caltonjock

Introduction

Scotland’s Gaelic TV channel BBC Alba, attracts many more Scottish viewers than there are Gaelic speakers and the potential for growth is well recognized in the trade.

Independent programme makers in Scotland produce quality television for the station but in insufficient quantity to fully support the channel.

The channel broadcasts for around 7 hours daily and comprises a 70/30 split in favour of BBC content.

The BBC has a commitment to provide quality programmes and does this by raiding the extensive BBC archives searching for content from yesteryear which it broadcasts with increasing frequency.

The tactic allows the BBC to claim it is supporting the channel at great cost since it applies the current charge out rate for the old repeats.

Funding

Lack of finance has always been a major factor preventing expansion, a historical consequence of the Westminster government’s resistance to the creation of the channel despite being a signatory to the (1998) European Declaration on Minority Languages which committed the Westminster government to supporting Gaelic, Doric and Scots through funding and support of a broadcasting service.

At that time the Westminster government accepted a commitment to have a new channel, (fully funded by a Westminster government direct grant mirroring the Welsh SC4 model) up and running by 2003.

Alba first broadcast in 2008, soon after the minority SNP took up government at Holyrood.

The 10 year delay was attributed to resistance from the UK Treasury which refused to provide the  £100m plus budget similar to that already in place in support of the Welsh language channel.

The breakthrough was achieved by the SNP government who applied pressure forcing the Westminster government to increase the block grant by £10m.

The BBC committed to supporting the new channel and formed a joint venture partnership with the Gaelic Broadcasting Agency.

It also promised up to £4m of programming content.

Broadcasting on a shoestring the new channel proved to be a bit “hairy” in the first months, as it became evident it was hopelessly underfunded (SC4 the Welsh language channel had a Westminster financed operational budget of £110m).

The under-funding was corrected by the SNP government, which provided £10m, new money (without an increase in the block grant) and the BBC, responding to pressure from the SNP government increasing its programming support to £8m. Again charging current charge out rates for old progammes. Real worth probably nearer £2m.

Financing of the £110m SC4 Welsh channel was transferred to the BBC by the Westmnister government regularizing broadcasting finance. Nice one £110m to Wales and £4m to Scotland. Hardly fair to Scotland

Programming

Many more Scots non-Gaelic speakers than the targeted audience view the channel regularly, which is attributed to the creative programming of the Gaelic Broadcasting Agency and the broadcasting of “live” rugby, soccer and other niche sports.

The future

Scottish Government’s policy is:

“To encourage inward investment in film and television production in Scotland, and use our new overseas network to promote Scotland as a location for film and television production.

We plan to continue the existing fiscal incentives for such production, and, within the first term of an independent Scottish parliament, we propose to look at ways to encourage further development in the sector, through incentives, infrastructural investment and support for development, skills and training.”

The Westminster government can no longer claim to be supporting “Alba” and the BBC commitment to Scotland is pathetic in comparison with the £110m finance it provides to the SC4 channel.

The use of optional sub-titles is not yet a common feature, but increasing use of “streaming” programming coupled with additional funding, through the Scottish government should address the issue.

Programme content needs to be expanded and improved upon and can be achieved by the SNP government significantly increasing financial support and expansion of the remit of the Gaelic Broadcasting Agency to include the presentation of “live” news and current affairs programmes free from the influence of the BBC.

Phantom Power Films are one example. They produce excellent television standard films and these and others deserve to be viewed by a wider Scots audience.

The changes need to be put in place now to ensure Scots can be provided with information about their country free of the bias of the “Unionist” State media that has done so much harm to Scotland.

The impact of the 2007 Holyrood election of the SNP to government

The Holyrood election of 2007 elected an SNP minority government, turning on its head the weird and wonderful electoral system designed by the Unionist party’s with blocking mechanisms to ensure there would never be an SNP government.

To say there was panic in the Unionist ranks would be an understatement. Urgent and secret meetings were convened by the Westminster Unionist party’s at the highest level. with a remit to agree a joint response to the very real threat, (assuming a successful SNP government) of Scotland leaving the Union.

The outcome was, “The Calman Commission” a wide ranging group of Scottish based “intelligentsia” who would bring forward agreed proposals for change, increasing the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament, short of independence.

The SNP government declined the invitation to participate since the purpose of the party was to gain independence and this was not included in the remit of the group.

The Calman Commission

The Commission was established in March 2008, to be an independent review of the experience of Scottish devolution since 1998 and had the support of both the Unionist party’s at Westminster and Holyrood. It had the following terms of reference:

“To review the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 in the light of experience and to recommend any changes to the present constitutional arrangements that would enable the Scottish Parliament to serve the people of Scotland better, that would improve the financial accountability of the Scottish Parliament and that would continue to secure the position of Scotland within the United Kingdom.”

Calman & commission members

The Commission report

The commission produced it’s final report in Jun 2009 and the Lib/Dem coalition government brought forward final recommendations on 29 May 2010.

The contribution of Mundell (at Westminster) to the process (see below) was disloyal being totally at odds with that of Annabel Goldie, Leader of the Scottish Conservatives who actively participated in the work of the commission and was instrumental in bringing forward proposals.

His entirely negative diatribe exposed the true intentions of the Tory Party which was to wreck any agreement for change, as they did in 1979.

That the agreement did evolve into an acceptable White Paper in May 2010 was only possible due to the election of a coalition government which forced Mundell and his ilk to accept watered down proposals.

And Mundell was not appointed to the position of Scottish Secretary which reduced his influence over affairs.

Also of note is Carmichael’s comments which were rightly critical of Mundell’s unwelcome contribution to the debate.

Mundell’s behaviour should be set against his performance as Secretary of State for Scotland, from 2015. The most disingenuous person ever to have held the position.

The Calman Commission Report and Agreed Recommendations for Change – A debate in the House of Commons

Jim Murphy (Secretary of State for Scotland) Labour

Scots are proud of the Scottish Parliament and the way that it allows them to find what the late Donald Dewar called “Scottish solutions to Scottish problems”. While Britain brings strength to Scotland, Scotland brings breadth to Britain.

The White Paper that we are publishing today takes forward the recommendations from the final report of the Commission on Scottish Devolution.

On 15 June this year, I welcomed the commission’s report on behalf of the Government. I pledged to take the recommendations forward, with consensus and momentum. That is why we established a cross-party steering group.

I thank representatives of the Labour party, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservative party in the House of Commons and in the Scottish Parliament for working together on that group.

The commission concluded that devolution has been a “remarkable and substantial success”. It brings government closer to the people of Scotland and secures Scotland’s position within the United Kingdom.

In order to refresh the settlement, the commission made recommendations in three distinct areas:

1. That closer working was needed between the UK Parliament and the Scottish Parliament and between the UK Government and the Scottish Government.

2. That a new, more accountable means of financing devolved spending in Scotland was needed, to strengthen the financial accountability of the Scottish Parliament.

3. That while the division of responsibilities between the UK Parliament and the Scottish Parliament works well, some changes could be made in both directions to further strengthen the devolution settlement.

The Government agrees with the commission’s conclusions, which were based on a wealth of evidence.

Responding – David Mundell, the lone Scottish Tory MP at Westminster

I thank the Secretary of State for his statement, for the advance notice of it and for the extent to which both he and his predecessor have engaged with fellow Unionist politicians in Scotland during the Calman process.

The Conservatives fully supported the setting up of the commission and have played a full part in its work and (mindful of the under-noted questions) I look forward to reading the White Paper.  But:

1. Does the Secretary of State concede that the timing of it so near an election inevitably means that the issue will have to be revisited by the next Government?

2. Does he acknowledge that his Government’s White Paper will not bind any incoming Conservative Government?

“Conservatives accept that the Scottish Parliament needs to be more financially accountable, that the devolution settlement needs to be tidied up and that Westminster and Holyrood need to start working constructively together for the good of Scotland and Britain, but we will ensure those things through our own White Paper, not this Government’s proposals launched in the dying days of this Parliament.”

3. Will the Secretary of State welcome that commitment and undertake to continue in the spirit of Calman, on the basis of consensus and momentum, regardless of who is in government, and resist the temptation to play party politics with such an important issue as Scotland’s constitution?

4. Will the Secretary of State acknowledge that the guiding principle in deliberations on the Calman process has been, and must continue to be, securing Scotland’s position within the United Kingdom?

5. Is he as heartened as I am by recent polling in Scotland that demonstrates that there is very little support for separatism and an independence referendum?

6. Does he accept Sir Kenneth Calman’s view that the establishment of better working relationships between the British Government and the Scottish Government and between the Parliaments here and at Holyrood must be in place to underpin every other recommendation in his report?

7. Given that most of the measures to improve relationships do not require any legislation, can he tell us what he will do to re-establish the good will between Westminster and Holyrood, which appears to have ebbed away?

8. Whatever differences we may have with the Labour Government about how to take forward the Calman recommendations, may I invite the Secretary of State to agree with me that they are as nothing compared with the divide between us and the Scottish National party?

9. We are Unionists; they are separatists. We are in the mainstream of the constitutional debate; they are on the extreme. However, does the Secretary of State also agree that there are no grounds for complacency?

