Bob Lamont
“Scotland’s drug deaths still worst in Europe after 12% rise” by Jonathan Geddes BBC Scotland News, and James Cook, Scotland Editor, the pivot being ” But the latest figures remain far higher than the 244 deaths in 1996 when comparable records began ” – Now just ponder that ” when comparable records began ” left hanging without reference, the art of the grifter, privy to Spanish ambassadorial emails since 2014…..
Yes, Scotland has a drug problem, County Lines and BBC Scotland, both do your head in, you can’t shake off either, yet the latter appears to be protecting the former from exposure….
PS – There are absolutely NO comparable records since 1996 for England to Scotland in 2024 – ” Scotland continues to have a far higher rate of recorded drugs deaths than other European nations, including other parts of the UK ” because of completely different recording procedures – Ask Nick Robinson for an explanation, he has form on ‘different recording procedures’….
Anonymous
“when comparable records began”
Same “comparable records” that BBC Scotland have access to now in order for them to compare public service performances between Scotland, England, Wales & NI in the UK but they, the BBC as a UK media, choose not to.
Instead they, the BBC here, allow anyone to comment about what they refer to as the supposed ‘poor record of the Scottish Government (SNP) on the NHS, Education etc’ while obscuring (ignoring) the public service performances of England, Wales & NI via their respective NHS, Education etc.
Just as they, the BBC here, fail to factor in English County Line Drug gangs as a significant part of the problems that Scotland and our government encounter in their fight to reduce drug deaths then they, the BBC here, also fail to factor in Brexit and staffing issues that has impacted our NHS, Social Care and other occupations within much of the public sector.
The BBC here ignore English County line Drug gangs coming up to Scotland mainly because it then clearly demonstrates something that is not directly the fault of the Scottish government (SNP) but it is instead a major obstacle that our government is confronted with in their fight against drugs.
Mainly because we, Scotland, are still a part of the UK so we then have no real border security to monitor who is travelling between our two countries, Scotland and England.
So open borders on occasion do have their downsides and we all know how important it is for some political parties in England that their English borders are protected and limited in access for certain nationalities.
Open borders are also a hige problem when there is global crisis like a Pandemic e.g. the recent Covid pandemic.
As to the BBC here ignoring Brexit that is predominantly because it , as a UK policy, was instigated and implemented by a UK party (Tories) and also the current UK government (Labour) intends to continue with it as a policy for the whole UK. (against Scotland’s wishes who voted in 2016 to remain in the EU)
Pity the BBC here in Scotland were not also as relentless and focused on the damage Brexit has done to Scotland as they are upon their rabid obsession with Drugs in Scotland (minus the inclusion of County Line Drug gangs from England in their various reports/articles).
Mind you other media in the UK (press, Radio & TV news channels) will also give ‘Drug deaths in Scotland are the highest in Europe” a huge amount of attention with the blame being laid solely at the feet of the SNP (no external factors or mitigating circumstances highlighted for the SNP as that treatment is always only reserved for UK political parties).
This is like never ending repetitive nightmare where we will only break free and see it stop once we are free of both UK parties and UK media (perhaps Ed Milliband had a point that borders should be militarised between us and England so as to stop criminals from England, like County Line drug gangs, coming into Scotland.
Only half joking on that BTW.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
I’m going to hazard a guess here that drug deaths in England and Wales are every bit as bad as here in Scotland, but we can’t have mother England looking bad now can we. look at the recent BBC reporting of riots ‘Across the UK’. They cannot even own up to the racist English Nationalist problem that exists in their own backyard. They have to make out that it is the whole of the UK and not just England. apart from the OO nutters in Belfast who love to look for any excuse to cause trouble.
The English Government, and that’s what it is, that runs the whole UK has to paint the image that England is the bestest performing country in the whole world. So in order to facilitate the charade they cheat at everything they record.
PISA Tests…..The underperforming schools are not recorded to make them look better than they actually are.Every school in Scotland posts results, good or bad to get a true picture.
A&E Waiting lists….Only Type 1 are recorded, and only after the patient is seen by a doctor, not from when they walked in to A&E. To make them look better than they are.Every A&E department in Scotland starts the clock when the patient enters A&E.
Ferries…. Scotland covers a multitude of Islands keeping them connected to the mainland with astonishing levels of service at reasonable prices.( Check out Prof John’s reference to the costs of the ferry to the Isle of Wight, with regular breakdowns) Yes there are occasional breakdowns with our ferries and in the summer months excessive demands but does that not happen in the Aviation business? It’s not the first time that my flight to Heathrow to get a connecting flight to elsewhere has been cancelled because there were insufficient passenger numbers booked for the flight.They just cancel the flight and you have to make other arrangements.Does that EVER happen with our ferries? They run regardless of passenger numbers.
