worryingly harmful. Over the weekend it was reported that the former prime minister has accused Boris Johnson of being “afraid” of a second independence referendum in Scotland, boasting that he had no doubt that the Unionist side would win again. Not for … [Read more...] about Gordon Brown should know better than to play politics with the Union

The United Kingdom is officially hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 . After winners Ukraine were forced to pull out, the honour of hosting the annual event was passed on to the UK and the BBC , following Sam Ryder ’s iconic performance. The Space Man singer soared to second place in the 2022 competition, behind Ukraine’s folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra, who won with their impactful song Stefania. Now, seven UK cities have been shortlisted to put on the annual spectacle – with the BBC to make a further announcement in due course. So, who could be hosting? Here’s all you need to know Which UK city could host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023? There are now seven UK cities in the running to be host of the song contest in 2023. They are: Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield. Notable omissions are Belfast, Cardiff and London – as well as Nottingham, which ruled itself out of consideration , and Darlington, … [Read more...] about Which UK city could host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023?

The Government does not appear to have yet come up with any new ways to help Brits afford their growing energy bills. Boris Johnson met with energy firms today to discuss the climbing price cap -setting the UK up for a ‘challenging winter’ . But the roundtable does not seem to have been especially fruitful, as the prime minister instead reminded the public of the Government’s existing support afterwards. He tweeted: ‘I know people are worried about the difficult winter ahead, which is why we are providing support – including a £400 energy bill discount for all households. ‘This morning I urged electricity companies to continue working on ways to help with the cost of living .’ Mr Johnson then said in a statement: ‘Following our meeting today, we will keep urging the electricity sector to continue working on ways we can ease the cost-of-living pressures and to invest further and faster in British energy security.’ Mr Zahawi added: ‘In the spirit of national … [Read more...] about No new cost of living crisis help announced after Boris meets with energy firms

It’s hot, we’re all broke, some people think it’s a good idea to set bombs off next to a nuclear plant and it’s also very hot. That’s it. That’s the news. You can exit this link and go drink a pint in the beautiful weather (that may well be consequence of the climate change contributing to the demise of our planet). Have a good weekend. Nah, we don’t mean that – do get a pint but make sure to read on. Things are pretty grim but there are always some good bits going on somewhere. And if Positive Pollies aren’t your type: It’s important to pay attention to the bad bits so we know how to make them stop being bad. There is also a story about a bear tripping on psychedelic honey in here. And no that was not a typo. Like we said, it’s hot England, a country known around the world for its miserable, wet weather, is officially experiencing drought. The National Drought Group declared a drought in eight parts of the country at midday on Friday, after the … [Read more...] about ICYMI: Drought, energy bills and Trump – this week’s five biggest stories, explained