Clyde Tunnel workers vote for strike action
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland's senior organiser in public services, said council staff were tired of being treated as "the poor relations in our public services."He added: "Council workers have again been forced to fight for fair pay while watching others in the public sector, NHS Scotland, for example, being made acceptable offers."The team at the Clyde Tunnel keep Scotland's biggest city moving - only one example of the essential services delivered by our members."Without their expertise and experience, one of the country's most important roads could close with untold disruption."Council pay is negotiated nationally between unions and Cosla.GMB Scotland have called for a 6.5% pay increase instead of the proposed 3%, saying it would work out as the equivalent of a £1 an hour rise.An estimated 65,000 cars, vans and lorries use the Clyde Tunnel every weekday.Glasgow City Council and the Scottish government have been contacted for comment.
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The Guardian
4 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Newcastle left with uncomfortable feeling that Isak wants more and romance is dead
Football is a market. It has always been a market and it is more of a market now than it has ever been before. Everybody is constantly looking for a better deal, and everybody has a price. Every club has its place in the ecosystem and those higher up the chain will always take from those below them, who in turn will take from those below them. All a club can ever hope to do is to inch their way higher and higher in the structure, to increase the number of clubs they can feed on while reducing the number of predators who can feed on them. It may be reassuring to think of the legendary servants, the one-club men of the past, but even the term 'servants' betrays an uncomfortable truth. From 1885, when professionalism was legalised and the great clubs of the industrial north and Midlands began to acquire talent from Scotland, footballers have been a product to be traded. From 1963, when the retain-and-transfer system was scrapped, and increasingly after the Bosman ruling of 1995, players have had agency, although even before that there were cases such as that of Wilf Mannion, who went on strike to try to force a move from Middlesbrough to Oldham. Since financial fair play rules began to be introduced 15 years ago, preventing an owner splurging a fortune on elevating his side, the clubs climbing the ladder most successfully are those who have accepted their position within the hierarchy and traded accordingly. Brighton's ascent to become a top-10 Premier League side has been based almost entirely on their ability to identify talent early and sell it at an enormous profit to Chelsea. There remains a reluctance to be seen as a selling club, but other than Real Madrid everybody is a selling club now. Far better to be a selling club than a letting-a-player-run-down-his-contract-and-leave-on-a-free club. Clubs who will have regarded themselves as the elite, as destination clubs, have to accept that almost everybody is a stepping stone . Perhaps for those who are battling to return to the elite, who are not confident in their status, that is a difficult adjustment to make. Which brings us to Alexander Isak. The dance of briefing and counter-briefing that has played out over the past couple of weeks has been fascinating and, frankly, a little baffling. If Isak wanted to leave Newcastle – and he was considering his future in the final weeks of last season – why wait until after Liverpool signed Hugo Ekitiké and Chelsea acquired Liam Delap and João Pedro, as well as for Arsenal's move for Viktor Gyökeres to be at an extremely advanced stage, to make that public? Does the scarcity of centre-forwards on the market push his price up? Or does the fact that potential suitors have no burning need for a striker reduce it? Understandably, Newcastle fans are reluctant to see the Swede go. He is, after all, probably the club's best player since Alan Shearer. He is only 25; once upon a time it would have been possible to dream of him staying for the best part of a decade, scoring 200 goalsb. Last season was the best Newcastle have known since the first Kevin Keegan era. They won the Carabao Cup, their first domestic silverware in 70 years, qualified for the Champions League and their line was led by one of the world's most coveted strikers. It was possible to imagine a future when Isak was joined by players of similar stature. But that is not how modern football works. Isak wants more: more money (and his £120,000-a-week salary does seem below the market rate) and a more consistent chance of winning trophies. Newcastle could hang on to him, hope he does not succumb to bitterness and try to add further stars. Or they could take £140m and invest it in strengthening the squad as a whole, accumulating more assets who can be sold at a profit so more can be bought, driving their ascent. It is cold and mercantile, it is far from the romance many would like to see in the game, but it is also the reality. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion There are two problems. First, the sense of loss if Isak goes, which is particularly acute for a fanbase that still carries the collective memory of the departures of Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley and Paul Gascoigne in the 80s and the fear that the Saudi Public Investment Fund may essentially turn out to be the habitually beleaguered Stan Seymour in disguise. Isak is not the only Newcastle player pondering his future and there is a danger his departure is the start of a mini-exodus. Second, there is a lack of faith that the club is equipped to make the most of such a windfall. Paul Mitchell left this summer after a year as sporting director and although Jack Ross has been appointed as head of football strategy and Sudarshan Gopaladesikan as technical director, with Ross Wilson likely to be named as sporting director soon, it is unreasonable to expect anybody taking up a role in July to coordinate a coherent transfer strategy for a window that closes on 1 September, particularly with Darren Eales stepping down as chief executive because of illness. There has already been disquiet about a lack of incoming players, with Anthony Elanga the only senior signing to date as Newcastle have missed out on a number of targets, most recently James Trafford, who preferred to rejoin Manchester City. Although plans are being drawn up for a new stadium, there were fears last season that Newcastle might be the victims of a more general Saudi retrenchment. Meeting profitability and sustainability rules remains a check on expenditure, but with Champions League football this season there were reasons to expect the budget to be a little more generous. Instead, there is a sense of drift. In part that is misfortune, given the illnesses suffered by Eales and Amanda Staveley, who sold her stake in the club last summer. But the appointment of Mitchell never seemed a comfortable fit and the result is a vacuum. Last season was supposed to be the beginning of a glorious future for Newcastle; the fear within the frustrations of the past few weeks is that it was actually a summit.
