Professor John Robertson OBA
BBC Scotland‘s newspaper review – Scotland’s papers: Plea to probe killer Beggs and tax hike ‘fears’ – has 17 of them and not so much as one wee banger on their front pages, yet they have the above.
Once a week, for a month, from 9 September raising fears based on the actual disorder two years ago but using the figures from the year before because in real last year offences had plummeted unhelpfully.
How it started:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details
It’s kind of predictable that they would operate in this way, trying to scare the vulnerable and elderly into thinking that the Scottish Government cannot keep them safe and so they shouldn’t want to vote for them next year.
It’s also a bit odd and makes me wonder where it’s coming from?
Scottish Labour slammed the move as “farcical” as the Scottish Conservatives warned of a repeat of the “disgraceful violence” of recent years. Tory MSP Sharon Dowey said: “Police officers, firefighters and terrified residents should not have to suffer scenes of disgraceful violence every year.
“Ministers must explain to them why they have ditched this key promise.’ Holyrood passed the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles Act three years ago, with the SNP hailing it as ‘groundbreaking legislation’ which would address “the harm and distress fireworks can cause”. While the Government recently gave local authorities the power to create firework “control zones,” the minister has paused other parts of the legislation, blaming budget constraints. Scottish Labour justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill said: “This farcical U-turn shows the SNP has no idea what it is doing.”
Watch out for the smallest of upturns in offences tonight and they’ll be all over your media.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
BBC Scotland………..there has been another one…..as in a……….
Corrections and Clarifications
“BBC News Online”
“24 October 2025“
“We initially published an article with the headline “Over £1m spent on sending Scottish ferry staff to Turkey” which some readers felt was misleading“
“While there was no intention to mislead, we subsequently changed the headline to: “Over £1m spent on Scottish ferry staff working in Turkey” and the opening paragraph to read: “More than £1m has been spent on CalMac and CMAL staff working to oversee the construction of four new ferries in Turkey, a freedom of information request has revealed.” We felt this better reflected the overall story”
“We are happy to provide this clarification”
“04/11/2025“
“Some readers”, “felt was misleading”…..well obviously it was “misleading” as why change the headline and the story if it was not “misleading“….Duh ?
That’s what happens when you source (yet another) story from an opposition party, this time it was the Tory party (again).
The BBC article now states in the headline “Over £1m spent on Scottish ferry staff working in Turkey”
However still within the article it states that the Scottish Conservatives, who obtained the figures, said taxpayers were being “left to pick up the tab” for the SNP’s “ferries fiasco“.
The Tories in Scotland know all about “fiascos” and “taxpayers having to pick up the tab” as their HQ were previously in power as the UK government……
We had ……
Grayling’s Phantom Ferries with millions wasted and it was reported that “a further £51.4 million was wasted on cancelling the contracts with the ferry operators”.
The HS2 greatly delayed and billions over budget.
The scandal of the Tory fast track VIP lane and it was reported that at least “28 contracts worth £4.1 billion went to suppliers with known political links to the Tory party“. Of the “51 companies that received contracts through the VIP lane, 18 were nominated by Tory politicians”.
The English failed and flawed Test & Trace system during the pandemic and the system was described as “eye-wateringly expensive,” with a budget of £37 billion.
The Ajax vehicle project with billions in cost overruns, severe delays, and critical technical problems that injured soldiers during trials.
The Elizabeth line delayed by three and a half years and approx 4.1 billion over budget .
To name but a few Tory HQ UK government “fiascos” and the waste of billions of pounds of “taxpayers money as the taxpayers picked up the tab for these Tory HQ fiascos“.
Also the BBC stating that it had “No intention to mislead” just a case of them totally altering the story to make it look as if it was a case of taxpayers money being squandered.
Also the topic of this BBC Scotland article that then needed to be corrected and clarified by BBC HQ….being one that is the BBC Scotland’s favourite Scottish subject…….#Ferries…..a subject that they often communicate as being a “fiasco” ….however the real “fiasco” is actually the “news where we (supposedly) are” as provided by BBC Scotland.
What is the point of BBC Scotland news that is constantly noted in the section of the BBC website that is called “Corrections and Clarifications” ?
is it not better to try and find out why this is happening as a constant at BBC Scotland…..and then really try to correct it and then they, BBC HQ, would not need to constantly have to clarify even more mistakes , intentional or otherwise, via one of their branch offices as in BBC Scotland……..not rocket science as a real and satisfactory solution is it ?
(Unless of course it is indeed the BBC’s intention to try to mislead especially as far as the SNP is concerned….I have my suspicions).
Liz S
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Of all of the above mentioned fiascos, it’s hard to find one that spent months in headlines on TV and in the mainstream other than the Michelle Mone one, a fiasco for which I’m convinced she took the flak on behalf of the REAL offenders.
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“she took the flak on behalf of the REAL offenders”
Indeed she was the sacrificial Tory lamb as in Tory scapegoat , though she too was culpable, as was her husband.
However for the Tory party, and the likes of Michael Gove and Matt Hancock , for them to get off Scot free, well that is indeed really really grating , to say the least….
Indeed if you watched the recent ITV documentary “The Covid contracts: Follow the Money” then you would be amazed at how Tories here in Scotland still have the brass neck to constantly critique the SNP.
Mind you they, the Tories here, like Labour here, need to deflect away from the mess, fiascos and scandals linked to their respective HQ parties in order for them to try to avoid total obliteration in elections within Scotland.
That’s why I never ever take any notice of what they say is scandalous, via the SNP police investigation….a minnow of a scandal in comparison to the ‘Whale of a scandal(s)’ that are linked to other parties who support the UK.
Liz S
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Get out
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