That brings me on to the railways. In Scotland the railways are nationalised and run a service regardless of passenger numbers which means if you want to get a train to wherever, you can turn up in the full knowledge that that train will be there on time to get you to where you want to go. Not so in privatised England. If insufficient numbers have booked then that train journey is cancelled due to ‘Not financially viable’. Which in Scotland would you prefer? Turn up at the railway station knowing the train will be along or turn up at the railway station not knowing whether the train is going to turn up at all.
Tax…. How they love to report that Scotland pays higher tax than the rest of the UK. What they don’t report, deliberately, is that the lowest paid in Scotland pay LESS tax than elsewhere in the UK due to our broader tax bands.
There are also a raft of other measures not mentioned by BBC Scotland.
Child benefit payments to reduce child poverty.It’s a disgrace that there is still child poverty in what they claim as the world’s fifth richest economy. Only the Scottish Government is trying to do something about that.But why would BBC Scotland want to make the UK Government look bad.
No bedroom tax so that you can continue to live in the house you’ve lived in most of your life instead of what is sufficient for you without penalty.
No University fees so that you or your children can get the best education available regardless of your ability to pay, or your child or you to pay off for the next 30 years.
Free bus passes for kids to get to school and for pensioners to get around where they have no longer access to a car.
There are many, many more things that the Scottish Government do to try to alleviate the UK Government’s policies. And remember this. If the UK Government succeed in their wish to destroy the SNP as Government of Scotland ( with massive help from BBC Scotland) and replace it with a UK friendly Government all of what you now take for granted will be gone and will fall in line with England and Wales.
Think very carefully about it. The SNP are by no means perfect by any stretch of the imagination but by god they try to make things easier for the people of Scotland with the budget they are given.
Let me put it this way. You give me all your income and I will decide how much I think you need to give you back to exist on.
No deal? You would be crazy to accept such a deal. So why does that happen with the circumstances that we find ourselves in now within the union?
Jim.
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Excellent
https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2024/08/21/we-cant-have-mother-england-looking-bad-now-can-we/
John
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Sky’s ‘scotland’ reporter (Connor Gilles) is an utter disgrace.
Had to immediately switch channels, when he was spewing his continually skewed/endless bias against Scotland.
Not once has the creep mentioned the English Drug Gangs, probably paid by the English State, to get the drugs into Scotland.
Ending this misnomer of ‘a union’ can’t come soon enough, when WE will be in control of our borders and it will be WE Scots who will decide who WE will allow into Scotland.
There will be NO special favours/waiving rules for England.
Any English drug-pushers etc who’ve (been) moved into Scotland,
will be repatriated to ‘their ‘britain’/ENGLAND.
NO ‘soft’ options from ScotGov kowtowing to what the FOREIGN English Colonialists want, will be acceptable.
More than enough of that has gone on and we’re sick to the back teeth of it.
No FOREIGN Gov/Estab/Nation will dictate to WE Sovereign Scots, on anything!
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Well said.
SKY News is another one who pretends they report ‘UK’ news but they are really presenting a dominant English perspective of the news. (that includes their sports news coverage).
If and when they do report on any ‘Scottish’ news then they, like other ‘UK’ news channels , choose to promote mostly negative stories.
The irony is that as they diss our Scottish government and the SNP look at what their UK has given to politics with the UK Tory party and their scandals, incompetence, corruption, mismanagement and wastefulness as a UK government when they were in power. Major league failures and flaws we all witnessed with the former UK government and it seems as if the current Labour UK government is going to be no better.
We all know on here, as do others like us also know, that what is behind these constant attacks on the SNP is the constitutional Q.
SKY, like other news channels, all support the sustaining of the UK so their news has to promote the SNP and Scotland as being bad, failing and seemingly worse than elsewhere in the UK.
For some strange reason (yet somehow understandable based on it being a pro UK party that governs it) Labour in Wales, as the devolved government, have been given pretty much a free ride by most of the UK media news teams in that they are often ignored in the reporting of their bad performance, as a devolved government, in managing public services.
The SNP as Scottish government will forever be damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Scrutiny upon them, via the UK media, is forensic and relentless. (also questionable is some of the UK media’s dubious accusations and suspect observations made against and about the SNP as the Scottish government)
They, the SNP, will also never be given an equal and fair platform by the UK media compared to that which is given to pro UK parties via the same UK media.
