Latest news with #Macaskill
Scotsman
a day ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Grayling strengthens media service in Scotland
International communications agency, Grayling, has strengthened its media service offering in Scotland with the announcement of a partnership with highly respected former national newspaper deputy editor, Mark Macaskill. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Macaskill, who spent 26 years on The Sunday Times where he rose to become deputy editor of the Scottish edition, joins Grayling Media, the agency's specialist media relations unit, launched to bridge the gap between communications professionals and journalists in an evolving new age of media. Macaskill will work with teams in Scotland and across Grayling's wider UK network, bringing his broad newsroom perspective and sharp editorial judgement to help shape stories, tackle complex narratives and provide high-level strategic counsel. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He will contribute to media training, workshops, panel events and new business activity — offering clients a unique perspective grounded in frontline journalism. His appointment bolsters Grayling's reputation for media excellence and adds further depth to its senior counsel offering. Mark Macaskill joins Grayling's media service Commenting on the partnership, Macaskill said: 'Grayling is a fast-growing and hugely respected agency with international reach and the opportunity to partner with them was not to be missed. The media landscape is rapidly evolving but the appetite for original and agenda-setting content remains undiminished. I'm really looking forward to working with Grayling to drive news content that shapes narratives, delivers real impact and helps convert new business into new clients.' Billy Partridge, UK Board Director and Head of Scotland at Grayling spoke of the opportunities the partnership would bring. He said: 'Mark's journalistic pedigree, editorial instincts and deep understanding of the media landscape make him an invaluable partner for both our team and our clients. 'This collaboration is all about elevating the work we do — from standout storytelling and building client confidence under the spotlight to enhancing our client advisory capabilities and supporting our strategic business development goals. We're excited about the energy and insight he brings." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mark, who continues to write and has been published in The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Observer, The Sunday Post and Rolling Stone, joins a prestigious UK media advisory board, comprising: •Lucie Cave: Chief Content Editor at Bauer Media Group and ITV Lorraine's Entertainment editor •Jane Hamilton: Recruitment Editor at The Times and The Sun; •Jordan Schwarzenberger: co-founder of Arcade Media, and •Charlotte Griffiths: Editor at Large at the Mail on Sunday
The Herald Scotland
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Stop tinkering around the edges: we need a National Care Service, now
Many of my colleagues in the nursing home were immigrants, from India and the Philippines as well as EU countries. And the great majority were dedicated and committed: carers in attitude and conduct, not just in name. While I recognise and respect Dr Macaskill's expertise, I take issue with his diagnosis of what ails social care in Scotland. The Scottish Socialist Party identifies the fundamental problem as a systemic one. That is, the private ownership of social care services. Dr Macaskill has himself pointed out that the social care "industry" is economically unviable. It is also morally unjustifiable. The SSP has long called for a National Care Service, one based on the founding principles of the National Health Service. It should be publicly funded and run, with equal quality care for all, free at the point of need. Scotland has an ageing population and many Baby Boomers – like me – have grave concerns about our future should we need long-term care. This is no time for tinkering round the edges. Scotland needs a genuine National Care Service. And we need it now. Michael Davidson, Edinburgh. • I must say I find it surprising that the First Minister and assorted SNP supporters rail against an attempt to curb economic migration instead of supporting Scots into the jobs that migrants fill, especially in social care. One of the arguments they use is that Scots would have to be paid more than Nigerians for example. Is that bad? I thought that Scots nationalists supported Scots. Do they now support unlimited migration from countries whose cultures and values are wildly different from our own? The fact that care homes prefer immigrants means that language is a problem. Indigenous Scots have mastery of the vernacular that allows them to communicate better, which is of vital importance when caring for senior citizens. Care homes should be a place of last resort anyway. Care in the community should aim to support those who need special care as long as possible. It's a great pity that vested interests shut down the attempt by the Scottish Government to introduce a National Care Service, which would have reduced the outrageous costs of private care, and raised and maintained standards. In the meantime care in the community should be given more support. William Loneskie, Lauder. Read more letters Protest the daylight robbery Hats off to Carlos Alba for his article today ("Budget airlines and car hire firms drive us mad – but do we only have ourselves to blame?', The Herald, May 14) in which he has a healthy and long-overdue public rant at the underhand, immoral and downright dishonest