Next election in Scotland can't just be about independence
It is understandable that John Swinney wants to talk about independence in the build-up to next year's Holyrood election.
Scotland becoming an independent country is the whole purpose of the First Minister's party and career. After the Hamilton by-election, many in his party have been putting him under pressure to focus more on Scotland's constitutional future.
And independence remains popular, with support for it riding high in the polls. By focusing on this issue, the First Minister will hope to consolidate support for the SNP in next year's Scottish elections.
But it would be a mistake to think that will be the only issue on people's minds as they cast their vote. This also needs to be an election on the dire state of Scotland's public services.
Our health service is on its knees. One in six Scots is on a waiting list and our hospitals are crumbling. The attainment gap between rich and poor in our schools is far too wide and there is a youth violence epidemic in our streets.
The roads are in a terrible state and our councils are struggling for cash. Voters will want to consider these issues when they choose who governs Scotland. Next year's election has to be about delivering the best public services for Scotland.
It must be about improving people's lives in both the short and long term. If Swinney only talks about independence and does not say how he will improve our public services, that could backfire.
Even independence-supporting voters may well be tempted to give somebody else a chance in the Holyrood hotseat after 17 years of SNP rule.
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That's the spirit
In the current tense political climate, it is easy for politicians of all parties to paint immigrants and asylum seekers as 'strangers'.
But that is not the true picture in towns and cities across Scotland. One example is Hasab Mohammed, who fled the civil war in Sudan 20 years ago to try to make a better life for him and his family here in Scotland.
After years of hard graft, he scraped together enough savings to open a small cafe in Kilmarnock town centre. It thrived and has become a popular part of the community.
Hasab tells in today's Daily Record how a fire that ripped through buildings in the town this week has left his dream in tatters. But he has been humbled by the response of the local community, who have rallied round to try to help Hasab get his business back up and running.
Hasab and his friends in Kilmarnock represent the true spirit of Scotland.
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Daily Mail
6 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Massive security operation kicks in as the US President touches down in Scotland to huge cheering crowds... with only a limp handful protesters
Donald Trump touched down in Scotland to cheering crowds amid a massive security operation that spans the country. Air Force One landed at the nationalised Prestwick Airport shortly before 8.30pm ahead of the President's four full days of talks and leisure time at his golf courses on the Ayrshire coast and in Aberdeenshire. Huge crowds of onlookers applauded his arrival while only a handful of protesters held up crude placards outside Turnberry. The visit is expected to require a security operation as big as the arrangements for the late Queen Elizabeth II 's funeral in September 2022 - involving up to 6,000 officers - with taxpayers again facing a bill of more than £3million for policing his stay. This trip has now commandeered almost a third of Police Scotland's manpower to make sure things go smoothly and saw officers in high viz vests swarming over greens, tees, fairways and DC while snipers overlooked it from watchtowers. Major protests are planned to take place in Aberdeen and Edinburgh on Saturday with officers from other forces brought in to bolster the Scots force. Rounds were still being played but the golf was happening behind miles of newly erected 10ft fences with ultra-fine mesh to keep protesters away. During the visit, Mr Trump will hold talks with the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, First Minister John Swinney and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. On the Prestwick runway Mr Trump renewed his war against the expansion of wind farms, which he previously opposed off the coast of his Menie course in Aberdeenshire. He told reporters: 'I say two things to Europe: stop the windmills, you are ruining your countries. 'I really mean it. It's so sad, you fly over and you see these windmills all over the place ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds and if they are stuck in your oceans ruining your oceans. 'On immigration, you'd better get your act together or you are not going to have Europe any more.' He said he will be meeting with 'numerous executives' and 'a lot of people' at Turnberry and Aberdeen, which he said 'is the oil capital of Europe'. He said his talks with Sir Keir will be a 'celebration' of the US/UK trade deal but played down the prospects of changes, saying 'the deal is concluded'. Mr Trump also talked up the prospect of his Turnberry resort hosting the Open and dismissing concerns that infrastructure must be improved first. He said: 'I don't know, the best course anywhere in the world is Turnberry, the players all want to be at Turnberry, everybody wants to be at Turnberry so we will see how that works out.' As he set off from the White House on Air Force One, President Trump spoke of his love for Scotland and said at the time that he wants to talk about improvements to the US/UK trade deal with Sir Keir. After landing late at Prestwick, he travelled to Trump Turnberry. Business leaders say the trip is a 'huge opportunity' to strengthen Scotland's economic ties with the world's biggest economy and can pave the way for detailed discussions on trade and tariffs. Talking about his plans with Sir Keir before leaving the US, Mr Trump said they will be having dinner at Turnberry then travelling to Aberdeen, which he described as 'the oil capital of Europe' to have lunch. He said: 'We are going to have a good time, the Prime Minister and I get along very well.' On his proposed meeting with Mr Swinney, 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.' Turning to an aide, he said: 'That's all set up, right?' Scotch whisky chiefs are desperate for the President to reduce or scrap the 10 per cent duty imposed on exports of malts and blends to the US. Asked whether he will be doing any business deals with the UK, he said: 'Yeah I'm going to meet with the Prime Minister right now, we're going to be over there in about six hours, we're meeting with the Prime Minister tonight. 