Who, within the UK media, will be open to giving the SNP a frequent media platform to prove that certain allegations made against them are totally unfounded or even allow them, the SNP, to promote benefits that they, as a government, have implemented in Scotland.
Who within the UK media is often seen or heard to commend some of that which the SNP as a Scottish government has done that is good and so benefits people in Scotland.
To answer that would be a struggle to think of any such examples !
How many times have you read or heard positive news about the SNP as the Scottish government via the UK media ?
The Scottish Child payment is a huge benefit to poor families in Scotland yet Labour, as the UK government, are giving the SOS Ian Murray £150 million to pass directly onto local authorities to deal with poverty.
Why ?
Is the Scottish government not already doing a good job for those poorer families in Scotland in giving out this benefit and also other benefits that ease the burden for those struggling to cope financially.
In fact they, the SNP, are doing, as the Scottish government, much more than the previous UK government did or indeed the current UK government are doing. (Both who chose to maintain the Child cap that greatly impacts poorer families).
The UK media are , like UK politicians, a parcel of rogues determined to destroy the SNP all to stop independence from happening.
So, for Scotland as far as the UK media is concerned, (like say SKY News), to quote the former Tory PM Theresa May I ay that :
“Nothing has changed”
(Or will “Change” as long as we stay within their UK . No “Change” either via the UK media or via various UK governments).
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These toxic ‘british’/ENGLISH mouthpieces seem unable to fathom that WE SCOTS will retain the memories of ALL that’s been done against OUR NATION OF SCOTLAND/WE SCOTS by willing and complicit media/MSM.
Upon Independence, WE SCOTS will decide to whom we give entry/Licence to Broadcast in OUR NATION.
FOREIGN/treacherous liars, complicit in keeping Scotland/we Scots
under the FOREIGN English Jackboot, to benefit the FOREIGN English Colonialist/Imperialist/Establishment Dictators
who have, for/over centuries, embedded their poisonous claws in Scotland.
All for English Establishment gain, no matter the division/damage/etc done to COLONISED Nations.
Every symbol of English Colonisation/oppression/suppression, will be removed from Scotland.
Never will the English subjugation of our Nation be forgotten/nor forgiven.
Nor will the willing, eager participation of ANY/ALL English mouthpieces
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Another good one
https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2024/08/21/we-all-know-that-what-is-behind-these-constant-attacks-on-the-snp-is-the-constitutional-q/
Email real name if you’d like credit, to talkingupreminders@gmail.com
John
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It is appropriate that you’ve highlighted ‘UK’, where necessary, throughout your excellent comment.
Well done and please keep posting.
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Watched the ‘reporting’ of Scotland’s Drug Problem on STV and ITV News this evening . Utterly shameless and skewed , if not deliberately misleading .
Only one factor to blame for ”Europe’s worse drug deaths”- the SNP Government !
Forget decades of poverty instigated ( mainly ) by Tory Governments since Thatcher driving many without hope into drugs .
Forget Westminster refusing repeated requests ( until this year ) by Scottish Government to have local initiatives – e.g Special Drug Consumption facilities to monitor usage .
Forget the explosion of English County Lines Gangs pushing stronger and cheaper drugs into communities in Scotland .
Forget the small matter of stats being compiled differently North and South of the border which negated a like for like comparison .
Forget that for every ”problem” in Scotland it is the Scottish Government to blame according to the unionist media , yet elsewhere in the ”UK” politicians of other parties are seldom if EVER held accountable for similar ”problems” on their patch !
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Here’s a useful piece
blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/08/22/what-actually-counts-as-a-drug-death/
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What bothers me is that if what you say is correct ( and I am prepared to believe it) is why Scot Gov ministers don’t refute or challenge the numbers. Neil Gray accepted responsibility for the drug deaths.
Likewise John Swinney was confronted with NHS waiting list numbers, at least twice, during the GE and didn’t challenge them.
WHY?
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I get your point but are the SNP not , via the media, always having to ‘defend’ their position while the opposition is given more opportunity by the media to ‘attack’ the SNP.
The opposition being Tory, Labour and the Lib Dems. So there are three opposing parties who have a media platform to cancel out any defence given by the SNP on accusations being made against them.
The same accusations made and sourced via that same (hostile to the SNP) media.
Apart from the National, who often themselves are questionable, who else within the UK media commends the Scottish government regularly ?