practices of many businesses, chief amongst them being some budget airlines and foreign car hire companies. Read his article and you will easily identify with every example he mentions, the sleazy malpractice that is perpetrated against the travelling public through the work practices of said budget businesses. Who wouldn't hold their hands up to say they would favour an 'all-inclusive, one price, no sneaky hidden extras' fare or hire ? This Dick Turpin approach (stand and deliver – your credit card!) to the passengers/ customers is outrageous and we should all be shouting our disgust at this daylight robbery. Colin Allison, Blairgowrie. Shoppers are seeing the light Luxury fashion company Burberry suffered a £66 million loss in the last financial year, and is planning to cut its staff by 1,700 by 2027 and also end nightshift working ("Burberry to cut up to 1,700 jobs worldwide after £3m loss", heraldscotland, May 14). Its range is high-end and with trench coats costing between £1,000 and £10,000 it's not surprising that it has had to take these drastic measures. People often go for the brand name whether it be sports or luxury fashion, but there must be a limit on what the public are willing to pay. You can buy clothes which are equally as good and perform as well as these high-end goods, and it looks like buyers are eventually seeing the light and doing just that. Hence the reason why Burberry and other fashion outlets are having to address their problems in this manner, or reduce the cost of their clothing to survive. Neil Stewart, Balfron. Dear green spaces Once again many Glaswegians and visitors make their way to the Botanic Gardens in the west end of Glasgow in sunny weather ("City dwellers relax ", The Herald, May 14) as many pictures in The Herald have illustrated over the years. The Gardens moved to their current location in 1842 with them being later incorporated into the parks and gardens of the Glasgow Corporation. The Gardens are the much-treasured destination of the thousands of flat dwellers in the area during good spells of weather. They have therefore much cause to be grateful to those who had the vision to provide this amenity for the population to enjoy. The Botanic Gardens have, of course, many other admirable features, including the herb garden, a collection of ferns, a rose garden, and Kibble Palace. The people of Glasgow today have much to thank their predecessors for in the establishment of so many splendid public parks, such as Kelvingrove, Linn, Pollok Country, Bellahouston, Glasgow Green, Queen's and Victoria. Glasgow is well and truly "parked" . Ian W Thomson, Lenzie. Sunbathers in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens (Image: Colin Mearns) A royal trump card I wondered how long it would take, and GR Weir (Letters, May 13) hasn't let me down. What can I say? Despite all the 'ifs and buts' (Mr Weir highlights a number) the monarchy remains, in my view, a stabilising force for good. The alternative? Think a certain 'Mr President', perhaps? I rest my case. Brian D Henderson, Glasgow. Molluscular science I note that the latest government buzzword is working at 'pace'; reality on delivery suggests it should be preceded by 'snail's'. Mike Flinn, West Kilbride.
The Herald Scotland
14-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Donald Macaskill: UK care visa changes risks harming lives
Those who act as carers are the soul of our communities and they mirror to us all the compassion and dignity which should lie at the heart of our society. So those who do the work of care are critically important. It is therefore really upsetting to hear the discussion around immigration describe care as low-skilled and a work that could be undertaken by anyone. Care is highly skilled. It demands a maturity, expertise and ability around human relationships, dealing with distress and anger, and sometimes confusion and hopelessness. READ MORE It often requires women and men to be with people at the hard times of living, to hold a hand as someone dies so that they do not die alone; to soothe anxiety and to give hope and purpose to someone who feels lost in their dementia. The women and men who care are essential to the functioning of any civilised society. It is in this context that the decision of the United Kingdom Government to work towards the ending of the care worker visa must be seen. This is about people, not numbers. It is about the people who will be affected should their care and support not be able to be delivered because of an inadequacy of care staff. Scotland has benefited from care workers from overseas, says Dr Macaskill (Image: PA) It is about the carers themselves, those who deliver irreplaceable care and support and who have offered their skills to our nation. Scotland is a country which faces many challenges, not least of which is the good news that there are more and more of us living into later life. We are also faced with the demographic truth of lower birth rates, a working population which is getting older, and increased demand on our social care services. In all this we are not the same as the other parts of the United Kingdom. We are different — not special or unique, just different. For a considerable time we have depended upon and benefitted from workers coming to work in our care homes and in our own homes, firstly from Europe and more recently (after Brexit) from wider afield. They have been a critical supplement to our indigenous care workforce. They have brought with them professionalism, skill and expertise. They have become part of our villages and communities and nurtured their belonging in our schools and cafés. They have become our neighbours, our