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The Herald Scotland
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Labour's by-election win only highlights SNP's detachment from reality
Boothman of The Times is also here of course. 'What the hell's going on then, John,' I ask him. 'Some people are telling me the Labour vote has collapsed,' he tells me. To be fair to Boothman though, he's among the first later to suggest that the smiles on the threshing floor where the count will take place are all on the faces of Labour folk. I attempt to mock his initial analysis. 'Didn't you say Labour's vote was collapsing,' I say. 'Aye it's collapsed into the ballot box,' he says. Boothman's an old fox and not easily caught out. Read More: There's Hutcheon of the Record, scurrying hither and yon, fresh from having chivvied Sir Alex Ferguson and Graeme Souness into backing Davy Russell to take the seat for Labour. If he had lost badly then to Hutcheon would have fallen the task of finding some lipstick for his front page the following day. The changes that social media have wrought in the newspaper industry are never starker than when applied to an election night. The task now is to transmit your thoughts as they're happening and based on little more than the body language of the participants and the snatched asides of party activists which you must first rinse of its in-built prejudice. Even as you're sending out your 20-word digital despatches you know you risk being confounded at any moment by incoming kites and the excursions and alarums of the counting floor. My paper is now asking for a selfie of me with Mr Learmonth and Ms McCurdy where the trick once more is to channel an air of authority and confidence that I'm not really feeling. Our editor, Catherine Salmond, kindly calls us her 'top team' in her social media post. On my feed though, a chap is begging to differ. He calls us 'filthy partisan sock puppets for England.' Always mindful of everyone's mental health, I'm glad he's got it off his chest. McKenna, Learmonth and McCurdy: Salmond's top team (Image: Newsquest) The night then becomes all about juggling narratives. And in the 48 hours since Mr Russell's seemingly unlikely victory it's been about trying to discern the runes of what his win portends. The most profoundly important consequence of Labour's triumph and Reform's massive electoral breakthrough here is that Scottish independence is off the table for another generation, effectively killed off by the SNP's own folly. The SNP now exists for one purpose only: to try to cling to power in Holyrood by any means necessary. Sir John Curtice has already predicted that Reform, on the basis of their showing on Thursday, could win up to 28 seats in 2026. That alone kills independence until at least 2031 and then only as an unlikely prospect. What should worry the SNP most is that the Yes vote in 2014 was reinforced by up to 30% of traditional Labour voters who backed independence as a means of decoupling from a UK polity which was being controlled by the hard right Toryism of Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg. Now that the SNP have effectively ditched independence there's no reason for any former Labour voter to stay with them. During this campaign, the SNP's obsession with gender politics also came home to roost: not so much on the doorsteps, but in the calibre of people they sent out to them. The course of the GRR debate didn't harm them as much as the resignations en masse of hard-working, intelligent and reasonable female activists who had been the backbone of their success between 2007 and 2024. They were missing at the UK election in 2024 and again last week in South Lanarkshire and the results are there for all to see. The disconnection between professional politics and the everyday people of Scotland has never been more starkly evident than with this party. A slew of poisonous social media attacks in the last 48 hours on the Hamilton, Stonehouse and Larkhall voters by prominent SNP supporters (and at least one Councillor) has been depressing to behold. The clock is now ticking for John Swinney's leadership as the wage thieves on his backbenches begin to tumble to this and what it means for their mortgages and school fees. But time has already been called on Scottish independence. Counting begins for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election at the South Lanarkshire Council headquarters in Hamilton. (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) Meanwhile, Scottish Labour should probably calm down now. To read some analysis of their admittedly adroit campaign in South Lanarkshire you'd have thought it had been run by alchemists who'd found the secret of turning base metal into gold. Behave yourselves. Labour has a longer term problem here and solving it will mean getting real about the challenge of Reform. In Scotland there has always been a large cohort of aspirational working class: well-informed; skilled and conservative in their community and family values. It was these people who handed the Conservatives the only electoral majority vote percentage in a Scottish election as they did in 1955. It has been thought that societal changes; the upward progression of the Irish/Catholic community in Scotland and the class malevolence of Thatcherism had killed mass Toryism for good. To admit to voting Tory in some of Scotland's working-class communities was to risk becoming a social and cultural pariah. But here's the nightmare scenario for Labour in Scotland. What if these voters hadn't merely held their noses and voted reluctantly for Reform as a howl against a supercilious Holyrood elite? What if instead they'd gladly voted for them because it didn't indicate class betrayal and was thus safe to do so? One senior Labour figure told me yesterday that the Scottish left in general, faced with the challenge of Reform, must re-imagine what it actually stands for. 'The Left in Scotland has been too focused on identity politics and flying flags for issues that aren't of concern to ordinary working people,' he told me. Scottish Labour's Davy Russell arrives at the count before being declared winner for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) 'There needs to be some very deep thinking on what we stand for on what it means to be on the Left. And then we must seek to communicate those priorities. You can say what you like about Tony Blair, but he built a broad coalition in a party where John Prescott, Gordon Brown and John Reid thrived.' It's doubtful if these men would get house-room inside Keir Starmer's Labour Party now. UK Labour is currently speaking to no-one but some of London's salon neighbourhoods around Canary Wharf, Islington and Shoreditch and the café society of the Southside of Glasgow. What Davy Russell represents is more in tune with what their former voters expect of Labour.
