JOURNALISTS and technical staff at STV will strike over pay, with the action affecting coverage of the Scottish election results today.
Around 100 workers will form picket lines outside the STV offices in Glasgow (Pacific Quay) and Aberdeen (Craigshaw Business Park) from 8:30am.
Please share solidarity messages with campaigns@nuj.org.uk or join them in-person if you’re in the area.
In March, members of both the NUJ and Bectu at STV voted for the industrial action over management’s decision to offer a 0% pay award, in one of the first strike ballots to be held under the new Employment Rights Act.
NUJ members also went on strike as part of a separate dispute in January, braving cold weather and heavy snow to oppose damaging cuts to jobs and local news.
Nick McGowan-Lowe, NUJ Scotland organiser,said: “It’s frustrating that due to the stubbornness of STV management, on the biggest news day in Scotland for years, Scottish viewers, listeners and readers won’t be able to hear what some of the most well-respected journalists, reporters and producers in Scottish broadcasting have to say.
“Our members would much rather be reporting the election results than standing on picket lines, but they have been driven to this action by management’s indifference as to how overworked and underpaid they are.
“CEO Rufus Radcliffe has once again failed to grasp the opportunity to end this dispute, and it is personally embarrassing for him that STV will be broadcasting reruns instead of the biggest news story in Scotland.”
Vote counting in the Scottish Parliament election will commence this morning, after Scotland went to the polls yesterday.
Ballot boxes will be opened at 9am at designated counting centres across the county and the first constituencies are expected to be declared around midday.
If English council results are a guide, it promises to be a long and difficult day for the beleaguered Labour party in particular. Will spectacular Reform advances be mirrored north of the border, or can the SNP deliver an unlikely outright majority?
Campaigners say tens of thousands of people on low incomes are at risk of being ‘disenfranchised by deprivation’ in the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections.
New research by the Poverty Alliance has found an 11% gap in voter turnout at the last Scottish elections between the top and bottom 10 constituencies in terms of deprivation.
The charity is calling on politicians to close that ‘democratic deficit’ by supporting community get-out-the-vote campaigns – and by delivering on policies that close inequality and lift people out of poverty.
Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly said: “Our democracy can only work when politicians listen and act on people’s priorities. When that doesn’t happen, people lose trust in the system and simply stop participating.
“For years people in Scotland have put issues around the cost of living and the economy near the top of their political priorities. But lack of fundamental change has led to a democratic deficit, with people in areas of higher deprivation losing faith in the process more quickly.
“We regularly work with people struggling on low incomes. They are often highly political, with strong views about what is needed in their communities, in our society, and in our unjust economy. But they increasingly feel disenfranchised from a political process that is failing to address deprivation, poverty, and inequality. That has to change.”
The Poverty Alliance research found that in 2021 the average turnout in the 10 least deprived Scottish Parliament seats was 68%. In the 10 most deprived constituencies it was just 57%. That amounts to a gap of more than 60,300 voters.
The biggest democratic deficit was found between Glasgow Maryhill & Springburn with a turnout of 52%, compared to a 76% turnout in Eastwood. If the Glasgow seat had matched that level an additional 13,300 voters would have went to the polls there.
If the 10 most deprived seats had matched the turnout in Eastwood, an extra 108,000 votes would have been cast.
The Poverty Alliance has more than 450 members organisations across Scotland. It has created ‘Vote Your Values’ campaign materials that those groups can use to help people in their communities get registered to vote, and to get to cast their ballot on election day.
Peter Kelly said: “There is evidence that get-out-the-vote campaigns can help decrease the democratic deficit in communities, and we’d like to see greater support for them from political leaders for future elections.
“But the biggest thing politicians can do to help strengthen our democracy is to invest in a better future free from the threat of hunger, debt and destitution, where each of us has what we need to build a more secure life for ourselves and our households, and a better society for everyone.”
