Jen4Scot

This boils my piss The self-indulgent pomposity, the preening, the theatrical catch in the voice — a fitting farewell from Scotland's greatest snake oil saleswoman. One last carefully rehearsed tremble of the lip from the woman who made a career of confusing sincerity with its cosmetic imitation. Sturgeon was never Scotland's saviour. She was the Dreghorn Gollum — a failed solicitor, a pretender, a lavender ghost, and ultimately a destroyer of women's rights. A creature of the process, not the purpose — who hoarded her Precious: the poll ratings, the grievance, the perpetually deferred referendum never meant to arrive, only to sustain. Independence was not the destination. It was the revenue model. The hospitals not reformed. The schools sliding down the international rankings. The ferries rusting at the dock — a monument in steel to the SNP's extraordinary gift for spending enormous sums to produce nothing that floats, flies, or functions. She wore the aesthetics of progressivism like a high-visibility jacket — visible, protective, entirely hollow. That it required a Alister Jack to protect Scottish women from their own devolved government is a sentence that should be carved above the door of Bute House as a historical epitaph. The Salmond affair. The deleted WhatsApps. The campervan. The six hundred thousand pounds. The husband in handcuffs. The banal farce of a political class that believed the rules were for the management of others. In the bright post-SNP future, Scottish schoolchildren will study her career as a warning of how Scotland nearly became Romania — a country with a vibrant national mythology, permanent external villains, and infrastructure that crumbled while the speeches soared. She was very, very good at the performance. Just never at anything else.

@theSNP What are you doing? How does someone claim help?

Heating your home should not become a hardship. We're more than doubling the UK heating oil fund for Scotland, helping more households with high energy costs, especially in rural and off-grid areas.

@MartinSLewis @hmtreasury Just because someone in your household works does not mean you can afford a 100% rise in your oil bill.

Heating oil update. @hmtreasury has just put this release out. For speed I'm copying & pasting (though I edited out the political quotes), we'll be analysing exactly how it works later, clearly this is govt's words not mine.... -------------------------- Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - Chancellor confirms over £50 million for low income families who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. - The price of kerosene – the fuel used for heating oil - has been especially affected by the conflict in the Middle East and has risen faster than other fuels such as petrol and gas. - Government announces intention to regulate heating oil sector to introduce new consumer protections, alongside securing agreement with industry to quickly improve customer experiences. Heating oil update. Families to benefit from over £50 million to help people pay for the rising cost of heating oil. With winter drawing to a close, and families struggling with the rising price of heating oils, this government is committed to helping ensure that vulnerable families are able to heat their homes and access hot water. The price of kerosene – the fuel used for heating oil - has been particularly impacted by the conflict in the Middle East and is currently double that of crude oil. In Great Britain, unlike gas and electricity customers, those who heat their homes with oil are not covered by the energy price cap, meaning they are exposed to more immediate energy price hikes. Many, including some of the most vulnerable households, will need to pay an upfront lump sum to top up their tanks in order to maintain their heating and hot water. To bridge the gap, the Chancellor is announcing over £50 million of targeted financial support, helping low-income households in rural communities who have no choice but to top up their tanks at a time when prices have risen so significantly. In England, funding will be distributed by local authorities via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), which comes into effect from 1 April, targeted areas with higher rates of oil heating. This is a particular issue in Northern Ireland, where a greater proportion of homes rely on heating oil, and we have allocated £17 million to support them. England will receive £27 million, Scotland £4.6 million and Wales £3.8 million. This funding has been allocated based on census data, reflecting where the greatest need is, and it will be allocated directly to the devolved governments, with the expectation that it will be used to support vulnerable households. Heating oil is different from other sectors in the energy market as it does not have the same consumer protections and is not regulated by Ofgem. The government intends to introduce new consumer protections for heating oil customers and is rapidly exploring new ways to step in and ensure households are better protected. This includes: - An agreement secured with industry on a strengthened Code of Practice to rapidly provide enhanced protections to customers, including greater flexibility on delivery volumes and improving price transparency and formalising a Priority Customers Register – meaning all customers who are vulnerable are eligible for prioritised support in times of disruption. - Introducing stronger consumer protections in the heating oil market, which could cover dispute resolution, a greater variety of repayment options for those facing hardship, greater price transparency and enhanced protections for vulnerable groups such as the elderly. - Supporting the Competition and Markets Authority’s plans to carry out a more comprehensive examination of the UK's heating oil industry. - Exploring the creation of a new ombudsman or appointment of a regulator, such as Ofgem, to champion consumers, and taking powers to do so through the Energy Independence Bill. - Working with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that protections are fit for purpose for Northern Irish households, who are particularly reliant on heating oil. In addition, the Chancellor earlier this week wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ask that it remains vigilant across heating oil prices and supports CMA action to tackle unjustified price increases. The government will not tolerate profiteering or unfair practices and urge customers to share any evidence of price manipulation with the CMA. Vulnerable households who are facing immediate financial difficulties as a result of rising heating oil prices are encouraged to contact their local authority to find out what support may be available to them.

