What’s happened to Scotland

[Bowland blades]

No I am no SNP supporter nor a socialist , however I think the keeping of masks etc ,is a far better plan than placating voters and instilling policies that are very likely to cost lives and put our services again at risk .
Watch this space regards England,

 

[reiver]

You obviously haven't driven along the A75 lately then!, it's in a terrible state. Perhaps they are waiting for Boris to upgrade it when he builds the bridge to NI

The A75 or the slow road to hell as it is also known locally

 

[willie_gunn]

You obviously haven't driven along the A75 lately then!, it's in a terrible state. Perhaps they are waiting for Boris to upgrade it when he builds the bridge to NI

I’ve done the A75 half a dozen times this year.

Compared to the roads here in Oxfordshire the A75 is like driving on silk….

It will be interesting to see what happens with the remaining dualling of the A9 now the Greens are sharing power. I used the latest stretch just North of Perth, near Luncarty, a couple of weeks ago. If you time your journey right, the A9 is now a very pleasurable drive, more so since the average speed cameras were put in, as you can just set cruise control and enjoy the scenery.

 

[Essex stalker]

The A75 or the slow road to hell as it is also known locally

On a good run I can do the 300 miles from Essex to the junction of the A75/M6 in 4.5 hours, it then takes me over an hour to do the last 50 miles to Kikcudbright!

 

[willie_gunn]

On a good run I can do the 300 miles from Essex to the junction of the A75/M6 in 4.5 hours, it then takes me over an hour to do the last 50 miles to Kikcudbright!

It's all about timing.

I've done just North of Portpatrick to Gretna in 2 hours on several occasions, but that requires leaving Portpatrick before 05:00 in the morning.

From Portpatrick to home (near Swindon) is 7 hours on a good run, using cruise control at the speed limit throughout.

If you don't leave until 08:00 or 09:00, then it can take 9 hours easy, more if the M6 is snarled up as normal around Stafford and Stoke - the worst stretch of any motorway IMHO!!

For my trip to Ardgay a few weeks ago I left home at 03:30 - I was at Gretna before 08:00 and Inverness by 12:30, cruise control all the way. I'd far rather do that than sit in traffic.

 

[Ant ler]

Sturgeon has put the fear in a lot of people. Covid-19 has now become a political pawn in a big chess game up here. Get out stalking when the going is good.

 

[Feugh]

1. Ironically, Scotland has the highest covid rates in Europe at the moment. Several areas are at the top of the covid chart - one of the things that you don't want to be a European leader for. All the chat from Sturgeon and her medical advisors about eradicating covid has been shown to be complete nonsense
2. Visitor numbers are down. What's the point in employing staff when you can't turn-over enough to justify it?
3. Business rates have been pushed much higher in recent years (thank you, Holyrood. You say that you are pro-business but you are not). Businesses just can't afford to open unless turn-over can justify it, and many businesses have gone to the wall. City centres are full of empty units
4. There has been covid business rate relief for those that can't open. Again, many choose to stay shut if that is an available option
5. For those that stay open, it's only worth taking in staff for the busy periods
6. Many people are still working from home
7. Many people choose to eat and drink from home at all times - partly because they're not flush for cash and partly because they don't want to catch covid. Lots of people are isolating at the moment too
8. Covid passports and the hoohah about them is another issue putting people off. If Boris intended to blindside Nicola by pretending to consider them, wait until she jumps on board and then back off then he has played it well, but I'm not convinced that this is the case
9. Finally, some staff are definitely missing. Some will have gone home to ride out covid and chosen not to come back - is that the fault of Brexit? Some would say so. Some will have gone to work in more stable industries where conditions are maybe better. Some folk blame Brexit for every current ill, but IMO that is a massive over-simplification

 

[Ant ler]

Well you have certainly done your research there mate. She is trying to gather votes and not going about it very well I would say.