The Poverty Alliance manifesto calls for progress towards a Minimum Income Guarantee – which would give everyone the right to an income that never falls below what is needed for life’s essentials. The policy would be delivered through a combination of fair paid work, high quality services, and strengthened social security.
The charity says new MSPs can commit to piloting the approach among unpaid carers and in rural areas. And it calls for policy steps along the road to a full Guarantee, including encouraging and incentivising employers to deliver fair work with real Living Wages, raising the Scottish Child Payment to £55 a week by 2030, and investing in home energy efficiency and affordable heating to cut people’s energy bills.
ALLIANCE TO LIBERATE SCOTLAND ON COURSE FOR LECTION BREAKTHROUGH?
Tommy Sheridan in Glasgow and Craig Murray in Lothians East set to be elected to Holyrood alongside other Alliance to Liberate Scotland candidates
The Alliance to Liberate Scotland says two recent opinion polls conducted by Find Out Now point to a breakthrough result for the new pro-independence party at the Holyrood election on 7 May.
The respected polling company conducted two Scotland-wide surveys of 1,000 voters on behalf of the party, one in late March and the second in late April. The striking feature of both polls is their consistency.
In the late March poll, 8% of voters said they were either “definitely” or “very likely” to vote for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland. In the late April poll, 6% of voters said they were “definitely” or “very likely” to support the party on the regional list, which Find Out Now rounded up to 7%.
That matters because around 6% of the regional vote is widely regarded as the threshold for winning a seat in many of Scotland’s regional contests. On that basis, the two polls suggest the Alliance to Liberate Scotland is in genuine breakthrough territory.
Smaller regional samples also point in the same direction. In Glasgow, Tommy Sheridan’s support is shown fluctuating between 5% and 7%. In the 2021 election, the final regional seat in Glasgow was won by the Conservatives on just 6.1%, placing Sheridan within striking distance of election.
Although pollsters caution that smaller samples are less reliable than the standard national sample of 1,000, the repeated pattern across Glasgow, Lothians East and the national polling suggests rising support for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland across Scotland.
Commenting on the latest poll, Glasgow lead candidate and former two-term MSP Tommy Sheridan said: “One poll predicting an Alliance to Liberate Scotland breakthrough is encouraging.
“Two polls, with remarkable consistency, predicting support on the regional vote at between 6% and 8%, is a very real sign that the Alliance is fast becoming the choice of independence supporters who understand that SNP list votes are wasted votes.
“As more people grasp the two-vote system, more SNP supporters are realising their constituency vote for SNP matters, but their regional vote for SNP is futile. That approach helped unionist parties in 2016 and 2021. In 2021 the SNP won only two regional seats out of 56 contested, despite attracting over one million votes.
“Now independence supporters are increasingly choosing to give their regional vote to the party that makes independence its sole priority: the Alliance to Liberate Scotland.”
Sheridan added: “As the reality of the voting system becomes clearer, independence supporters can see the opportunity before them. The regional vote should not be wasted on the SNP, and it should not be diverted to the Greens, whose obsession with gender identity and culture-war politics has increasingly overshadowed the central mission of securing Scotland’s freedom.
“Genuine independence supporters are choosing to give their regional vote to the Alliance To Liberate Scotland over the Greens because they know independence is simply not a priority for the Greens.
“The Greens prioritise gender identity politics over Scotland’s freedom and that’s why independence activists are deciding to back the single-issue Alliance to Liberate Scotland party.”
How the Independence Movement is Mathematically Defeating Itself
Dear Editor,
For years, the Scottish independence movement has been shackled by a fundamental misunderstanding of Holyrood’s Additional Member System.
The persistent rallying cry of “SNP 1, SNP 2” has not only failed to maximise our representation, but it has actively handed parliamentary power to unionist MSPs. The electoral facts prove that millions of pro-independence votes are being routinely wasted.
In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP dominated the constituency ballot, winning 59 seats. However, the regional list system mathematically penalises parties that win heavily in the constituencies.