It was the middle of march and they were like ‘oh no we gotta close the schools’ and then they were all ‘gotta close the gyms and other stuff too’ and get this they even taped up the playgrounds and boarded up the basketball hoops and closed the hiking trails and filled the skate park with sand and omg remember when they arrested that guy at the beach that was so cray and then they told us to stay home and binge netflix in our pajamas and they were all like ‘just two weeks guys’ and they insisted ‘don’t wear masks’ over and over til one day they were like ‘never mind you gotta cover your face with a thin piece of cloth actually’ and later they said ‘cloth doesn’t work and actually you need to shave your beard too’ lol and they were like ‘social distancing is science for realsies’ but they totes made that up and then they were all ‘no you can’t buy garden seeds just essential things like doritos’ and ‘make sure to follow these arrow stickers because science’ and ‘oh btw it’s illegal to hug people unless you wrap yourselves in a shower curtain’ and ‘no it’s way too dangerous to gather for a funeral but it’s totes safe to gather for a crowded protest in fact you definitely should’ and then they finally opened gyms and restaurants back up but they were all ‘nope you can’t come in unless you inject this rando mystery liquid into your arm first’ and ‘be sure to mask up between sips and bites’ and anyway they kept schools closed for months and months and kids were not ok obvy but bars stayed open yay and thru it all they were like ‘oh hey if you question or complain about any of this stuff you are literally a selfish evil grandma-harming white supremacist so you should be censored and banned and fired from your job and locked up at home actually’ and they promised all this stuff that we were complaining about would keep us safe but instead the stuff just ended up irreparably harming us and dividing us and dehumanizing us and you guys we must never ever ever let them do this stuff to us again.

Home heating oil & LPG consumer complaints dossier update. You've sent 1,000s in, which the MSE campaigns team've been working through. What I want to try & do is - By tonight hopefully, have a 1 page summary of main issues to go to Department for Energy & I'll put here - In a week-ish have a full document with lots of evidenced case studies which we'll send to DoE and CMA and Energy Committee.

Wood Mackenzie, which monitors oil and gas fields around the world and is renowned as a global leader in energy data, estimated that there could be up to 14 billion barrels worth of recoverable oil and gas in existing North Sea fields. That is more than three times larger than the four billion barrels estimated to remain in place by Ed Miliband’s offshore regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA). (DT)

'Gravy bus' ex-SNP candidate Sally Donald told to repay £20,000 in benefits trib.al/GsHcv0V

@joannaccherry Tbh I'm more worried about the SNP and their myriad ridiculous carry-ons, many of which you tacitly supported by remaining in the party.

This is the sort of carry on that used to really get on my nerves when I was an MP. War in the Middle East, innocent civilians dead and thousands of British citizens trapped there and MPs think this is a good look? No wonder voters are so sick of our politics.

16 years ago you needed to earn £37,400 to pay the higher tax rate  Now it’s just £300 more, but inflation has been 58% in those 16 years  On that basis the threshold should be £59,000, not £37,700 Meaning 4 million more people now pay 40% tax who should be in a lower tax bracket Stealth taxes like this is why people feel broke in the U.K.

@TomBaldwin66 I’m not sure losing a by-election does us any good either, Tom.

Happy 'Chopping the Bottom off Doors' day to those who celebrate bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla…

The best Burns Night joke of them all: An English doctor is being shown around a Scottish hospital. At the end of his visit, he's shown into a ward with a number of patients who show no obvious signs of injury. He goes to examine the first man he sees, and the man proclaims:- "Fair fa' yer honest sonsie face,
Great chieftain o'the puddin' race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place, painch tripe or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace as lang's my arm...." The doctor, being somewhat taken aback, goes to the next patient, who immediately launches into:- "Some hae meat, and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit." This continues with the next patient:- "Wee sleekit cow'rin tim'rous beastie,
O what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty, wi bickering brattle
I wad be laith to run and chase thee, wi murdering prattle!" "Well," said the Englishman to his Scottish colleague, "I see you saved the psychiatric ward for last." "No, no, no," the Scottish doctor corrected him, "this is the Serious Burns Unit."

At this point, just give him a “Super Nobel Peace Prize for the Most Peace,” a coloring book of Greenland, so we can all move on with our lives.

