Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotland
Click on the above.
Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account - 12266421 Name - JOHN ROBERTSON
BBC Scotland today manage to pluck a negative out of the latest school leavers figures, with:
While the gap between those leavers with one or more qualification at National 5 level reduced slightly since last year, it now stands at 21.4% – greater than 20.2% before the pandemic. Similarly, figures for pupils leaving with one or more qualification at Higher level or equivalent shows that the difference between most affluent and least has reduced slightly over the year and stands at 37.7%. However, it was 35.8% before the pandemic.
In finding the above, they have then used it to deflect from success as reported in the Scottish Government’s opening statements:
The proportion of young people leaving school with five or more passes at National Courses and Highers, as well as their equivalent vocational and technical qualifications, has increased over the past year.
A record high of 68.6% of young people left school with five or more qualifications at SCQF Level 5 (National 5 equivalent), according to the School Leaver Attainment and Initial Destination statistics 2024-25 published today. Those leaving with five or more passes at SCQF level 6 (Higher equivalent) rose to 40.8%. The gap between those from the most and least deprived areas leaving with five or more qualifications narrowed at Level 5.
Nine out of ten young people (95.7%) were in positive destinations – such as work, training, college or university – three months after leaving school. This is the same level as 2023-24 and the second highest on record. Nine out of ten young people (95.7%) were in positive destinations – such as work, training, college or university – three months after leaving school. This is the same level as 2023-24 and the second highest on record.
https://www.gov.scot/news/rising-attainment-among-school-leavers/
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotland
Click on the above.
Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account - 12266421 Name - JOHN ROBERTSON
Talking-up Scotland 
You wrote that:
“BBC Scotland today manage to pluck a negative out of”
Aye don’t they just………..always.
That’s their job though….in Scotland.
To defend the (non) Union.
Elsewhere within the UK State they , the BBC, either ignore all or any negatives associated with the UK State , or they manage to find a positive from them.
You also wrote that “they have then used it to deflect from success”
Again don’t they (the BBC) just…..always.
The paragraph you referred to via the BBC included one of the now infamous words that they, the BBC, often use when trying to “deflect” from” any “success” achieved via the Scottish government, in this instance the word they included was “however”.
“However, it was 35.8% before the pandemic“
They also use another word also with the purpose of trying to cast doubt upon any SNP successes , achievements or positive initiatives……and that word is “but”.
Then of course there is sometimes the inclusion of “some critics say” or “opposition parties say” to then always give the opponents of the SNP, be they political or otherwise, an opportunity to either criticise or completely trash that, which in reality, should be or should have been have been given credit.
Let’s not forget that omission also plays a huge part in how the BBC operates here in Scotland…….especially when it comes to politics.
When was the last time (or the first time) that you either read or heard any substantial and positive mention by the BBC in Scotland on the Scottish Child payment
Or even any kudos or positive recognition given by the BBC here in Scotland for the Scottish government with them, the Scottish government, as in the SNP, implementing that positive policy initiative that at least tries to help offset the hardship resulting from child poverty.
Indeed on the BBC in Scotland you would be more likely to either read on their website or to hear on their various media BBC outlets the utterings of an opposition politician or a hostile individual slating it as a policy, declaring it to be an ineffective action that does very little to try and help families in need.
Currently the BBC are in full election mode in Scotland and the only party that they are, (as per), choosing to adopt a very aggressive position against are the SNP…..indeed most of the BBC’s political media guests are those political Journalists who are anti SNP and so they are well known to only favour other pro UK political parties.
Where is the neutrality in the BBC constantly doing that ?
So why is there a clear lack of balance too in only hearing #SNPBAD after FM’s Q’s , when there is usually no counter argument from a non Unionist Journalist to note the #BAD associated with all of those so called ‘Unionist’ political parties who sit in Holyrood ?
Then there are also the various BBC political Debate programmes , that when in Scotland, always have a majority pro UK panel (also a pro UK host as well as also having a majority pro UK audience too) ……to the extent that they, as programmes, are all unwatchable, as programmes in Scotland, mainly for the lack of balance , the blatant bias and obvious propaganda that they, as supposed ‘UK’ political debate programmes, are meant to represent but clearly they fail to do so every week that they are broadcast…….
We, and I hope others too, all know that the BBC is the enemy within Scotland……….
British is in their name and so then obviously they are only British in the nature of what they produce and so only support……..
In their adding Scotland after their real title, as in BBC Scotland, that is just an insult to our intelligence, as they may have a licence to broadcast here in Scotland, but reality is that they are a foreign presence here in Scotland , whose only role within Scotland, when broadcasting the supposed ‘news where we are’, is to constantly undermine any party that supports Scottish independence while also trying to constantly strengthen , so then increase support for , both the UK State and also the political parties who want to uphold it.
That argument that we always always always make against them , the BBC, is for us , merely a rinse and repeat argument , that is one we present in opposition to all that they, the BBC, write and broadcast when in Scotland.
#Simples
Liz S
LikeLiked by 2 people
* which in reality, should be or should have been have been given credit.
which in reality, should be or should have been given credit.
*have been have been…I must have written it twice to reinforce my argument Ha Ha
You know our justifiable habit of criticising the BBC, is for us, our ‘Groundhog day’ , but that is mostly based upon what they, the BBC as a media, constantly choose to produce as the supposed being the only #BAD political news where we are……….aka their #SNPBAD tsunami of political news output.
