Latest news with #MairiMcAllan
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
SNP are in desperate need of a leader with fire in their belly
We agreed that hopefully they would still win despite their completely stupid, pointless, campaign message. We have to ask why John Swinney put all his time and effort into arranging the truly ludicrous 'Stop Reform' event when, if he had all this time and energy, he should surely have been arranging a 'We Demand to Save Grangemouth' event to be followed by a citizens' assembly for independence. READ MORE: Mairi McAllan: I'm back and I want quick progress on housing emergency Perhaps, though, it simply tells us everything we need to know about his and his party's priorities these days? With the SNP completely failing the people in regards to independence despite promising it, is it any wonder everyone is fed up to the back teeth with the whole bloody lot of these parties north and south of the Border, who simply lie through their teeth come election time promising us the world and then deliver Sweet Fanny Adams? This is the real reason why Reform UK are making such gains, and woe betide any of the political parties of the status quo who for decades have let us all down so badly, and who ignore this at their peril. People have genuinely had enough of being completely trampled on, lied to and abused by both Tory parties, both red and blue, and the SNP, as we in this enormously resource-rich nation have to sit back and watch it being systematically destroyed. We should be even madder at the way we are being abused! READ MORE: SNP leadership challenge would not be a good idea, says John Swinney We simply have to ask if there is anyone with even a modicum of intellect in the SNP to advise John Swinney. Perhaps there is no-one to hit the 'avoid making a fool of the party' button and this is why the SNP since 2014 have missed one open goal after another when it comes to demanding independence for the people who voted them in for just this reason. John Swinney seems a decent enough guy, but he is never in a month of Sundays the leader needed to take this country to its rightful goal of independence. Unless the people in the SNP wake up and realise indy supporters are every bit as intelligent as they are, the SNP will almost certainly go down in history as the biggest political failures of all time. Just take a look at the chasm between Yes support and the SNP, who for the last four years or so have been an embarrassment to indy supporters and who seem to now have a built-in self-destruct button. READ MORE: John Swinney and Anas Sarwar clash over reports of SNP secret meeting For every decent thing they do, the SNP then come out with ideas that ruin any credibility they may have just earned with caring, damage-reducing policies to try protect people from Westminster's idiotic, ill-thought-out rulings. The SNP need to wake up, or the man who was very much the instigator in bringing us all the financial calamity and life-ruining Brexit – the wee ex-Tory, City spiv with his very own property empire who incredibly pretends he is 'anti-establishment' as he counts his millions, yes, Nigel Farage – may very well be the next prime minister. So let's hope we somehow miraculously find a leader with fire in their belly, who will not accept any rulings that damage our lives here in Scotland, who will not accept 'no' when it comes to independence and who has the vision and intellect to set the foundations in place for an independent Scotland with its own currency and proper land reforms. We badly need both of those things right now but have to sit back and watch the SNP elect one dud after another as leader when far more capable people are right under their noses. Iain K Dunoon
Daily Record
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Clydesdale MSP returns to Scottish Government following maternity leave
Mairi McAllan has become housing minister taking over from Paul McLennan. Clydesdale MSP Mairi McAllan has returned to the Scottish Government following her maternity leave. Paul McLennan, who had been housing minister, has left the Government at his own request, it was announced, with Ms McAllan, who had previously been net zero and energy secretary, taking on overall responsibility for the portfolio. With the housing brief now promoted to the Cabinet, Ms McAllan will be tasked with tackling Scotland's housing emergency as well as taking forward changes to ensure homes are more energy efficient - a move which can help bring down bills while also tackling climate change. Announcing the change, First Minister John Swinney said: 'Mairi McAllan has been tasked with tackling the housing emergency, including ensuring we have energy efficient homes to help bring down bills and tackle the climate emergency. 'These are two of the biggest challenges facing people across the country and I want them to know they have a Government firmly on their side and focused on delivering real change.' The reshuffle also saw Maree Todd take over as minister for drugs and alcohol policy, a position which had been held by the late Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse MSP Christina McKelvie until her death earlier this year.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Spend every penny of increased cash on affordable housing, charity urges
Scottish ministers have been urged to fully pass on a funding increase caused by a boost in housing spend by the UK Government. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced on Wednesday £39 billion would be spent over the next decade on housing. The cash will result in an increase in funding for Scotland, though the Treasury has as yet been unable to say how much extra cash will come north of the border. The announcement comes as the Scottish Government has been dealing with a housing emergency in the country for more than a year and as Mairi McAllan was appointed Housing Secretary on Wednesday. Shelter Scotland – a key housing charity north of the border – has urged ministers to ensure every penny provided to the Scottish Government as a result of the boost goes towards affordable homes. 'The UK Government has finally recognised the importance of social housing and placed it at the heart of the Chancellor's plans,' the charity's director, Alison Watson, said. 'If additional funding is made available, only the Scottish Government can decide how it is allocated. But if the First Minister is serious about tackling the housing emergency and ending child poverty, housing must be a priority. 