@WallStreetMav Sigh The EU is a customs union. You don’t tariff “8 EU countries”, you tariff the EU’s external border. Once goods enter the single market, they move freely. Trying to split tariffs by member state shows a complete misunderstanding of how the EU works.

The Europeans will gradually capitulate and quietly urge Denmark to cut a deal with the USA on Greenland. 1) The tariffs are only on 8 European countries. The 20+ other European countries will want to avoid tariffs. 2) Britain has elections in May 2026. Keir Starmer is weak politically and cannot afford having his economy collapse with more trade pressure. 3) With the exception of Poland, most of Europe is stagnant economically and in no position for a trade war with the USA. Germany is losing factories and jobs at an alarming rate. 25% tariffs will push them over the edge. At the end of the deal, Donald Trump is ready to make a deal. The Denmark and the Europeans just need to drop their rhetoric and come to the table to negotiate.

Your cat is probably too cold in your home, and you don’t realize it. I wish more people understood a cat’s thermoneutral zone. For most cats, it’s 86 to 100°F, meaning this is the temperature range where they can maintain normal core body temperature without burning extra energy to warm up or cool down. Most homes sit around 68 to 72°F, which can feel fine to humans, but it can create chronic low-grade cold stress for cats. That’s why you see cats curled into tight balls, glued to heating vents, burrowed under blankets, or parked on your lap. They are not being dramatic. They are trying to reach a comfortable temperature. Cold stress matters even more for kittens, seniors, thin cats, and cats with kidney disease, arthritis, or hyperthyroidism. Warm resting spots and heated beds can be genuinely therapeutic and an efficient way to support your cat’s comfort. Save this, share it with every cat person you know, and if you want more under-discussed veterinary issues, follow along. #cathealth #veterinarian #cats #catcare #heatedcatbed #kidneydiseasecat #seniorcat #kitten #catbehavior #petcaretips

Just had a depressing call with my accountant. After repeatedly going through figures, it seems that selling my flat- which has the loveliest couple- is the only sensible thing to do. It's simply costing me more than I earn from it They can't afford to buy themselves, and love the flat, but unfortunately it just doesn't make financial sense to keep them sadly. Just booked in a valuation next week. I'd like to congratulate @RachelReevesMP @AngelaRayner @SteveReedMP and @Keir_Starmer for their complete inability to understand the consequences of their policies

@DamianLow3 Calling this a “perception problem” quietly blames the public. Inflation down ≠ prices down, most wage growth is patchy, and fiscal drag eats the rest. People feel worse off because they are.

Why Britain’s crisis doesn’t add up: The numbers tell a different story Despite the constant talk of crisis, Britain’s economy isn’t in as bad a shape as people think. The numbers show growth, falling inflation and rising wages. But the gap between these facts and public perception is growing. 1. The economy is growing, even if slowly, inflation’s coming down and wages are up by 4.4%. So, in theory, we’re doing okay. But there's a gap between the statistics and the public mood. People aren’t feeling it. 2. When you look deeper, unemployment’s at 5.1%, and taxes, though high, are still around the OECD average. Debt is lower than many other major economies. Yet, despite this, we’re in a state of collective pessimism. 3. The issue is more than just the economy. It’s a national sense of unease. There's a disconnect between the reality of our situation and how we perceive it. And simply trying to paint a positive picture won’t solve it. 4. The Labour government is making progress. Trade deals, major infrastructure projects like Heathrow, mini nuclear reactors and a new film studio in Hertfordshire. They're even building ships for the Navy. Yet, these efforts often get overshadowed by negative narratives. 5. The problem goes beyond government messaging. It’s about perception and trust. People feel stuck in a cycle of bad news, even when there are positive developments happening beneath the surface. 6. The solution isn’t about pretending everything’s fine. It’s about shifting the national mindset and making sure the good news resonates. A country with this much potential shouldn’t be stuck in a state of constant crisis. The key takeaway is simple. Unless we address the psychological side of our national mood, we’ll continue seeing the same cycle of dissatisfaction, no matter the actual progress. We need a reset, not just politically, but culturally too.

Since Labour came to power there are roughly 200,000 more people unemployed, 1 million more people on welfare without work requirements, 80,000 more young people not in education, employment, or training, 62,000 more people working in the public sector and 50,000 more illegal immigrants

@Keir_Starmer x.com/JamesMelville/…

Good news: inflation has fallen to the lowest in 8 months. This is a step in the right direction, but I know many families are still feeling the pressure of the cost of living. That’s why my government is taking action to cut costs and make you better off.

So while the government and their media messengers boast about inflation “dropping to 3.2%”, this misleading. It’s still an increase of 3.2%. Here’s Ed Conway highlighting that that every monthly inflation rise adds to the overall incremental inflation.