The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing in 7 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson

Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS

Today, BBC Scotland, Police Scotland and PA Scotland have mentioned West Midlands/Birmingham arrests on the same day as Dundee arrests but none have been prepared to inform their audience of the direction of flow.

Why is this a heinous if not criminal failure?

The BBC‘s Mission, from Copy of Royal Charter for the continuance of the British Broadcasting Corporation Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by Command of Her Majesty December 2016:

The BBC’s Mission The Mission of the BBC is to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain. _{https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/governance/charter}

This is a royal charter, approved by Parliament giving the BBC, including BBC Scotland, a clear requirement to inform the public on matters affecting their lives, such as drug abuse, pandemics, extreme weather events and so on.

From reader Golfnut, in response to https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2024/12/06/county-lines-crackdown-after-cops-smash-english-gang-moving-drugs-to-aberdeen/

“This is why we continue to focus on a prevention-first approach to tackling County Lines, with over 1,400 people safeguarded during the week, of which 48% were children. Stopping people being drawn in, whilst working to prepare communities for the impact of County Lines is vital. Protecting children and vulnerable adults, safeguarding them from harm, along with relentlessly pursuing offenders remains one of our key priorities“

The Police in this single paragraph identified what is possibly the most heinous if not criminal failure of the media in general and public broadcasters in particular to inform the public in Scotland of the dangers these gangs represent to communities across Scotland’s mainland and islands. There can be no forgiveness for those failures, they cannot justify putting their own political dogma before the safety of the people of this country. It highlights, if nothing else, who and what they represent.

County Lines gangs now operate in every corner of Scotland, from Dumfries to Thurso. They are all based in cities in England, mainly London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bradford and Newcastle. There are none based in Scotland.

The National Crime Agency describes what they do:

County Lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries (although not exclusively), usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs. The ‘County Line’ is the mobile phone line used to take the orders of drugs. Importing areas (areas where the drugs are taken to) are reporting increased levels of violence and weapons-related crimes as a result of this trend.

^{https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/drug-trafficking/county-lines#:~:text=County%20Lines%20is%20where%20illegal,take%20the%20orders%20of%20drugs.}

Police Scotland have reported on English County Lines gangs and the dangers they pose, more than 100 times since they were first reported in Aberdeenshire in 2019.

Despite this BBC Scotland News have only twice reported on County Lines gangs, in 2019 and 2021.

https://www.google.com/search?q=%27BBC+Scotland%27+County+Lines&sca_esv=360d606574466e04&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB851GB851&sxsrf=ADLYWIISszevUFnTRWFo2IWwI3NUUfGayg%3A1733490873957&ei=ufhSZ-CHOqTt7_UP1JODWQ&ved=0ahUKEwigyI3enJOKAxWk9rsIHdTJIAsQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=%27BBC+Scotland%27+County+Lines&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiGydCQkMgU2NvdGxhbmQnIENvdW50eSBMaW5lczIHECMYJxiuAkjkQFCtEFjUKHACeACQAQCYAfIOoAHnHaoBCzAuMS42LTEuMS4xuAEDyAEA-AEBmAICoALYBsICBBAjGCeYAwCIBgGSBwcwLjEuNS0xoAe2CQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

There is clearly an edict telling BBC Scotland journalist not to cover this topic and one can only assume that is because it is toxic for the image of the Union. BBC Scotland is prepared to put the interests of the Union ahead of those of young people in Scotland. The BBC in every other part of the UK reports regularly on these gangs, informing their audiences of the dangers they pose to children and young people.

Heinous

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About Oliver Brown, the first Scottish National Party candidate to save his deposit in a Parliamentary election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Brow