GRAHAM LARKIN

"Labour should be ashamed to show either of their two faces in Scotland ever again." - John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland 1/9/24

[MSM Monitor @msm_monitor]

BBC journalist Julia Macfarlane posting messages on social media that aren't just politically motivated but inaccurate. Scotland's trains are amongst the most reliable in the UK. The ferries too have a high reliability rate. BritNat bias from @juliamacfarlane.

[John Swinney @JohnSwinney]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 BREAKING: Parliament backed our plans for a private jet tax and a mansion tax.

In a cost of living crisis, it is right that those with the broadest shoulders contribute a bit more - while the majority of taxpayers in Scotland continue to pay less tax than elsewhere in the UK.

[THE DAILY REBUTTAL TEAM @MaureenFairgri1]

If you want real news follow
@MSM Monitor

[MSM Monitor @msm_monitor]

Police Scotland has confirmed it won't be investigating the SNP Indyref fund after a fresh complaint because it's "already been investigated" as part of Branchform.

[Meidas_Scotland @MeidasScotland]

In the lead up to the Aberdeen South By-Election due to take place on the 18th June , I've produced a handy Cut-Out-And-Keep for Aberdeen South voters to read and research by themselves, Although I've done my best to keep this factual, I can't help shake off the foreboding thought that a Reform Government in Westminster will take us back to the stone age, hence the satirical graphic. Jim.

Condensed Report: SNP/Scottish Government vs Reform UK – Environmental, Wildlife/Ecology, Social/Community, and Child/Young Family Supports in Aberdeen South & Aberdeenshire (as of 3rd June 2026).

Author: Meidas Scotland

Core Context for the Region
Aberdeen South and Aberdeenshire rely on North Sea oil/gas for jobs but face transition pressures. Offshore licensing and major energy policy remain reserved to Westminster (UK Government under Labour/Ed Miliband). Onshore licensing is devolved.

SNP/ScotGov delivers via the £500m Just Transition Fund (JTF) and devolved programmes.

Reform UK holds regional MSP seats and local councillors (e.g., Duncan Massey in Lower Deeside), but no government power here. Their Scotland manifesto pledges depend on future gains.

Environmental, Wildlife & Ecology
SNP/ScotGov (delivering now):
JTF funds 181+ community/green projects (£4.5m+ since 2022) in Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire/Moray, including biodiversity, habitat restoration, community gardens, renewables, and urban greening. Year 5 Participatory Budgeting (2026) offers £50k/project for local eco-initiatives. Broader Nature Restoration Fund supports peatlands/woodlands/coast.

Reform UK (Scotland manifesto pledges):
Scrap all net-zero targets, subsidies, and quangos; prioritise North Sea oil/gas as “primary energy system.” No dedicated wildlife, biodiversity, or habitat funding/projects for the region. Local campaigning focuses on reversing “green damage” to oil jobs.

Verdict: SNP provides funded, on-the-ground restoration; Reform offers deregulation-focused opposition.

Social/Community Changes, Social Care & Devolved Benefits

SNP/ScotGov:
JTF supports community cohesion, skills, and regeneration in oil-affected areas. Local poverty/childcare funds and social care budget uplifts flow to Aberdeenshire Council.

Social Security Scotland (executive agency of the Scottish Government):
Headquartered on Dundee’s waterfront, this agency delivers all devolved benefits (e.g., Scottish Child Payment, Adult/Child Disability Payments, Best Start Grants). It has a strong reputation for being more compassionate, kinder in tone, and less adversarial than the UK Government DWP system it partly replaced. Its three-word mission/core values — “Dignity, fairness and respect” — are prominently displayed on the homepage and branding, drawn directly from the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 principles.

These values are “at the heart of everything we do” and shape the Charter, decision-making, and client interactions. Aberdeen South/Aberdeenshire families access these supports seamlessly (online, phone, or local drop-ins), providing a more person-centred alternative to reserved UK benefits.

Reform UK:
Pledges greater council flexibility, “locals first” housing, law/order, and tapered carer support. No new funded Aberdeenshire-specific initiatives delivered, and no control over Social Security Scotland.

