Latest news with #RossGreer
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Harvie's last hurrah? Even Frank Sinatra's farewell didn't drag on this long
Thursday was Patrick Harvie's final First Minister's Questions as Scottish Green co-leader. He's standing down to spend more time with anyone but Ross Greer. A sneer in search of a personality, Harvie has never contributed much in the way of wit but he makes up for it with pique. I'm an aficionado of parliamentary spite and Harvie has always had it in plentiful supply. Perhaps he kept some in reserve for his final showstopper, for he used his allotted two questions to spit venom at John Swinney. Harvie reckoned Swinney's anti far-Right summit was little more than a talking shop and only confirmed 'a real sense of drift from the first minister'. Moreover, Swinney lacked 'ambition and leadership', and Harvie 'genuinely struggled to think of a single signature policy that he has delivered in his year in the job'. There speaks a man who clearly missed the Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic. He began rhyming off Swinney's sins, such as watering down rental controls, U-turning on a new national park, and failing to make progress on human rights. By now the little cabbage was getting so steamed he was at risk of wilting. He was banging on so much that Presiding Officer Alison Johnson finally stepped in and told him to clamp it. Even Sinatra's farewell tour didn't last this long. Aware that he no longer needed to humour the prickliest cactus this side of the Mississippi, Swinney let him have it: 'I appreciate that this is his last First Minister's question time as co-convener of the Green Party, so saying all that to me might have been his last hurrah.' The First Minister didn't fare as well up against Russell Findlay. The Scottish Tory leader gets a gold star for a splendid piece of work on thuggery in schools and the SNP's 49-page guidelines on excluding violent pupils, which he branded 'tedious, hand-wringing nonsense'. Swinney protested that he was 'listening to the teaching profession', just as he had 'throughout my time as education secretary'. We can only hope for his sake that he wasn't listening too closely. As I recall, the consensus among teachers at the time was made up mostly of words you couldn't repeat in a classroom. This allowed Findlay to have some fun, by reading aloud some highlights. When pupils become violent, the document said, teachers should give them 'a laminated paper with a set of bullet points that tell them to think about their behaviour'. When a wee toerag is engaging in 'unsafe behaviour', educators are advised to start 'a conversation to jointly problem solve with the child'. Disruptive pupils, meanwhile, 'should be allowed to leave class two minutes early'. Personally, I think classroom chairs should be replaced with ejector seats and teachers handed a remote control. The First Minister accused Findlay of 'a failure to address the mechanisms and interventions that are required to solve a difficult issue'. Another reason to consider my idea. We'd hire engineers to make sure the ejector seats had really good mechanisms. The fresh guidance, Swinney said, was intended to 'de-escalate situations' and 'address the underlying causes'. And he was against too many exclusions because those pupils would be 'out on the streets and, potentially, able to become involved in criminal activity'. That's how Ronnie Biggs got started, you know. Teacher put him out of class for talking once and next thing you know he was robbing trains. Later in the afternoon, minister Ivan McKee was sent out to announce plans to save £1billion a year in waste, in what is being nicknamed 'McDoge' after Elon Musk's venture during the early months of the second Trump administration. Given that the task of reining in government misspending proved too much for a man who puts rockets in space, I'm not holding out hope that Ivan McKee will do much better.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Major blow dealt to plans for controversial Flamingo Land resort in Scotland
Plans for a controversial holiday park in Loch Lomond have been stalled by the Scottish Government. Ministers had been expected to give permission for the resort development but have now reconsidered due to its 'potential impact on Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park'. Operated by Flamingo Land, the proposed £40m resort was set to feature a monorail, waterpark, hotel and restaurants. Ivan McKee, Scotland's Minister for Public Finance, said he is now recalling the plans as 'the appeal should be determined at a national level', reports the BBC. The original proposal was first rejected in September 2024 amid protests by local residents. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park authority said the park did not comply with environmental policies. Flamingo Land then appealed to the Scottish government reporter who had said they planned to allow the resort as long as Flamingo Land signed a legal agreement with the national park. But following the recall, the final decision on the Flamingo Land resort's future will now be made by ministers. Ross Greer, a Scottish Green MSP, said McKee's decision to recall the plans was the 'right move'. He said: 'Once ministers consider the flood risk, loss of ancient woodland, hundreds of additional cars which would have be brought onto notoriously congested roads and the litany of other devastating impacts it would have, I am sure they will reject the mega-resort application and finally end this decade-long saga.' Scottish Labour's deputy leader Jackie Baillie also welcomed the decision, claiming that the SNP had 'ignored concerns' about the park 'time and time again'. The Balloch and Haldane Community Council said it had had more than 50,000 new objections to the plans last week. Flamingo Land submitted updated plans for its park in 2020 and described the development, set to be called Lomond Banks, as a 'major step away' from its other theme park style resorts. The company currently runs the Flamingo Land resort in North Yorkshire which offers amusement rides and exotic animals.