10.The Calman commission contrasts markedly with the so-called “national conversation”, whose main participants appear to be insomniac cyber-nats. Is it not the case that the First Minister of Scotland’s publicly funded, self-indulgent chit-chat will not survive?

Alistair Carmichael- For the Liberal Democrats.

I, too, thank the Secretary of State for his statement and for advance sight of it prior to coming to the Chamber.

I also place on record my party’s gratitude to Sir Kenneth Calman and the members of his commission for their very substantive and substantial piece of work.

On the substance of the White Paper and the Secretary of State’s statement, I am completely in support of the Government’s position, which is of practical as well as constitutional significance.

However, I must ask the Secretary of State what his White Paper really adds to the process apart from further delaying implementation when there is consensus, and giving the Conservatives an opportunity for the sort of backsliding that we have just seen from Mr Mundell.

I listened to the hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell) speaking about producing another White Paper the other side of a general election, and I could almost hear the ghost of Sir Alec Douglas-Home speaking prior to the 1979 referendum.

He also promised that we would get something better from the Conservatives, but they betrayed us after the 1979 election, and they would betray us again tomorrow given half a chance which, fortunately, they are unlikely to get.

May I also remind the Secretary of State that Calman was established because we wanted to make the UK work better?

In order to do that, we must now move forward with the work that Calman acknowledged needed to be done, and we must find a needs-based formula to replace the Barnett formula.

When will the Secretary of State and the Government understand that serious threats to the future of the Union, which exist, can come from the south as well as the north of the border?

Comment

Carmichael was astute in his statement, giving warning of the wilful intent of Mundell and the Tory Party to yet again betray Scotland so that they would be able to retain power at Westminster.

The disgraceful behaviour of Mundell, undermining the contribution to the commission report of Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Tory Party Leader and then plotting against her bringing about her removal from office, and replacement with the MI5 supported Ruth Davidson is truly reprehensible.

https://caltonjock.com/2018/05/27/scottish-secretary-of-state-david-mundell-mp-clueless-bunch-of-no-hoper-tory-msps-still-in-place-despite-purge-indicative-of-a-dearth-of-tory-political-talent/

Post Brexit the Tory Party Will Continue to Govern Scotland With Mutual Respect

David Mundell, (affectionately known as “Fluffy”) will remain in office as Scottish Secretary.

He is an accredited mediator in “Alternative Dispute Resolution”, which has proved to be a useful tool in his successful time in office.

The “Barnett Formula” is a red rag to the Tory Party and a majority want it scrapped, and it will be..

The Tory’s firmly believe that Scots are, “subsidy junkies”, and they intend to further reduce public spending in Scotland.

This will be achieved through the implementation of recommendations resultant of a needs-based assessment, which will form the basis of a new funding system for the nations and regions of the United Kingdom.

Legislation, “English Votes for English Laws”, another aspect of Tory governance, (introduced in 2015), will further advance the already strained relationship between England and Scotland since it will increasingly disenfranchise Scottish MP’s at Westminster.

But a senior Tory gave a solemn promise that:

“the Scottish Parliament is a fact and it will remain in place, and it will be able to legislate and implement policies for the newly reduced devolved responsibilities. A Tory government will not interfere with that. It will continue to govern Scotland with respect. Scots will see that and that will consolidate our support in the medium to longer term”.

The Tory and Labour Party’s will also continue to “sing” from the same constitutional hymn sheet acutely aware that the Nationalists are the main enemy of the “Union”.

Judith Mackinnon – Authoritative Figure Addressing Mental Health and Wellbeing

2005 – 2015: Judith was the Director for HR and National Programmes for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), for 9 years.

She introduced “The Managing Mental Health at Work Strategy” for the 800 strong workforces, as well as promoting it and other support to external organizations and employers.

She also had responsibility for developing and leading the national programmes for Suicide Prevention; Anti-bullying and Sport and Physical Activity.

05 Apr 2016: Living In The Shadow Of Suicide

Scotland has the highest suicide rate in the UK, and every day two people take their own lives.

But behind these statistics, there are hidden stories. The Scottish Association for Mental Health — SAMH — raises awareness and supports those affected by suicide, which still carries a baffling stigma. They are launching a programme for suicide prevention with a national network of support.

SAMH director Judith McKinnon said: “When someone dies by suicide, family, friends and communities deal with the aftermath. It’s always a deeply painful experience. People who survive suicide attempts also struggle to rebuild their lives.

We want to involve communities across Scotland in providing this support and prevent suicide through training and awareness-raising for the general public.” (The Sun)

30 Dec 2010: Judith McKinnon, Director of Human Resources at SAMH, talks about mental health, employment, stigma and discrimination.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShlCfgw8HBQ)

30 Jan 2011: Judith Mackinnon: Member of The Scottish Government National Suicide and Self Harm Monitoring and Implementation Group.

Judith Mackinnon

Employed by Scottish Government from Jun 2017 as “Head of People Advice”, presumably with added responsibility for developing and leading national programmes for Suicide Prevention; Anti-bullying and Sport and Physical Activity.

15 Aug 2018: Government worker found taped to a chair and gagged loses bullying and harassment case

A fisheries officer who claimed she was bound-and-gagged to a chair by colleagues has had her allegations of bullying and harassment thrown out.

An employment tribunal, which sat in Aberdeen for two days in June, rejected DeeAnn Fitzpatrick’s claims she was mocked and targeted in a campaign of sexist harassment by colleagues.

The 49-year-old Canadian insisted there was a racist and misogynistic culture within Government agency Marine Scotland while she worked at their Scrabster office.

In an earlier hearing, DeeAnn alleged she was taped to a chair and gagged by colleagues in 2010. She produced a photograph which appeared to back up her claims.

Although that evidence was time-barred the tribunal went ahead and heard how DeeAnn was bombarded with fake Valentine’s day and birthday cards she believed came from male colleagues.

A message in one called her an “old troll” and another warned her about trying to “climb the ladder of success”.

DeeAnn told the tribunal the harassment was so bad she considered taking her own life and contacted an assisted suicide clinic.

She told the tribunal: “When I first started getting the cards, it made me feel awful. But as they continued, yes it’s affected my self-esteem. It’s actually made me become a recluse – I stay at home, I have gone more into myself. With everything going on, I contacted Dignitas in Switzerland. I had enough.”

DeeAnn, who has worked for Marine Scotland since 2006, was struggling to grasp the tribunal’s verdict that nothing was wrong.

She said: “It is difficult when you spend your entire career fighting racism, misogyny and bullies. Then to make matters worse when you report the incidents, you are the one that is being targeted by an ongoing campaign by senior management because you exposed what they have worked very hard to hide.”

The Scottish Government put up one witness, Judith MacKinnon, their head of people advice, who has over 25 years experience in human resources.

MacKinnon, who took up the job last year (2017) said those who dealt with DeeAnn’s complaints were too scared to appear because of the intense media interest.

But she backed the decisions taken by junior staff who found insufficient evidence to back up DeeAnn’s suspicions about the letters.

However, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs she was “absolutely horrified” when shown the photo of DeeAnn allegedly taped to a chair and gagged.

She has ordered a top civil servant to conduct a full review of the circumstances and report to her personally.

DeeAnn’s sister-in-law Sherry said: “The Fitzpatrick family are hugely disappointed with the result of the tribunal.

However, this was not unexpected given the decision was made prior to the employment tribunal by the previous judge not to look at the restraint and other behaviors over a decade that our sister suffered while working in the Scrabster Fishery office.

The tribunal did, however, highlight that the human resources department should have been more proactive in dealing with the matter by launching an investigation, questioning staff and reminding staff that such matters might be regarded as being grounds for disciplinary action.

Not only the judges on the tribunal panel but us as DeeAnn’s family found it astonishing that the Scottish Government’s disciplinary policy allows employees the right to remain silent and they need not answer questions that may incriminate them.

What is far more important now is that the Scottish Government delivers a safe workplace for DeeAnn and other employees. Thank you to everyone for their continuing support and this is not the end of it.”

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/government-worker-found-taped-chair-13087825

Comment:

In noting Nicola Sturgeon was “absolutely horrified” when she was shown a photograph of DeeAnn taped to a chair and gagged and that she had ordered a top civil servant to conduct a full review and report back to her personally.

It would surely be inappropriate to appoint her Permanent Secretary or “Head of People Advice” who represented the government at the tribunal and supported decisions taken by local managers of LeeAnn.

To successfully defend the indefensible requires a great deal of skill and the system excelled in this regard.

But the final word goes to the relative who said, “thank you to everyone for their continuing support and this is not the end of it.”

The great Hank Williams is singing “Cold Cold Heart” in the background as I compile this. Appropriate in the circumstances.

Judith Mackinnon

Personal Details:

Born Judith Kerr, Kilwinning 1967.

1990-1992: BA Personnel Management, Glasgow Polytechnic.

1993-2003: Married and divorced Anthony Chalmers.

2004-2019 (Current): Married ex Rangers soccer player – David (Skippy) Mackinnon.

2004-2019 (Current): Director: Mackinnon & Partners 50/50, with husband David Mackinnon – 2003 – Current – Business and Sports Development – family business – 2 people.

