The homicide rate in Scotland? 0.8 per 100 000. The rate in the USA, 7.2 times higher!
Professor John Robertson OBA
Suffice to say, by contrast, sometimes stark, with England after decades of Tory/Labour rule, Wales after decades of Labour rule, Scotland has:
- Shorter hospital waiting times, for all treatments, especially for 18-weeks, cancer, alcohol and drug treatment, IVF and A&E.
- Far more doctors, nurses, midwives, home visitors and beds.
- Far better patient protection schemes.
- Free prescriptions to enable, for example, all asthmatics to access medication, unlike the many in England who died from Covid for this reason.
- Far more transparent data for the above.
- By both police reporting and popular impression (U of Edinburgh) crime down more than 50% in 17 years and far lower crime, including homicide.
- Far more police officers and better clear-up figures.
- Lower violent deaths and drug deaths among the young.
- No county lines drug gangs or child ‘grooming’ gangs resident in Scotland.
- More affordable housing and lower council tax.
- Free bus travel for the elderly and the young, students and apprentices.
- Free HE tuition and university campus areas with lower crime levels than in all other parts of UK.
- One of the best rail services in the UK.
- Narrowing school attainment figures, increasing pass levels among the deprived and wider, lower cost-of-living, access due to articulation between local colleges and universities.
- The world’s best ferry service.
- Easier, cheaper, access to the mountains, lochs and rivers!
With time, I could think of more.
Ah, drug deaths! Falling but stalling, despite target beating treatment programmes, because of a recent surge of cheap, powerful, new drugs into towns and villages from English County Lines gangs.
For those requiring a short cut to the evidence, try:
What about the USA?
Do I need to? Far higher crime, homicide, drug deaths, poverty……
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
And for another sensible and successful social policy from Scotland see:
‘Case studies of interventions to reduce modifiable risk exposure – Minimum unit pricing on alcohol: There is a minimum unit price of 50p/unit for alcohol in Scotland (since 2018) and Wales (since 2020). This is designed to target low-cost, high-strength alcohol most associated with harmful use.
‘The policy was associated with a 13.4% decrease in deaths attributable to alcohol consumption, and estimated reductions were greater in the most deprived 40% of areas. A 2023 systematic review concluded that minimum unit pricing could reduce health inequalities by targeting the heaviest consumers from the most deprived groups.
‘Some researchers have proposed that England should adopt Scotland’s minimum unit pricing policy, and provide recommendations for dealing with knock-on challenges of this policy, such as the windfall created for retailers, and reduction in Treasury revenue.’
Source: Steel, L., Stiebahl, S. & Lally, C. (2025) Geographical differences in healthy life expectancy. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. (https://post.parliament.uk )
(This paper has been published by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), an ‘impartial research and knowledge exchange service based in the UK Parliament’. POST is described as follows: ‘Publishes impartial briefings, drawing on cutting-edge research evidence, and tailored to the needs of parliament. Our unique approach involves extensive consultation with experts and stakeholders. We focus on topical issues where the research evidence is emerging or particularly complex, covering science and social science, from health and the environment to housing and computing.’ )
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Yeah but – windmills!
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Was it The Donald who was tilting at windmills ….or was that that other Don ?
Both were rather touched in the heid !
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Camillo ?
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We prosecute Paedophile in Scotland, we don’t vote foe them Donald.
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