 

[Freeforester]

“Ironically, Scotland has the highest covid rates in Europe at the moment”

- if she had her way we would be an independent country, and right now we’d be on the rUK’s red list of countries where people cannot go to or come from, our case numbers are so high.

 

[Coddy]

 

[Klenchblaize]

Some folk blame Brexit for every current ill, but IMO that is a massive over-simplification

Some folk also refuse to accept there are any ills resulting from Brexit.

K

 

[Kalahari]

One thing that worries me about the way Scotland is going is that in spite of many people saying that the SNP only has real support from the numpties in the Central Belt, conveniently forget that people like Ian Blackford are not elected by people in the Central Belt and he is not really very balanced about the English.

David.

 

[Feugh]

Some folk also refuse to accept there are any ills resulting from Brexit.

K

Absolutely agree. People naturally want to shape the narrative of events to fit their own biases, and generally people have very strong feelings about Brexit. My point is that things are rarely so simple that a single issue explains all of the behaviour that we see.

 

[JTO]

Nearly 20 years ago, I was walking behind a couple of guest guns when one of them said: "It would be madness to buy any property in Scotland now". The estate we were on has bought a grouse moor just south of the border.

 

[User00035]

I've felt the Scottish property market has risen in the last few months. I've been looking at property since last winter and back in the midst of Covid paranoia and lockdowns Scotland was definitely lagging behind England as the covid property bubble started to inflate. But since then it's crept back up. That suggests to me that the market feels the prospect of independence is receding. We shall see. But Snippy and Wee Eck taking lumps out of each other definitely helped create that impression.

 

[Apthorpe]

Independence is one major risk facing potential Scottish landowners. There are plenty of others:
1. An extremely strong political consensus towards the socialist end of the spectrum.
2. A very strong manufactured grievance industry about landowners. Highland clearances, feudalism, etc.
3. Locals having a right of pre-emption over much land which reduces its value.
4. Regional government policy to undermine the economics of an estate.
5. Pseudo-environmental activism.
6. Risk of your neighbours vomiting wind turbines over the landscape.
7. Frankly the inability to access good food other than meat over most of the country.

 

[JTO]

I've felt the Scottish property market has risen in the last few months. I've been looking at property since last winter and back in the midst of Covid paranoia and lockdowns Scotland was definitely lagging behind England as the covid property bubble started to inflate. But since then it's crept back up. That suggests to me that the market feels the prospect of independence is receding. We shall see. But Snippy and Wee Eck taking lumps out of each other definitely helped create that impression.

I don't think the 'property' that was being talked about in my previous post was the sort that most of us think of.

 

[User00035]

No, probably not. But Scottish low to mid-range residential property was definitely lagging behind England's Covid boom when I was searching. And it has definitely risen in recent months to near parity. I'm sure that has something to do with how the market views the likelihood of independence and its attendant uncertainties.

 

[Mossypaw]

No, probably not. But Scottish low to mid-range residential property was definitely lagging behind England's Covid boom when I was searching. And it has definitely risen in recent months to near parity. I'm sure that has something to do with how the market views the likelihood of independence and its attendant uncertainties.

I would guess that the local (NW Highland) housing market has risen a lot faster. Most sales are around 30% minimum over asking price these days.

Perthshire telephone exchange sells for £85k in ‘quirky’ property boom

Measuring just eight metres by two and with a distinct lack of mod cons, it is certainly what estate agents might like to say is on the “compact…

www.heraldscotland.com

 

[User00040]

I would guess that the local (NW Highland) housing market has risen a lot faster. Most sales are around 30% minimum over asking price these days.

Perthshire telephone exchange sells for £85k in ‘quirky’ property boom

Measuring just eight metres by two and with a distinct lack of mod cons, it is certainly what estate agents might like to say is on the “compact…

www.heraldscotland.com

Affordable housing options in the Highlands:







And people wonder why the Highlands has been experiencing depopulation since the clearances?