The BBC in Scotland via their website, Radio programmes and TV programmes all attack the SNP while they ignore the other parties in Scotland.
So there is no level footing for the SNP.
If the SNP makes any announcement they are automatically challenged by the media in what becomes a ‘Trial by media’ on their, SNP’s, every action and utterance.
I do however agree that John Swinney as an experienced politician should know his facts and be more than aware of what line of attack both the opposition and the media will consistently pursue with say the (dubious figures they quote on) Scottish NHS performance stats as being one of the attacks high on their list , as a topic, that they will often use against the SNP. (while ignoring worse stats in other UK nations compared to Scotland)
Plus Neil Gray should, like this site, highlight mitigating circumstances such as English County line Drug gangs contributing greatly to the drug problem in Scotland, instead of him meekly accepting blame and then apologising. That does nothing to reassure or indeed inform the public of what is really happening via this particular issue.
(Mind you the BBC , as do other news channels, have the power to edit out certain things said by SNP politicians which we often witness happening via their reporting on FM Q’s).
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I really don’t know why they don’t challenge the figures and accusations. I wonder if any SNP MSPs read these posts, maybe they could let us know? All should be briefed on this, England’s PISA performance, ferry comparisons etc
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Brenda , I remember a few years back on BBC QT Hannah Bardell (now an ex SNP MP) not correcting Piers Morgan when he said that it was Alex Salmond, as Scottish FM , who appointed Donald Trump as Scotland Ambassador.
It was in fact Labour FM Jack McConnell.
It was announced by McConnell in 2006 and it was reported that “After accepting an invitation from First Minister Jack McConnell, Mr Trump will join a network of influential people who promote the country”
“Mr McConnell said he was delighted the tycoon had taken up the offer”, adding: “This is a good bit of business for all concerned.”
Trump’s name came up on this episode of BBC QT when some on the panel and in the audience were criticising Trump’s character and also him, Trump, as a supposed politician/leader at the time this episode was aired on BBC.
I suspect Piers Morgan also knew who really appointed Trump as Scottish Ambassador and that he was ‘chancing his luck’ that Ms Bardell would perhaps be unaware of this fact.
He was right she did not.
Scottish twitter went into meltdown Ha Ha the next day !
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I guess you can feel put on the spot in something like QT where you’re not given the time or space to gather your thoughts. But surely at an interview on a topic you knew you would be asked about it’s reasonable to see incorrect info challenged? Maybe we expect too much, I couldn’t honestly say if politicians from other parties are better or worse than the SNP. Possibly more of them (SNP) should consider appearing on Broadcasting Scotland where they would be let speak – consider it practice for a hostile press
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“I guess you can feel put on the spot in something like QT”
True, it is very hard to always be prepared to anticipate what lines of attack or accusations will be directed at you when, if an SNP politician, you are on the panel on a (UK centric) debate programme.
Indeed the BBC QT programme always has ,especially via the host, panel members & also much of the audience gang up on the SNP guest.
I think that you would need to have an Encyclopaedic knowledge and an eidetic memory as an SNP politician but even then they, opponents on panels of debate programmes, would still find fault or accuse the SNP guest of communicating misinformation !
However , having said that, we do often see the exact same attacks time and time again upon our NHS, Education and also some other public services in Scotland directed at the SNP panel member on BBC QT.
So it would be very useful and more informative for the public if any SNP politician , if they were on say BBC QT, for them to either have some notes at hand to refer to in order to quote comparable figures for different nations within the UK (for example the NHS etc) or at least to be aware of some information and data that demonstrates other nations poor performances in the areas these opponents are attacking the SNP on.
NHS waiting times in Wales are no better, indeed at times they are worse, than those in Scotland. Plus Ambulance handover delays have also been reported occurring outside hospitals in Wales.
These programmes are also an opportunity for the SNP guest to promote many of the benefits and policies that have been implemented in Scotland by them as the Scottish government and that is information that they, as SNP politicians, should all be very aware of surely.
Of course that is assuming that the host of the programme , can for a mere moment , restrain themselves from constantly interrupting the SNP Panel member when either talking or answering a Q (more than they interrupt some other political or media guests on the panel).
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The statistics are collected different. Scotland’s statistics as a whole number. In other places they are collected as different categories. Death by poison, unintentional, accidental death, death by overdose.
There are three different catagories. Not total death numbers. Lowering the total amount. Giving a different reading of total deaths. Accidental unintentional death, death by poison and death by overdose. Different categories. Scotland records as a total. Making the statistics seem higher.
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