Press and Journal
27-05-2025
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen Jackass fan bought illegal stun gun to taser himself and friends
An Aberdeen man has avoided a prison sentence after he bought an illegal stun gun to emulate his heroes on US TV prank show Jackass. Raymond Hutcheon, also known as Munro, bought the weapon so he and his friends could taser themselves. Hutcheon – who also tried to import an illegal butterfly knife using the alias 'Raymond Babags' – appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted the offences. The offences, which took place between 2019 and 2020, were described by the 40-year-old's lawyer, Graham Morrison, as 'bizarre'. Hutcheon – who has a previous conviction for covering someone in red tracing dye – was rumbled when border force staff intercepted a package in Coventry and found the butterfly knife. He was later found in possession of an illicit stun gun and an air rifle. Fiscal depute Calum Gordon told the court that on November 17 2019, a Border Force employee intercepted a package in Coventry sent from Guangdong, China, and addressed to 'Raymond Babags' at Hutcheon's home. The parcel was opened and found to contain a butterfly knife, which was sent to Police Scotland. Hutcheon was later interviewed and denied knowledge of ordering any butterfly knife, however, admitted regularly ordering items online while under the influence of alcohol, the fiscal depute said. The court also heard that on May 27 2020, police attended Hutcheon's property on Jasmine Place, Aberdeen, where they informed him they had received intelligence that he was 'in possession of a taser'. He allowed them inside to search the property and led them to the living room where Hutcheon then pointed to a taser, which they seized. An air rifle was also found under a bench in the living room. On September 9 2020, Hutcheon was seen fighting with another man in the street, striking him to the head with a metal walking stick. The other man had a knife in his hand and was seen thrusting it towards Hutcheon's body and both men had blood on their faces. When police arrived and arrested Hutcheon, he became aggressive and managed to slip one hand free of the handcuffs and slapped an officer in the face. In the dock, Hutcheon pleaded guilty to one count of importing a prohibited weapon, one of possessing a prohibited weapon and another of having an air rifle without a valid licence. He also admitted two charges of assault and one of being in possession of an offensive weapon, namely a metal walking stick. Hutcheon also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of failing to appear in court. Defence solicitor Graham Morrison described his client's crimes as a 'bizarre collection of offences,' adding: 'The explanation for him having these things is just as bizarre.' Mr Morrison said Hutcheon considered himself a knife collector who 'gets drunk and buys knives off the internet'. He went on: 'Mr Hutcheon has a taser to copy what people do on Jackass TV. 'He was asked if he has ever used it on himself, and yes, he has used it on himself, and two of his friends have used it on themselves. 'This is a bizarre episode between 2019 and 2020.' Sheriff Ian Wallace told Hutcheon: 'Mr Morrison has described your offences as bizarre, but they can also be described as serious.' As an alternative to a prisons sentence, Sheriff Wallace made Hutcheon, whose address was given as HMP Grampian, subject to a community payback order with supervision and ordered him to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work. He also ordered Hutcheon to be made subject to an electronic tag for 10 months.