Children & Young Families – Quality of Life & Health
SNP/ScotGov:
Scottish Child Payment (£28.20/child/week) helps ~12% child poverty rate locally. Free childcare (9 months–P7), breakfast clubs, family hubs, JTF greenspaces, and Social Security Scotland’s family payments boost early development, nutrition, and nature access (linked to better mental/physical health in rural/coastal Aberdeenshire).

Reform UK:
Broader tax cuts, energy bill relief, rent-to-buy housing, and education reforms (trades focus) to ease family finances. No specific child payment or expanded childcare pledges.

Verdict on “who cares more” for these issues:

SNP shows clearer measurable delivery and investment in restoration, social supports (including the compassionate devolved benefits system), and child/family programmes reaching communities today.

Reform UK Energy Price Claims: Reality Check
Reform’s pitch to license more North Sea oil/gas for lower bills is constrained: Westminster controls offshore licensing and has banned new exploration via the May 2026 Energy Independence Bill (existing fields continue). Energy prices are international-market driven; new fields take years and “make no difference to bills” per government analysis. Reform would need UK-wide power for change; in Holyrood it can only oppose SNP net-zero measures.

SNP continues pushing full energy devolution (recent vote 70-54), rejected by Westminster—full control would require independence or major new devolution. Thus, Reform’s energy influence remains prospective in this Scottish context, while SNP’s JTF and Social Security Scotland deliver transition and family supports now.

Overall Bottom Line for Aberdeen South/Aberdeenshire Families:

SNP/ScotGov has the track record of funded, area-specific projects on environment/wildlife, community regeneration, compassionate devolved benefits, and child supports.

Reform offers a local campaigning voice and alternative vision prioritising traditional energy jobs/deregulation—but most outcomes (especially energy prices and new initiatives) hinge on gaining greater power. Energy policy realities limit Reform’s immediate leverage here.

Check https://t.co/6CXLzXpTtl (JTF/Social Security Scotland) for latest local updates.

@BjCruickshank #CitizenJournalists @MaureenFairgri1 @warriorbadger @colz261 @theSNPMedia @theSNP @JohnSwinney @StephenFlynnSNP @msm_monitor @ProfJWR

[GRAHAM LARKIN @Graham_Larkin]

@brawday People like him are not working towards independence, they're focussed on killing off the SNP. So who do they take their orders from I wonder? 😕

[Bill Cruickshank @BjCruickshank]

Brilliant expose by @MeidasScotland of Deform's candidate in the forthcoming Aberdeen South by-election: https://t.co/gIpKWwhLSp Deform really are a bunch of ignorant, bigotted amateurs.

[Meidas_Scotland @MeidasScotland]

5G MASTS & HEALTH: THE FACTS
A Clear Guide for Aberdeen South Voters
(FACTS - Not Jo Hart's Strength it appears)

Would you expect someone to be competent enough to research and conduct important subject matter, especially your elected MSP seeking to represent your interests in Parliament?

Of course you would.

Alistair Grant (The Scotsman) did an on-camera interview with Jo Hart Reform Candidate for Aberdeen South a day or so ago. Jo was asked about previous comments about 5G Mast being a health hazard and repeatedly answered that “I think we need to look into it a bit more” and there “had not been enough research into it”. Alistair pressed her on it, but she was not going to back down.

Jo first made the allegations around 2022/23, so you would have thought she could have researched it properly before making the bid to become the MSP for Aberdeen South, but it appears not.

So let me help Aberdeen South voters out here and make sure that Jo is not misleading you and scaremongering as Reform often do for political point scoring.

Jo Hart’s Claim
Reform UK candidate Jo Hart (former nurse) has raised concerns that 5G phone masts harm health. In a 2023 LinkedIn post, she saw a 5G mast outside a medical centre and replied:

“Totally ironic.. increase customers though… more anti-depressants prescribed… I have an angle-grinder & a balaclava???” (with laughing emoji). In recent 2026 interviews she called her comments “blunt” but stood by the worry: “With 5G, there’s not much research been done… we need to research more into it.” Her position: 5G masts are dangerous and lack solid proof they’re safe.

