Latest news with #QueenMaryII
Scotsman
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Readers Letters: Labour has fast lost any credibility it had after Starmer's migration speech
I cannot quite remember such a deep disillusionment with politics, in which the gulf is deepening between Scotland and the rest of the UK. Joyce McMillan (Perspective, May 16) is right to suggest that the time is fast approaching for a second independence referendum, perhaps before the end of the decade. We can't wait for a generation to pass. 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... In less than a year after their landslide victory, Labour has fast lost any credibility it had, even among its increasingly restless and rapidly more disgruntled back benchers. A new nadir was surely reached in Keir Starmer's infamous migration speech on Monday, with its far right echoes, followed by the astonishing rebuff in Albania. Nigel Farage and Reform UK are filling a vacuum at the top, understandably in England as a protest vote, but scarily and unnecessarily, in Scotland too. Farage and his billionaire cronies are very much an English Nationalist Party, hopefully with no real leverage in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The only person to come out of all this with any real credit is John Swinney, under whose steady and effective leadership, the SNP are building towards a formidable and credible alternative, as a protest vote, and far more, against the increasingly far right approach, which may be acceptable in Westminster, but has no place in Holyrood. Ian Petrie, Edinburgh Price worth paying Yesterday's announcement raises the spectre- not denied by the Scottish Government- that the two Calmac ferries built by the state-owned Ferguson shipyard- will end up costing £460 million. The comparison is made with the identical cost of the massive liner, the Queen Mary II. But even more relevant is the historic cost of the Skye Bridge, built under the private finance initiative. The owners who took much of the risk were criticised by left wing commentators at the time. Yet we can see that the £33m of tolls plus the £28m paid to buy up the contract was a bargain. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Not only is crossing to Skye now free (unlike Calmac's ferries), but the vessels used before for the route and then released-the MV Loch Fyne and MV Loch Dunvegan, are still in use, a bonus. Asking the State sector to undertake construction risk means the taxpayer forks out for a political project, with poor control of costs, timings and specifications. We begrudge the profits of the private sector, yet it more often delivers the goods: at a price worth paying! Peter Smaill, Borthwick, Midlothian Keeping lights on The 'Between the lines' article on off-shore wind failed to address the problem that electricity (28p/unit) is too expensive compared to that of gas (6.8p/unit). That is why Scot's choose gas for 80 per cent of their energy needs and only 17 per cent from green energy. Any Nat5 Pupil studying economics could have informed Jeremy Grant, wind output is not only too dear but, under dunkelflaute weather conditions, it fails to deliver a single unit of energy! That means further cost to the consumer to pay for a 100 per cent back-up system that will keep the lights on in Scotland. It is called gas turbine units based in England since John Swinney refuses to grant planning permission for a 900MW gas fired plant at Peterhead. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Little wonder the SNP had to scrap the £130 billion project to decarbonise Scottish homes as it would have led to penury as few flat owners could afford the £160,000 price tag for fitting a heat pump. Scots should take note that, if Ed Miliband suceeds in achieving 90 per cent green Generating in the UK by 2030, just what will keep the lights on when the wind fails to blow? Ian Moir, Dumfries & Galloway Trans fear As a woman, I find the current arguments that pit 'ordinary' women against trans-folk abhorrent and disingenuous. These trans-exclusionary women campaigners certainly do not speak for me or most women I know. These women are afraid of trans women in 'their space'. They hold the fundamental belief that trans women (born male) are no different to men, ergo 'trans women must be excluded - like other men - because men are a danger to women'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The apparent simplicity of the argument masks its assumptions. The position depends on a belief in 'biological determinism' that was rejected by feminists and society at large years ago. No-one seriously doubts that the way we grow up and the choices we come to make affect our behaviour and influence the incidence and nature of violent and sexual offending. Not all men are violent, and violent men can change. And gay men and lesbians show a different pattern of offending than straight men and women. So either biology is not so deterministic after all, or gender/sexual orientation roles, choices and socialisation do make a difference. It is obvious that trans women are very different from other men: Despite being born male, they have made the enormously difficult step to transition, and have vehemently rejected their birth sex. Like women, they are more likely to be victims of aggressive men than perpetrators. The current paucity of data about violence and sexual assault by trans women onto (cis) women, has created an information vacuum in which a fear of trans folk can echo. It is the trans-excluding folks 'own' beliefs (that trans women are no different to other men) that make them afraid. And it is treating these beliefs as 'self evident' and therefore not in need of examination that prevents any reasonable discussion. Marie G, Edinburgh Papal power Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Papacy was in the news recently with the departure of Pope Francis, arguably the world's number one Chief Executive Officer. He ran an organisation with 1.4 billion people in it but got paid only around £25,000 a month, most of which he gave to charity. Granted, he got to stay in a very nice house and it's a job for life (literally), and at the end of it he gets to stay in an even nicer house, a mansion even, with a responsible landlord in a quiet, well maintained neighbourhood. Would that other CEOs might take a leaf out of his book. We've been hearing about another CEO in the news last week. Serious questions are being asked of Thames Water's boss Chris Weston about whether or not Thames Water is a failing company following his pleas for leniency regarding fines and penalties as the company faces significant financial difficulties. Financial