Talking-up Scotland’s reporting has increased 56% since 2024 but Arty Hetty has been our constant friend for many years
We have many friends here and they are all deeply appreciated but I feel sure that no one will be surprised to see that, over the years, Arty Hetty has often been there, and quickest there, to back us up. The above figures seem huge but bear in mind they only represent the period from around mid 2019, when perhaps in reaction to my recovery from arthritis-triggered opioid painkiller addiction, I changed the blog’s name from the apparently off-putting ‘Though Control Scotland’ which it had been titled since early 2014. The totals from 2014 would be around 11 million views, … Continue reading Talking-up Scotland’s reporting has increased 56% since 2024 but Arty Hetty has been our constant friend for many years
Two polls confirm SNP support increasing AFTER Murrell verdict and Sturgeon witch hunt
There have been two polls since Peter Murrell was found guilty, on May 25th 2026, and media went into slavering overdrive, accusing his wife of lying and calling for an inquiry. They’ll be disappointed. YouGov 25-26 May In the sample for Scotland – SNP 34, Reform UK 21, Labour 12, Greens 10, others less than 10. Find Out Now 27 May In the sample for Scotland – SNP 38, Reform UK 19, Labour 11, Greens 12, Cons 11, others less than 10. In the previous polls, YouGov 18 May: In the sample for Scotland – SNP 32 [two points lower], … Continue reading Two polls confirm SNP support increasing AFTER Murrell verdict and Sturgeon witch hunt
The Herald’s ‘senior academic’ wheeled in to savage Scottish schools again is mere ‘bean counter’ with no experience of teaching in schools, teacher ‘training’, leadership or research into anything other than assessment data
The Herald today has: I’ve lost track of how often I’ve felt the need to deal with Prof Paterson, Scotland’s only regular rentagobprof across Scottish and English MSM, always ready to tell everyone that education in Scotland is in decline and worse than elsewhere and, to my knowledge, only fan of Pisa data. He is, to my knowledge, the only serious educationist publishing in peer-review journals who thinks the Pisa scores are of any value at all. I’ll come back to Pisa scores below but first and perhaps explaining his odd attachment to them: Why is Paterson not an expert … Continue reading The Herald’s ‘senior academic’ wheeled in to savage Scottish schools again is mere ‘bean counter’ with no experience of teaching in schools, teacher ‘training’, leadership or research into anything other than assessment data
Huge increase in farm income in Scotland, above that in England due in part to greater stability from Scottish Government but zero coverage
BBC Breakfast this morning had an extended piece on likely problems for farmers due to the Iran war. BBC Scotland including BBC Scotland Business has no related story. In March, they had avoided this : From Farm income rises in 2024-25 published 26 March 2026 09:30 Farm incomes rose in 2024-25, after sharp declines in 2023-24. Increases in income are largely driven by high livestock prices, while total input costs remained stable. Decreases in costs for fertiliser and feed were offset by increases in labour and land and property costs. Average income across all farm types rose 30% from the previous year to £58,800. … Continue reading Huge increase in farm income in Scotland, above that in England due in part to greater stability from Scottish Government but zero coverage
The Milburn report on the ‘UK’s ‘lost generation’ does look north, does spot some of Scotland’s strengths but should have tried much harder
By stewartb The interim report from the Milburn review examining the issues around NEETs gained a lot of MSM attention. See Milburn, A. (May 28, 2026) Independent report: Young people and work: interim report. Report for the Department for Work & Pensions. Its stated geographic scope is clear from the outset: it’s the whole of the UK. The report does acknowledge that certain germane policy areas are devolved: ‘Where policy areas discussed are devolved to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, this is noted.’ However, whilst some of the statistics provided are for the UK, most are for England only. No disaggregated stats for … Continue reading The Milburn report on the ‘UK’s ‘lost generation’ does look north, does spot some of Scotland’s strengths but should have tried much harder
