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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 14h

The SNP government’s rhetoric can’t hide the reality of major cuts to colleges over many years. Funding has been reduced by almost a fifth in the last five years alone.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 15h

...with their motion in parliament this afternoon.

It is important when discussing these issues to recognise that asylum seekers are people and that in other circumstances our plight could be the same as theirs. 2/2

Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 15h

The UK asylum system is in crisis and Liberal Democrats have called for measures to clear the backlog of cases and end the need for hotel accommodation. But the Conservatives should have shown some humility for having created that crisis before trying to scapegoat asylum seekers... 1/2

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 5d

While people across Fife are struggling to register with an NHS dentist the publish health minister decided to use the crisis in NHS dentistry as an opportunity to talk about independence. The SNP government's payment system reforms has failed to keep dentists across Fife from ceasing NHS care.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 5d

I joined the GTCS and other MSPs at an event to mark sixty years of teaching as a profession in Scotland. We discussed the future of teaching and how to create the conditions for teaching standards to be at the heart of education.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 5d

SRUC receives a fraction of the capital funding which other institutions do and is under particular pressure because of the size of its estate. I asked the Scottish Funding Council whether they will change the funding distribution.

Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 6d

I was grateful for his considered answer but reiterated that thanks to the public inquiry it is only now that the full truth is being fully established. 2/2

Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 6d

I questioned the First Minister, alongside other MSPs whose constituents have been affected, about lifting the three-year bar on claims by the victims of Sam Eljamel which is currently in place. 1/2

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 6d

SRUC receives a fraction of the capital funding which other institutions do and is under particular pressure because of the size of its estate. I asked the government to ensure that the hybrid nature of SRUC is adequately taken into account by the Scottish Funding Council.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 6d

Colleges are vital to equipping people with the skills they need to thrive and to meet the needs of the economy, but innovation risks being stifled by the credit funding system which does not provide adequate flexibility. I questioned leaders from the SFC about the model and changes they have made.

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Reposted by Willie Rennie MSP

Scottish Liberal Democrats @scotlibdems.org.uk · 7d

No matter where you are in Scotland, you can elect a Liberal Democrat MSP on the peach-coloured regional ballot next year.

Every vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats on that ballot will deliver change with fairness at its heart.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 7d

I think there is clear and growing evidence that mobile phones in the classroom are a distraction and disrupt pupils' education. There was consensus across the Scottish Parliament on this issue, but disagreements about how far to go in banning phones in the classroom and how to do this practically.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 7d

I pressed the government on what it could do to ensure offshore windfarms pay compensation to the whole fishing sector and not just those with static gear.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 7d

Staff at the University of Dundee need certainty, but there is still no recovery plan agreed with the SFC and the Scottish Government. I urged the new higher education minister to set out a clear path forward.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 7d

I know that staff at the University want certainty and that is also vital to restoring confidence in the institution. 2/2

Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 7d

A year on from the University of Dundee's financial crisis being revealed a recovery plan has still not yet been agreed. I am concerned that even at this stage there are differing accounts of the way forward from Ministers, the SFC and the University's leadership. 1/2

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 7d

It's now up to the government to prove that its words aren't hollow and to stop hiding behind endless process. 2/2

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 7d

Despite more than eighteen years in government the SNP has failed to achieve its promise of replacing council tax with a fairer system. I supported measures in the Housing Bill to make modest, sensible changes but SNP MSPs voted them down. 1/2

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 8d

The Scottish Government's efforts to support Scotland's tech businesses risks being undermined by falling numbers of computing teachers in our schools.

The number in secondary schools has fallen by a quarter since 2008 and is now at the lowest level since the current records began.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 8d

The SNP government's funding model for universities is broken after long-term cuts to funding for domestic students. I pressed the new higher education minister on whether he would recommit to the engagement on a new model which was promised by his predecessor.

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Reposted by Willie Rennie MSP

Michael Marra MSP @michaeljmarra.bsky.social · 12d

Almost a week on from the Banchory Beast and I’m still sore. A brilliant run and obstacle race with loads of NE folk running for charity. Our XParty team was depleted by illness but the Lab-Lib members got through it. We finished 45th out of 2500 @willierennie.bsky.social dragged me round.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 11d

Remembering Ming

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 12d

That is why the slogan to secure his re-election in North East Fife - local champion with a national reputation - was so successful that he won with a huge majority of votes.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 12d

Ming once told me that he was very fortunate to have had three careers in his life in sport, in law and finally in politics. What was remarkable was that he excelled in all three.

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Willie Rennie MSP @willierennie.bsky.social · 12d

He was an esteemed voice on foreign affairs and a true liberal at heart, embodying the values of reason, compassion, and internationalism. It was no wonder that he was often described as the best foreign secretary that the UK never had. I will miss him immensely.

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