'We're going to be talking about the trade deal that we made and maybe even improve it.' He added that they will discuss 'certain aspects that are good for both countries' and also 'do a little celebrating'. Mr Trump was greeted by Labour's Scottish Secretary Ian Murray at Turnberry, despite the Edinburgh South MP previously backing a House of Commons motion which called for his 2019 State visit to be cancelled and accused him of 'misogynism, racism and xenophobia'. The Chancellor Rachel Reeves yesterday said the President's visit to Scotland is in the 'national interest'. She said: 'It's in Britain's national interest to have strong relations with the US administration and as a result of both that long-term special relationship, but actually more importantly, the work that our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done in building that relationship with President Trump has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal. 'That has a tangible benefit for people here in Scotland, whether it is people working in the Scotch whisky industry or people working in the defence sector like here at Rolls-Royce, that trade deal means lower tariffs than any country in the world on things that we send to the US.' Business leaders hope the visit will pave the way for agreements which can boost the Scottish and UK economies. Dr Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: 'There are £30 billion reasons why the USA matters to Scotland and President Trump's visit is a fantastic platform to showcase the best of Scottish business on a global stage. 'We have a President who understands business, is a deal maker, is personally and financially invested in our nation, and appreciates the value of our world class products and services. 'That's a strong basis for a special relationship and a huge opportunity to strengthen Scotland's economic ties with the world's biggest economy and our largest export market outside the EU.' Ahead of his own talks with the President, Mr Swinney said the meeting will be an opportunity to 'essentially speak out for Scotland' on international issues such as Gaza, as well as trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland. He said: 'There are clearly also significant international issues upon which the people of Scotland have a view and want to have that view expressed by their First Minister. 'That relates to the awfulness of the situation in Gaza and the unbearable human suffering that is going on in Gaza. 'I want to make sure that those concerns and those views are expressed to the president of the United States. 'We have that opportunity, and I intend to take that opportunity to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard.' Mr Swinney also urged all of those set to protest against the president's visit to do so 'peacefully and to do so within the law'. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will meet US President Donald Trump in Scotland on Sunday. Ms von der Leyen made the announcement on X, saying: 'Following a good call with @POTUS, we have agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong.'
BBC News
6 minutes ago
- BBC News
US president Donald Trump arrives in Scotland for four-day visit
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The motorcade - which contained more than two dozen vehicles - entered Trump's Turnberry golf resort at about 21:30, flanked by Police Scotland vehicles and ambulance he arrived at the resort, the president's vehicle - known as The Beast - passed a small group of will stay at Turnberry over the weekend before heading to his second property in Aberdeenshire, where he will open a new 18-hole course at Menie."Sean Connery helped get me the permits - if it weren't for Sean Connery we wouldn't have those great courses," he said, referring to the Scottish actor he said helped him get planning permission for the courses. Trump is expected to meet Starmer and Swinney on Monday while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed on X that she will meet the president on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade will travel back to the US on Tuesday and is due to return to the UK for an official state visit in September.A number of protests are expected to be held to coincide with the visit, including demonstrations in Edinburgh and Aberdeen on Saturday. A major security operation has been under way in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire this week, ahead of the president's of officers have also been drafted in to support Police Scotland, under mutual aid arrangements, from other UK closures and diversions have been put in place in Turnberry, while a security checkpoint outside the resort and a large fence has been erected around the course.A number of police vans have also been seen at the Menie site. Speaking to journalists at Prestwick, Trump said European countries need to "get your act together" on migration, and "stop the windmills", referring to wind said: "I say two things to Europe: Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries. I really mean it, it's so sad."You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds, and if they're stuck in the ocean, ruining your oceans."Stop the windmills, and also, I mean, there's a couple of things I could say, but on immigration, you'd better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore."In 2019, his company Trump International lost a long-running court battle to stop a major wind power development being built in the North Sea off Aberdeen. Trump argued that the project, which included 11 wind turbines, would spoil the view from his golf course at Menie. 