Tag: Politics

Holyrood committee welcomes Deposit and Return Scheme proposals

Scotland’s proposed deposit return scheme will have a real and lasting impact on tackling climate change, according to a report issued today by the Scottish Parliament’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee.

In its report, the Committee notes that whilst the scheme itself had widespread support, there was disagreement about some aspects of the operation of the system, including what materials should be included, how it will operate and when it will come into effect. Continue reading Holyrood committee welcomes Deposit and Return Scheme proposals

General Election: IT’S TIME TO HAVE YOUR SAY

On the eve of the most important general election for a generation, the city council’s election staff began setting up for the big day across the city’s 141 polling places.

Elections staff set up a polling place

In Edinburgh 362, 956 people have registered to vote, with 72,664 applying to vote by post. As of yesterday (Wednesday, 11 December) 52,636 postal voters had returned their vote – 72% – though ballots will not be counted until after the polls have closed at 10pm tonight – Thursday, 12 December. Continue reading General Election: IT’S TIME TO HAVE YOUR SAY

Briggs: Safety concerns over Sick Kids hospital

The Sick Kids Hospital in Sciennes needs a catalgue of repairs to amke it safe, a Lothians MSP has learned. The maintenance programme backlog came to light following a Freedom of Information request. Continue reading Briggs: Safety concerns over Sick Kids hospital

Arts funding needs a greater focus on artists, says Holyrood Committee

The Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee has today published its report into Scotland’s funding of the arts and artists where it called for an urgent resetting of arts policy and funding.  The Committee’s report is the first Scottish Parliament inquiry to consider the arts funding system as a whole. Continue reading Arts funding needs a greater focus on artists, says Holyrood Committee

Students will broadcast election night news as it happens

Edinburgh Napier University students will work through the night to cover the unfolding story of the General Election on the radio airwaves and online.

A team of journalism, TV and photography students will capture the latest developments from counts across the UK. Continue reading Students will broadcast election night news as it happens

Letters: An overhaul of Westminster politics is long overdue

For all the divisions on display in this election campaign, there’s one point nearly all voters agree on: the desperate need for reform in Westminster.

Yet despite many parties commenting on the need for change in their manifestos, the issue of political reform has been dangerously absent from the campaign trail.

This radio silence is indefensible when polling for the Electoral Reform Society shows 85% of people feel that politics isn’t working, and 80% feel they have little or no influence on decision-making today. With public faith this low our politicians cannot afford to stay silent.

The signs of democratic decay are all around us – from an electoral system that wastes votes on an industrial scale, to the private members’ club that is the unelected House of Lords. This year we’ve seen our parliament lunge from crisis to crisis.

This election is a watershed moment for our democracy – inaction is not an option. Today we are calling for leaders to make the issue of updating and transforming Westminster front and centre, as part of #DemocracyDay.

We are asking them all to commit to a constitutional convention involving citizens, to set out how to reform Westminster after the election.

There is a high degree of cross-party unity around issues like updating Britain’s analogue-age campaign rules, spreading power outside of London and reining in our crumbling constitution.

With trust in politics at record lows, voters want to see parties open up about how to overhaul Westminster. Today is an opportunity to do just that. It is time for all parties to present their proposals with pride and passion.

Let’s start to build a better politics.

Willie Sullivan Electoral Reform Society
Ruth Lister Compass
Klina Jordan and Joe Sousek Make Votes Matter
Frances Foley Citizens Convention UK
Alexandra Runswick Unlock Democracy
Neal Lawson Up To Us
Anthony Barnett OpenDemocracy
Jennifer Nadel Compassion In Politics
Matteo Bergamini Shout Out UK
Tabitha Morton More United
Richard Murphy Professor of International Political Economy, City, University of London
Heidi Allen and Peter Dunphy Unite to Remain
Ed Dowker Represent.me
Mark Cridge mySociety
Richard Tunnicliffe and Sue Ellar Represent Us
Dimitri Scarlato the 3million
Paul Thistlethwaite XR Future Democracy Hub
Indra Adnan The Alternative
Andrew Pendleton New Economics Foundation
John Doolan and Paul Blomfield Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform
Keith Sharp Liberal Democrats for Electoral Reform
Frances Scott 50:50 Parliament
Jon Christensen Tax Justice Network

The General Election Donkey Derby

As a fun way to track how the party leaders are doing in the battle to reach 10 Downing Street and form the new UK government at Westminster, 

 NetVoucherCodes.co.uk are hosting a digital donkey derby by using their Twitter listening tool to measure the number of mentions of the main political parties in election tweets.

The 2019 UK General Election is set to be the most digitised ever, with the major political parties pouring more time, effort and money into online campaigning than any previous national vote.

Social media such as Twitter is at the forefront of politicians’ efforts to get noticed and generate engagement, in a bid to improve their polling numbers before the 12th of December.

The 2019 tweet race features all of the UK’s leading donkeys (thoroughbreds, surely? – Ed) – the SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon, the Conservatives’ Boris Johnson, the Liberal Democrats’ Jo Swinson, the Brexit Party’s Nigel Farage, Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, the Green Party’s Siân Berry, Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price and the DUP’s Arlene Foster.

To view the #ElectionDerby, please visit: https://www.netvouchercodes.co.uk/election-derby2019.htm

Scottish Conservatives are the only alternative to the SNP in Edinburgh … says, ehm, … a Scottish Conservative!

Scottish Conservatives claim that they are the only party who can stop the SNP in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The Tory appeal to anti-independence voters follows the release of the latest YouGov opinion poll which predicts the SNP will win no less than 43 of Scotland’s 59 constituencies, an increase of eight MPs. Continue reading Scottish Conservatives are the only alternative to the SNP in Edinburgh … says, ehm, … a Scottish Conservative!

Building A Better Scotland? SNP launch general election manifesto

The SNP launched their manifesto for next month’s General Election yesterday. Introducing the manifesto, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Welcome to the launch of the SNP manifesto for the 2019 general election. Continue reading Building A Better Scotland? SNP launch general election manifesto