GRAHAM GRANT: Swinney's discredited SNP has taken us for a ride - now he wants you to trust them to guide Scotland into the future!
John Swinney 's bizarre speech on national 'renewal' was a sick joke from a party responsible for nearly 20 years of failure and stagnation.
That he could keep a straight face as he delivered it is remarkable - but then he has had plenty of practice when it comes to trotting out this kind of bilge.
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The Guardian
10 minutes ago
- The Guardian
US elected officials face wave of violent threats prompting calls for security
A fresh wave of violent threats and incidents targeting elected officials broke out in the US this week, prompting more urgent calls for increased security measures just days after the killing of a Minnesota state legislator and the shooting of another. Amid a series of attacks involving federal and local officials, the latest incidents included death threats against Zohran Mamdani, the New York mayoral candidate, a purported road rage attack on Max Miller, the Ohio congressman, and an alleged kidnapping attempt targeting Paul Young, the mayor of Memphis. The New York police department (NYPD) hate crimes task force is investigating multiple death threats against Mamdani, a Muslim democratic socialist candidate in the final stretch of his campaign and endorsed by national figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The intimidation included threats to blow up his car and Islamophobic voicemails left at Mamdani's office in the city's Queens borough. 'The violent and specific language of what appears to be a repeat caller is alarming and we are taking every precaution,' his campaign said Thursday, blaming the threats on 'dehumanizing, Islamophobic rhetoric designed to stoke division and hate'. Miller contacted the US Capitol Police after being 'run off the road' by a man displaying a Palestinian flag who allegedly yelled 'death to Israel'. Miller, who is Jewish and on the US Holocaust Memorial Council, said the incident occurred while driving in his congressional district and that he knows the identity of his alleged assailant, who also threatened to kill his family. Early on Friday afternoon, a man was arrested in connection with the incident. The suspect was named as Feras Hamdan, 36, of Westlake, near Cleveland, and authorities said he turned himself in to police and is due to appear in court, according to local media reports. Meanwhile, Memphis police arrested 25-year-old Trenton Abston on charges including stalking and attempted kidnapping after he allegedly scaled a wall at Young's residence in Tennessee with what police described as a 'nervous demeanor'. Officers recovered 'a taser, gloves, rope and duct tape' from the suspect's vehicle. The string of incidents came just days after the killing of Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota Democratic state representative, and her husband Mark, with John Hoffman, a state senator, and his wife seriously wounded in a separate attack by the same gunman last Saturday as anti-Trump 'No Kings' protests were getting underway for millions across the country. The suspect, Vance Boelter, 57, was captured after a large manhunt and faces murder charges, amid reports that he is an extremist and was pro-Trump and anti-abortion. The discovery of a hit list containing 'dozens and dozens' of Democratic politicians' names in Boelter's car has sent new shockwaves through the political community. Hillary Scholten, a member of Congress from Michigan, cancelled a public town hall, citing safety concerns. The escalating threats have left congressmembers from both parties demanding additional security funding and enhanced protection measures in recent days, as fears grow that political violence is becoming normalized across American politics. The Capitol Police requested nearly $1bn in funding for next year, while Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, posted that 'the violence and threats against elected officials has drastically increased' and called for more money to protect lawmakers. Capitol Police investigated 9,474 threats to lawmakers and their families last year, an increase of nearly 1,500 compared with 2023, which have escalated over the last five years but peaked in 2021. Only eight convictions were made over the threats in 2024, according to a bipartisan letter from Bryan Steil, a Wisconsin representative, and Joseph Morelle, a New York representative, sent Tuesday to the Department of Justice. Mike Johnson linked the violence to broader political rhetoric. 'What happened to Max [Miller] this morning is yet another outrageous example of unhinged rhetoric inspiring unstable people to threaten and attack elected officials,' the House speaker said. 'We must turn down the temperature in this country.'
Spectator
29 minutes ago
- Spectator
Poll: majority of Brits think small boats unstoppable
Summer is here! And you know what gorgeous weather means: more small boats crossing the Channel. Get ready for the great Starmada in the coming weeks, as thousands more migrants prepare to sail the 21 miles from Calais to Dover. The current crisis has been going on since 2018, when Sajid Javid – the-then Home Secretary – felt the need to cut short his holiday after 100 migrants crossed in a 24-hour period. Those were the days… Now Mr S has got some polling and it seems that the public are accepting these crossings as inevitable. A survey done by Merlin Strategy of 2,000 UK adults between 17 and 18 June shows that 51 per cent of Brits think that the government will never be able to stop the boats – including 7 in 10 Reform 2024 voters. Some two thirds (66 per cent) say the Starmer government does not have control over Britain's borders while the same figure (67 per cent) believe, correctly, that the number of Channel crossings has increased this year – compared to just seven per cent who think they have dropped. Unsurpisingly, therefore, seven in ten say the government must do whatever it takes to stop the boats. That UK-France summit cannot come soon enough…
BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
Staff at a Dorset school strike over restructuring plans for two schools
Staff at a state school are taking industrial action in protest at restructuring Sherborne Area Schools' Trust (SAST) said Shaftesbury School and Sturminster Newton High in Dorset had been facing a budget deficit of £1m between them so it was "looking to share some leadership roles across the two schools to reduce overheads".On 17 June, Shaftesbury School staff who are members of the National Education Union (NEU) walked out over the restructure, which the NEU said would "take teaching resource away from the front line."SAST said it continued to engage "in constructive dialogue with union colleagues". Jon Timbrell, who represents the NEU in the South West, said the restructure is "stripping half of the heads of curriculum out of the schools" and "prioritising retaining a large layer of executive management".He said a lot of the changes the trust had proposed "have been really unpopular within the community" and the turnout on Tuesday "was huge", with sixth formers, parents and other residents coming to show support."In negotiations with the trust, we raised the fact that the financial picture has changed quite significantly," Mr Timbrell added, referring to the 4% pay rise for teachers announced by the government and the investment in education proposed in the spending said the union was calling on the trust "to look again at the figures in light of that as well."More strikes are planned for next Tuesday and Wednesday. SAST said the plans were "designed to ensure long-term financial sustainability".It said similar issues were being faced "by many rural secondary schools, who are having to decide whether their sixth forms are sustainable".It had also commissioned an independent report in conjunction with the Department for Education, which looked at ways to reduce costs "whilst maintaining educational provision". The schools already share an executive headteacher and operate in a joint sixth form."We believe that sixth forms should remain in our local communities, and we are therefore looking to share some leadership roles across the two schools to reduce overheads whilst encouraging collaboration between them," the trust added there had been "a full consultation involving staff and union representatives"."We have listened throughout and made considered adjustments in response to genuine feedback, while keeping our focus on what matters most — the experience and outcomes of our students." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
