'It's not Government money they're spending it's ours'
Our political leaders often talk about spending 'government' money.
But in reality that's not true.
The cash they spend is actually your money – most of it gathered from taxes on our wages, VAT on consumer goods and company profits.
That's why all governments need to be careful how they spend the money they raise.
In today's Daily Record both Labour and the SNP are throwing barbs at each other about 'wasted money '.
But both the UK and Scottish government s need to do better on that front.
The Scottish Government has wasted hundreds of millions of pounds on various overspent or failed projects.
The ferry fiasco, the scrapped bottle deposit scheme and the unwinnable Supreme Court legal fight on trans issues are just three areas where millions of pounds have been poured down a very big black hole.
It is also true that the UK Government could be doing more to guard the public finances.
They should be making sure big businesses – especially tech and energy giants – pay a fairer share of their profits to the public purse.
Too much money has been blown on the HS2 high-speed rail project, with not one inch of track yet laid and the benefits to the whole UK not yet clear.
We all know public services need paying for – and tax is vital for services like schools, hospitals and roads.
But our governments in Edinburgh and London need to keep a closer eye on how they spend it.
Together at last
The world seems like a harsh place to be in 2025.
Wars in Ukraine and Gaza are threatening global security.
At home there seems to be a constant deluge of online hate and political discord.
But it's always worth remembering that the vast majority of people out there are just trying to do their best.
And some people go above and beyond to help those around them.
One such person is Juleena Masters, an American lady who decided to donate bone marrow to save the life of young Scot Ava Todd.
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We reported in 2016 that Ava – then three – would not survive without a transplant due an inherited disorder.
Our story made it to the US, where Juleena was found to be a match and agreed to be a donor for Ava.
Now Ava is a happy and healthy girl of 12 – and has finally met up with Juleena for the first time to say thank you.
It's the happiest of endings to a long and difficult journey for Ava.
We hope it brightens up your day reading her story.
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