Remunerated Employment:

2000-2001 (9 months): Director: Punch Taverns – public house chain – short term appointment.

2002-2003 (6 months): Director: Aortech Biomaterials – Glasgow based medical (cardio-vascular) device maker – introduced a revolutionary medical device to the healthcare environment at the start of 2000 – at its peak valued at £400m – failed to attract badly needed investment finance to remain operational – folded in 2004 – short term employment!

2005-2014 (9 years): Director – Human Resources & National Programmes – The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) – introduced a “Managing Mental Health” at Work strategy for the workforce – promoted the Association to external organizations and employers – developed and led National Programmes for Suicide Prevention – anti-bullying – Sport and Physical Activity.

2015-2017: (2 years): Head of HR Governance for the Scottish Police Authority – oversees Police Scotland People and Development – provides assurance to the Authority that they are a responsible employer – builds a sustainable organization.

January 2017: Scottish Police Authority Complaints Audit – criticized over handling of complaints

The body that oversees Scotland’s troubled national police force has repeatedly failed to deal properly with complaints.

The most common concern raised by senior officers was their perceived lack of transparency, clarity and lack of communication surrounding the SPA complaints investigation processes.

They also expressed grave concerns about the length of time taken by the SPA to deal with complaints and to undertake preliminary assessments in misconduct allegations.

The audit further identified that the level of communication by the SPA with senior officers was inconsistent. In some instances, subject officers had been invited to address the allegation/complaint but in others, an invitation had not been extended.

In a number of cases, the SPA did not notify the subject officers about the complaints and the first that the officers became aware of the complaints made about them was through media coverage with result that there is a significant lack of confidence in the SPA’s complaints processes.

Notes:

1. Misconduct Regulations state that the subject officer must receive immediate formal notification of the misconduct allegation once it has been determined that an investigation is required and an investigator has been appointed, so that the subject officer is provided with the opportunity to address it if it is their wish.

This was denied to Alex Salmond and the decision to appoint an “investigating office” should not have been taken by Evans on her own!!!!

2. The audit report concluded that there were a “number of deficiencies” in the SPA’s handling of complaints between April 2015 and March 2017. (https://pirc.scot/media/4447/spa-audit-report-2017.pdf)

4. Susan Deacon, (SPA chair), said the report identified a “number of important areas” requiring the authority’s attention. And it was essential that the SPA systems and practices were robust and worked effectively to maintain public confidence and trust.

5. Addressing the concerns of senior officers, procedures would be revised requiring more than one “deciding” officer to ensure key decisions were taken ensuring a better oversight of the complaints process.

Jul 2017: Mackinnon left her post in July 2017 to take up employment in the newly created post as Head of People Advice for The Scottish Government

The Alex Salmond debacle occurred within 6 months of her appointment. But another incident is worthy of comment:

Nov 2018: A Government review into an incident which saw a Scottish Government employee bound and gagged on an office chair has concluded that ‘disciplinary procedures’ were followed.

DeeAnn Fitzpatrick worked as a fisheries officer for Marine Scotland and claimed to have been subjected to years of bullying and sexist harassment from colleagues. In May 2018 a picture of her taped to a chair, (said to have been taken in 2010), was published by a number of media outlets.

The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was horrified by the picture and ordered Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans to carry out a review into what happened.

Evans published a statement regarding her review into the circumstances surrounding the chair incident and was “satisfied” disciplinary procedures had been followed.

She stated: “Earlier this year I was asked by the First Minister to carry out a full review into the circumstances surrounding an image of a Marine Scotland employee taped to a chair. I am clear that this was completely unacceptable, whatever the circumstances.

A comprehensive internal review has now concluded. The Scottish Government has robust disciplinary procedures to address behaviour that falls below expected standards and I am satisfied that these have been followed thoroughly and objectively in relation to this incident.

A broad set of actions are underway in Marine Scotland to ensure a working environment which meets both the Civil Service Code and Scottish Government Standards of Behaviour.

I do not normally comment publicly on staffing matters but I am issuing this short statement to update the public record given the previous parliamentary and wider interest in this issue. My unwavering commitment to ensuring a positive workplace for all employees in the Scottish Government remains.”

Notes:

1. In August 2018, DeeAnn’s claims of bullying and harassment were rejected by an employment tribunal on the basis that the photograph of her taped to a chair was considered time-barred in terms of the proceedings.

2. DeeAnn was devastated when the employment tribunal rejected her claims.  She said she had been bombarded with fake Valentines day and birthday cards she believed came from male colleagues.

3. She also told the tribunal the harassment was so bad she had considered taking her own life and contacted an assisted suicide clinic.

4. Judith MacKinnon, Head of People Advice for The Scottish Government, who spoke for the government at the tribunal, supported decisions taken by junior staff (who failed to attend the hearing to give evidence claiming they had been scared off because of the intense media interest) who had found insufficient evidence to back up DeeAnn’s suspicions about the unsolicited cards.

5. DeeAnn’s sister-in-law said: “The Fitzpatrick family are hugely disappointed with the result of the tribunal. However this was not unexpected given the decision was made prior to the employment tribunal by the previous judge not to look at the restraint and other behaviours over a decade that our sister suffered while working in the Scrabster Fishery office.

The tribunal did however highlight that the human resources department should have been more proactive in dealing with the matter by launching an investigation, questioning staff and reminding staff that such matters might be regarded as being grounds for disciplinary action.

The judges on the tribunal panel and DeeAnn’s family find it astonishing that the Scottish Government’s disciplinary policy allows employees the right to remain silent and they need not answer questions that may incriminate them.

What is far more important now is that the Scottish Government delivers a safe work place for DeeAnn and other employees. Thank you to everyone for their continuing support and this is not the end of it.”

(https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/bullying-review-scots-civil-servant-13558314)

Comment:

A very sad outcome to a clear case of bullying,  in consideration of Mackinnon’s nine year employment with The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) where she compiled and introduced a ” National (Scotland) Programme for Suicide Prevention and Anti-Bullying.”

Other Commitments Not Directly related to Main Employment

(Currently): Chair of “The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development” (CIPD) – West of Scotland branch – a registered charity – established to promote the art and science of the management and development of people for public benefit – effectively a large networking body of persons with a bent for personnel management – 10,000 members in Scotland – organizes wide range of courses and events all directed to providing individuals with professional qualifications.

(https://www.cipd.co.uk/learn/branches/west-scotland). Remuneration?

(Currently): Chair of “Venture Scotland” – Charitable organization – governed by a voluntary Board of six Trustees – meets as a whole a minimum of four times a year – contributes to sub groups and committees in support the overall governance of the charity. Voluntary?

(Currently): Edinburgh Coaching Academy – leading provider of quality coaching – partnership of well-established coaches in personnel management with successful track records in delivering quality coaching to organizations and individuals. Seven partners – Alison Denton, Diane Peebles, Joanne Kerr, Judith Mackinnon, Colby Adams, Monica Merson, Jo Thomas – No men!

(https://edinburghcoachingacademy.com/the-team/) Remuneration?

HR Network

(Currently): Hr NETWORK – Human resource and people development – access to Scotland’s most influential human resource and business professionals across all sectors in Scotland.

(https://www.hrnetworkjobs.com/judith-mackinnon) – Remunerated?

Nov 2011: Depleted Uranium – Kirkcubright – Cancer and Birth Defects

A summary of early government papers covering the period 1973 to 1977 was released by The National Archive. The exchanges showed there was knowledge about potential persistent contamination from Depleted Uranium dust. But what also emerged was the manoeuvring by the Westminster government and MOD to keep the firings secret from the Scots and the contempt with which the public was held.

Full Article here: http://theseacannotbedepleted.net/article/penetroy/

2013: MoD Dodge Ban and Dump Depleted Uranium Shells Into Scottish Waters

The MoD used a legal loophole to fire thousands of depleted uranium shells into Scottish waters.  Military bosses dodged an international ban by saying the 30 tons of radioactive waste had been “placed” not “dumped” off the beach in Kirkcudbrightshire. Outraged campaigners called on them to retrieve the toxic waste.

A spokesperson for the “Campaign Against Depleted Uranium”, said: “The Scottish public will struggle to understand how the MoD thought they could evade their legal and moral responsibility not to pollute the sea by calling this a ‘placement’. Whatever they name their firing programme, the fact remains they have purposefully released nuclear waste into the Solway Firth.”

The toxic rounds end up in the water when tanks at a military range at Dundrennan fire shells at canvas targets on the cliffs.

Minutes of secret MoD meetings released after a Freedom of Information request show an official raised concerns in 2004 that the practice could breach the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic.

He was told the MoD’s interpretation was that “the projectiles were placements not dumping”. The convention states dumping doesn’t include “placement of matter for a purpose other than the mere disposal thereof”.

Depleted uranium is linked to increases in cancers and birth defects in Serbia, Iraq and Syria. The MoD fired more than 6700 of the toxic shells into the Solway Firth over the last 30 years.

