Professor John Robertson OBA
In the often Anglocentric Policing Insight, two days ago, the above and:
More needs to be done to bolster the use by frontline officers of potentially life-saving overdose reversal medication naloxone, with calls for a “top-down, bottom-up” approach of greater proactive support from representative bodies, and the implementation of ‘naloxone champions’ and lived experience helping to overcome fears around its use and ultimately build trust between police and communities.
From a Scottish perspective, this is not only shocking but, regrettably too familiar.
From the Scottish Government in 2023:
Police Scotland recently completed a force-wide rollout to 12,500 officers who have used the kits more than 300 times.
https://www.gov.scot/news/lifesaving-overdose-reversal-scheme/
The rollout was the result of a pilot project in 2021:
In the context of escalating drug-related deaths, during 2021 Police Scotland implemented a pilot project incorporating naloxone training to test the carriage and administration of naloxone by officers….The findings of this evaluation informed the decision of the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to mandate that all Police Scotland Officers routinely carry naloxone from August 2022.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10439463.2024.2367142#abstract
In addition to preventing drug deaths, the Naloxone programme more widely since 2018, has had this dramatic effect:
There were 9,663 drug-related hospital stays. The European Age-sex Standardised Rate (EASR) of drug-related hospital stays was 182 stays per 100,000 population. This rate decreased for a third consecutive year, from a peak of 283 per 100,000 population in 2019/20.
The highest substance-specific stay rate (81 per 100,000 population) was for opioids (drugs similar to heroin). This rate decreased for a third consecutive year, from a peak of 141 per 100,000 population in 2019/20.
Talking-up Scotland 
ENGLAND IS RUN BY INCOMPETENT BAFOONS
so expect very little wisdom
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It’s an SNP Government initiative so , obviously , the English Government and its various institutions could not possibly be seen to be copying it .
SNPeeeee Baaaad , don’t you know ?
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O/T apologies
Rachel Reeves in tears in the debating chamber in the HOC.
“personal matter” apparently.
However why then was she in the chamber if the “personal matter” was so upsetting for her that she could not hold back her tears while knowing she was within a public forum.
Also it , as a public forum, was being televised and based on yet another major U Turn by her leader then her also knowing that that she would most likely be targeted by the opposition as the current UK Chancellor for failing to find money elsewhere.
Empathy and support for Reeves ?
While she , Reeves, had absolutely no empathy or support for Plaid Cymru Liz Saville Roberts when she , Saville Roberts, received what was an undignified response from Keir Starmer when he once said to Saville Roberts as a (non) response that “yes a belief that she talks rubbish” which prompted Rachel Reeves to burst out laughing as she, Reeves, relished her leader trying to ridicule and shame another female MP.
MSM Monitor on X reminded us that:
“Those urging sympathy for Rachel Reeves would do well to remember how the BBC treated Nicola Sturgeon when she shed tears at the Covid Inquiry. The former FM was insulted by Alister Jack. The BBC led its news bulletins with Jack’s unsavoury comments. Kaye Adams said Sturgeon wasn’t a human being. The corporation behaved in an utterly tawdry manner”.
Kaye Adams response to Nicola Sturgeon’s tears when Ms Sturgeon was giving evidence at the Covid Inquiry ?
Well when another BBC reporter indicated to Adams that sometimes we all forget that they too, as politicians , are also human beings that then prompted an undignified and unsympathetic response from Adams who said “Because in this instance they are not human beings they are politicians”
The same BBC published an article dated 2 July on Reeves tears where they wrote:
“Politics is a uniquely exposing trade”.
“The noble act of volunteering for elected office and then, for a lucky few, assuming the highest political office, comes rightly with scrutiny and difficult questions”
“And it is unquestionably true that the questions for the Chancellor Rachel Reeves have just got even more difficult after this week’s spectacular unravelling of the government’s plans for the Benefit system”.
“But it is also true that politicians are human beings and events that are rightly private shape their mood too and there is often little scope for them to hide”.
Strange how the BBC , when it is a pro UK “politician”, want to highlight that they as “politicians” are also “human beings” yet also the same BBC via Kaye Adams views that as not applicable for the likes of Nicola Sturgeon as a “politician” with the SNP.
So rules , empathy, sympathy and also support for some “politicians” via the BBC while the opposite for other “politicians” , namely those connected to the SNP.
Let’s be honest Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP and Scottish FM was constantly ridiculed, chastised, relentlessly challenged, targeted, abused, disrespected , subjected to rudeness, subjected to impertinence, treated with inconsideration, treated and met with aggression, subject to the spreading of a succession of malicious rumours and lies against her character and also against her professional ability as a politician and leader of a party, was regularly treated with contempt, unfairly treated, always on the receiving end of boorish and crude behaviour etc etc ………….and that was just from the media.
The BBC , especially Kaye Adams , was more than willing to either instigate or join in with those who sought to destroy Ms Sturgeon and so attempt to end her political career and also try to discredit and so destroy her chosen party the SNP as well.
So as a female I have absolutely no sympathy, empathy or support for the Labour female chancellor and I also suspect that many of those who are females that are classified as vulnerable, poor and also are older females (pensioners and waspi women) within the UK who were directly targeted by her and her government and so subject to her , as Chancellor, seeking to take money away from them to fill the so called “UK financial black hole” also have no sympathy, empathy or support for her either at this moment.