SBS Australia
28-04-2025
- Health
- SBS Australia
A ketamine-derived nasal spray improved Alexis' depression. It's being added to the PBS
A new medicine chemically similar to the drug ketamine could be a "step forward" for Australians living with the "constant battle" of depression. Thousands of Australians could be eligible to receive the nasal spray, called Spravato, which contains esketamine, at a subsidised rate through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from 1 May. It's the first medicine to be PBS-listed specifically for treatment-resistant depression and will cost $31.60 per dose, or $7.70 for pensioners and concession holders. The medication is chemically similar to ketamine and would be offered to people experiencing treatment-resistant depression, like 34-year-old youth mental health researcher Alexis Hutcheon. Hutcheon started using the spray in 2022 after years of "frustrating" failed attempts with oral antidepressants. Hutcheon's journey with Spravato Hutcheon said her depression largely manifested as physical symptoms like gut issues, sleeping problems, and losing a lot of weight. It got to the point where she struggled to walk to the front door, let alone leave the house. "I was that depressed that my body was experiencing such horrible physical symptoms due to my deteriorating mental health," she told SBS News. Hutcheon went through years of trying oral antidepressants with limited to no success. "Some of them worked for a little bit, and then they didn't, and some of the side effects weren't something that I could handle, like no sleeping," she said. "If it doesn't work, you get this feeling like you want to give up, or you feel like it's your fault." READ MORE Allan says no depression treatments worked for him. Then he tried ketamine Hutcheon first tried Spravato during a clinical trial in 2022 and noticed positive changes almost "straight away". "I was always waiting for the moment where it stopped working, but it's been a number of years now, and things have improved and improved," she said. "Things haven't gone back to as bad as they were at all since I started using ketamine." How Ketamine works for treatment-resistant depression Ian Hickie, the co-director of the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney, has been working with patients who take Spravato. He told SBS News its PBS listing marks a "significant advance". "It's a really different compound to the available antidepressants we've had over recent years," he said. LISTEN TO New PBS listings offer timely and affordable treatment options for women SBS News 17/03/2025 06:22 Play Hickie explained it's the first PBS-supported drug that targets a different chemical in the brain called glutamate. "Internationally, about half the people with treatment-resistant depression demonstrated a significant improvement with this drug," he said. "In trials, I've personally been associated with in Australia, we have found the same thing in specialist clinics here." He said many patients have experienced a significant improvement in their quality of life, but cautioned it can cause some to feel "disoriented, disassociated, or quite unusual". Strict clinical regulations Ketamine therapy, along with other forms of treatment like psychedelic-assisted therapy, is highly regulated and is done in strict clinical settings. Studies have shown low doses of oral ketamine can treat post-traumatic stress disorder, and in tablet form, can reduce the symptoms of severe depression. These therapies are administered in hospitals and clinics under medical supervision. "You're in your own room and you're there for an hour and a half to two hours monitored by a clinician throughout the whole time," Hutcheon said. Hickie said the cost of attending clinics can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars, which can create a barrier for people wanting to try the nasal spray. "The cost of medical specialist care generally in Australia is very high, and that has meant access to these compounds to be difficult," he said. He said many mental health treatments are only offered privately, and he would like public hospitals to "step up" and provide the "novel" treatment. Despite the availability of ketamine therapy, illicit use of the drug is on the rise in Australia. Use of illicit ketamine on the rise A national survey of 740 people who regularly use illicit stimulants found over half had used non-prescribed ketamine. Fifty-three per cent of those surveyed last year used the drug, up from 49 per cent the year before, according to the University of New South Wales' Drug Trends program. The group releases annual surveys of hundreds of people who use illicit drugs living in each of Australia's capital cities. Dr Rachel Sutherland, lead of the Drug Trends program, said use of illicit ketamine was "infrequent" in a survey report for 2024. "It is important to note that most participants who had used ketamine reported infrequent use [i.e., less than monthly], although approximately one in 10 reported weekly or more frequent use," Sutherland said in the report. Hutcheon said there is more to do to help people access therapeutic ketamine. "Seeking help can be difficult, especially due to stigma. "Even though PBS-listing is one step forward, which we're so happy for, there will still be a number of people who won't be able to afford those private fees that occur to actually have the medication."
