BREXIT BLAMED FOR FALL IN EU STUDENTS The latest UCAS figures reveal that a record number of Scots were accepted to UK universities in 2017 and that Scottish universities opened their doors to record numbers of new students. While all other UK countries saw a decrease in the number of their residents accepted to university,... Continue Reading →

https://youtu.be/6GJZqK70yJw?t=12m2s On Thursday 23rd November, MSPs held a debate to mark The Day of the Imprisoned Writer 2017. Organised by PEN International, the day serves to commemorate writers around the world who have been imprisoned, threatened or attacked for exercising their right to freedom of expression – and to encourage people to take action. Each... Continue Reading →

BUT TORIES STILL OWE SCOTLAND £140 MILLION Intense SNP pressure on the UK government has paid off for Scotland’s emergency services after the Chancellor finally backed down to allow Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue to reclaim VAT after years of unfairness. Scotland’s emergency services had been the only territorial forces in the UK... Continue Reading →

In advance of a Holyrood debate to mark the Day of the Imprisoned Writer 2017, SNP MSP for Cunninghame South, Ruth Maguire, has written to Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yıldırım, and Turkish Justice Minister, Abdülhamit Gül, urging the immediate and unconditional release of the Kurdish artist and journalist, Zehra Doğan. Ruth also written a personal... Continue Reading →

POLICY WILL HELP IMPROVE SCOTLAND’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ALCOHOL SNP MSP for Cunninghame South, Ruth Maguire, has welcomed the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that the Scottish Government’s minimum unit pricing policy is legal, allowing the legislation to proceed as part of efforts to improve Scotland’s damaging relationship with alcohol. The policy was passed by the Scottish... Continue Reading →

On Tuesday 14th November, SNP MSP for Cunninghame South, Ruth Maguire, hosted an event to celebrate Scottish Financial Capability Week 2017 in the Scottish Parliament. The week, which runs from 13th - 17th November and is organised under the umbrella of the Financial Capability Strategy for Scotland, brings together a wide variety of organisations and... Continue Reading →

SCOTTISH TORY HYPOCRISY HIGHLIGHTED AS UK TORIES PUSH MORE CHILDREN INTO POVERTY On Wednesday 8th November, the Scottish Parliament voted to pass the Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill into law. It sets out four ambitious headline statutory income targets relating to the eradication of child poverty, which are to met by 2030. They include reducing the... Continue Reading →

RUTH CALLS FOR BUDGET TO HALT UNIVERSAL CREDIT ROLL-OUT New research by the Trussell Trust has revealed that food bank use has soared by 30% over the last year in areas that are already enduring the roll-out of Universal Credit. The charity also found that foodbank use across Scotland has shot up by a fifth,... Continue Reading →

On Tuesday 7th November, SNP MSP for Cunninghame South, Ruth Maguire used a topical question in the Chamber to condemn the damaging welfare policies of the UK Tory Government. Referring to the newly published Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) report, The Austerity Generation, which details the devastating impact of a decade of cuts on family... Continue Reading →

SNP MSP for Cunninghame South, Ruth Maguire, has written to the UK Tory Government’s Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis, urging him to share the UK Government’s analytical work on the projected impacts of Brexit. The UK Government has undertaken research across 58 industrial sectors. It also appears that Scotland-specific analysis... Continue Reading →