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
'Hypocrite' John Swinney hands £180k golf sweetener to Trump as storm rages over the First Minister 'whipping up' anti-Trump protests
John Swinney is at the centre of a major hypocrisy row after he pledged a donation of £180,000 of public cash for a golf tournament at one of Donald Trump's Scottish courses. The First Minister was accused of offering the 'cynical sweetener' to the US President just days after he was roundly criticised for 'whipping up' anti-Trump protests ahead of his four-day trip to Scotland. Mr Swinney – who has called for Mr Trump's State visit to the UK in September to be cancelled – told activists hoping to disrupt the President's trip to 'do Scotland proud' and 'demonstrate lawfully'. However, on Saturday – as Mr Swinney prepared to meet with the President – the Scottish Government rushed out an announcement of funding for a showpiece golf event at one of Mr Trump's courses in Aberdeenshire. One source told MailOnline: 'The Scottish Government was alarmed at the way Mr Swinney's comments on protests were portrayed, and were desperate to achieve a positive narrative before the two meet.' The last-minute cash injection is for the 2025 Nexo Championship which takes place at the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire between August 7-10. MailOnline understands the funding announcement for the DP World Tour event was due to be made on Tuesday, but was brought forward to distract the White House from Mr Swinney's protest comments. Critics warned the First Minister to 'start acting like a grown-up in his dealings with the President'. The President of the United States was spotted enjoying a game of golf at Turnberry on Saturday Tory MSP Murdo Fraser said: ' John Swinney 's disgracefully condemned President Trump's State visit, and then talked up protests while claiming to welcome him to Scotland. 'Now he's announced that his government is giving money to a golf course owned by the President. 'That rare support for tourism from the SNP is welcome, but many will see it as a hypocritical and cynical sweetener. 'The First Minister must start acting like a grown-up in his dealings with the President and advance Scotland's interests rather than trying to appease the childish hostility of his own supporters.' The row comes as: - Mr Trump was spotted enjoying a round of golf at his Turnberry course in Ayrshire on Saturday. - Sir Keir Starmer is hoping to discuss trade, a ceasefire in Gaza and the war in Ukraine in a meeting with the President on Monday. - Major anti-Trump protests took place in Aberdeen and Edinburgh with officers from other forces brought in to help Police Scotland. Referencing the £180,000 boost, Mr Swinney said: 'The Scottish Government recognises the benefits of golf and golf events, including boosting tourism and our economy. 'As the home of golf, we have a long-standing track record of support and I am proud this funding will further enhance Aberdeenshire's reputation as a leading golfing destination.' A Scottish Government spokesman added: 'With the eyes of the world on Scotland, this funding was announced to further raise the profile of Aberdeenshire.' The announcement comes as Mr Swinney's team are said to have been 'alarmed' after his protest comments were 'misinterpreted'. The SNP leader was accused of 'playing to the gallery' by claiming Mr Trump's visit gave Scotland 'a platform to make its voice heard on war and peace, justice and democracy'. On Thursday he said: 'I am confident the vast majority of people protesting will do Scotland proud and demonstrate as they should – peacefully and lawfully.' The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents rank and file officers, blasted Mr Swinney for 'appearing to welcome protest', while the Scottish Conservatives said Mr Swinney should 'not engage in this dog-whistle attempt at whipping up protest'. SPF general secretary David Kennedy said: 'It is important to remember that it will fall to Scotland's under-resourced officers to maintain peace throughout this high-profile event.' A huge security operation is in place to keep Mr Trump safe with almost a third of Police Scotland's manpower deployed to the task. Mr Swinney's olive branch comes despite his previous robust criticism of the US President. After Mr Trump clashed with Ukraine's President Zelensky in February, the First Minister urged the UK Government to cancel the State visit later this year. But after landing Airport on Friday, President Trump appeared unfazed by Mr Swinney's views. He said: 'I have a lot of love [for Scotland], my mother was born in Scotland. The Scottish leader's a good man and I look forward to meeting him.' Mr Swinney has pledged to use his meeting with Mr Trump in the coming days as an opportunity to 'speak out for Scotland' on international issues such as Gaza, as well as promoting Scotland's trading links with the United States. The Prime Minister, meanwhile, will use his talks with Mr Trump to seek to build on the new trade deal agreed with the USA in May. The MoS understands he will also discuss a ceasefire in Gaza and the war in Ukraine. Mr Trump said his talks with Sir Keir will be a 'celebration' of the US/UK trade deal. He said: 'We are going to have a good time, the Prime Minister and I get along very well.'
