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SNP plans to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes could lead to a rise in counterfeiting – say critics.
The party hopes to introduce plain packaging for all tobacco companies and force them to display bigger health warnings.
But critics and the tobacco lobby have warned that standardised packaging could also have damaging effects.
They say that it could lead to a price war resulting in increased smoking rates thanks to cheap cigarettes and also to a rise in counterfeiting. Continue reading
SCOTTISH Enterprise has splashed out more than £100,000 to hire celebrities such as Fred MacAulay, Jackie Bird and Sally Magnusson to attend business events.
The extravagant spending included £23,500 for former Ryder Cup golfer Sam Torrance to give golf tips to potential investors and £12,000 to comedian Fred MacAulay to act as master of ceremonies at two dinners.
The move has been branded “desperate” by David Whitton MSP, Labour’s shadow finance spokesman.
The quango receives a £276 million budget to help boost economic growth in Scotland.
MORE than 20,000 people marched through the centre of the Scottish capital to demonstrate against the financial cuts announced in Westminster this week.
The mass of demonstrators, made up of trade unionists, community activists and members of the public assembled on New Market Street, close to the City of Edinburgh Council offices on Saturday.
The Scottish Trades Union Congress marched behind the banner of their campaign ‘There’s a better way’ and voiced their opinion that the £81 billion cuts announced by George Osborne do not favour public sector workers and are not the best course of action for the long-term Scottish and UK economy.
MORE than 20,000 people marched through the centre of the Scottish capital to demonstrate against the financial cuts announced in Westminster this week.
The mass of demonstrators, made up of trade unionists, community activists and members of the public assembled on New Market Street, close to the City of Edinburgh Council offices yesterday (Sat).
The Scottish Trades Union Congress marched behind the banner of their campaign ‘There’s a better way’ and voiced their opinion that the £81 billion cuts announced by George Osborne do not favour public sector workers and are not the best course of action for the long-term Scottish and UK economy.
By Clare Carswell
MORE than 20,000 people marched through the centre of the Scottish capital to demonstrate against the financial cuts announced in Westminster this week.
The mass of demonstrators, made up of trade unionists, community activists and members of the public assembled on New Market Street, close to the City of Edinburgh Council offices this morning (Sat).
The Scottish Trades Union Congress marched behind the banner of their campaign ‘There’s a better way’ and voiced their opinion that the £81 billion cuts announced by George Osborne do not favour public sector workers and are not the best course of action for the long-term Scottish and UK economy.
The General Secretary of STUC, Grahame Smith, said: “We need to change policy. We are on a disastrous course, disastrous for the economy, disastrous for the people of this country. We need to have change.”
CULTURAL: Mr Russell (right) is a keen supporter of Scottish tourism
EDUCATION secretary Mike Russell has been accused of losing focus of the Scottish education system and having “far too much fun” in his job.
The SNP minister was criticised for making transatlantic visits to the likes of whisky events, a golf tour firm and a visit to Apple’s HQ in California.
His travel and engagement diaries were released after a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Labour party, who said the implementation of the new Curriculum for Excellence should be his priority.
But Mr Russell – who openly blogs online about his globetrotting adventures – defended the visits, most of which came during the USA’s Scotland Week , saying they were to “further Scotland’s interests.”
Continue reading
A WOMAN whose dog was caught in a vicious snare has joined growing calls for Scotland to lead the way in banning the deadly traps.
Jill Flye’s seven year-old English Pointer Monty was “yelping in pain” when he got caught in a trap on a public path.
After helping her distressed pet out of the snare, she said she was even more shocked to find out they were entirely legal in Scotland.
Now she is teaming up with MSPs in a bid to gather support before the issue is debated in the Scottish Parliament later this year.
By Cara Sulieman
SCOTTISH ministers have backed down in their bid to stop the country’s information commissioner from accessing their files.
Lawyers for the government were due to appear in court to challenge the powers of Kevin Dunion.
They wanted to stop him from accessing their files, which in an important part of his job.
But they abandoned the case at the last minute and Mr Dunion has dropped his request for the information.
By Paul Thornton
FEARS that sweeping defence cuts could force the closure of a Scottish RAF base have been met with defiance by the SNP.
RAF Lossiemouth in Moray is thought to be included in a shortlist of operations which could face the axe under the new Westminster coalition government’s defence review.
The base employs around 3,000 staff directly and, along with nearby RAF Kinloss, is thought to support as many as 7,000 jobs in the North of Scotland, pumping £76m into the economy.
But – with the MOD facing a £36b budget shortfall – Defence Secretary Liam Fox has ordered military chiefs to make cuts in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR).
And – according to reports – the government believes that at least one of the two bases must go. Continue reading
By Cara Sulieman
MORE THAN 600 operations are cancelled in Scotland a week, with a quarter of them being scrapped by the hospital.
NHS Fife chalked up the most, with 146 operations a week being called off.
Just over half of Fife’s cancellations were made by the hospital, and the other half by patients or “other miscellaneous reasons”.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde were next with 99 a week.
