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davidbol.bsky.social
David Bol
@davidbol.bsky.social
18K followers 780 following 550 posts
✍️Journalist - Deputy Political Editor
📰The Scotsman @scotsman.com
🌍Climate & energy nerd
🔵Falkirk FC fan
📍Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
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davidbol.bsky.social
Plenty of piecemeal measures in Rachel Reeves' Budget for Scotland.
💵Extra £820m (over three years) for Scottish Government
👩‍👩‍👧‍👧Two-child limit removed after persistent SNP campaigning
🛢️No movement on bringing forward energy profits levy reform for oil and gas giants
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
UK Budget: How does Chancellor Rachel Reeves' spending plans impact Scotland
The Chancellor has announced her spending plans - and here are the key impacts for Scotland
www.scotsman.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by David Bol
fraserofallander.org
Some additional analysis on the two-child limit being abolished and what it means for Scotland - including why only £120m of the £155m set aside is likely to be available for other spending by the Scottish Government

fraserofallander.org/budget-2025-...
Budget 2025 reaction: meeting the (briefed) expectations | FAI
*Please note that this blog will be updated over the course of the afternoon and evening. Check back for further analysis*
fraserofallander.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:29 PM
davidbol.bsky.social
The Labour government is set to water down its manifesto vow to ban new oil and gas licences by opening the door to permits 'tied back' to existing developments. Climate campaigners say this would be a minimal compromise and are set to welcome a permanent ban.
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Rachel Reeves to water down oil and gas licensing ban vow with 'tie backs' compromise
Labour vowed to end all new oil and gas licences in a flagship manifesto commitment
www.scotsman.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:23 AM
davidbol.bsky.social
Excl: Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has revealed she is "deeply concerned" by the scale and pace of Scotland’s deindustrialisation as she admits "a number of businesses" have pleaded with SNP ministers for lifeline support.
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Forbes 'deeply concerned' by deindustrialisation and says businesses have sought help
The Deputy First Minister has suggested plenty of work goes on from ministers behind the scenes to help struggling companies stay out of trouble.
www.scotsman.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Reposted by David Bol
pippacrerar.bsky.social
“I would never ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way”

Nigel Farage responds to allegations of racist behaviour from when he was a teenager at school

@itvnewspolitics.bsky.social
November 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Reposted by David Bol
scotsman.com
🔴 Exclusive:

www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Rachel Reeves to pledge millions more Grangemouth funding in Budget
The Chancellor will promise the money as part of the former oil refinery site’s transition into a green industrial hub.
www.scotsman.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:29 AM
davidbol.bsky.social
Absolutely incredible way to seal our return to the World Cup. Remember crying when we got pumped by Morocco at France 98. This has been a long time coming 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
sjbrewer.bsky.social Steve Brewer @sjbrewer.bsky.social · 8d
[BBC Scotland] reaction to [4]-2 K. McLean 90+7
November 18, 2025 at 11:52 PM
davidbol.bsky.social
What a shambles this is. The Scottish Government has sat on its hands for years over this and now decides there's not enough time to do it properly before May's election.
November 18, 2025 at 5:19 PM
davidbol.bsky.social
Excl: ScotWind developers have warned it is "highly unlikely” projects can be built in time “by existing Western” companies - piling pressure on the Labour government to approve a Chinese firm's Highland factory plans.
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Fears SNP's ScotWind projects at risk of collapse without Chinese firm's factory approval
SNP ministers have been accused of having “left Scotland dangerously dependent on foreign powers like China”.
www.scotsman.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
davidbol.bsky.social
Anas Sarwar has backed Keir Starmer's leadership, hit out at the Downing Street briefers "undermining" the UK Labour government, but was unable to say if the PM will join him on the Holyrood campaign trail next year.
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Anas Sarwar hits out at Downing Street briefers 'undermining' Starmer's government
Anas Sarwar has accused Downing Street briefers of “undermining” the message of the Labour UK government.
www.scotsman.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:23 PM
davidbol.bsky.social
Shell had handed back a ScotWind lease it paid £86m for, with 3GW of clean energy and more than £3bn of promised Scottish investment put at risk if Crown Estate Scotland cannot find a developer to take it on. Scottish Renewables has warned over "fierce headwinds".
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Shell hands back ScotWind lease risking £3bn of investment amid 'fierce headwinds'
Shell has given a 3GW floating wind lease back to Crown Estate Scotland after reportedly failing to sell it on to another renewables developer
www.scotsman.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:50 PM
davidbol.bsky.social
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has given his support for more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, calling on the UK Government to be "pursuing the opportunities that exist".
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Anas Sarwar backs oil and gas drilling and calls for 'balanced approach' to North Sea
The Scottish Labour leader has pleaded with his UK government colleagues to be “pursuing the opportunities that exist in oil and gas” in the North Sea despite a manifesto pledge to end new licensing.
www.scotsman.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Reposted by David Bol
pippacrerar.bsky.social
NEW: Rachel Reeves signals she intends to remove the two-child cap *in full*