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
A smile and a wave as Uptown Girl blasted from Donald Trump's Golf Buggy One
It has been his dream for years to return to his beloved Turnberry course – one he describes as 'probably the best in the world' –for a quiet 18 holes in beautiful surroundings. Yet, it would seem being Leader of the Free World offers few opportunities to enjoy such private moments undisturbed on his own golf course. As he stepped onto the first tee at Turnberry's drizzly Ailsa Course, dressed in black with white shoes and a white 'USA' baseball cap, he was surrounded by a 28-golf buggy 'cavalcade' of staff and advisers, dozens of police officers and a bank of photographers. No pressure for that first drive then POTUS! What police are calling Operation Roll 2 was now underway. If his official aircraft is called Air Force One and his helicopter Marine One, it's only fair to assume The Donald was at the wheel of Golf Buggy One. His Presidential car, known as 'The Beast', is loaded with Bond-style gadgets believed to include smoke screens and door handles rigged to send a 120-volt electric shock to ward off attackers. Was Golf Buggy One similarly equipped? Perhaps fitted with an ejector seat, capable of rapidly transporting America's First Citizen from the second hole to the 14th green in an instant? Well, perhaps not... but it was equipped with his own personal sound system, and the course rang to the pumping beat of some of his favourite tunes. These included Uptown Girl by Billy Joel, Memory, from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats, All Out of Love, by Air Supply, Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers, and Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel. When he stepped onto the first tee with son Eric, around 10.15am, you almost expected to hear the starter's announcement: 'All the way from Washington DC…' It was difficult concentrating on the President's rapid progress around the course. An entire bush of yellow gorse suddenly moved to the right but it was only a couple of Scotland's Finest blowing their cover – and keeping the President safe. The police – estimated to number 5,000 officers – were less than chuffed at having to work 12-hour shifts to protect POTUS, even if did have Scottish blood in his veins. Still, they had been well looked after by their bosses. As well as food and drink in their goodie bags, those on extended duty at the seaside course had been given tubes of sun cream, midge repellent and even lip balm to cope with the Ayrshire climate. Some on duty didn't crack a smile, however. These were the mysterious pairings of men walking around in wet weather jackets and black skip caps. The giveaway that they weren't casual tourists from Oregon was the earpiece tucked into the collar of their shirts. At Trump Turnberry yesterday you couldn't tell your MI5 from your CIA. But the locals did seem to take it all in their stride. One nice lady living on the edge of the Ailsa course was so good-natured you could imagine her taking out afternoon tea to the two snipers standing on the tower at the bottom of her garden. Few strolled anywhere near the police cordon separating Trump's hotel and golf resort from the outside world. If they did, they could notice the drains on the road had been sealed with heavy-duty duct tape after being searched for explosives. Oh, and the metal barriers were strong enough to stop a Sherman tank. Kay Smith travelled from Liverpool to show her support for the 47th President of the United States. Wearing a 'Make America Great Again' ensemble, the 38-year-old carer dropped her red, white and blue face mask to explain the reason behind her unusual weekend pilgrimage to the shadow of Ailsa Craig. She said: 'We just wanted to get a glimpse of Trump. We love him. We were at the airport on Friday night and caught sight of Air Force One but we've not managed to see him in the flesh yet.' Miles of new 10ft fences with ultra-fine mesh had also been erected to keep protesters away – but most of them were miles away in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. If the reasons behind the huge security presence were not so serious – an alleged assassination attempt was made last year as Mr Trump played golf in Florida – the scenes at the luxury resort on the West Coast of Scotland would be nigh on farcical. The President is known to be impatient on the golf course and hates being held up. No fear at Turnberry as his was the only group on the course. It's handy when you can choose any tee time you want. It is thought Mr Trump went round the course at breakneck speed – and was back at his hotel for lunch. And his score? Well, who knows? However, photographers perched on a windy hill around 150 yards away were adamant they spotted one rather ungentlemanly manoeuvre on the third fairway, after an errant ball from the President failed to land where it had been expressly told to land and ended up in the long grass. The story goes a helpful caddie picked it up and dropped it in a more favourable lie, before Mr Trump seemed to nudge it himself with his club towards the hole. Could the President have bent the hallowed rules of golf ever so slightly? Or could it just be fake news?
