Seeing the two headlines above, readers might be forgiven for thinking that The Herald and sister paper The National were referring to two different polls.
"The supporters of nuclear energy tell us that we need these plants for baseload capacity."
I was a supporter of nuclear energy, visited and did work in 6 or so in the UK but not of the SMR; and it's had its day anyway.
Vanguard submarine PWR2 - 140–145 MWt (thermal megawatts) for just 21MW at the propellors. The proposed output for the SMR is 400 MW (not an exact comparison to a sub of course), but around 5-10 times bigger and hotter. It's a crap idea.
IMHO the only good reason for a nuclear reactor these days is to produce tritium for relatively clean fusion, due quite soon. Unfortunately also used for weapons. Probably the main reason for Sizewell (proposed 3,200 MW - 8 times larger than a piddly SMR).
and THIS comment btl is why such an article needs the figures I provided for Vanguard:
"This guys argument comes crashing down right at the start where he states that no small nuclear power plant exists! He obviously hasn’t been on a nuclear submarine because they’ve been around since the sixties!"
Max of 40 MW compared with the 400 MW of the SMR. 10 times smaller. Scaling up isn't as easy as it sounds - ask any small growing business.
Sharp observation about media framing power. The Herald vs National headlines perfectly demonstrate how selective emphasis shapes narrative before anyone even reads the analysis. The point about SNP fixating on Starmer while Reform UK siphons voters is critcal - fighting yesterday's battle while the ground shifts. Seen this pattern in other regions where populist disruptors win by owning the "burn it down" lane while establishment parties stay cautious.
Reform's key differentiation from ALL other parties is that it is opposed to woke policies, and in particular gender ideology and mass immigration. These two areas have mass appeal.
All main contenders listed may be viewed as British nationalist parties, including the SNP, because they all seek to maintain the UK status quo, and Reform is no different in that regard.
National: "YouGov's first Holyrood poll of 2026 projects major lead for SNP"
Herald: "Bombshell Holyrood poll sees SNP vote share drop and Reform UK surge ahead of Labour"
Mind you, it makes a change from the National's usual obsession with the Green Party, including the English one: "Green Party announce candidate for key upcoming Westminster by-election". Or is that Lorna Slater?
But as the Herald puts it:
"On the constituency vote, the SNP is on 34%, down 14 points since the 2021 election and 29% of the regional vote, down 11 points – the lowest since 2003."
They need to stop obsessing over first the Tories, then Reform, now Labour, and think about Independence for a pleasant change. The cow jumps over the moon.
I see two clues that the 'wuz fed up' Scots should take heed of..Here's the first clue....
1. Reform UK...See the clue.?...UK....UK....UK...got it thickos....it's sh*tty foreign english.....
2.Fartage believes in 'self determination'...fantastic..oh wait he doesn't mean Scotland...cos we will be absorbed by sh*tty foreign england....we don't get to 'self determine'..cos we are a cashcow to keep the lights on in sh*tty foreign england..
3. Beware polls...engage yer brain and vote ONLY for your country Scotland..just like other loyal nations on the planet....ReformUK/Labour/Conservative/Lib Dems.....they are aw sh*tty foreign english...
Listening to the news...ferry fiasco...QUEH. disaster...Trouble at football last night...fighting and somebody had a knife!.. and a dug urinated up a pole..not one good word about anything in Scotland.
Here's my FOREIGN ENGLISH news..
1. Ormond St London ( world famous hospital) shocker....94 children severely harmed by rogue surgeon...the implications are dreadful...(yesterday)
2. Conservatives flocking to Reform UK...sh*tty foreign english flocking tae Scotland..Armed tae the teeth haggis gathering at the border...
3. PM in China has set up a new deal for whisky..unfortunately most profits go to parasitic sh*tty foreign england...(WE should deal directly with the Chinese ..they like our whisky.)
Alert!
On question time last night yon wee turd alexander said he was 'british'.....glad to hear it...always a silver lining in every cloud.
300 years has done so much damage....Why do I want to batter traitors to Scotland.?.cos I wuz fed up....
Very interesting piece Peter...unfortunately ah huvnae taken the pills.
The advent of Reform really does seem to have thrown the pieces up into the air. Who knows where they will land?
I think it might even be the case that Reform UK have done the SNP a favour ... if they didn't stand in the constituencies and their votes went mostly to the legacy British parties there could easily be a scenario where the anti-Independence parties in aggregate secured a triple mandate of majority constituency votes, list votes and MSPs.
Possibly a missed opportunity for the British Unionist/Nationalists (BUNs).
Okey-doke. From the National an interesting article about small modularised reactors (SMR):
"I spent decades in energy. Here are the problems with UK nuclear plans"
https://archive.is/cYrRM
First what I disagree with:
"The supporters of nuclear energy tell us that we need these plants for baseload capacity."