Full Article here: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/mod-dodge-ban-dump-nuclear-1759193

2014: Scottish Independence and The UK’s Depleted Uranium Weapons

In the late 70s, the UK MoD was busy massaging ministerial approval for its plans for a controversial DU firing range in South West Scotland. The site, near Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway, had been selected after other areas that could have provided open range firing were deemed politically unacceptable.

The Scottish Office was nervous. In a strongly worded memorandum a civil servant, who had been busy trying to mitigate public opposition to a nuclear power station in the area noted that: “The allegation that Scotland has been made a “nuclear dustbin” is receiving a good deal of publicity in the press”. The plans went ahead regardless.

From Dundrennan to Dalgety Bay (where former Prime Minister and No campaigner Gordon Brown had been campaigning for a clean-up), the MoD’s actions over the years have only helped reinforce the nuclear dustbin claim.

The Dundrennan range is one of two main UK DU ranges. Both are situated on the shores of the Solway Firth, which separates Dumfries and Galloway from the English Lake District and Cumbria.

On the English side, Eskmeals was used for testing the penetration of DU rounds. Poor management of the fumes created by firing resulted in DU particles being found six kilometres away in the village of Milom.

Across the Solway, Dundrennan has been used for assessing the accuracy and range of the UK’s 120mm DU tank rounds.

Since 1982, more than 6000 rounds have been fired from the cliffs into the Solway, equating to 31 tonnes of DU.

Following developmental testing, the UK’s CHARM3 tank rounds require additional testing every five years; this is to guarantee that the explosive propellant functions as intended. This has ensured a regular cycle of firing and local and national opposition.

The UK Campaign Against Depleted Uranium CADU) has been a leading voice against the tests. Indeed the only thing to disrupt this cyclical process has been the Scottish independence referendum.

Last year, in what can only be described as a U-turn, the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, advised the MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, that the MoD would not fire DU as part of the current Life Extension Programme. This unprecedented decision flew in the face of the historical ammunition management cycle.

The Local Scottish National Party (SNP) MSP said: “There’s no question that this is a clear U-turn on the part of the UK government. Until now they have only ever been willing to say there are no current plans to test-fire DU munitions.

The concerted efforts of the Campaign Against Depleted Uranium have obtained the clearest statement to date that there are in fact no plans to test fire DU shells at all during the current, planned life extension programme of the munitions.” Adding: “Although this is a step forward, the campaign must continue until there is a clear guarantee that there will be no more test firing of DU shells in Scotland at any point in the future.”

The MoD has said nothing that would guarantee an end to test-firing, hiding behind the phrase ‘no plans to test fire’. However, the current Scottish government took steps to claw back some control over radioactive emissions at MoD sites in Scotland.

As defence matters are retained by Westminster under the current political settlement, the Scottish government and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) had limited powers to oppose tests.

However, in March this year, and after a scandal concerning a radiation leak at the Vulcan test reactor at Dounreay, the SNP government moved to remove the Crown Exemption from MoD sites.

This gave more control to SEPA over emissions and licensing, where previously there had only been a weak memorandum of understanding over access and oversight.

In theory, this shift permitted the Scottish government a greater say over any plans for renewed testing at Dundrennan, particularly as the dumping of DU in the Solway may be a breach of the OSPAR Convention – an environmental law designed to protect the north Atlantic marine environment from toxic waste.

Future headaches

The SNP, which passed a conference motion supporting a ban on DU in 2011, is on record as being opposed to any further DU test firing in Scotland:

“The SNP is committed to ending the use of DU shells, and has supported local, national and international campaigns on the issue as well as raising the matter in the Westminster parliament. It seems possible that a future independent Scotland would oppose any further DU testing.

Scottish independence would also require that another question be resolved – that of liability for the environmental clean-up of sites such as Dundrennan and Dalgety Bay: a not insignificant sum of money and a process beset by the risk of setting dangerous precedents.

Full Article here: https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/09/16/scottish-independence-and-the-uks-depleted-uranium-weapons/

2016: UK Sending Nuclear Waste To The USA – A Dangerous and Unwise Move

700kg of highly enriched (weapons grade) uranium (stored at the Dounreay Storage Facility in Scotland) will be sent to the US. The decision to move the radioactive waste out of the UK was presented by David Cameron as making it harder for nuclear materials to get into the hands of terrorists, but this is utter tosh.

The UK is well capable of managing homegrown highly enriched uranium itself. And the plans contradict the principle that countries are responsible for managing their own nuclear legacy……. The enriched uranium has the potential to harm human health for tens of thousands of years into the future and raises profound ethical issues of equity between generations.

Full Article here: https://nuclear-news.net/2016/04/06/uk-sending-nuclear-wastes-to-america-dangerous-and-unwise/

2016: Rocketing Cancer Toll in Serbia From The Use Of Depleted Uranium Weapons

The use of depleted uranium during NATO bombing of Serbia has caused long-term damage to Serbia and the Serbian people.

In Kosovska in 2011 there were 185 new cases and in the year following numbers of new cases increased to 225 and in 2013 the figure was 250.

Forecasts projected in 2002, that the use of depleted uranium during the aggression of Western military alliance against Serbia would cause an epidemic of malignant diseases, turned out to be accurate.

A medical Consultant Cardiologist employed in Serbia said: “those who used the depleted uranium had to know the consequences.

We should also remember Italy, which revealed that Italian soldiers, deployed to Kosovo, had been irradiated and that the increased number of hematological diseases contracted by them was a direct consequence of the use of depleted uranium ammunition.”

Full Article Here: https://nuclear-news.net/2016/04/20/cancer-toll-in-serbia-from-natos-use-of-depleted-uranium-weapons/

2016: Radiation Effects of Depleted Uranium Continue To Bring Disease And Death In Iraq

Desert Storm 1991

Cancers in Fallujah (pop. 300,000) catapulted from 40 cases among 100,000 people in 1991 to at least 1,600 by 2005 making it the most contaminated city in Iraq

In 2010 a International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health article reported a 38-fold increase in leukemia, a 10-fold increase in breast cancer, and infant mortality rates eight times higher than in neighboring Kuwait.

The hair of Fallujah women with deformed babies was sampled and found to contain enriched uranium.

It is little known that for the past 25 years, the United States and the UK have routinely used radioactive weapons in battle, in the form of warheads and explosives made with depleted, undepleted, or slightly enriched uranium.

The military categorizes the weapons as “conventional non-nuclear”, but they are they are highly radioactive and chemically toxic.

In Iraq, where the United States and its NATO partners waged two recent wars, toxic waste covers the country and poisons the people and NATO military personnel alike.

A former Marine Corps officer and United Nations weapons inspector, said, “The irony is we invaded Iraq in 2003 to destroy its non-existent WMD (weapons of mass destruction). To do it, we fired these new weapons, causing radioactive casualties.”

The weapons were first used in 1991 during “Desert Storm”, when the Nato forces fired guided bombs and missiles containing depleted uranium (DU), blasting through tanks and bunkers with a density, speed, and heat, never before seen.

It is estimated that between 315 and 350 tons of DU were used in the 1991 Gulf War.

A spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO) Center of Environment and Health, responding to a marked increase of babies born with grotesque birth defects, such as two heads, or missing eyes, hands, and legs, Or stomachs and brains, inside out, explained:

“When uranium weapons explode, their massive blasts produce gray or black clouds of uranium oxide dust particles. These float for miles, people breathe them, and the dust lodges in their lungs. From there, they seep into the lymph system and blood, flow throughout the body, and bind to the genes and chromosomes, causing them to mutate. First, they trigger birth defects. Within five or more years, cancer. Organs, often the kidneys, fail.

At one Basra hospital, leukemia cases in children up to age 14 doubled from 1992 to 1999. Birth defects also surged, from 37 in 1990 to 254 in 2001, according to a 2005 article in Environmental Health.

Leukemia—cancer of the blood—develops quickly. A British chemical physicist, explained: “Blood cells are the most easily damaged by radiation and duplicate rapidly. We’ve known this since Hiroshima.”

An independent weapons researcher in Britain, said the dust emitted alpha radiation 20 times more damaging than the gamma radiation from nuclear weapons. The military insisted the dust was harmless because it was not able to penetrate the skin. But they ignore the fact that is can be ingested.

Iraq Invasion 2003

Fast forward to 2003, when the United States and the UK once again invaded Iraq, launching bunker-busting guided bombs, cruise missiles, and TOW anti-tank missiles.

It also fired new thermobaric warheads, much stronger explosives with stunningly large blasts. Much of this weaponry contained some type of uranium, whether depleted, undepleted, or slightly enriched. The new Thermobaric weapons exploded at extremely high temperatures. The only material that can achieve this is uranium. Iraq has been left as a large hazardous waste site,

Fallujah is Iraq’s most contaminated city. The U.S. military attacked it twice in 2004, and in the November siege, troops fired a large number of thermobaric weapons, including a shoulder-launched missile called the SMAW-NE. (NE means “novel explosive.”) The soldiers thought it was wonderful, raving about how one round could destroy a building. Concrete bunkers were instantly incinerated and collapsed.

Burn Pits and Toxic clouds

In addition to the weapons’ lethal dust, Iraqis and NATO troops were exposed to poisonous smoke from huge open burn pits, some stretching 10 acres in size.