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Quizzed on the latest developments with the Epstein files and Ghislaine Maxwell's interview with the Department of Justice, Trump said he had "really nothing to say about it"."A lot of people are asking me about pardons obviously - this is no time to be talking about pardons."He said the media was "making a very big thing out of something that's not a big thing".Earlier, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told reporters the US president's visit to Scotland was in the "national interest".Speaking during a visit to the Rolls-Royce factory, near Glasgow Airport, she said: "The work that our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done in building that relationship with President Trump has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal."Reeves added that it had a "tangible benefit" for people in Scotland, from the Scotch whisky industry to the defence sector."Swinney said his meeting with Trump would present an opportunity to "essentially speak out for Scotland" on issues such as trade and the increase of business from the United States in first minister said he would also raise "significant international issues" including "the awfulness of the situation in Gaza".And he urged those set to protest against the president's visit to do so "peacefully and to do so within the law". Visits to Scotland by sitting US presidents are Elizabeth hosted Dwight D Eisenhower at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire in 1957. George W Bush travelled to Gleneagles in Perthshire for a G8 summit in 2005 and Joe Biden attended a climate conference in Glasgow in only other serving president to visit this century is Trump himself in 2018 when he was met by protesters including one flying a paraglider low over Turnberry, breaching the air exclusion zone around the returned in 2023, two-and-a-half years after he was defeated by Biden. Trump does have a genuine link to Gaelic-speaking mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born in 1912 on the island of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides and left during the Great Depression for New York where she married property developer Fred son's return to Scotland for four days this summer comes ahead of an official state visit from 17-19 September when the president and First Lady Melania Trump will be hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.
Rhyl Journal
10 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Get your act together on immigration, Trump tells Europe as he lands in Scotland
Mr Trump is in the country for a four-day visit to both of his golf clubs in Aberdeen and Ayrshire. Landing at around 8.30pm on Friday, the president was greeted by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray before speaking to reporters. Asked about illegal immigration – which successive UK governments have sought to curb – Mr Trump said: 'On immigration, you better get your act together. 'You're not going to have Europe anymore, you've got to get your act together. 'As you know, last month we had nobody entering our country – nobody, (we) shut it down.' He added: 'You've got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe.' Immigration, Mr Trump said, was 'killing Europe'. Some European leaders, he continued, 'have not let it happen' and are 'not getting the proper credit they should', though the president did not say who he was talking about. Mr Trump said: 'Many countries in Europe, some people, some leaders, have not let it happen, and they're not getting the proper credit they should.' The president also praised Sir Keir Starmer ahead of a meeting between the two at one of his courses in the coming days, describing him as a 'good man'. 'I like your Prime Minister, he's slightly more liberal than I am – as you probably heard – but he's a good man. He got a trade deal done,' he said. 'You know, they've been working on this deal for 12 years, he got it done – that's a good deal, it's a good deal for the UK.' The president's motorcade – which contained more than two dozen vehicles – passed a small group of protesters as he entered his Turnberry golf club. Mr Trump also suggested he would be meeting Sir Keir 'tomorrow evening', although it is understood the pair will not meet until Monday. As well as the Prime Minister, Scottish First Minister John Swinney will meet with the president, as will European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who confirmed on X she will come to Scotland on Sunday in a bid to hash out a trade deal between the US and Europe. Mr Trump told journalists there was a 'good 50/50 chance' of a deal being struck, adding that it would be the 'biggest deal of them all'. The president and Sir Keir are expected to discuss potential changes to the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month. Mr Swinney has pledged to 'essentially speak out for Scotland'. Speaking as he boarded Air Force One in the US, Mr Trump said he would be having dinner with the Prime Minister at Turnberry, before 'going to the oil capital of Europe, which is Aberdeen'. He said: 'We're going to have a good time. I think the Prime Minister and I get along very well.' Mr Trump added: 'We're going to be talking about the trade deal that we made and maybe even approve it.' He also told journalists he was 'looking forward' to meeting with the 'Scottish leader' Mr Swinney, describing him as a 'good man'. During his time in Scotland, the president is also likely to spark a number of protests, with concerns being raised about how such demonstrations are policed. Police Scotland has called in support from other forces in the UK to help bolster officer numbers, though senior officers and the organisation which represents the rank-and-file have accepted Mr Trump's visit will have an impact.
