Christine Grahame: ...do more for the NHS and public services in Scotland—and in England, where strikes prevail, incidentally—if the UK economy, which dictates our economy, was not in such a mess, as even Sir Keir Starmer admits it is. I want to go back to the better together mantra in the 2014 referendum campaign, which—there is no doubt in my mind—cost us the small percentage of votes that were needed...
Christine Grahame: ..., while less than 30 per cent now mildly or strongly agree that it was the right move. If I have time, Deputy Presiding Officer, I will turn briefly to the amendments. Labour’s leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has ruled out rejoining the EU or the single market if his party comes to power. He has steadied the Labour ship by veering into soft Tory territory—as the managing director of Iceland,...
Christine Grahame: ...Scotland, and this devolved Parliament and this Government, are caught up in the electoral vagaries of the Tories and Labour, as Rishi Sunak panders to the right in order to compensate for Sir Keir Starmer moving, in the footsteps of Tony Blair, into what was previously Tory electoral territory. Until we are independent, big steps are not ours to take.
Christine Grahame: ...in 2019-20. Although that is bad enough, it compares with 20.4 per cent of people in 2008-09. It is also lower than the equivalent figures in England and Wales. I was interested to hear Sir Keir Starmer’s response to the Queen’s speech. He said of justice in England: “Fraud has become commonplace, seven million incidents a year, Britain routinely ripped-off. The Business Secretary...