"I don't think a child should be penalised because they're in a bigger family through no fault of their own," she tells BBC.
November 10, 2025 at 3:05 PM
davidbol.bsky.social
Shona Robison has given the strongest signal yet the Scottish Government could be poised to hike income tax again after warning she may be forced to "potentially revisit" a vow not to alter the levy in a "nightmare situation" for Scotland.
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Robison gives strong signal SNP 'revisiting' tax hikes under 'nightmare scenario'
Shona Robison has suggested Labour will “pay a very high price” with voters in Scotland if Chancellor Rachel Reeves moves to “actively cut Scotland’s funding by £1bn”.
www.scotsman.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by David Bol
kashhill.bsky.social
Allan Brooks, the corporate recruiter from Canada I wrote about in August who went into a 3-week-long delusional spiral with ChatGPT, sued OpenAI Thursday, alongside six other plaintiffs. They blame ChatGPT for their mental breakdowns and for four suicides. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/t...
Lawsuits Blame ChatGPT for Suicides and Harmful Delusions
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Reposted by David Bol
iandunt.bsky.social
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.

news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:23 AM
davidbol.bsky.social
If Rachel Reeves does hike income tax in England, it could potentially cause a £1bn headache for John Swinney and (another) political migraine for Anas Sarwar
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
SNP ministers may have to slash spending or hike taxes due to Reeves' 'hard choices'
The Fraser of Allander Institute estimated a 2p rise in UK income tax could cut Holyrood’s budget by £1 billion due to the fiscal arrangements between Holyrood and Westminster.
www.scotsman.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:15 PM
davidbol.bsky.social
The chief of Scotland's renewables sector has joined forces with the North Sea oil and gas industry in an unprecedented move to heap pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to ensure the energy transition isn't a flop due to actions by the UK Labour government.
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Renewables and oil and gas chiefs unite to put pressure on Chancellor on windfall tax
Renewables and oil and gas chiefs have comes together in an unprecedented move, heaping pressure on the Chancellor to rethink her energy profits levy.
www.scotsman.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:31 PM
davidbol.bsky.social
Excl: The outgoing chairwoman of Public Health Scotland has hit out at the food and drink sector's "shameful pushback" against Holyrood's attempts to improve public health. tackle obesity and restrict junk food.
www.scotsman.com/health/outgo...
Outgoing Public Health Scotland chief slams food industry's 'shameful pushback'
The food and drink industry has lobbied the Scottish Government to rethink restrictions on the promotion of junk food.
www.scotsman.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:59 PM
davidbol.bsky.social
Excl: John Swinney will not attend COP30 as he snubs the global climate talks for the second year in a row
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Swinney to snub COP30 climate summit billed as most significant since Paris Agreement
The summit is expected to hold the most significant climate talks since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.
www.scotsman.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:48 AM
davidbol.bsky.social
@johnswinney.bsky.social has announced that workers made redundant from the Grangemouth refinery closure will be given "priority consideration" for a flagship green jobs scheme. He also warned "public confidence" needs to be improved over the energy transition
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Ex Grangemouth workers to have 'priority consideration' for green jobs
The First Minister has warned politicians need to improve “public confidence” in the just transition to clean energy.
www.scotsman.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:50 AM
davidbol.bsky.social
John Swinney is being urged to rollout a private jet tax after new analysis revealed it could have generated an extra £20m this year.
Campaigners say it would “send a clear message ultra-wealthy polluters won’t be allowed to continue to get off virtually scot-free”.
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
This 'no brainer fair tax' that would make SNP £20 million for pubic services
The First Minister has been told to begin preparatory works on a private jet tax
www.scotsman.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Reposted by David Bol
scotsman.com
Good morning - here is today's front page of The Scotsman: PM defends barracks plan for migrants after backlash
October 29, 2025 at 7:53 AM
davidbol.bsky.social
It has taken the SNP since 2007 to bring forward some meaty proposals to overhaul council tax. Still a long way to go until we get any concrete change and it's clear there will be "winners and losers", but some interesting options in here
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
SNP's long-awaited council tax reform options include 'jaw-dropping' rises for some
The draft option has been branded potential “jaw-dropping tax hikes” by opponents.
www.scotsman.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:17 PM
davidbol.bsky.social
SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray has admitted that “procedures of low clinical value” will be stopped by the NHS as the health service shifts from a focus on acute hospital services to community care and prevention.
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
SNP minister admits NHS will have to axe procedures amid 'sacrifice' warning
Scotland’s auditor general has warned the NHS may need to examine which procedures it can continue to provide
www.scotsman.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:24 PM