Consequently, the SNP’s 953,587 regional list votes yielded a mere 4 list seats.
The D’Hondt formula rendered nearly a million peach ballot votes virtually worthless, allowing the Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour to use their regional votes to sweep 24 and 21 list seats, respectively.
In 2021, this electoral tragedy repeated itself. Pro-independence voters dutifully followed the dual-vote strategy, helping the SNP win a record 62 constituency seats.
Yet, despite securing over a million votes on the regional list, the SNP returned just 2 regional MSPs. Over a million independence votes were essentially torched. This inefficiency directly enabled unionist parties to comfortably fill the regional lists, artificially inflating their influence in parliament.
I argue that some still argue for an “Indy 1, Indy 2” approach, assuming that backing the same dominant independence party on the peach ballot paper will secure victory. It fundamentally does not work for the Scottish Independence movement. Continuing to pile list votes onto a party that has already swept the constituencies is mathematically self-defeating.
To break this deadlock and secure a genuine pro-independence supermajority, our strategy must evolve. We must stop throwing our regional votes into the D’Hondt trap. The formula for success is clear: it has to be Indy 1 on the constituency ballot, and Alliance to Liberate Scotland 2 on the regional vote on the peach ballot paper.
Only by splitting our votes strategically can we capture the regional lists, lock unionist MSPs out of Holyrood, and finally deliver the parliament Scotland needs to secure its independence.
Yours for Scotland,
Dhruva Kumar Glasgow Region List Candidate Alliance to Liberate Scotland Former MP Candidate, Glasgow, ALBA Party
Accidental deaths in Scotland have risen by 61% over the last decade, now exceeding 2,500 fatalities each year, the highest death rate of all the UK nations
Falls account for 42% of all accidental deaths, with people in Scotland 45% more likely to die from a fall than those elsewhere in the UK
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) launches manifesto for the next Scottish Government to tackle the accident crisis
Safety charity the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has warned that Scotland is experiencing a severe and worsening accidental death crisis, with fatalities rising by 61% over the past decade.
Calling on the next Scottish Government to prioritise accident prevention as an urgent public health and economic issue, the charity has published an action plan of policy recommendations to tackle the crisis.
RoSPA’s new Towards a Safer Scotland manifesto sets out evidence-led measures to reduce deaths and serious injuries across roads, homes, workplaces, and water environments, and is urging ministers and candidates to treat accidental harm with the same seriousness as other major health threats.
Accidents now claim more than 2,500 lives annually in Scotland, with the nation recording an accidental death rate 56 per cent higher than the UK average. Falls are the leading cause, while transport-related fatalities and drowning incidents remain significantly above UK-wide levels.
The impact extends beyond personal tragedy: accidents cost the NHS billions each year and remove thousands from the workforce. People in deprived communities are also more likely to suffer an accident, compounding other health inequalities.
RoSPA is proposing a series of targeted interventions including safer home design standards, mandatory driver eyesight testing, strengthened motorcycle safety provision, and mandatory water safety education in schools.
Drawing on RoSPA’s experience working in partnership with the Scottish Government on projects such as the Scottish Occupational Road Safety Alliance (ScORSA) and Water Safety Scotland, the charity believes that these measures could prevent avoidable deaths while easing pressure on Scotland’s public services.
Rebecca Hickman, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Scotland is facing a silent epidemic of accidental deaths, and the scale of harm is now impossible to ignore. Every statistic represents a person whose life could have been saved with proven interventions.
“We are urging the next Scottish Government to make accident prevention a national priority, because the evidence shows that coordinated action will save lives, protect communities and relieve pressure on the NHS.
“Accidents are not inevitable. With clear national leadership and consistent standards across Scotland, we can significantly reduce preventable harm. RoSPA’s proposals give policymakers the tools they need to act quickly and effectively.”
Key recommendations from the manifesto:
1. Road Safety
RoSPA calls for three priority actions to reduce road deaths and serious injuries:
Empower local authorities to set safe speed limits, including wider use of 20mph zones where appropriate to protect pedestrians, cyclists and communities.