From 2003 to 2011, U.S. military bases burned waste in the pits around the clock—spewing toxic clouds for miles.

Two pits were located near to Fallujah.  A NATO soldier said: “We dumped everything into the pits. Plastic bottles, tyres, human waste, batteries, oil, solvents, unexploded weapons, and even medical waste. The Balad Air Base pit, burned around 90,000 plastic bottles every day. When plastic burns, it gives off dioxin—the key ingredient in Agent Orange….

Health Implications of Exposure to Depleted Uranium

Human epidemiological evidence identified an increased risk of birth defects in the offspring of persons exposed to DU.

A 2001 study of 15,000 U.S. Gulf War (1991) combat veterans and 15,000 control veterans found that the Gulf War veterans were 1.8 (fathers) to 2.8 (mothers) times as likely to have children with birth defects.

After examination of children’s medical records two years later, the birth defect rate increased by more than 20%.

In early 2004, the UK Pensions Appeal Tribunal Service attributed birth defect claims from a February 1991 Gulf War combat veteran to depleted uranium poisoning.

The risk of children of UK Gulf War veterans suffering genetic diseases such as congenital malformations, commonly called “birth defects”, found that the overall risk of any malformation was 50% higher in Gulf War veterans as compared to other veterans.

Full report here: https://nuclear-news.net/2016/04/11/radiation-effects-of-depleted-uranium-continue-to-bring-disease-and-death-in-iraq/

2016: Southern Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia Permanently Polluted With Depleted Uranium

Iraq was the fertile crescent of antiquity, the vast area that fed the entire Middle East and Mediterranean, and introduced grains to the world.

It was Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, which propelled humanity forward with its invention of writing, domestication of animals and settled life.

Now its groundwater and soil store the radioactivity of 630 tons of depleted uranium weapons. The waste that has been thrown onto civilian targets has permanent consequences.

It pollutes southern Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia with uranium oxide dust that spreads as far as 26 miles, blowing with sand, weathering into water.

Uranium 238, with a half life 4 ½ billion years, lies on the region in the scattered tons of wreckage. Contamination is permanent. Its radiological and chemical toxicity exposes the population to continuous alpha radiation that is breathed into lungs, absorbed through the skin, touched by the unwashed hands of kids who roam the scrap metal yards for parts to sell to help their families.

Full Article here: https://nuclear-news.net/2018/05/02/southern-iraq-kuwait-and-saudi-arabia-permanently-polluted-with-depleted-uranium/

Our Lips Are Sealed – British Media Silent About Radiation Effects on The Iraqi People

Britain also used uranium weapons but denied there were any adverse lasting effects. So too did the WHO and the Iraq Ministry of Health, which concluded in 2012 that Iraq had fewer birth defects and cancers than developed countries.

But investigations into the conduct of the studies revealed that the Iraq Ministry of Health had surveyed households instead of hospital records. The findings were useless and a Lancet article called for a new study. Another report has not yet been completed.

But the American Public Health Association asked the US military to ban burn pits and to fund research on their health effects. It also asked the WHO to rethink its conclusion.

Researchers tell of attempts by authorities to quash investigations. In 1991, for example, the United States tried to keep the WHO from “surveying areas in southern Iraq where depleted uranium had been used and caused serious health and environmental dangers.”

A British oncologist who headed WHO’s cancer program in the 1990s, advised that his supervisor (who focused on non-communicable diseases) warned that they shouldn’t speak publicly about the cancers and birth defects, “because this would offend member states.”

Why Wont They Admit Liability?

NATO does not want the public to know about toxic dust, because of the liability. As for Iraq, it will conform with the wishes of the country that it is dependent on for financial and military support.

But despite the denials there is a growing international concern about uranium weapons, since they’re radioactive.

As predicted in 1991 by Lt. Col. Ziehm (US-Army) who warned in a memo that because DU weapons “may become politically unacceptable,” after-action reports must “keep this sensitive issue at mind.” In other words, don’t tell.

Media coverage of uranium weapons and the spiraling sickness has been scant. Newspapers refused to carry information and a BBC reporter said, “the public does not want to know about uranium weapons.”

In the meantime, NATO continues to build and sell them to anyone with the necessary finance. Lockheed Martin and Raytheon hold patents for enhanced bombs and cruise missile warheads that include uranium options.

Today, with the U.S., Britain, France and Saudi Arabia bombing Syria, and with the Saudis bombing Yemen, (with UK assistance) and the U.S. firing drones into Yemen, with some of the same weapons unleashed in Iraq it is likely that the people living there, along with huge numbers of refugees, will suffer the same trajic fate as the Serbs, Iraqis, Syrians, Lybians and NATO veterans.

Uranium oxide dust is like a bomb that keeps going off. “People’s genes are damaged for generations. Scientists found this in 22 generations of mice, after Chernobyl. The only way mutated genes disappear is when carriers don’t have children.”

Full Article Here: https://nuclear-news.net/2018/03/19/iraq-is-left-with-long-term-toxic-legacy-of-usas-use-of-depleted-uranium-weapons/

Coulport

28 Nov 2018: Marked Increase in Safety Incidents Aboard UK Atomic Submarines

A recent report released by the MOD lists around 259 safety incidents on Trident submarines, and 246 on other nuclear-power but conventionally armed hunter-killer submarines, in the past 12 years (including near-misses, equipment failures, human error or procedural failings) and the number of incidents is growing.

23 incidents had high potential for releasing radioactive elements, posing a potentially a serious health and contamination risk which was fortunately averted.

It is of increasing concern that 30% of the 12 year total had been added in the last 2 years. So instead of getting safer, the situation has gotten more dangerous. The MOD has downplayed the risks but so long as these weapons are maintained the danger of a more serious and potentially catastrophic accident remains.

Arthur West, chair of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, highlighted that there are many who are against the deployment of nuclear weapons.

He said: “The majority of Scottish politicians are opposed to nuclear weapons and the public are increasingly aware that the risks involved in maintaining Britain’s nuclear arsenal heavily outweigh any perceived security advantages that Britain might gain.”

Full article: https://sputniknews.com/europe/201811191069938994-trident-nuclear-near-misses/

Comment: The health and safety record at Coulport and Faslane is appalling but there is sod all the Scottish government, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) or local authorities can do to bring about any improvement since devolved environmental laws exclude MOD sites such as Coulport and the neighbouring nuclear submarine base at Faslane.

A representative of the Scottish government described the MOD waste failings as “deeply worrying” and raised the question, “are these incidents a result of negligence or is the MOD willfully cutting corners placing public health and our environment at risk”? He also called for the MOD to be made accountable to the Scottish Government for the environmental impact of its operations in Scotland.

30th Dec 2018: MoD’s Secret Plan To Dump 22 Nuclear Submarines In Scotland

The UK Government secretly planned to dump the radioactive hulks of 22 nuclear submarines in the sea off north west Scotland, documents released by the National Archives reveal.

A survey for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 1989 identified six sites for “seabed storage” of defunct naval submarines near the islands of Skye, Mull and Barra for up to 60 years – and probably longer.

Detailed and highly confidential MoD studies concluded the plan was “feasible” and would “obviate the international problems which we would face were we to dispose of these vessels in international waters.”

One MoD official said the aim was “to remove submarines from public view”. Another hoped that “everyone will forget about these submarines and that they will be allowed to quietly rot away indefinitely.”

Full Article: https://www.thenational.scot/news/17325734.revealed-mods-secret-plan-to-dump-22-nuclear-submarines-in-scotland/?ref=twtrec

Comment: The plan was shelved but not abandoned. They will be back with another plan which will include Scotland as the favoured location for dumping redundant Subs.

Massive Blast at Dounreay- Huge Concrete Lid Blown Off Lethal Secret Radioactive Effluent Dump

Early in the morning of Tuesday 10 May 1977 there was a loud explosion at the Dounreay nuclear plant on the north coast of Scotland.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority, which runs the plant, had dumped sodium and potassium down a 65-metre shaft packed with radioactive waste and flooded with seawater.

The results were dramatic. The sodium and potassium reacted violently with the water. The explosion blew off the shaft’s huge concrete lid, threw its steel top plate 12 metres to one side, badly damaged the 5-tonne concrete blocks at the mouth of the shaft, and blasted scaffold poles up to 40 metres away. An eyewitness reported a plume of white smoke blowing out to sea. And, as government watchdogs much later revealed, the ground around the shaft was littered with radioactive particles hot enough to injure and kill. Over the past 18 years, almost 150 of such particles have been found on Dounreay’s beaches.

The accident is the most serious ever at Dounreay, and the particles it spewed out perhaps the most dangerous ever released by the British nuclear industry.

Full article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14619830-600-lid-blown-off-dounreays-lethal-secret/

Comment: The “clean up” is still in progress 50 years after the incident. It is understood that a similar “dump” is in use at the Hunterston nuclear power station. Thats the place where 2 of the four reactors have been shut down because of significant cracks in their structure. The plant is scheduled to close in 2023 but, on the grounds of safety, it should be shut down now.  The good news is that the clean-up of the site will provide highly specialized jobs for a few workers for 50 years.  Jackie Baillie would be well chuffed if she was able to claim Hunterston to her constituency.