The National
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Secondary pupils in Scotland eligible for free meals under new plans
Youngsters between S1 and S3 whose family receive Scottish Child Payment (SCP) will be eligible for free school meals across eight local authorities come this August. The change will happen in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Fife, Moray, North Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Shetland and the Western Isles, following the latest expansion campaign by the Scottish Greens. READ MORE: What is there for Scotland in Rachel Reeves's Spending Review? What we know so far Ross Greer, Scottish Greens spokesperson for education, said: 'Thousands of young people will now get a free school meal through our pilot programme. Children can't learn if they are hungry and we know that free meals can have a transformative impact on their success at school. 'The Scottish Greens have always championed universal free school meals, and that is why we brought this proposal to the table during budget negotiations. It builds on our previous work to expand free school meals in P4-7, which is already helping tens of thousands of children. 'These eight areas are just the start. Green MSPs will now push for this programme to be expanded to every other council as soon as possible and eventually, for every pupil from early years right up to S6 to receive a free school meal.' READ MORE: 'First in Scotland': New 'free' store opens in Glasgow shopping centre Scottish Green MSPs previously secured the expansion of universal free school meals to P4 and P5 pupils, as well as the ongoing expansion to P6 and P7 pupils who receive the SCP. Figures from earlier this year showed that almost £3 million worth of school meal debt was written off in Scotland across 29 local authorities through a national fund, with Aberdeen benefiting the most with £400,000 of debt wiped by the fund.
The Herald Scotland
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow Council among eight to offer meals for S1-S3 pupils
The Scottish Greens have praised the announcement after securing funding for the trial in budget deliberations with the Scottish Government in February. Free school meals are currently offered to all pupils between P1 and P5, as well as students in P6 and P7 who receive the SCP. Last September, the government dropped plans to ensure universal free school meals for all primary aged pupils. Ross Greer of the Scottish Greens. (Image: PA) Scottish Greens education spokesperson Ross Greer MSP said: 'Thousands of young people will now get a free school meal through our pilot programme. Children can't learn if they are hungry and we know that free meals can have a transformative impact on their success at school. 'The Scottish Greens have always championed universal free school meals, and that is why we brought this proposal to the table during budget negotiations. It builds on our previous work to expand free school meals in P4-7, which is already helping tens of thousands of children. 'These eight areas are just the start. Green MSPs will now push for this programme to be expanded to every other council as soon as possible and eventually, for every pupil from early years right up to S6 to receive a free school meal.' Charities have previously heralded the expansion of the scheme. When the funding was secured in January, Stephanie Slater, Founder and Chief Executive at School Food Matters, said: 'We are encouraged to see the Scottish government continue to extend free school meals to secondary students who need it most. It continues to pave the way for what's possible in free school meal provision and we urge MPs in England to consider implementing these changes further south.'
The National
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Secondary pupils eligible for free meals under new plans
Youngsters between S1 and S3 whose family receive Scottish Child Payment (SCP) will be eligible for free school meals across eight local authorities come this August. The change will happen in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Fife, Moray, North Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Shetland and the Western Isles, following the latest expansion campaign by the Scottish Greens. READ MORE: What is there for Scotland in Rachel Reeves's Spending Review? What we know so far Ross Greer, Scottish Greens spokesperson for education, said: 'Thousands of young people will now get a free school meal through our pilot programme. Children can't learn if they are hungry and we know that free meals can have a transformative impact on their success at school. 'The Scottish Greens have always championed universal free school meals, and that is why we brought this proposal to the table during budget negotiations. It builds on our previous work to expand free school meals in P4-7, which is already helping tens of thousands of children. 'These eight areas are just the start. Green MSPs will now push for this programme to be expanded to every other council as soon as possible and eventually, for every pupil from early years right up to S6 to receive a free school meal.' READ MORE: 'First in Scotland': New 'free' store opens in Glasgow shopping centre Scottish Green MSPs previously secured the expansion of universal free school meals to P4 and P5 pupils, as well as the ongoing expansion to P6 and P7 pupils who receive the SCP. Figures from earlier this year showed that almost £3 million worth of school meal debt was written off in Scotland across 29 local authorities through a national fund, with Aberdeen benefiting the most with £400,000 of debt wiped by the fund.
