New research report – The Politicisation of BBC Reporting in the 100 days before the Scottish Election 2026 – Comparing BBC Wales and BBC Scotland
On Friday 17th April 2026, only three weeks before the Scottish Parliament election on May 7th, 2026, a research team at Talking-up Scotland completed a 100-day survey of the BBC Wales and BBC Scotland’s inserts in BBC Breakfast, Monday to Friday 6 to 9am. Despite both operating within a dramatic political context with pro-independence parties, Plaid Cymru (PC) and SNP, for the first time likely to win in both countries, the coverage differed markedly in terms of the politicisation of reports and in the overall level of negativity know to influence voter behaviour. A 2023 study published by Talking-up Scotland, … Continue reading New research report – The Politicisation of BBC Reporting in the 100 days before the Scottish Election 2026 – Comparing BBC Wales and BBC Scotland
How can South Uist have no ‘mainland’ ferry service when the Skye Bridge offers an alternative that takes the same time?
Keeping the Ferry Frenzy kettle boiling right up to the election, BBC Scotland today has the above and: The owner of a South Uist tourism business has said they are dealing with a wave of cancellations thanks to on-going disruption on the ferry network. The island remains without a direct mainland ferry after CalMac said the route’s usual vessel – the MV Lord of the Isles – is required to operate services elsewhere. It comes after weeks of ferry disruption across the network, with almost a third of CalMac’s fleet out of action at the start of April. The company says … Continue reading How can South Uist have no ‘mainland’ ferry service when the Skye Bridge offers an alternative that takes the same time?
Are Labour politicians now telling us how crap it is for Scotland to be within the UK? Voting Labour is not really voting Labour?
By stewartb Strange times for Unionists in Scotland! The Daily Record has just told its readers that ‘Anas Sarwar has claimed voting for Scottish Labour is not an endorsement of Keir Starmer or his struggling Government‘. So casting votes in Scotland for Starmer’s Labour Party in the last General Election has been proven to be a mistake? Election promises for Scotland in Union betrayed by Labour? Westminster providing poor government for Scotland in Union? Generally in Scotland, campaign messages from Unionist politicians and their MSM allies avoid mention of any negative UK context within which successive SNP administrations in Edinburgh … Continue reading Are Labour politicians now telling us how crap it is for Scotland to be within the UK? Voting Labour is not really voting Labour?
Contrary to England, vulnerable children in Scotland must be placed in regulated safe settings
Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. In the Guardian today: Ministers must get to grips with the “national scandal” of England’s shadow child social care system, the children’s commissioner has warned, as a report reveals the number of children in unregulated settings has increased by more than 370% in five years. Some of the most vulnerable children in England are being temporarily placed in unregulated caravans, Airbnbs and holiday camps, which risk the “accumulation of increasing levels of harm for children who have already faced enough distress for several lifetimes”, according to the report. Analysis of Ofsted data has … Continue reading Contrary to England, vulnerable children in Scotland must be placed in regulated safe settings
Scotland remains a progressive outlier with only half the level of concern about immigration and no chance of Reform UK winning even one constituency – Libby Brookes must improve
YouGov, no friend of the SNP sees no sign of Reform UK coming first anywhere. Reform UK in Westminster polls – ahead consistently with up to a third of the voters. Reform UK in Scotland – well behind consistently, often third and with less than a fifth of the voters. In the Guardian today, the consistently confused or just too lazy to do research, Libby Brooks, has: How Reform is exposing the reality of Scotland’s views on immigration and identity – Once a progressive outlier, Scotland is facing a political reckoning as Reform benefits from growing social division. But Reform … Continue reading Scotland remains a progressive outlier with only half the level of concern about immigration and no chance of Reform UK winning even one constituency – Libby Brookes must improve
Health visitors in England are key to Labour’s preventative strategy but they’re plummeting there after two years in government while Scotland after 19 years of the SNP has four times as many per head, twice the essential continuity and twice the visits
From BBC Breakfast early this morning (06.17 to 06.20am) and repeated with the above shocking figures throughout the show: The number of health visitors in England has fallen by almost half over the last decade – meaning some of those who remain have caseloads of more than a thousand families each. Now the Institute of Health Visiting is calling for caseloads to be limited to 250 families per visitor. Then: Health visitors in England would like to see a safe staffing limit like in Scotland, where they have caseloads of no more than 250 families. Seven minutes later, we hear … Continue reading Health visitors in England are key to Labour’s preventative strategy but they’re plummeting there after two years in government while Scotland after 19 years of the SNP has four times as many per head, twice the essential continuity and twice the visits
Prof Mary Beard agrees with me (us) on listening to Tucker Carlson regarding Trump and Iran
My main critical friend, who when I became addicted to opioid painkillers, constructively said ‘Some f*****g professor!’ , agrees with me on Tucker Carlson, a Christian and a Trump fan, despite him holding those two positions which we both reject. I think she agrees that he has the clearest, most direct, most convincing, most penetrating and most entertaining take on Trump and the war on Iran, that we’ve seen – ‘he’s a slave to Israel.‘ Today, I see in the Herald, that the wonderful Mary Beard, again who we both love, agrees. In ‘Awful people can be correct’: Mary Beard … Continue reading Prof Mary Beard agrees with me (us) on listening to Tucker Carlson regarding Trump and Iran
The causes of healthy life expectancy falling – Scotland already has far more, per head of population, GPs, nurses, midwives and other professionals than other parts of the UK so maybe look at this?
The Herald today has: Scotland already has far more, per head of population, GPs, nurses, midwives and other professionals than other parts of the UK (table above, sources below) so Prof Cameron’s theory seems a little thin, simplistic. Here’s another explanation but one of course which cannot be laid at the door of the SNP Government’s limited devolved powers. The major rise in processed/UPF availability and reliance began decades earlier (1980s–2000s), becoming entrenched by the 2010s. This long-term poor diet quality (cumulative effects on obesity, inflammation, mental health, and chronic conditions) helps explain why health gains from medical advances stalled … Continue reading The causes of healthy life expectancy falling – Scotland already has far more, per head of population, GPs, nurses, midwives and other professionals than other parts of the UK so maybe look at this?
UK Government ‘austerity’ measures the key driver of Scotland’s falling life expectancy in good health and Labour will do nothing to reverse it
The Herald today has: The graph above from the BMJ in 2022 puts the trend in an historical perspective, revealing that expected life expectancy in ‘good health’ remains significantly higher than it was 30 years ago. The Herald report surprisingly, or not, dies not seem to have looked at the work of Glasgow University researchers led by David Walsh in 2022, which found Concerning changes in mortality and life expectancy trends have been observed across the UK since the early 2010: a ‘stalling’ of previous improvements alongside worsening trends among more deprived populations. Although the causes are still debated in … Continue reading UK Government ‘austerity’ measures the key driver of Scotland’s falling life expectancy in good health and Labour will do nothing to reverse it
Hell hath no fury like an MP scorned
By Liz S Here’s something that the UK MSM will make a big thing about, indeed they have already started. It is a book , soon to be released , that will not be given such a negative and critical reception as Ms Sturgeon’s book was given, that’s for sure. Indeed, I anticipate a media and political feeding frenzy…..with Sarwar and others rubbing their hands in glee, so job done then Ms Cherry. Joanna Cherry’s new book is to be released next week. Already some anti independence newspapers have done some #SNPBAD articles based upon her book, that includes this … Continue reading Hell hath no fury like an MP scorned
Talking-up Scotland 