'We demand that any consequentials arising from this investment in housing in England are passed directly to Scotland's affordable housing supply programme. 'This is already the case with NHS spending – housing should be no different. After all, home is everything. 'We know that building more social homes is the only way to tackle the housing emergency. 'It is the only way we can move the 10,360 children currently in temporary accommodation into secure, permanent homes.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'As part of his reshuffle, the First Minister has put tackling the housing emergency at the heart of his Cabinet by appointing Mairi McAllan as Cabinet Secretary for Housing. 'This financial year, we have increased the Affordable Housing Supply Programme budget by £200 million to £768 million, including £40m targeted towards acquisitions to support the local authorities with the most sustained homelessness and temporary accommodation pressures. 'The full implications of the UK spending review, which outlined spending on housing in the next 10 years, are still being considered.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Spend every penny of increased cash on affordable housing, charity urges
Scottish ministers have been urged to fully pass on a funding increase caused by a boost in housing spend by the UK Government. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced on Wednesday £39 billion would be spent over the next decade on housing. The cash will result in an increase in funding for Scotland, though the Treasury has as yet been unable to say how much extra cash will come north of the border. The announcement comes as the Scottish Government has been dealing with a housing emergency in the country for more than a year and as Mairi McAllan was appointed Housing Secretary on Wednesday. Shelter Scotland – a key housing charity north of the border – has urged ministers to ensure every penny provided to the Scottish Government as a result of the boost goes towards affordable homes. 'The UK Government has finally recognised the importance of social housing and placed it at the heart of the Chancellor's plans,' the charity's director, Alison Watson, said. 'If additional funding is made available, only the Scottish Government can decide how it is allocated. But if the First Minister is serious about tackling the housing emergency and ending child poverty, housing must be a priority. 'We demand that any consequentials arising from this investment in housing in England are passed directly to Scotland's affordable housing supply programme. 'This is already the case with NHS spending – housing should be no different. After all, home is everything. 'We know that building more social homes is the only way to tackle the housing emergency. 'It is the only way we can move the 10,360 children currently in temporary accommodation into secure, permanent homes.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'As part of his reshuffle, the First Minister has put tackling the housing emergency at the heart of his Cabinet by appointing Mairi McAllan as Cabinet Secretary for Housing. 'This financial year, we have increased the Affordable Housing Supply Programme budget by £200 million to £768 million, including £40m targeted towards acquisitions to support the local authorities with the most sustained homelessness and temporary accommodation pressures. 'The full implications of the UK spending review, which outlined spending on housing in the next 10 years, are still being considered.'
STV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- STV News
A minimalist reshuffle, but is Swinney just rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic?
This was one of the most minimalist reshuffles I have seen. In fact it was so small they weren't even going to bother with the ritual of ministers going in the front door of Bute House. In the end they relented and first in was Mairi McAllan, with the Clydesdale MSP returning to work from maternity leave and straight back in to Cabinet as housing secretary. It's an important appointment because it's hard to see how the SNP can go into a Scottish Parliament election in the midst of a housing emergency, which they themselves have declared. You are also going to see a lot more of her because she will be the unofficial minister for media interviews as well. She was on Scotland Tonight on Monday and was the party's spokesperson at the by-election count last week. Mairi McAllan is also seen by some as a potential future leader of the SNP. When she was going in to Bute House I asked her if she had confidence in John Swinney – 'absolute confidence' she said. The reason I asked was because The Herald is reporting today that there are plots emerging to challenge John Swinney's leadership, or at least his authority, following the Hamilton by-election loss to Labour. On the steps of Bute House with his newly appointed ministers behind him, he said he was making modest changes to Government and would aim to 'deliver hope to the people of Scotland through the realisation of our ambitions for Scotland, in making Scotland the best that we can be, and we can only do that if Scotland is an independent country'. I spent four hours hanging about outside Bute House this morning. The place was swarming with tour buses and tourists eager to find out what was going on. The highlight for me was the line used by quite a few tour guides to explain the purpose of Bute House – 'it's like Scotland's equivalent of the White House' was the line most of them used. In Alex Salmond's day he was known to step out of Bute House straight on to tour buses and welcome the foreign visitors to Scotland – they just thought everyone got that kind of welcome. Not so welcome news today for the previous housing minister Paul McLennan, who was sacked in the reshuffle, and the post bumped up to Cabinet. Alasdair Allan will also leave government to focus on campaigning for his Western Isles constituency. Gillian Martin stays on as energy secretary, and Maree Todd becomes drugs minister following the death of Christina McKelvie, which led to that Hamilton by-election. In response, Labour and the Conservatives dusted off the oldest reshuffle cliché around accusing the First Minister of 'rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic'. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
