John Swinney has insisted it is not a coincidence that the UK Government blocked a Chinese firm’s £1.5 billion plan to build wind turbines in Scotland on the last day of the Holyrood term.
On Wednesday, the final day MSPs were in the Scottish Parliament ahead of the election campaign kicking off, the UK Government announced it would not allow Chinese firm Ming Yang to go ahead with plans to build the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturing facility in Scotland.
The firm had proposed the £1.5bn facility at a site in Ardersier near Inverness, saying it could create up to 1500 jobs.
On Wednesday the UK Government blocked the move, with a spokesperson saying it cannot support the use of the firm’s turbines in UK offshore wind projects.
Swinney was asked about the decision at the launch of the SNP’s Holyrood election campaign in Glasgow on Thursday morning, having previously suggested the UK Government was “sabotaging” Scotland.
He told journalists: “Was I blindsided by this? Yes I was.
“This has been kicking around the UK Government, they had it for 18 months, and I’ve heard on countless occasions there’s ‘going to be a decision this week’. It’s gone on like that for ages.
“Yesterday, I answered a question in parliament at lunchtime, I think it’s possibly the last question I answered at FMQs, where I said at that moment, I didn’t know, and I’d been asked about Ming Yang, and I didn’t know independently if it was to be a position outlined.
“And then it comes later in the evening, and … one of the advantages of being around long enough, is you know all the tricks in the book.
“Don’t tell me there wasn’t a coincidence that that announcement was made at the very end of the Scottish parliamentary session.
“That’s not a UK Government acting in good faith, and they no longer are acting in good faith, believe you me.”
Independent MSP Fergus Ewing raised the issue with Swinney at the final FMQs session on Wednesday.
It comes after Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes criticised the UK Government for failing to “explain precisely what the problem is with Ming Yang”.
“What is clear is that Labour are already hammering Scotland’s oil and gas sector, killing investment and costing jobs,” she said.
“And now, at exactly the time when we need to accelerate the transition to clean, green energy, delivering the jobs people need, Labour has pulled the rug out from under Scotland’s renewables industry.”
A spokesperson for Ming Yang said they were “disappointed” by the UK Government’s decision after the announcement was made.
“The decision misses a significant opportunity to increase competition in the capacity-constrained wind turbine market, delays Ming Yang’s plans to invest £1.5 billion in Scotland in offshore wind turbine production – creating up to 1,500 jobs – and risks energy prices staying higher for longer for British households and industry at a time of global energy shocks,” they said.
The UK Government has been contacted for comment.
(And, I dare say, at this moment is trying to come up with a convincing story…Munguin.)
What with tartan burkas and drunk homophobic jokes, things weren’t looking brilliant for Reform UK Limited, but in the last week, they have found themselves 3 candidates down for the elections.
Roland Jackson, the candidate for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, withdrew his candidacy.
Mr Jackson said he had never intended to stand, for family reasons, but his name “was published prematurely in error”.
“I went through the process but I notified Reform at the eleventh hour and sadly it was an administrative error at their end,” he said.
Well, that’s efficient, your noble lordness. Fills me with confidence, so it does.
Then, within a day of his candidacy being announced, the Dundee City West candidate, Stuart Niven, was suspended on matters concerning financial misconduct in connection with COVID support.
And then Aberdeen Central candidate, Jordan Brown, told Aberdeen University newspaper that he wasn’t a candidate after all. Oh dear.
And… as if that wasn’t worrying enough in a matter of a few days, it was also revealed that His Nobleness had had to apologise for a homophobic joke he had told at an event, when he was as drunk as a puggy. He was forced to apologise and make a donation to an LGBT charity.
And they want to run Scotland?
Oh, and never forget this…
PS. Munguin had an idea. He suggested that I should stand for Reform (it would be a tad infra dig for him to do it) and, if elected, I should immediately defect to the SNP. I mean they can hardly object to defects, can they? They seem to have of them, an abundance.
A new Holyrood poll has predicted a huge 18-seat pro-independence majority as Scottish Labour support plummets.
With a little more than a month to go until May 7, the survey of more than 2100 people by Lord Ashcroft and published in Holyrood Magazine, also makes for good reading for John Swinney with the SNP predicted to achieve a majority.