The Scientific Reality
Hart’s claim is not supported by evidence. 5G uses the same radiofrequency (RF) waves as radio, TV, Wi-Fi and 4G – non-ionizing radiation that cannot damage DNA. The only known risk is tissue heating at extremely high levels, which international limits strictly prevent.

World Health Organization (WHO): After thousands of studies, “no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies” below safety guidelines – including 5G.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): 5G signals around base stations are “well below” limits. No new public-health risks from adding 5G.

ICNIRP (international experts): Guidelines updated in 2020 specifically for 5G frequencies. Every UK mast must comply. Real measurements show public exposure is hundreds or thousands of times below safe levels.

UK providers (EE, Vodafone, O2, Three) legally test every site and publish compliance certificates. Decades of research – not “not much” – back this up.

Everyday Analogy: Your Phone vs the Mast
Here’s the simple truth anyone can understand:
Imagine radio waves like water from a garden hose.
Your smartphone is a tiny hose held right against your head or body for hours every day – even on speakerphone it transmits full power to reach the mast. That’s close-up exposure that adds up.

A 5G mast is a big industrial hose high on a pole, often 10–30 metres away. By the time the signal reaches you on the pavement (or 10 m from the base for a short time), it has spread out and become incredibly weak – like a light mist. Real measurements prove it’s hundreds or thousands of times below safety limits.

Which gives you more radio-wave exposure? Your daily phone use – by a huge margin. The mast Jo Hart worried about outside the medical centre is the low-exposure scenario.

Bottom Line
The evidence is clear and long-standing: 5G masts built to UK standards do not pose a health risk. Suggesting “not much research has been done” ignores the expert consensus from WHO, UKHSA and ICNIRP. Spreading fear about 5G masts without acknowledging this evidence does not serve the voters of Aberdeen South well – especially from someone seeking to represent them in Parliament.

As a former radio engineer who worked with these systems daily, I can confirm: your phone in your pocket is a far bigger source of the exact same waves than any mast you walk past. Evidence over fear.

Sources: UKHSA, WHO, ICNIRP guidelines (2020+), public compliance data. Print & share – facts matter.

Is Jo Hart a credible candidate for Aberdeen South? Be careful what you vote for.

#CitizenJournalists @MaureenFairgri1 @BjCruickshank @warriorbadger @colz261

[GRAHAM LARKIN @Graham_Larkin]

@JonathanPieNews So so funny Jonathan, and to think you were once thought of to be at the cutting edge of comedy. What next, Miranda style pratfalls? 🙃

[ROPoem @R0Poem]

Embezzlement

[Scotland’s Story @80_mcswan]

If you want Baroness Michelle Mone removed from the House of Lords and to repay the £136,000,000 owed to taxpayers, please RT!

[Ken 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 @outofunion]

WHAT?..
SNP run Glasgow is outperforming Labour’s “saviour” Andy Burnham’s Manchester?
It’s no real surprise.. the SNP’s people outperforms Labour’s duds.. every day of the week.

[MSM Monitor @msm_monitor]

We've seen the graphic, but does anyone know the original source for the false claim that turnout for this Holyrood election was the second highest on record? It wasn't. It was normal for Holyrood elections, but not second highest.

[GRAHAM LARKIN @Graham_Larkin]

@PaulCowland_ @subaruuk @Isuzuuk Give them hell for letting Daihatsu leave the UK market and not importing the mad mental turbo 4x4 hatchbacks and Kei cars and trucks that Daihatsu produces.

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

Is it time for Lindsay Hoyle to go?

RT if it is.

[GRAHAM LARKIN @Graham_Larkin]

@80_mcswan Yes

[GRAHAM LARKIN @Graham_Larkin]

@80_mcswan Yes

[GRAHAM LARKIN @Graham_Larkin]

@80_mcswan Yes

[GRAHAM LARKIN @Graham_Larkin]

@ScotCoopParty @PaulJSweeney Another pointless list MSP, getting rid of them is akin to getting $hite off a hairy blanket

[GRAHAM LARKIN @Graham_Larkin]

@pommy999 @KO_Sequence It's an anti-spit hood.