Introduce mandatory eyesight testing for all drivers every three years, addressing declining vision as a major but under‑recognised collision risk.
Continue dedicated motorcycle‑safety funding, supporting advanced rider training and targeted safety campaigns due to Scotland’s disproportionately high motorcyclist fatality rates.
2. Home and product safety
To tackle Scotland’s high rate of home‑based injuries and deaths, the manifesto recommends:
Establish permanent national home‑safety programmes, including home‑risk assessments, safety advice and provision of essential equipment for vulnerable households.
Mandate Safer by Design standards, including embedding BS 5395‑1 stair‑safety principles into Scottish building regulations for all new homes.
Reestablish Home Safety Scotland to provide national leadership and coordinate preventative work across partners.
3. Leisure safety & drowning prevention
RoSPA is urging the adoption of three key measures to improve water safety and reduce the number of drowning fatalities:
Endorse and support the next Scotland Drowning Prevention Strategy (from 2026) to sustain national progress.
Make classroom water‑safety education mandatory using Water Safety Scotland and Education Scotland resources.
Mandate Drowning and Incident Reviews (DIR), ensuring all relevant agencies participate in consistent post‑incident learning.
4. Occupational safety and health
To address changing work patterns, data gaps and emerging hazards, RoSPA calls for:
A comprehensive study into the gig economy, examining scale, conditions and fair compensation for work‑related risks.
Development of Scotland‑specific transferable health and safety qualifications to maintain skills as workers move between sectors.
Improved data‑sharing between Police Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive, via a formal Memorandum of Understanding for clearer referral criteria and timely evidence-sharing.
The rising accidental death rate is a major strategic challenge for Scotland, affecting health, productivity, and inequality. Addressing it will require coordinated action across government, emergency services, local authorities, and industry.
Scots European Movement general election social media campaign
The European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) has launched its Scottish Parliament election campaign with a call for voters to ask party leaders and candidates where they stand on Scotland and the EU.
EMiS urges voters “to do what Scotland wants.” A recent opinion survey that found 73% of Scottish voters want to reverse Brexit.
“Reversing Brexit is what the Scottish people want,” says David Clarke, chair of EMiS. “So do what Scotland wants and vote for pro-EU parties on 7th May.
“Voters and the media should check where the parties stand on Brexit. The economic damage is undeniable and is delivering a country in the doldrums, with young people in particular losing out.”
EMIS’ campaign will run mainly on social media. It focuses on a poll by Survation for the business consultancy True North Advisors, published in January. It found that 73% of voters in Scotland want to go back into the EU.
EMiS says the SNP, Scottish Greens, Scottish LibDems and Scottish Labour all favour closer ties with the EU. While favouring the UK reestablishing ties with the EU, the SNP and Scottish Greens want to see an independent Scotland inside the EU.
The poll found that 73% of Labour voters, 88% of SNP voters, 70% of Lib Dem voters and 89% of Scottish Greens voters want to rejoin. Eighty percent of under 35-year-olds want to return to the EU.
EMiS points out that it is only the minority parties of Reform and the Conservatives that favour Brexit. The Survation survey found that 34% of Reform voters want to reverse Brexit.
The National Autistic Society Scotland is calling for real change for autistic people, ahead of the Scottish Parliament election in May.
The new campaign calls on the next Scottish Government to introduce the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill to parliament as soon as possible.
Autistic people in Scotland are waiting months, if not years, for an assessment and experience poorer health outcomes than the general population. At school, autistic pupils face exclusion and isolation due to lack of support, and in community settings autistic people face discrimination stemming from a lack of understanding and access to services.
The campaign is split into four key areas: diagnosis and support; accessible healthcare; support in schools; and inclusive communities. The LDAN Bill can play a transformative role in each of these areas by introducing national and local plans to tackle waiting lists, introducing mandatory training in healthcare and education, and addressing a glaring lack of accountability in the public services and systems meant to support autistic people in Scotland.
