ON TWITTER
#FMQS
First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood saw Nicola Sturgeon face her weekly grilling from MSPS. Challenged on issues like education, as well as the impending visit of Donald Trump to the UK, the First Minister defended her government’s record. @Erikgeddes posted: “Red carpet treatment ‘not appropriate’ for Trump in UK says @Nicolasturgeon. ‘We should be standing up for the rights and values – for all of us – as human beings.’ @ Scotparl chamber applauds.” @Murdofraser argued: “So @Nicolasturgeon talks about NHS spending in Scotland being higher per capita than in England, seemingly oblivious to this being down to the Barnett formula (which she wants to scrap).” @Journostephen complained: “I can usually enjoy #FMQS knockabout but it’s dismaying watching Nicola Sturgeon defending her cynical abolition of education attainment surveys. She knows why she did it. She knows it only hurts pupils. Does she really think everything can just be spun away?”
#VAR
The use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) at the World Cup in Russia is proving controversial. Already it seems that there has been an upsurge in penalties awarded after consultation with a TV studio in Moscow. @Alexshawespn said: “VAR is going to harm referees: there’s a chance they won’t give decisions they used to purely because ‘VAR will tell me what to do’.” @Joel_archie reasoned: “VAR doesn’t provide 100% accuracy on every single incident, but it still significantly improves the likelihood of giving a correct decision. It’s not perfect, but certainly better than not having it at all, in my view.” @Dpjhodges wrote: “If people think VAR is resulting in too many penalties that’s an argument for changing the penalty law, not ditching VAR. (I am now preaching VAR with a convert’s passion).” @Janaagefjortfort tweeted: “VAR will play a vital part in the development of our game. But just remember! VAR can make wrong decisions too. VAR is ‘referees sitting inside with ref kits on watching the game on the TV’. It’s not a God in heaven sending messages from the ‘book of truth’.”