Perhaps the non doms, the Bankers who have no cap placed on their bonuses , the wealthy who as yet are not subject to a wealth tax, the private health companies, the board members and shareholders of privatised water companies , the energy companies , the large tech corporations and also all of the wealthy donors to the Labour party can console Ms Reeves as she has gone to great lengths to try to protect and support their financial interests.
Perhaps the Commons Speaker could enlighten us all as to what apparently was said by him to Ms Reeves that then made her cry , as that is now being speculated as being the real cause for her tears while in the HOC yesterday.
Seems to be that if that is the case then Ms Reeves is one who can dish it out (sarcasm and unpleasantness) but can not take it, as she herself is not timid in her making spiteful nasty comments towards the SNP , who she then expects that they as individuals and as a party just take it and so bear it, even though the SNP know how cr*p her party are as a UK government , how bad she is as a Chancellor and also how they , Labour, have proved to be absolutely no “change” from the previous lot, as in the Tories , as a UK government.
Pity Reeves had no tears to spill for those who suffer within the UK because of her government’s bad and cruel policies that punishes those UK citizens who cannot defend themselves against a terrible new UK government and also against a corrupt and compromised right wing media who are complicit in also demonising the weak, poor and most vulnerable within the UK…..and also constantly targeting and also blaming all of the UK’s woes upon those from foreign shores, who are also vulnerable and in need of support, empathy and some humanity (which the current UK government and the UK media are seemingly devoid of giving them any – as they as a UK government and UK media prefer instead to champion , defend and support only the oppressors -Israel- while ignoring the oppressed – Palestinians).
Liz S
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Well said Liz. Crocodile tears. She, along with her cabal of lying, despicable cronies, have shown no compassion for the real people of the U.K. And that is compounded by their involvement in the Genocide taking place in Gaza. On a professional basis, she has shown herself to be completely incompetent, unsuitable for the position she holds, although that could be said of every member of this administration. It won’t matter if she is replaced as another bag carrier will take her place, who will be equally clueless, or perhaps more accurately, following orders from whoever is pulling Starmer’s strings, as I don’t believe he has the intellectual capacity for the position he holds at present. Or maybe he has, and he is just an evil b*****d.
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Alex , I believe it is Morgan McSweeney who is orchestrating the very much public demise of this new version of the Toryfied Labour party , as it is he who is “pulling Starmer’s strings” while under the wrong assumption that one has to match the same sh*te that comes from Reform UK as opposed to giving an alternative to the voters of their UK.
Indeed as Reeves should go and then Labour, as a government , should then follow.
Mind you in Scotland although we see that the recent polls show Labour’s fortune is now apparently reversing we also see that some voters are of a mind to never ever learn from their past mistakes , as Reform UK are being touted to gain some seats next year in the Scottish elections.
So we have had #ToryBad and now #LabourBad but some voters in Scotland also want to see the #Bad of Reform UK as well, mainly because they, as voters, are so desperate to believe any old spiel in what must be a last gasp for another (new) English Nationalist party to do less #Bad than the previous other #Bad English Nationalist parties who (badly) governed their beloved UK in an English parliament at WM.
The same English parliament that Reform UK would love to see dominate and so once again control the whole UK with a UK government totally in charge , which they, Reform UK, hopes will be them.
#GoodbyeDevolution………or at least all of the powers via Devolution.
Many of those voters in Scotland who decide to vote for Reform UK hope that they, as a party and as a possible next UK government, will give no mercy or quarter to Scotland and so classify Scotland as a mere region of the UK while no dissent will they voice, as those voters in Scotland, against England maintaining their status as a country within the UK.
I am embarrassed and angered that anyone in Scotland would even consider voting for any party led by Nigel Farage , that as (pretend) parties, are 100% English Nationalist (pretend) parties that spout so much hate and division in order to rally those who are cut from the same bigoted and racist cloth .
Though the real truth is that the order of priority for Farage is himself first, his political donors, the most wealthy here and elsewhere, then Trump’s America and the Republican party, various private companies and corporations e.g. Private Healthcare Insurance companies.
Then Farage and his (pretend) party try to keep the mugs (voters) who support and vote for them onside with Reform UK as a (pretend) party tossing out a succession of inconsequential (non) issues with the sole intention of distracting voters from all of real and significant issues and any solutions to those real issues.
(However solutions are not something that Reform UK will have or indeed want to provide , as if they win the GE in 2029 in the UK, then they will do what all other rubbish UK parties have now done- just start blaming the previous UK government for their mismanagement and squandering of the finances , which then will see them, Reform UK, also failing to deliver all that they promised in their manifesto and election campaigns should they win the 2029 GE, so we will once again be in ‘Excuses country’).
A UK pantomime, a UK political and media circus of clowns and so an neverending cycle that some Scots help to maintain in their constantly voting for those who are part of that UK pantomime, UK clowns within that UK political and media Circus and who , as (pretend) politicians (and pretend media) , are all actively working against them as Scots in Scotland.
I many seem bitter but who wouldn’t be when we have such stupid people to have to contend with constantly in them always voting for various political lame ducks who , as UK parties, give not a flying **** about Scotland in the past, the present or in the future. (same goes for their shameful and discredited media who are anything but news providers as instead they are just servants to those parties that they support politically, or rather those parties whom their owners support politically).
Another rant in the bag………
Liz S
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