Possible Perimeters  for a Sovereign Base at Coulport and Faslane?

MoD Waste Dumping on Peaton Hill halted Amid Investigations

Work transferring lorry loads of waste from Faslane to a hillside on the Rosneath Peninsula on the Gareloch has been dramatically halted.

It emerged this week that there are problems with the licence of the Rosneath Peninsula site being used by the Ministry of Defence.

For several months lorries have been moving waste material – said to be soil and stones from building work at HM Naval Base Clyde – to a site on Peaton Hill.

The MoD says that 15,500 cubic metres of waste – the equivalent of six Olympic-sized swimming pools – has already been moved.

The moorland site has seen significant excavation work, while the public are deterred from access by a sign warning of ‘bull beef’, although there is no sign of cattle.

Full article: https://thelochsidepress.com/2018/10/26/exclusive-mod-waste-on-peaton-hill-halted-amid-investigations/

Local Comment: When dumping first started it was said that it would comprise non-hazardous materials only. So there was nothing to be concerned about. But the MOD has form when it comes to dumping.

The exploding shaft at Dounreay, the radium dials in Fife, some really nasty stuff at Rosyth and closer to home the August 2017 incident at the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport, when at the time of a visit to the site Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) staff found untested waste from submarines, potentially containing radioactive material, had been mixed with other waste.

Meaning that radioactive waste could have been taken off site and disposed of as if it were non-radioactive waste.

The only reason the untested material was not taken off the base was because vigilant civilian waste contractors refused to pick up the incorrectly processed waste.

A Sepa letter to the MOD said that the watchdog considered this type of incident as “significant” adding that had the Royal Navy been a civilian operator, it would have considered issuing a formal written warning.

Campaign group Navy not Nuclear pointed to a long history of MOD “poor practice” when it comes to handling nuclear materials in Scotland, dating back more than a decade.

“The most damning thing about this is that nothing has changed. The MOD are still failing to follow their own operating procedures, and they’re still failing dismally when it comes to telling the regulator and protecting the environment.”

The group called for more to be done by both the MOD and Sepa to alert the public when environmental incidents occur.

“It shouldn’t be the case that this information should come to light by freedom of information, they should have a statutory public duty to disclose this information,” it said.

Goodness only knows what the MOD has dumped in uncontrolled landfill sites in Scotland as “Non Hazardous”.

50 Years of Discharging Radioactive Effluent into the Gareloch

The Ministry of Defence has revealed proposals for a new ‘Nuclear Support Hub’, which it says will reduce the amount of radioactivity discharged into the Gareloch.

It adds that radioactive liquid effluent and solid waste from nuclear-powered submarines has been successfully treated and disposed of at Faslane since 1967.

The new building would treat and dispose of liquid waste, treat and condition solid waste and decontaminate tools and equipment used in maintaining nuclear-powered vessels.

Effluent would be processed to a level where it can be discharged into the Gareloch.

Full article: https://thelochsidepress.com/2014/11/09/new-plant-to-treat-radioactive-waste-planned-for-faslane/

Comment: Well! well! well! Confirmation solid waste and effluent has been routinely dumped at Faslane for over 50 years. Our children and grandchildren will never forgive the folly of UK governments who actively promoted the retention of nuclear submarines and weapons on the Gareloch.

MOD Police at Faslane and Coulport to Police Rosneath Peninsula

MoD police based at Faslane and Coulport are to expand their operations into civilian areas outside the nuclear bases on the Clyde. The moves have prompted fears about “increased militarisation” of policing.

The MoD police are not accountable to the Scottish government but instead answer to the Ministry of Defence in London.

Police Scotland said there had been no discussions about the expanded civilian role of MoD officers.

MoD police officers have told the local community to expect “greater interaction” as they increase efforts to combat crime and terrorism across the Rosneath peninsula.

Full article: https://www.helensburghadvertiser.co.uk/news/15009201.armed-mod-police-begin-patrolling-civilian-scotland/?ref=ar

Comment: This type of activity is a pre-curser to the introduction and expansion of a controlled area within which members of the public are first prevented from free movement, then over time the public will be banned from the area completely.

Electrified fencing will be put in place prior to the entire area becoming a “Sovereign Base” in perpetuity. Mirroring an arrangement in place in Cyprus. Scottish independence may only be permitted with the foregoing rider.

Tory Party Hard Right Wing Views on Society Exposed in New Poll

Ruth Davidson’s views on society are at odds with her colleagues and her future in the Party is uncertain in the event of a leadership election should Teresa May resign given the findings of a new poll of Party members. Murdo Fraser might be a challenger for the leadership.

Report summary.

Conservative Party members are a “breed apart” from the loyal followers of other UK political parties on issues like the death penalty, same-sex marriage, and education, according to new research.

Academics at the Queen Mary University of London have found that a card-carrying Tory is much more likely to hold authoritarian views compared to Labour members and those of the Liberal Democrats.

The polling, published on Thursday, is the biggest ever into the views of British political party members. It is based on responses from over 1,000 members of each party since the June snap election.

The findings suggest that future Conservative leadership hopefuls from the moderate wing of the party, such as Ruth Davidson, could have a tough time trying to woo the membership, who ultimately crown the leader.

The research found that:

59% of Conservative members do not support gay marriage. Over 80% of members in Labour, Lib Dems and the SNP support it.

54% of Tory members support the death penalty. On the other hand, just 9% of Labour members, 8% of Lib Dems, and 23% of SNP members do.

84% believe schools should focus on teaching kids to obey authority. Just 31% of Labour members and 38% of Lib Dems and SNP members agree.

44% support the censorship of the media in the name of “upholding moral standards,” which is significantly more than members of the other parties.

11% felt that austerity measures had gone too far, compared to 98% of Labour members, 93% of SNP members, and 75% of Lib Dems.

14% of Tory members want Britain to remain in the single market and customs union, commonly described as a “soft” Brexit whilst 87% prefer a hard brexit. In contrast, 87% of Labour members want to stay in the single market and 85% want to remain part of the customs union.

14% of Tories believe there should be a nationwide referendum on a final Brexit deal, compared to 78% of Labour members.

It goes some way to explaining why Jacob Rees-Mogg, a socially conservative backbench Brexiteer, has been a popular choice among Conservative members to be a future leader in recent opinion polls. Mogg opposes gay marriage and abortion.

Full report here:

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:NbXKyoGeiKgJ:https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2017/hss/survey-of-britains-party-members-reveals-glaring-contrasts-between-tories-and-other-parties.html

Impact of the 2014 and 2016 referendums

In the 2014 referendum the affluent North East of Scotland constituencies voted to remain in the UK Union. In the 2016 referendum they voted to leave the EC.

In 2016 the Tory party concentrated their political campaigning in the North East of Scotland, on post Brexit fishing policy, arguing that the SNP was determined to keep Scotland in the EC, and the European Common Fisheries Policy and electoral success for the SNP would adversely affect many constituents who were dependent on fishing for their livelihood.

David Duguid, who would become the successful Tory candidate for Banff and Buchan, met with fishermen’ leaders, and said:

“I have signed and I will honour the Scottish Fishermen Federation’s Brexit pledge. I will be a strong and influential voice for our fishermen, who are rightly determined to make the most of the huge opportunity afforded by the Brexit vote. I do not believe that this industry should ever be considered expendable and I will ensure that the views of our fishermen are heard at the highest levels of government. I will stand up for the interests of our fishing and farming communities.”

Only a few weeks later Andrea Leadsom, the UK Secretary of State in charge of fisheries, in a letter to Bertie Armstrong, Chief Executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation wrote:

“No decision has yet been made on the extent to which the EU legislation governing the Common Fisheries Policy will be incorporated into domestic law. But a number of parts of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) will be retained as part of UK law. The Government will continue to champion sustainable fisheries and we are committed to ongoing cooperation with other countries over the management of shared stocks and ending discards.” ” a “bombshell” delivered.

Ruth Davidson was summoned to an urgent meeting in Peterhead, to answer Tory friendly fishing industry leaders’ call for Scotland’s fisheries not to be used as a bargaining chip in the Brexit negotiations. She failed.

In a statement after the meeting fishermens’ leader, Bertie Armstrong said:

“The whole industry, from those who go to sea through the processors to the hauliers, is united behind one simple aim: our coming out of the EU and the CFP. Brexit offers us a huge opportunity to re-assert control of our waters and to establish once and for all a sensible, practicable new fisheries management regime.”

Clear enough. but the Westminster government ignored him.

“The Government’s Brexit White Paper merely said:

“Given the heavy reliance on UK waters of the EU fishing industry and the importance of EU waters to the UK, it is in both our interests to reach a mutually beneficial deal that works for the UK and the EU’s fishing communities.”

A Churchillian gesture to Scottish fishermen.