difficulties? I find that hard to believe when I see that Weston is on a £2 million plus package per annum and the shareholders seem happy. Surely the company is thriving, or am I missing something? Likewise the Highland Council. We in the north frequently hear how short of money it is for services because the bad people in Westminster won't give our heroic SNP Scottish Government enough to give to Inverness. But, you know, it must be doing well enough to be able to pay the CEO £184,000 a year, three assistant CEOs £129,279 each a year, and 14 chief officers £109,285 a year, a total of more than £2.1m a year, or am I missing something else? I wonder how many home carers could be employed for even half of that, or pupil support assistants? We might even get a pot hole or two filled. Depressingly, I've no doubt the story is similar throughout all of Scotland's Local Authorities, but it was only Highland Council that in July 2024 was cited as being the worst performing council area in mainland Scotland according to a Sunday Times analysis. Nice work if you can get it? Ian McElroy, Thurso Water scarcity Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scotsman is to be lauded for highlighting the issue of water scarcity faced by Scotland. Water scarcity is a global challenge exacerbated by dwindling rainfall, rising temperatures and the perilous impacts of climate change. There are countries like Jordan which is the second most water scarce country in the world and like Bangladesh which despite its water resources are faced with environmental risks such as the monsoon season and flooding that make it susceptible for water shortages. Such global issues are transcendental in nature and therefore they require holistic solutions, global collaborations and shared commitment to sustainability for all stakeholders involved. Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London Stop stalling The Scottish government is still dragging its feet in relation to implementing fully the common sense decision of the Supreme Court over women's safe spaces. The SNP and Greens are trying to be politically correct for a small minority which is their "zeitgeist" position. There is a more timeless position however, that of biological correctness which has lasted aeons. Does the Scottish government really think its stance on this matter will stand the test of time, even if it is only until the Holyrood election of 2026 when the women of Scotland will get a chance to have their say? Gerald Edwards, Glasgow Pulling teeth Poor old Anas Sarwar. Scottish Labour came third in last Thursday's Clydebank Waterfront by-election behind the SNP and Reform. With the Scottish Parliament Hamilton by-election just three weeks away I wonder if he's having flashbacks to his former career as a dentist. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For example he must be 'bracing' himself for more bad news, attracting votes is like 'pulling teeth' these days and actually winning a seat seems a 'bridge" too far; he just can't seem to make an 'impression' on an electorate that isn't exactly 'enamelled', sorry, enamoured of his party I bet he'd give his 'eye teeth' for some new policies and good news from down south. What's going on there must 'denture" confidence Mr Sarwar. Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven Write to The Scotsman
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More cruisers get virus; Carnival clarifies drink package stand
Cruise lines have done a really good job limiting the impact of norovirus outbreaks. Contaiment and quarantine methods clearly work and have spared cruisers the sort of "whole ship gets sick" disasters that in the past had overwhelmed ship plumbing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention oversees efforts to keep viruses under control on cruise ships. It has some very basic guidelines for passengers: Related: Royal Caribbean cruisers share what it's like to try Celebrity "GI illness is a commonly used term for acute gastroenteritis," the agency's website says. Reporting GI illness on cruise ships is important. "When passengers and crew tell the medical center on board about their symptoms, it helps GI illness outbreaks get detected quickly. This allows steps to be taken to limit the spread of illness. Medical staff evaluate symptoms to see if they meet our case definition for" acute gastroenteritis. The CDC also has two clear ways to identify when you need to report to the medical center. Three or more loose stools within a 24-hour period or what is more than normal for that person Vomiting along with one of the following symptoms: diarrhea, muscle ache, headache, abdominal cramp, or fever Nobody wants their cruise cut short by illness, but most people also don't want to spread their illness to others. Doug Parker has this and other stories on Cruise News Today. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker. Good morning, here's your cruise news for Thursday, March 27. Over 225 people have fallen ill in separate noro cases aboard two different cruise ships. Now, according to the CDC, the first one was Cunard's Queen Mary II. It had 183 passengers and 14 crew. Meanwhile, 29 cases were reported on the Seabourn Encore, which departed March 16th for Japan and Hawaii. That ship, obviously, with a lot smaller capacity. Now, both cruise lines say that they've implemented enhanced sanitation and isolation protocols. This marks the 11th and 12th ships to have outbreaks since January. In 2024, there were 18 outbreaks. And Carnival Cruise Line is doubling down on its policy for the Cheers drink package, saying if one adult in the cabin buys it, all adults 21 and over must do the same thing. No exceptions. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Yeah, Marine Ambassador John Heald dismissed the persistent rumors of the drink package waivers as being false, calling them scams. Carnival has no plans to change the mandatory cocktail policy as of now. And Santorini Greece is accepting ships again, as Celestial Discovery became the first cruise ship to return after a month-long suspension caused by earthquake activity. Now, Discovery recently also underwent a major refit, adding 47 cabins and boosting the ship's capacity by over 7%. The 1,360-passenger ship is sailing the Greek islands this summer. And cruise line stocks were mixed on Wednesday. Let us know. Go tips@ This week's cruise radio podcast to a review of Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas, where you listen to your favorite podcast. Here at the house, rolled in at 2 a.m. this morning. Doug Parker with Cruise News Today. Have yourself a great Thursday. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