Rob Holland, Director of the National Autistic Society Scotland, said:‘Too often we hear from autistic people and families that do not have the support they need to live fulfilled lives on their terms, and who are continually being driven into crisis.
“Despite many good laws, strategies and policies in Scotland, there remains a gap between the support people should receive and what they actually receive, whether in school, social care, healthcare or employment.
“The importance of the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill in tackling the inequalities faced by autistic people and their families cannot be underestimated. It is a vital opportunity to address systematic injustices and to improve outcomes for autistic people of all ages, and that is why we are calling on all political parties to commit to introducing the Bill in Government.”
Becca, NAS Campaigner, said: “We must be allowed to have equal access and opportunity. We are not a burden on society. We are useful, we are intelligent, we are creative. We are inspiring. We are contributors.
“We must be allowed the chance to belong, the chance to make a difference, to be educated and be educators, to be validated, taken seriously. We must be allowed to live in a fair and just society where we are not discriminated against and where we have the chance to live our lives fully and freely.
“The LDAN bill will give autistic and neurodivergent people a chance to be involved in a fairer society. It will decrease the amount of discrimination and invalidation by making people aware, trained and knowledgeable.
“It will increase independence and choice, helping people to feel they are active in the decisions that affect their own lives whilst also receiving valuable support.”
You can read more about the campaign on the NAS website.
On Monday 19 January, the Edinburgh Union will host a landmark debate on the motion: This House Has No Confidence in the Scottish Government Ahead of the Holyrood Election.
With the Holyrood election fast-approaching, this debate will examine the legacy of nearly two decades of SNP governance and assess the Scottish Government’s record across key policy areas. The event will bring together MSPs and election candidates from across Scotland’s major political parties to debate the motion and put their arguments directly to the audience.
Alongside guest speakers including Paul McLennan MSP, Katherine Sangster, and Alex Cole Hamilton MSP, student speakers from the University of Edinburgh will also take opposing sides in the debate.
The audience, comprising students and academics from across Edinburgh’s universities, will have the opportunity to question speakers and ultimately vote on whether they retain confidence in the Scottish Government ahead of the upcoming election.
This debate marks the beginning of the Edinburgh Union’s summer term programme. Following a series of sold-out events last semester, the Union continues its mission to provide a platform for open, rigorous debate on contemporary political and cultural issues in Scotland’s capital.
The forthcoming term card includes debates on whether immigration is the biggest issue facing the UK, and if NATO can solve modern security challenges – as well as a Varsity debate against the Cambridge Union.
Each debate takes place in Rainy Hall, New College, and offers audience members the opportunity to engage directly with speakers from across the political spectrum in a traditional Union-style format.
Finn Tyson, President of the Edinburgh Union, said: “With the Holyrood election approaching, this debate gives students and the wider academic community the chance to assess the record of the Scottish Government and directly question candidates seeking to govern Scotland.
“The Edinburgh Union exists to foster open, challenging, and respectful debate. Our events are open to all students, and we are proud to bring together voices from across the political spectrum to start this semester with an event centered on democratic engagement and rigorous discussion.”
“In an increasingly turbulent economic climate, people need the support of frontline services like Samaritans all the way down to local community services that outreach to the most rural areas of Scotland.” – Joel Borseth
It’s a new year, and many people will think of a fresh start, a clean slate, and they may have some personal goals they’ve set for the year ahead. Whether they last longer than January is a different story. But this year, there’s a renewed opportunity for Scotland, and the people who call it home. A chance that we at Samaritans want to take with both hands.
When politicians and parties bring their manifestos to the people of Scotland, with promises of a brighter future ahead, what kind of difference is really possible?
The kind that saves lives.
Life can be wonderful. Life can be tough. Relationships. Work. Money. Loneliness. Mental health. Self-harm. We can all struggle. Any place. Any time. One in four of us have had suicidal thoughts.