Eilidh Whiteford, (SNP) commented:

“The letter is a bombshell which utterly demolishes the Tories’ bogus claims about fishing. The cat is now out of the bag. While Ruth Davidson is heading to the North East to pretend the Tories are the fishermens’ friends, her Westminster bosses are plotting a gigantic sell-out.  The letter couldn’t be clearer. For all their rhetoric, the Tories are planning to incorporate key parts of the CFP ‘into domestic law. And they are also committed to ongoing cooperation with other countries over the management of shared stocks. That means that they are planning to use Scottish waters and our fishing industry as a Brexit bargaining chip. In doing so, they are also taking an enormous gamble with the livelihoods of those fish processors that depend on European exports by jeopardizing our position within the single market.”

Only recently released, under the 30-year rule,(with other heavily redacted documents) was the Tory controlled Scottish Office statement, (made at the time the Common Fisheries Policy was being negotiated in the 1970’s), that:

“in the wider UK context the fishermen of Scotland must be regarded as expendable.”

So no change in policy between 1970 – 2017!!!!

Asked to comment David Duguid, Tory MP for Banff and Buchan, said:

“The Conservative Government at Westminster is following through on the democratic will of the British people to leave the EU.”

So much for his pledge to honour the pledge. Yet, the North East of Scotland electorate ignored all warnings of duplicity and elected Tory candidates to office at the General Election.

The family’s Klondyke Fishing Company is the UK’s third-largest quota holder.

19 Jul 2017: North Sea cod certified fully sustainable

North Sea cod has today been officially certified as fully sustainable and can be eaten freely. The green light was given by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) which has given the fishery its all important blue tick label. The decision will provide a major boost for the UK fishing industry and the Scottish fleet in particular.

The situation is a complete contrast from the situation a little over a decade ago when North Sea cod stocks were at a critically low level. The MSC said today the blue tick indicated that North Sea cod caught by Scottish and English boats is “sustainable and fully traceable”.

Cod stocks in the North Sea stood at around 280,000 tons just 40 years ago and then went into steep decline due to over-fishing when stock fell to under 40,000 tons. The EC Common Fisheries Policy instructed a ban on cod catches, until such time as stocks would be recovered. Forming part of the strategy to resolve the problem of over fishing the Grimsby fleet of more than 100

North Sea trawlers was reduced to a handful of local boats. The stock recovery plan was in place for around ten years and the policy brought long term dividends for Scottish fisheries.

The MSC said the announcement that cod was now sustainable was a “momentous achievement” for the industry. But the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), conservation body WWF has warned that historically, the population of North Sea cod was still at a low level and efficient control measures will need to kept in place.

Comment: Without the Common Fisheries Policy the North Sea would most likely be barren of cod so far as trawler fishing is concerned. The over fishing policies of the Grimsby trawler fleet operators was decided by the needs of the Grimsby fish processing industry which had in place many contracts with the EC and worldwide for the supply of processed fish.

Conversely, the Scottish North Sea trawler fleet was primarily deployed to catch fish for the “fresh fish markets” of the UK, EC and worldwide and did not impact on cod stocks to the same extreme as the Grimsby fleet.

26 Jul 2017: Brexit – Grimsby area MPs appointed to key fisheries posts

Grimsby MP, Melanie Onn has been elected to chair the House of Commons, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Fisheries. Her duties will ensure she discharges a leading role shaping the future of Britain’s post-Brexit fishing industry.  The influential cross-party group of MPs will meet regularly to take evidence from key players in the seafood industry and experts, and will be empowered to question Government Ministers on their policies towards fisheries. It will also be able to hold the government to account in the all important Brexit implications for the fishing industry.

She said:

“my appointment will give me more influence and a better chance to fight for Grimsby’s seafood industry. I’m delighted to be elected to this position. Thousands of people in Grimsby work in the seafood sector, and I will now have a bigger platform from which to pressure the Government into providing greater support for the industry. I said during the election campaign that I would fight for the best Brexit deal for Great Grimsby, which means holding the Government to the promises made to the fishing industry during the referendum, and protecting the seafood sector’s ability to trade with Europe. My new role will give me more opportunities to question the Ministers responsible for these areas, and to make sure they know how their actions will affect the livelihoods of workers in Grimsby.”

Other members of the committee are: Alistair Carmichael, Lib/Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland, Sheryll Murray, Tory MP for South East Cornwall, Peter Aldous, Tory MP for Waveney and David Duguid, Tory MP for Banff and Buchan

Meanwhile, Martin Vickers, the Tory MP for the neighbouring constituency of Cleethorpes has been appointed vice chairman of the Commons Iceland group. He said:

“Three quarters of all the fish processed in the Grimsby and Cleethorpes area comes from Iceland and Icelandic investment supports hundreds of local jobs, so the country is very important to us.”

Comments:

1. As an all-party committee the composition of 4 Conservative and 1 Lib Dem MP is disgraceful abuse of the electorate of Scotland. It is clear the Tory party intends protecting Grimsby, the main fish processing centre in the UK at the expense of all other outlets.

2. Pinney’s  (fish processors) of Annan closed in 2017, with the devastating loss to the small community of 450 jobs, following the transfer of all fish processing on the site to from Scotland to centres of excellence in England (Grimsby & Calisle).

6 Dec 2017: Scottish affairs discussion at Westminster

David Duguid:

“Fishing is a totemic industry in my constituency of Banff and Buchan, where there is real concern that the Scottish Government wish to take Scotland back into the common fisheries policy. Can my hon. friend, Mr Mundell reassure me that in all conversations and negotiations, he stands firm on taking Scotland’s fisherman out of the CFP, and keeping them out?”

David Mundell:

“My hon. friend, has already come to be seen as a champion for the fishing industry. I can give him an absolute guarantee: unlike the Scottish National Party, which would take us straight back into the common fisheries policy, this Government will take Scotland and the rest of the UK out of that discredited policy.”

Comment: A loaded question designed for effect rather than purpose. Duguid and Mundell are perpetuating the “boggie man” myth of the SNP in a blatant attempt to hide the truth from the electorate. The Tory government, as previously advised by Andrea Leadsom, the UK Secretary of State in charge of fisheries, will be unable to completely remove the UK from its commitment to the EC fisheries policy.

The EC Common fisheries Policy allocates two-thirds of the entire UK fishing quota to Scotland

In Scotland, five families on the “Sunday Times Rich List” own or control a third (33%) of the entire Scottish quota and when taking into account minority stakes, companies wholly or partly owned by these families hold close to half (45%) of all Scottish quota.

Rich List Families:

Alexander Buchan and family are ranked 804 in the 2018 Rich List, with an estimated net worth of £147m. The family’s Peterhead-based Lunar Fishing Company owns or controls 8.9% of the UK’s quota holdings, making it the biggest quota holder in the UK.

Jan Colam and family are ranked 882 on the Rich List (estimated worth: £130m). The Colam family-owned company Interfish is the second largest quota holder, with 7.8% of the UK total.

Robert Tait and family are ranked 980 on the Rich List (estimated worth: £115m). The family’s Klondyke Fishing Company is the UK’s third-largest quota holder, with 6.1% of the UK total.

Unearthed’s investigation reveals that the Tait family’s “Klondyke Fishing Company” is now the third-largest quota holder in the UK and has paid out dividends totalling £56m over the past five years. The owner,Peter Tait, 50, reportedly purchased Scotland’s most expensive house in 2014.

In 2012, four members of the Tait family, received fines and confiscation orders totalling more than £800,000 for their role in landing undeclared fish as part of the “black fish” scandal, (a large-scale fishing fraud reportedly worth £63m.)

Andrew Marr and family are ranked 567 on the Rich List (estimated worth: £209m).

The family’s Hull-based Andrew Marr International owns or controls 5.1% of UK quota holdings making it the UK’s 5th largest quota holder. It also has minority stakes in companies and vessel partnerships that hold a further 5.4% of UK quota.

Brexit Flotilla: the “Christina-S” trawler was a flagship in the “Brexit Flotilla” of boats which sailed up the Thames with Nigel Farage in 2016, calling for Britain to leave the EU to improve access to fish.

Ernest Simpson (71) and his son Allan Simpson (49), who are partners in the partnership that operates the vessel, were ordered to pay more than £850,000 in fines and confiscation orders for their role in the black fish scam. (The Christina-S) vessel partnership, in which English “Rich List” fishing baron Andrew Marr also has a stake, is the sixth-largest quota holder in Scotland.

Sir Ian Wood and family are ranked 77 on the Rich List, with an estimated worth of £1.7bn (a fortune built largely on oil and gas services). Sir Ian’s fishing business, JW Holdings, holds 1% of the UK’s fishing quota and has minority investments in businesses/partnerships that hold a further 2.3%.

Comment

Many thousands of Scottish fishermen have been forced out of business and entire fishing communities have collapsed directly due to the hi-jacking of fishing quotas by the “big 5” which would be distributed more efficiently and fairly among single boat and small fleet fishermen whose impact on the environment is much reduced over the “big 5”. Fishing villages, lost over time could be rebuilt throughout Scotland and freshly caught fish would become widely available to customers, at a decent price.

Peterhead

Post Brexit fishing: the facts:

Many of the important to the UK fishing stocks are shared and straddle maritime boundaries and the UK and its future fisheries neighbours (the remaining EU27, Norway and the Faroe Islands) will be obliged to prepare new fisheries agreements which set a Total Allowable Catch (TACs) for each species and allocate it between the parties.

