Why does BBC UK report an English drug gang terrorising Aberdeen but BBC Scotland hide it?
From the Scottish Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service yesterday: Victor Kihu, 24, recruited men from deprived areas in England to sell and supply Class A drugs from several properties in a cross-border county lines illicit practice known as cuckooing. Prosecutors from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) gathered evidence which showed Kihu exercised control over multiple addresses to oversee the drug-trafficking scheme. He directed others to purchase and sell cocaine and heroin while using the homes of susceptible individuals as a base for his criminal conduct. He was a member of an organised crime group known as Harlem which operated between Aberdeen, Glasgow and Inverness. and: “Victor Kihu deliberately targeted people … Continue reading Why does BBC UK report an English drug gang terrorising Aberdeen but BBC Scotland hide it?
The real drug gangs plague in Scotland – Media still keeping quiet on drug gang origins in England
Images – Police Scotland Forget the Daniels and Lyons Scottish drug gangsters so beloved of the media operating in Scotland. They’re at a global level. They’re not dealing to your kids. This lot are, in a hundred locations from Thurso to Dumfries. From BBC Scotland: NE, Orkney & Shetland, yesterday: Eight men have been arrested and charged after police in Aberdeen seized drugs with a street value of more than £1.37m.Officers targeted 11 addresses across the city on Monday and Tuesday and discovered eight cannabis cultivations. The men, aged between 24 and 54, were due to appear before Aberdeen Sheriff … Continue reading The real drug gangs plague in Scotland – Media still keeping quiet on drug gang origins in England
Unemployment in England 19% higher than in Scotland after nearly 20 years of not being governed by a social democratic party like the SNP
In the Guardian today and from the ONS, above, but getting no BBC coverage: Unemployment fell and wages increased in April, official figures showed, putting pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates despite a peace deal in the Middle East. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed [UK] unemployment slipped to 4.9% in the three months to April from 5% in the three months to March. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/18/uk-unemployment-rate-falls-wages-interest-rates-iran-war Looking just at England and Scotland, it’s, in crude terms, 0.8% higher in the former. BBC Reporting Scotland will probably describe that as ‘similar’ but as a … Continue reading Unemployment in England 19% higher than in Scotland after nearly 20 years of not being governed by a social democratic party like the SNP
Scotland’s pharmacy scheme ‘the model for England’ may reduce shortages problems
In the Guardian today: Britons [sic] are facing some of the “most severe” shortages of NHS medicines on record including common painkillers, epilepsy drugs and HRT, health leaders have warned, even forcing some patients with impaired digestive systems to skip meals. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned that medicine shortages pose a “serious risk to patient safety”. The Royal College of GPs has also raised concerns about the impact medicine shortages have on patients, GPs and pharmacists. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/18/nhs-patients-face-worst-drug-shortages-on-record-say-pharmacists-and-gps BBC Breakfast 29 May 2026 told us the Scottish Government has long put in place a better model for pharmacies, repeatedly covered here but never in the … Continue reading Scotland’s pharmacy scheme ‘the model for England’ may reduce shortages problems
TORY OIL AND GAS PROMISES IN ABERDEEN SOUTH: EMPTY RHETORIC FROM A PARTY OF WASTE
By JimMennie As Aberdeen South goes to the polls today, Tories are still attempting to pitch themselves as the saviours of North Sea jobs. Their candidate and national figures claim they alone will “get Britain drilling” and reverse decline. The reality is starker. The long-term drop in oil and gas employment has been driven primarily by global markets, a maturing North Sea basin with smaller, costlier fields, and the inevitable energy transition — factors no Westminster government fully controls. Their own record of squandering billions in public money makes these promises ring hollow for voters who have lived through the … Continue reading TORY OIL AND GAS PROMISES IN ABERDEEN SOUTH: EMPTY RHETORIC FROM A PARTY OF WASTE
UK Labour deny England’s under-22’s the ‘transformative benefit’ of Scotland’s free bus scheme as it hits more than 300 million journeys