friends and sometimes our relatives. When the Prime Minister uses language which talks about our nation becoming an 'island of strangers', this is a far cry from the essential being-in-community that happens when international care workers give of their humanity to care for, support, and even to love those who are our families. When the United Kingdom Government, without consultation and engagement with the care sector — the organisations who employ tens of thousands of people who care — unilaterally decided we can no longer recruit from abroad, they did so with little appreciation of just how damaging their actions could be. There are parts of Scotland where the composition of the social care workforce is significantly made up of international colleagues. This is especially — though not solely — in rural and remote parts of Scotland, where it has for many years been impossible, despite all the measures that have been taken, to recruit locals or even people from elsewhere in Scotland. Without the ability to attract and to retain international colleagues, it is no exaggeration to say that care would not be able to be delivered in whole swathes of our nation. If that were to occur, this would mean that people would end up being supported miles from home or, worse still, having to be admitted to hospital because they could not be cared for by social care services. Huge efforts have been made over the last few years to improve the terms and conditions of care workers, and the Scottish Government has been at the fore in paying the Scottish Living Wage to frontline staff, given that the vast majority of care bought in Scotland is bought by the state, even though it might be delivered by a charity or private provider. We have begun a journey on improving pay, but we have some distance to go, and Scottish Care, together with many, have advocated over the last few years that pay should start at least from £15 an hour. It is therefore being very economic with the truth to suggest that international colleagues are 'cheap labour' — they are paid the same as any indigenous worker. It is also disingenuous to suggest that there is a pool of unemployed international workers in Scotland just waiting to be called upon, or that those who are 'economically inactive' can become carers overnight — though in truth many are inactive because they are already caring for family. It is shameful naivety for the UK Government to argue that social care providers just need to recruit locally and improve terms and conditions when it is the very same government that funds most of the care and whose actions in imposing huge National Insurance cost increases have recently made so many care organisations virtually unsustainable. READ MORE What any sensible and rational immigration policy requires is an assessment of need based upon specific sectors and geographies. That is why a visa arrangement that specifically addresses the needs of Scotland and its demographics, together with the national shortage of social care workers, is urgently needed. If federal immigration models can work in Canada and Australia, then a devolved approach to migration can work for Scotland. Sir Keir Starmer outlining his immigration proposals (Image: Ian vogler/PA) Scotland is a better place for the women and men who have come here to care. We need to do all we can to retain and hold on to their skills and talents, to enable them to feel that they belong. The negative rhetoric we have seen from our UK Government in the last few days creates a sense of hostility and not hospitality. We urgently need a rethink, and I call upon Scottish political leadership, regardless of party, to recognise that Scotland and those who require care and support need a consensual, positive approach to immigration that recognises the occupational shortage the care sector is facing.
The Herald Scotland
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Care at risk in ‘swathes of Scotland', warns sector chief
Dr Macaskill's warning comes after the Prime Minister set out new immigration rules designed to drive down net migration — which stood at 728,000 in the year to mid-2024 — and overhaul the current visa system. The new ban on care visas was announced as part of new UK Government immigration curbs As well as a ban on low-paid care worker recruitment from overseas, the new White Paper includes tougher English language requirements, a ten-year minimum stay for settlement, and higher qualification standards for skilled worker visas. Sir Keir said the new system would end what he described as 'a squalid chapter' in British politics and the economy, while promising to 'take back control of our borders'. 'In a diverse nation like ours — and I celebrate that — these rules become even more important,' he said. 'Without them, we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.' He added: ''Take back control.' Everyone knows that slogan, and everyone knows what it meant on immigration — or at least that is what people thought. 'Because what followed from the previous government, starting with the people who used that slogan, was the complete opposite. 'Between 2019 and 2023, even as they were going round our country, telling people with a straight face that they would get immigration down, net migration quadrupled, until in 2023 it reached nearly one million. 'That is about the population of Birmingham, our second-largest city. That is not control. It is chaos.' READ MORE The Prime Minister said some of the millions of inactive adults in the UK would be supported back into work to help cover the staffing shortfalls. 