In determining the allocation of quotas to each party the EU will seek to maintain the Common Fisheries Policy’s relative stability keys, whilst the UK will seek leverage from a claimed greater zonal attachment of stocks to its waters.

Whilst there is no comprehensive data on spatial distribution of fish stocks in current EU waters, it has estimated this for a Brexit scenario on the basis of 2014 catches reported for each sea area defined by ICES, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas.

The estimate is that the potential UK catch arising from the threatened post-Brexit exclusion of EU vessels from UK waters could increase by as much as 671,000 tonnes (representing a gain of 90 per cent of current catches).

However, since much of this would be lower value species such as blue whiting, the benefit would fall to 387,000 tonnes in cod equivalents.

The ICES areas in which the UK would gain the most would be the sectors West of Scotland and the northern parts of the North Sea.

UK operators would however lose important access to fishing grounds to the West of Ireland.

It is expected the UK will hope to retain access to important fish stocks in Norwegian waters of the North Sea, which it currently enjoys via the bilateral EU- Norway Fisheries Agreement.

But that access, which involves almost half of the EU quota of cod, is linked to the European Economic Area ( EEA) Treaty, and the British Government has all but ruled out retaining membership of this body.

The fear is the current UK quota of these Norwegian stocks might then be lost in a post-Brexit scenario (for example the quotas could be retained by the EU and divided among the remaining  27 states, or revert it back to Norway).

Even if access is not lost, the UK will have to come up with the quotas to exchange. All of these factors reduce the likely benefit to the UK from the attachment of European fish stocks to the UK zone.

Furthermore, the UK exports approximately 80 per cent of its wild caught seafood, with 66 per cent going to 27 EU states, so UK fishers have a strong interest in maintaining tariff-free access to that market.

However, the EU will most likely seek quota and access to fish in the UK zone in return as it did with Norway and Greenland so the waters ahead for the UK fleet may not be the plain sailing it had anticipated.

Summary:

Fishing policy, post Brexit will be decided by the Westminster government. Nothing of substance is in the public domain as yet, although the ever productive Michael Gove compiled and issued a briefing document so full of excessive gobbledygook as to render it very difficult to full understand.

But the gist of it indicates that:

1. Bulk processing of fish stocks is to be centralized in Grimsby, which will be the single British processed fishery producer and distributor to the EC and Worldwide.
2. Deep sea fishing fleets will be encouraged by contract, to offload fishing catches at Grimsby achieving significant reduction in the industries carbon footprint (transportation).
3. Allocation of fishing quota’s by country is to cease. The fishing industry is to be classified as a “National” resource.
4. Inshore fishing is to be downscaled concentrating catches providing support to local communities.
5. Demographic changes are to be anticipated as work and boat harbouring transfers to England

I have to conclude with congratulations to the North East of Scotland fishermen who, in voting in compliance with their rich bosses orders have succeeded only in cutting the throats of themselves and their families.

Truth Will Out

The wall of silence may not be able endure much longer.

Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan ordered an official investigation into the Institute, and Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry, a target of the Initiative’s critical tweets, seized the issue with some gusto.

In a parliamentary debate December 12, she noted the “Integrity Initiative’s” use of “Twitter” as a tool for disseminating information had “not been a fringe activity”, but “an integral part of its applications for Foreign Office funding over the past two years”, a period in which it had been funded to the tune of £2.2 million by the British state. She went on to say:

“The budget for its agreed objectives of increasing reporting in the media and expanding the impact of its website and “Twitter” account amounted to £275,000 in this financial year.

In the list of key deliverables the Foreign Office promised in 2018, it stated explicitly that one of its instruments of delivery will be ‘600-plus “Twitter” followers, including influential players”.

​She asked further:

1. “Whether Foreign Office officials were monitoring the Initiative’s “Twitter” output, and if so why they didn’t flag concerns to ministers about the dissemination of personal attacks. If not, why was this misuse of public funds going unchecked?”

2. “Does the funding agreement governing the integrity initiative make clear that its use of funds and its public statements must comply with Cabinet Office rules? “

3. “If the Government intend to renew that funding for the next financial year, what arrangements and agreements will be put in place to ensure that nothing of this sort ever happens again?”

Comment

Duncan, Minister of State for Europe and the Americas reported back to the Commons and said he had “established the facts” concerning the NGO and was “satisfied that our money does not go towards funding any kind of UK domestic activity.” Absolute twaddle!!!!

It is shocking that the disinformation activities of the “Integrity Initiative” have been barely mentioned, much less criticized, by the mainstream media and extremely troubling that after so long, it’s still not clear what the “Institute of Statecraft” actually is or does, and who or what funds and supports it.

With such vast sums flowing from the Treasury straight into its shadowy coffers, British citizens — and those of all countries in the organization’s cluster cross-hairs need to be told.

16 Dec 2018: Old Reliable BBC Gives Support to “Integrity Initiative”

The BBC press service confirmed the authenticity of correspondence between a BBC journalist in London and a fellow correspondent covering the “Yellow Vest” demonstrations in Paris.

The London correspondent was seeking to know if Russia had something to do with the protests in the French capital.

Her colleague in London was not satisfied with the answer and conjectured live on air:

“Well, maybe some Russian businesses are capitalizing quite well on  the protests. Maybe, the protesters are eating cutlets en masse”.

Her colleague in Paris laughed in response.

The BBC journalist  in London further explained that she was “looking for various angles” since the broadcaster was “out for blood.”

Chatham House Involvement and Counter Intelligence

Chatham House is a world-leading policy institute. Its mission:

“To help governments and societies build a sustainability secure, prosperous and just world.”

“A key part of its work is producing high quality, independent commentary from its extensive network of experts”

John Lough and James Sherr, (Fellows of  the “Institute of Statecraft”)  provided an example of its so called expert “independent” analysis.

(https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/james-sherr)

(https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/john-lough)

(https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/skripal-attack-test-uk)

The “Institute For Statecraft” and Brexit

It is of concern that there are proposals in place suggesting that Chris Donnelly, the Director of the “Institute for Statecraft” should take charge of the Foreign Office.

The attached report: “The Challenge of Brexit to the UK: Case study – The Foreign and Commonwealth Office” is required reading:

(https://www.pdf-archive.com/2018/12/13/brexit-fco-update-02-02-2018/brexit-fco-update-02-02-2018.pdf)

(Https://fdik.org/Integrity_Initiative/UK-cluster.pdf) , List of  Uk members

22 Dec 2018: Cui Bono? David Leask, Ben Nimmo and the Attack on Ordinary Scottish nationalists

Ben Nimmo works for the Atlantic Council, funded inter alia by NATO.

He is also on a retainer of £2,500 per month from the Integrity Initiative, in addition to payments for individual pieces of work.

For his attack on Scottish Nationalists Nimmo was therefore paid by the Atlantic Council (your taxes through NATO), by the Integrity Initiative (your taxes) and by the Herald (thankfully shortly going bankrupt).

Leask claims to have received nothing but a cheese sandwich from the Integrity Initiative, but has briefed them in detail on Scottish nationalism, attended their seminars, and they have included Leask’s output in their “outcomes” reports to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

I took apart Leask and Nimmo’s horrendous attack at the time, revealing among other things that one of Nimmo’s criteria for spotting a Russian bot or troll was use of the phrase cui bono.

Nimmo’s role as witchfinder-general for Russian Bots appears very remunerative.

His August 2016 invoice to The Institute for Statecraft, apparently the 71st invoice he had issued to various neo-con bodies that year, was for £5,000.

The contribution of David Leask

There is a very important aspect of the detailed minute of David Leask’s briefing for the Integrity Initiative, which CommonSpace cut out of the extracts which they published.

Leask says that the Integrity Initiative are “pushing at an open door” with the SNP leadership and the editors of The National, who he characterises as reliably anti-Russian and pro-NATO:

I am afraid Leask is not wrong. The continual willingness of the SNP leadership to endorse Britnat anti-Russian rhetoric without question is a nagging worry for many nationalists.

Precisely the same department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which funds the Integrity Initiative, funds the Westminster Foundation for Democracy which paid for a joint Britnat/SNP leadership group event at the last SNP Conference, featuring a Ukrainian politician also used by the Integrity Initiative.

Full articles here:

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/12/cui-bono-david-leask-ben-nimmo-and-the-attack-on-ordinary-scottish-nationalists/

23 Dec 2018: Inegrity Initiative is the biggest story of 2018 – but not because of anything it did

Full story, to date:

https://www.rt.com/news/447256-integrity-initiative-psyops-establishment-media/

Other Relevant links:

https://www.statecraft.org.uk/projects-programmes/integrity-initiative-defending-democracy-against-disinformation

https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/InitIntegrity?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/DerbyChrisW/status/1072508801025232896/video/1

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201811281070209586-integrity-initiative-hybrid-warfare-eu-anonymous-report/

https://sputniknews.com/europe/201812111070593144-uk-foreign-office-hybrid-warfare/

https://sputniknews.com/europe/201812091070532419-uk-skripal-poisoning-case-evidence/

https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-11-27/196177

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201812131070629482-integrity-initiative-troll-factory/