From Transport Scotland yesterday, the above and: Children and young people in Scotland have now made over 300 million free bus journeys since the Scottish Government introduced free travel for under-22s. Since January 2022, the scheme continues to transform how young people are traveling by bus, saving people money, supporting greener travel, and boosting the economy by opening up access to education, jobs, and leisure. Over 80% of eligible young people have access to the scheme through a National Entitlement Card or Young Scot National Entitlement Card. Source: https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/over-300-million-free-bus-trips-made-by-young-people-across-scotland/ What’s happening in England, Sir Keir? Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to … Continue reading UK Labour deny England’s under-22’s the ‘transformative benefit’ of Scotland’s free bus scheme as it hits more than 300 million journeys
Calls for a public inquiry as Scottish Labour spend 60% more for Anas to lose the seat than the SNP did for Zen to win it
In the Herald today, clearly now giving up entirely on Anas: Labour ploughed thousands into Anas Sarwar’s doomed bid to win a constituency seat, according to receipts filed with the Returning Officer in Glasgow. Despite the cash boost, the party leader still lost heavily to the SNP’s Zen Ghani. and: So, £3.36 is £1.25 more than £2.11, 59.24%. We need a public inquiry into Scottish Labour embezzling their members in this way. Continue reading Calls for a public inquiry as Scottish Labour spend 60% more for Anas to lose the seat than the SNP did for Zen to win it
After two decades of SNP Government far fewer per head young Scots are not in employment, education or training (Neets)
BBC Breakfast today had the above headline story of 1 012 000 16 to 24 year-olds not in employment, education and training. All things being equal, with 8% of the population, you’d expect the figure in Scotland to be around 81 000. Scotland does not publish a single official NEET figure for the full 16–24 age group using the same definition as the UK-wide Labour Force Survey (LFS). Instead, it focuses on a more comprehensive Annual Participation Measure (APM) for ages 16–19 and the figure for that is around 9 000. https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/2y3ex4it/2025-annual-participation-measure-statistics.pdf On the basis of the above, the Scottish … Continue reading After two decades of SNP Government far fewer per head young Scots are not in employment, education or training (Neets)
On by-election day BBC Scotland ask Scottish Government to comment on a survey of Scottish radiology heads’ opinions despite hard evidence of diagnostic waits plummeting and to far below those in NHS England
for patients across Scotland, according to the Royal College of Radiologists. 60% of cancer centre and radiology department leaders who responded to their report said that staff shortages are causing patients’ conditions to worsen. The president of the Royal College said the findings should be causing alarm bells. The above story is another direct feed to Reporting Scotland, not being covered in greater detail elsewhere, not even on the BBC Scotland website. The Health Secretary is contacted and expected to respond to what is a partial, self-selecting, survey of opinion and not actual performance statistics. Here are some facts: 1. … Continue reading On by-election day BBC Scotland ask Scottish Government to comment on a survey of Scottish radiology heads’ opinions despite hard evidence of diagnostic waits plummeting and to far below those in NHS England
Survey reveals nearly three times more Scots trust the SNP Government than trust Westminster and more than 80% support SNP’s progressive taxation policies
From the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2025: Core module published today: In 2025, 46% of people trusted the Scottish Government to work in Scotland’s best interests, in line with the 47% reported in 2023. Over the last ten years this has declined from 72% in 2015. Trust in the UK Government to act in Scotland’s best long-term interest remains lower than this at 18%, in line with 21% in 2023. Is 18% ‘in line’ with 21%? 54% of respondents said that the Scottish Parliament gives Scotland a stronger voice in the UK (7% a weaker voice, 37% making no difference). 49% reported that the … Continue reading Survey reveals nearly three times more Scots trust the SNP Government than trust Westminster and more than 80% support SNP’s progressive taxation policies
Talking-up Scotland 