'The current system does the opposite, and so we will support them into work with a £1 billion package, the right to try and measures like that — and that if you can work, you should work. And I do think that this White Paper should be seen in conjunction with what we are doing on welfare.' Dr Macaskill said the sector had tried and failed repeatedly to hire local workers. 'When the United Kingdom Government, without consultation and engagement with the care sector — the organisations who employ tens of thousands of people who care — unilaterally decided we can no longer recruit from abroad, they did so with little appreciation of just how damaging their actions could be,' he said. 'There are parts of Scotland where the composition of the social care workforce is significantly made up of international colleagues,' he continued. 'Without the ability to attract and to retain international colleagues, it is no exaggeration to say that care would not be able to be delivered in whole swathes of our nation.' 'If that were to occur, this would mean that people would end up being supported miles from home or, worse still, having to be admitted to hospital because they could not be cared for by social care services.' Dr Donald Macaskill called for a Scottish visaDr Macaskill said the changes showed that Scotland needed its own distinct approach to immigration. 'What any sensible and rational immigration policy requires is an assessment of need based upon specific sectors and geographies. That is why a visa arrangement that specifically addresses the needs of Scotland and its demographics, together with the national shortage of social care workers, is urgently needed.' 'If federal immigration models can work in Canada and Australia, then a devolved approach to migration can work for Scotland,' he added. Responding to the Prime Minister's statement, First Minister John Swinney accused the Labour leader of being 'terrified' of Nigel Farage's Reform UK, following their success at English local elections. He said: 'There will be a huge impact on employment in the National Health Service and on social care. 'We struggle in Scotland to have a large enough working-age population. 'The announcements today from the UK Government are going to make that even more difficult and there are going to be some significant opportunities lost for the Scottish economy by the implications of these announcements.' READ MORE Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid supported the new UK-wide policy, arguing that it would reduce exploitation and improve standards. 'Inward migration is a big part of our national story and will continue to be so in the future,' she said. 'Net migration numbers are going to fall, and that is good, but Britain will always offer a home to the brightest and best of people who want to come here.' 'The Immigration White Paper means we will have tougher rules, more rigorously enforced, on immigration,' she added. 'Importing low-paid, low-skilled workers, often with poor command of English, will be closed off to exploitative employers.' Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman accused the Government of 'scapegoating' migrant communities. 'It is a cynical, cruel and authoritarian response to Reform,' she said. 'It will only serve to damage public services while throwing migrant workers under the bus with racist, restrictive and totally self-defeating policies.'
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Ex-Tory worker in £1m VAT and money laundering scam
A former Conservative party branch treasurer was caught running a £1m VAT fraud and money laundering scheme, a court has Macaskill, 65, filed bogus forms to HMRC which grossly overstated the sales from his sandwich businesses to reclaim more than £800, also laundered £200,000 through his local Conservative parties in Glasgow and Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, where he was treasurer as well as deputy cash was then funnelled through the bank accounts of his current and ex-wives. Macaskill, of Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, faced a number of charges including being involved in a fraudulent VAT scheme and receiving criminal was deemed unfit to stand trial due to him suffering from a brain examination of facts hearing - without a jury - instead took place at Glasgow Sheriff Court to examine the circumstances of the Paul Reid concluded the facts against Macaskill had been "established".Macaskill was not present for most of the hearing. He remains living at his case was adjourned until later this scam happened between February 2003 and March 2014. Macaskill ran the Bigga Bites and Kwik Snax sandwich production companies from a factory in court heard how he submitted 34 false VAT return forms which authorised repayments of £864,971.72 through Bigga also made a bogus claim of an NHS contract with his business to get £88,543 in 2008 from a VAT return then made cash deposits from the fraud into the bank accounts of the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Conservative Association and the Glasgow Conservative Campaign Forum.A total of 11 cheques were made out to Kwik Snax from the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Conservative Association general account with a value of £8,617.A further 52 cheques totalling £193,790 were made out to Kwik Snax from the Glasgow Conservative Campaign cheques worth £6,300 were also made out to Macaskill directly from the - an ex-district court judge - reportedly received an out-of-court settlement from the Scottish Conservatives in 2012 having been dumped as a Holyrood election removal paved the way for future leader Ruth Davidson to get into later described the Scots Tories as "inept and morally corrupt".
