@JohnFerry18

Occasional columnist covering Scottish politics. X's/Tweets in a personal capacity

 Scotland
bsky.app/profile/johnferry.bsky.social
Joined August 2012
  • Tweets27.8K
  • Following4.5K
  • Followers5.4K
1.3KMedia
John Ferry retweeted
Kevin Hague@kevverage22h
this is huge - who would vote for independence knowing it would result in all of your cash at bank being forcibly converted into a new Scottish currency and strict capital controls being enforced which would prevent you from moving money out of the country?
Sam Taylor@staylorish22h
Tim Rideout always insisted a new currency could be established with conversion of deposits purely voluntary. But Laurentjoye’s report kills that idea (it always was mad). Deposits convert automatically “without the consent of each customer”. Good luck selling that to voters…
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Seeing more ill-informed commentary on a 1974 paper by Gavin McCrone from back then. It was not 'suppressed' but simply a contribution for internal discussion along with many others. When first distributed it was a 'starting point for any assessment' not definitive. 1/4
James Mitchell@ProfJMitchellOct 22
Indeed. Very extensively debated both in public and in Whitehall.
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John Ferry retweeted
David Frum
@davidfrumOct 20
Rejection of Alberta separatism was Trump's first midterm defeat
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There is no good political, moral, economic or other argument for separatism in the context of established liberal democracy. The right outcome here.
Mark Carney
@MarkJCarneyOct 20
My statement on Albertans choosing to build a stronger Canada, together:
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It’s taken me a while to share this, but I was genuinely touched by @Jamie4North’s kind words. Politics can be challenging, so recognition from someone in another party means a lot. Thank you, Jamie, for your kindness. leftfootforward.org/2026/09/…

Jamie Stone MP explains how to spot a quality politician - Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's...

'After all these years I know a quality politician when I see one'

leftfootforward.org
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John Ferry retweeted
Sam Taylor@staylorishOct 17
John Swinney’s fibbing, not for the first time, has attracted the attention of @BBCMoreOrLess. This time, his lies about pensions are dismantled.
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‘But we’re dealing with the here and now…’ says the FM, with reference to now altered policy positions his party made in 2014, but of course this leeway only applies to him & not his opponents, whose decade+ positions he treats as sacrosanct regardless of ‘the here and now’🤷‍♂️
Sam Taylor@staylorishOct 15
John Swinney completely flummoxed under tough questioning from @KathrynSamsonC4 on the SNP’s time-limited commitment to the triple lock made during the 2014 referendum campaign. He was clearly not expecting to be challenged on this, and has no answer.
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Andy Burnham becomes first PM to confirm Russian interference in Brexit referendum @campbellclaret and @RoryStewartUK's exclusive interview with @andyburnham on tomorrow's episode of Leading is out in full at midnight.
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Stephen Flynn owes parliament an explanation for his shoddy behaviour because it is not only disrespectful to passengers and my fellow committee members it also shows that he is not taking this important job seriously.
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Far too many people in the South of Scotland are excluded from essential services. Too many local services are being dictated from Edinburgh by arrogant SNP ministers. We want to see meaningful control over local services decided by those who actually live there.
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Swinney’s position on this is untenable. The ministerial code has clearly been broken. Respecting democracy means respecting our parliament and not misleading the people of Scotland
Conor Matchett@conor_matchettOct 7
EXCLUSIVE: John Swinney’s ‘misleading’ pension claims DEBUNKED as expert tears apart bogus SNP case Institute for Fiscal Studies' David Phillips says the FM is misleading Scots and 'wrong' on pensions It's a damning indictment of this sorry saga. thescottishsun.co.uk/news/16…

John Swinney’s ‘misleading’ pension claims DEBUNKED as expert tears apart bogus SNP case

JOHN Swinney was last night slammed for misleading Scots over the future of their pensions after his claims they would be raided by Andy Burnham was rubbished by the UK’s leading economic think-tan…

thescottishsun.co.uk
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John Ferry retweeted
Sam Taylor@staylorishOct 7
This is the line the damns Swinney. If he understands the fiscal framework, which he obviously does, then he knowingly misled parliament. And that is a very serious breach of the Ministerial Code.
Conor Matchett@conor_matchettOct 7
EXCLUSIVE: John Swinney’s ‘misleading’ pension claims DEBUNKED as expert tears apart bogus SNP case Institute for Fiscal Studies' David Phillips says the FM is misleading Scots and 'wrong' on pensions It's a damning indictment of this sorry saga. thescottishsun.co.uk/news/16…

John Swinney’s ‘misleading’ pension claims DEBUNKED as expert tears apart bogus SNP case

JOHN Swinney was last night slammed for misleading Scots over the future of their pensions after his claims they would be raided by Andy Burnham was rubbished by the UK’s leading economic think-tan…

thescottishsun.co.uk
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This ought to shock and require a correction and apology. Have we reached the stage when this is so common that it is seen as normal and acceptable?
Sam Taylor@staylorishOct 5
1/ Last year, John Swinney misled parliament on the notorious “more than half of taxpayers…” claim. I met with the Chief Executive of the Scottish Fiscal Commission, who agreed with me that parliament had been misled. John Swinney declined to correct the Official Report…
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John Ferry retweeted
Sam Taylor@staylorishOct 5
1/ Last year, John Swinney misled parliament on the notorious “more than half of taxpayers…” claim. I met with the Chief Executive of the Scottish Fiscal Commission, who agreed with me that parliament had been misled. John Swinney declined to correct the Official Report…
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John Ferry retweeted
Chris Musson@ChrisMussonOct 2
Debate about the impact of planned changes to the state pension triple lock is of course necessary, but it's hard to conclude that Scotland's First Minister did not mislead the Scottish Parliament yesterday by claiming "we are now going to lose our pensions"
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John Ferry retweeted
Oliver Kamm@OliverKammOct 1
A title that purports to be a newspaper is a vehicle for shameless political fakery.
The National
@ScotNationalOct 1
Watch as John Swinney reminds Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra that Scottish pensioners will be £2000 worse off by 2049 under Andy Burnham's proposed changes to the triple lock 🗣️ 'They will get no enhancement in the provision proposed by the Prime Minister because of that money will be used to pay for social care in England'
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John Ferry retweeted
Sam Taylor@staylorishOct 1
Jenny Gilruth yesterday gave a significant hint that Scot Gov’s bond programme may not proceed, given surging yields in government bond markets.
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Bond markets are continuing to see rising yields, putting increasing pressure on government deficits.
Financial Times
@FTOct 1
Global bond sell-off deepens as Japanese yields jump ft.trib.al/8jig4tj

Eurozone borrowing costs surge in global bond rout

European debt hit with bout of selling after US 10-year borrowing costs strike highest level since 2002

ft.com
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Quite a moment, this
Politics UK
@PolitlcsUKSep 29
🚨 WATCH: Andy Burnham takes time to compose himself over the loss of his dad, Roy "On the day my dad died, the Scottish FM said I'd be the last PM of the United Kingdom... I relay it because I want you to know how it made me feel... "Utterly determined to prove him wrong"
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Capped places for scottish students due to scottish government policy is the thing that never gets talked about
Jonathan Brown@BroonjuniorSep 24
I think this is heavily overstated. But we might perhaps inquire a little more closely into why St Andrews is quite so hard to get into for Scottish kids and why there are quite so few places, and what we could do to try to redress that.
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