Suicide is often viewed as a health issue only – but this isn’t the way we need to look at suicide to be able to save lives. Suicide is complex, and often suicidal feelings arise from a multitude of factors rather than one single issue. The next Scottish Government needs to treat suicide in the same way.
We need to do more to help people before they reach crisis point. Suicide prevention needs to be embedded across government policy, from social care to finance to employment.
We recently launched our manifesto, ‘Five Priorities to Save Lives’ ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections in May this year. We’re asking the next Scottish government to make prevention a priority.
Our asks are based on research and evidence, and on the insight of people with lived and living experience of suicide. If delivered, we believe that it we will begin to see a fairer, more compassionate Scotland where fewer lives are lost to suicide.
Our five priorities to save lives:
· Increase funding for frontline mental health services
· Deliver a Minimum Income Guarantee for Scotland
· End harmful stigma through workforce training
· Increase support for people in prison
· Increase resourcing for community services
At the heart of our manifesto is our Lived Experience Advisory Group. This group of people come together with us to share their insights and perspectives as people with lived or living experiences related to suicide or bereavement by suicide.
Joel Borseth, one of the group members, shared why these five asks are fundamental in helping others through suicidal crisis and into recovery:“As an individual who has had Lived Experience of crisis, mental health services – both in the local community and from frontline services – played a pivotal role in not just my recovery, but in enabling me to see my own worth in supporting others on their journey to recovery.
“Committing to provide more funds to mental health services, both within the NHS and other national to local services, can enable some individuals, such as myself, to not just to have a better mental wellbeing, but to ‘pass on’ that support to other individuals both in a volunteer and employed setting.
“It is with this experience and confidence that I am able to contribute to the Lived Experience Advisory Group at Samaritans Scotland.
“If I had not had support from these services at the right time over ten years ago, I would have never been able to contribute to society and likely continued to struggle with my wellbeing for many years.
“In an increasingly turbulent economic climate, people need the support of frontline services like Samaritans all the way down to local community services that outreach to the most rural areas of Scotland.
“For myself, it was just one simple conversation from that made me believe I could have positive life experiences twelve years ago again that changed everything for the better.
“I know that I have provided similar moments for others in their journey to recovery. Funding for mental health services does not vanish into a void – people like me can change their whole lives around from the support this funding provides.”
Join us in calling for the next Scottish Government to make suicide prevention a priority.
Women from across Scotland are being invited to attend an event at the Scottish Parliament which aims to inspire them to get involved in politics.
Elect Her, in partnership with the Scottish Parliament, is organising a day to celebrate women in political power on Saturday 24 June and is calling on women from all ages and backgrounds from across Scotland to apply to be part of it.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Moray, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and South Ayrshire have some of the lowest rates of women participating in politics and women from these areas in particular are encouraged to join us.
Rt. Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament said: “The Parliament has made good progress on equal representation, but we can’t take anything for granted and there is still much more to do.
“We need women across Scotland to join us to learn from and inspire one another to become politically engaged and active.
“Only by inspiring and engaging those who would never have thought politics was for them will we create a more equal distribution of political power across all levels in Scotland.”
Hannah Stevens, Chief Executive of Elect Her said: “We are really excited to be returning to the Scottish Parliament on 24th June, following the success of our event in 2019. If we want our democracy to truly work for all people in Scotland, we need women in all of their diversity represented across every sphere of politics.
“We’re not short of women who care and are working for change in Scotland, and it’s these women we need in the corridors of power. We’re hoping you’ll join us at Scotland’s Women GatHER to explore your role in Scotland’s democracy, come together in celebration with fellow women to discover how we can lead the change in politics.”
The day will consist of a programme of free workshops and activities as well as hearing from stories of women already in elected office. For those unable to travel, there will also be regional hubs based across Scotland and online workshops to enable women from across the country to take part remotely.
The event comes on the back of the publication of the Gender Sensitive Audit which aims to increase representation and participation of women in the Scottish Parliament.
