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Hi ,
What price loyalty? Scottish Labour stalwart Ian Murray found himself out of a job last week, after he was sacked in a reshuffle of the UK Government.
The former secretary of state for Scotland was replaced in short order by Douglas Alexander, a Starmer loyalist who held the position nearly 20 years ago as part of Tony Blair's government.
The move has been controversial, however, as Murray was seen as an important and popular Labour figure. He was Labour's longest serving MP in Scotland and the only one to survive the party's near-wipeout north of the border in 2015. The Edinburgh MP was given a more junior position days later after the backlash.
For his successor, lets say there hasn't been universal praise. One unnamed Scottish Labour MP allegedly described him as a "wee p***k" who nobody likes.
“If I had a pound for everyone who liked Douglas, I would have 50p," the MP claimed.
Ouch.
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Yours,
Ali |
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Story of the week |
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An in-depth look at a Ferret investigation |
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Grangemouth should have been Scotland’s big opportunity to realise its ambition for a just transition – moving workers into cleaner, greener jobs. But embittered power struggles got in the way, The Ferret finds.
Just five minutes after Martin Hunter found out the Grangemouth oil refinery where he had worked for almost 20 years was closing, it was being reported on BBC News.
The announcement on 12 September 2024 confirmed the site’s imminent closure which ultimately happened in April this year with the loss of hundreds of jobs. Hunter remembers those who weren’t working, but had seen headlines, calling up to ask: “Is this right? Are we losing our jobs?” In the face of global forces, they felt powerless. |
| Read the full story |
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What did we dig up this week? |
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A round up of our investigations in the last seven days |
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FFS explains: why Grangemouth shut – and what happens next
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The closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery in April has cast a long shadow over Scotland’s plans for a fair transition away from fossil fuels. |
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Claim NHS waits of over two years are 800 times more common in Scotland than England is Mostly True
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The party claimed that Scots were facing significantly more long waiting times for NHS treatment than people in England. |
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Question of the week |
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Have workers at Grangemouth been left behind in the Just Transition? |
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| No |
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Best of the rest |
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Investigations we've enjoyed from around the world |
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Kennedy's Health and Human Services department asks all employees to start using ChatGPT |
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The email continues the rollout of AI to every corner of the federal government, which the Trump administration has become increasingly obsessed with. (404 Media) |
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Anti-Islamic US biker gang members run security at deadly Gaza aid sites
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The firm guarding Gaza aid sites where aid is distributed in Gaza has been using members of a anti-Islam US biker gang to run its armed security. (BBC News) |
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The superyacht, the billionaire, and a wildly improbable disaster at sea
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The last night of tech mogul Mike Lynch’s life has become fodder for conspiracy theories. For the first time, the whole story can be told. (Wired)
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