I was a supporter of nuclear energy, visited and did work in 6 or so in the UK but not of the SMR; and it's had its day anyway.
Vanguard submarine PWR2 - 140–145 MWt (thermal megawatts) for just 21MW at the propellors. The proposed output for the SMR is 400 MW (not an exact comparison to a sub of course), but around 5-10 times bigger and hotter. It's a crap idea.
IMHO the only good reason for a nuclear reactor these days is to produce tritium for relatively clean fusion, due quite soon. Unfortunately also used for weapons. Probably the main reason for Sizewell (proposed 3,200 MW - 8 times larger than a piddly SMR).
and THIS comment btl is why such an article needs the figures I provided for Vanguard:
"This guys argument comes crashing down right at the start where he states that no small nuclear power plant exists! He obviously hasn’t been on a nuclear submarine because they’ve been around since the sixties!"
Max of 40 MW compared with the 400 MW of the SMR. 10 times smaller. Scaling up isn't as easy as it sounds - ask any small growing business.
Mmm. AI wars.
Scottish media is NOT Scottish Media, it is a Westminster mouthpiece & full of shit , don’t buy it & don’t give these barstewards clicks.❌
Joke FINISHED union 📉🇬🇧
🏴☮️🇪🇺
Sharp observation about media framing power. The Herald vs National headlines perfectly demonstrate how selective emphasis shapes narrative before anyone even reads the analysis. The point about SNP fixating on Starmer while Reform UK siphons voters is critcal - fighting yesterday's battle while the ground shifts. Seen this pattern in other regions where populist disruptors win by owning the "burn it down" lane while establishment parties stay cautious.
Reform's key differentiation from ALL other parties is that it is opposed to woke policies, and in particular gender ideology and mass immigration. These two areas have mass appeal.
All main contenders listed may be viewed as British nationalist parties, including the SNP, because they all seek to maintain the UK status quo, and Reform is no different in that regard.
The uk is fkn DONE 📉🇬🇧
🏴☮️
Front page headlines were even more different:
National: "YouGov's first Holyrood poll of 2026 projects major lead for SNP"
Herald: "Bombshell Holyrood poll sees SNP vote share drop and Reform UK surge ahead of Labour"
Mind you, it makes a change from the National's usual obsession with the Green Party, including the English one: "Green Party announce candidate for key upcoming Westminster by-election". Or is that Lorna Slater?
But as the Herald puts it:
"On the constituency vote, the SNP is on 34%, down 14 points since the 2021 election and 29% of the regional vote, down 11 points – the lowest since 2003."
They need to stop obsessing over first the Tories, then Reform, now Labour, and think about Independence for a pleasant change. The cow jumps over the moon.
Excellent comment..particularly your final para.
I see two clues that the 'wuz fed up' Scots should take heed of..Here's the first clue....
1. Reform UK...See the clue.?...UK....UK....UK...got it thickos....it's sh*tty foreign english.....
2.Fartage believes in 'self determination'...fantastic..oh wait he doesn't mean Scotland...cos we will be absorbed by sh*tty foreign england....we don't get to 'self determine'..cos we are a cashcow to keep the lights on in sh*tty foreign england..
3. Beware polls...engage yer brain and vote ONLY for your country Scotland..just like other loyal nations on the planet....ReformUK/Labour/Conservative/Lib Dems.....they are aw sh*tty foreign english...
Listening to the news...ferry fiasco...QUEH. disaster...Trouble at football last night...fighting and somebody had a knife!.. and a dug urinated up a pole..not one good word about anything in Scotland.
Here's my FOREIGN ENGLISH news..
1. Ormond St London ( world famous hospital) shocker....94 children severely harmed by rogue surgeon...the implications are dreadful...(yesterday)
2. Conservatives flocking to Reform UK...sh*tty foreign english flocking tae Scotland..Armed tae the teeth haggis gathering at the border...
3. PM in China has set up a new deal for whisky..unfortunately most profits go to parasitic sh*tty foreign england...(WE should deal directly with the Chinese ..they like our whisky.)
Alert!
On question time last night yon wee turd alexander said he was 'british'.....glad to hear it...always a silver lining in every cloud.
300 years has done so much damage....Why do I want to batter traitors to Scotland.?.cos I wuz fed up....
Very interesting piece Peter...unfortunately ah huvnae taken the pills.
For OUR Scotland and her 'fed up' weans.
The advent of Reform really does seem to have thrown the pieces up into the air. Who knows where they will land?
I think it might even be the case that Reform UK have done the SNP a favour ... if they didn't stand in the constituencies and their votes went mostly to the legacy British parties there could easily be a scenario where the anti-Independence parties in aggregate secured a triple mandate of majority constituency votes, list votes and MSPs.
Possibly a missed opportunity for the British Unionist/Nationalists (BUNs).