On the constituency vote, the SNP polled at a dominant 39%, with Reform UK in second on 14%. Scottish Labour polled in third at 12%, followed by the Scottish Greens on 11%, the Scottish Conservatives on 10% and Lib Dems on 9%.
On the regional list vote, the SNP scored 31%, while the Scottish Greens came second on 17%. Reform UK polled at 15% while Scottish Labour again polled at 12%. The Scottish Tories are on 10% and Scottish Lib Dems on 9%.
The SNP are projected to win 65 seats, with the Scottish Greens in second on 18 – meaning a huge pro-independence majority.
Reform UK are on 17 in third place, with Scottish Labour in fourth on 13. The Tories and Lib Dems are projected to return 8 MSPs each.
Commenting on the results, leading pollster Professor John Curtice told the magazine: “Most voters are likely to back a party whose constitutional preference aligns with their own. That leaves former SNP supporters with few options even if they are unhappy with the SNP’s record in government.
“Disgruntled pro-Union Labour supporters in contrast have plenty of Unionist options between which to choose – and as many as one in three of those who backed the party in 2024 say they are most likely now to support one of the Conservatives, the Lib Dems, or Reform.”
He added: “Support for the party (SNP) is well down on the last Holyrood election in 2021. However, the criticism of their record among their former supporters pales into insignificance compared with the fact that two-thirds of those who voted Labour in 2024 believe that the UK Government has a poor record in government. That – and Keir Starmer’s unpopularity – hang like an albatross around Anas Sarwar’s neck.”
So, if the SNP were on 65 seats and the Green were on 18, that would mean both the government and the leading opposition party would be pro independence.
It is worth remembering that this is but one poll and, with the Reform UK Company Limited just one seat behind the Greens… and the election a month off, it would be premature to celebrate.
Don’t look, I think Munguin is refusing entry to Donald Trump. I think maybe he came for a job as a dorangutan, but he’s too orange and not bright enough for this job.
2. Fun times with dogs and cats.
3.From Facebook: Punch, the viral monkey from Japan, seems to have found a little companion—and people can’t stop smiling seeing him this happy
Punch, a young macaque from Ichikawa Zoo, first captured hearts online when he was spotted carrying a plush toy for comfort after being rejected by his mother. His story touched many people around the world.
Now, new clips show Punch spending time with another baby monkey named Moe. The two can be seen sitting close, playing, grooming each other, and even sharing sweet moments that fans are calling a “kiss.”
It’s a beautiful shift for Punch, who once struggled to fit in with the group. While he still holds onto his plush toy, he now has a companion who clearly enjoys being by his side.
People everywhere are relieved and happy to see Punch finally experiencing comfort, connection, and a much brighter chapter in his life.
4. A family trying to beat a record-breaking summer heatwave set up a small blue kiddie pool in their backyard, only to have it completely hijacked by one of the rarest animals on earth. They walked out to the patio with their cold drinks and found a wild platypus happily paddling around in the shallow, refreshing water. The bizarre, duck-billed mammal had apparently wandered up from a nearby drying creek bed, desperately searching for any source of cool water to escape the scorching afternoon temperatures.
Completely ignoring the stunned homeowners, the platypus just kept doing lazy laps around the plastic pool, clearly thrilled with its private backyard oasis. Realizing the poor creature was just trying to survive the extreme heat, the family happily surrendered their swimming spot and spent the entire afternoon quietly watching their incredibly rare guest. Once the sun finally set and the temperatures dropped to a safe level, the refreshed platypus waddled out of the pool and disappeared back into the brush.
5. Do you know what I am?
6. I have my own sauna.
7. Damn, some parents just can’t a hint. Mum, I is hungry.
8. Just having some family time.
9. Au restau!
10. Any for me?Collared Doves have big appetites, you know.
11. Got anything meaty on the menu?
12. Don’t even think about it, bird.
13. Well, I’m off to eat some ants. Anyone wanna come along?
14. And, in a few weeks, make sure to leave out shallow containers with pebbles and water, so the bees can drink on hot days.
15. Excuse me. I think I saw someone trying to steal some of Munguin’s second hand gold. It’ll be that Trump again!
MUNGUIN'S NEW REPUBLIC 