Alleged witness in Nicola Sturgeon’s alleged camper van denial was 14 at the time and is now Chair of Young Labour (Scotland) – another plant
Above, the young man in the Daily Mail‘s: Local resident doubts Sturgeon’s claim she knew nothing about campervan bought with embezzled funds because he met her, he did, he said so, four years ago, when he was presumably 14. According to his own blog My name is Ryan-Thomas Quinn, I am 18, a journalism student, activist and avid enjoyer of wine (preferably rosé). My views are mine and mine alone however, I work regularly with and have friends across the political spectrum. Collaboration is key! https://ryanthomas.blog/about/ Across the political spectrum? In Scottish media reports of SNP or Scottish Government failures … Continue reading Alleged witness in Nicola Sturgeon’s alleged camper van denial was 14 at the time and is now Chair of Young Labour (Scotland) – another plant
Tory donor who will fund lawsuit to help SNP victims get money embezzled by Peter Murrell back should have spent that money years ago on improving his failing care homes
Four Seasons Health Care was a British provider of health and social care services. It also owned The Huntercombe Group, a provider of inpatient mental healthcare and brain injury rehabilitation as well as care home operator brighterkind. Four Seasons, as it is today, was created both organically and by the buying out of smaller chains of care homes and rebranding them, as evidenced by the takeovers of Tamaris (formerly Quality Care Homes) and Bettercare. At its largest it was the second-biggest care home operator in the UK. Set up in 1988 by Robert Kilgour, it opened its first care home, Station Court in Kirkcaldy in Fife, … Continue reading Tory donor who will fund lawsuit to help SNP victims get money embezzled by Peter Murrell back should have spent that money years ago on improving his failing care homes
Never mind the Dutch what can the Scots teach the ‘UK’ about how to tackle the youth jobs crisis?
Over the years, I’ve noticed that no matter the issue, experts and journalists will never dream of looking north for a solution. Yesterday, in the Guardian: A shock government-backed report this week warned of the danger of a “lost generation” of young people in Britain, as the number of 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (Neets) rose to more than 1 million. According to official UK statistics, roughly 13.5% of young people are not in work or college. Among 18- to 24-year-olds the share rises to 15.8% – nearly one in six. In the Netherlands, the equivalent figure has been … Continue reading Never mind the Dutch what can the Scots teach the ‘UK’ about how to tackle the youth jobs crisis?
Sky TV’s maternity survey is not just massive it’s massively useless and staggeringly wrong in suggesting NHS Scotland has problems – here’s why
From Ipsos today, funded by Sky TV News, its massive 378 000 ‘survey’ of social media comment on maternity services ‘across the UK‘, appears to suggest (above) that discontent is greatest in Scotland: The prevalence of predominantly negative sentiment signifies an existing tension in society about the experience of maternity care in the UK, with little difference in the pattern by nations (Scotland had a slightly higher share of negative than Northern Ireland, which had a slightly higher share of positive) It’s nonsense and, regardless of it’s serious scale, no doubt cost and the Ipsos banner, I could teach 11 … Continue reading Sky TV’s maternity survey is not just massive it’s massively useless and staggeringly wrong in suggesting NHS Scotland has problems – here’s why
Soaring Covid infections – the real campervan from England worry in Scotland in 2021
In late 2020, Peter Murrell bought a campervan from a dealer in Staffordshire before apparently leaving it sitting two years on his mother’s drive in Dunfermline. If only that had been a typical use of campervans from England into Scotland in the following year. On the 20th June, the Sunday Post, reported: Scotland faces an influx of 6.4 million visitors this summer as UK staycationers head here in record numbers, according to industry data. Tracking research commissioned by GB national tourist boards, including VisitScotland, is used to measure UK residents’ holiday intentions, with the latest Scotland report, up to the … Continue reading Soaring Covid infections – the real campervan from England worry in Scotland in 2021
Talking-up Scotland 