If the polls are currently favouring the SNP just now for May’s elections , then surely part of that could be based upon more voters within Scotland now questioning the credibility of media, like the BBC , always choosing to mostly only attack the SNP………especially when clearly UK political news elsewhere within the UK media is now exposing all of the #BAD associated with other political parties.
Currently the #BAD political news both being broadcast and published via the UK media, is mainly political news against the Labour party as the latest (bad) UK government……and also against organisations like Labour Together, who as an organisation , are intrinsically linked to the Labour party.
Plus the scandal of the Labour Peer Lord Mandelson…..and the weak and indecisive Labour leader, who is also currently the UK PM, Sir Keir Starmer (who let us not forget was the UK PM who appointed Mandelson to that prestigious role to represent his UK State in America).
Mind you that type of news is apparently not the news where we are via the BBC in Scotland……….but then neither are many of the cruel and shocking reserved policies that we are subjected to in Scotland , via the UK government’s reserved powers.
UK Internal market……….just a pathetic excuse to try and steal Scotland’s (and also other devolved government’s within the UK) powers…….just as they , various UK State governments, have always stolen everything else valuable that comes from Scotland…….and will keep doing so, all to our detriment and so to their benefit (their being England that they say represents the UK State).
Liz S
LikeLiked by 1 person
Talking of “attainment” or even about future political aspirations….
This below is perhaps a way too long comment from me, so apologies…..if , that is , anyone bothers to even read it……Ha Ha
Rupert Lowe has added a post onto his ‘X’ account today , on the 25 Feb 2026.
Lowe, is just yet another English Nationalist, looking only to appeal to other English Nationalists , who as English Nationalists also assumes that , or rather promotes that, England , in their eyes, is in fact Britain.
As an English Nationalist he also seeks to undermine any other nation within his UK State that is not English…………
His position and his new party is not one that seeks to restore Britain but has only been created to try to ensure that England, and only England, is in charge politically at WM and so then England gets all of the assumed benefits within the UK State while other nations always still lose out.
This below post from him is yet another pathetic attempt by him to try to poach voters from that other English Nationalist party, Reform UK.
(Apparently they , Restore Britain, have already managed to poach some Reform UK Councillors – some of whom were formerly Tory Councillors…..confused ?…….well that’s their plan, I think).
Here is Lowe’s post today:
“An Englishman’s home is his castle, so I am particularly delighted to launch Restore Britain’s newest policy paper – ‘Retaking the English Castle’. Legalising pepper spray, implementing comprehensive legal protection for homeowners defending themselves from intruders, repealing Scotland’s Hate Crime and Public Order Act, preserving trial by jury in all criminal cases, especially those involving self-defence, and plenty more. This is a detailed set of policies restoring the right for proper self-defence to decent British men and women. We live in an increasingly unsafe country, through no fault of our own – both domestic and foreign criminals are threatening the lives of law-abiding British citizens. Our plans would allow them to defend themselves, without fear of the legal consequences. If you agree with what we are proposing? Join Restore Britain, support Restore Britain, vote Restore Britain”.
OMG where to start……….
Well firstly , let‘s not forget that formerly Rupert Lowe was originally a Reform UK MP…….as he was also , in the past, formerly a Tory party member.
So just think , Nigel Farage and also they, Reform UK, saw Rupert Lowe as being fit to stand as a candidate for them in the 2024 UK GE and then also to speak for them as a Reform UK MP when he was then elected for Reform UK in that 2024 UK GE.
The same Reform UK that are apparently polling ‘well’ in Scotland just now for the Scottish elections in May….coincidently that, as a situation, is happening when the Tory vote here in Scotland is apparently collapsing.
You know Rupert Lowe reminds me of that other infamous English Nationalist politician , as in the former Tory MP, who is now a Tory Peer, John Redwood.
Redwood, with absolutely no irony, once stood up in the HOC and asked “Who speaks for England” ?
Well surely that would be the 543 MP’s in the HOC who represent English constituencies .
Also at the time Redwood said that in the HOC there was 533 MP’s in the HOC who all represented English constituencies, as that was prior to the 2024 boundary changes where then we saw, post 2024, that only English representation increased in the HOC.
All other nations within the UK State that were represented in the HOC either stayed the same as before or had less representation for their Nations in the HOC post the 2024 UK GE.
So then “who” else “speaks for England” then ?
Well perhaps that would be every supposed UK TV Station in the supposed British State where England is over represented.
Where we see a dominance of English presenters, English based and so English themed programmes.
Also English based dramas, English Comedy programmes.
That also all includes a dominance of English Actors and English Comedians…there is even a dominant and continuous succession of English soap operas set in various parts of England.
Then all of the supposed UK news programmes dominated by English politics and English news items , with English presenters and English guests , English political correspondents and commentators and English TV personalities.
Even the majority of the supposed UK sport programmes and Sports news includes English Sports commentators, English Pundits and English sporting TV programmes that always give precedence to items that are about English sports teams and also a priority to and so then more support for the English National teams for football, Rugby and Cricket .
(Male and Female England National teams being named with lovable and English nicknames, like the Red Roses, the Three Lions and The Lionesses ).
News and Sports items on UK TV that are meant to represent the so called British or UK news , but are all dominated by England and so then all are presented from an English perspective.
Newspapers are also dominated by England…..with supposed ‘Scottish’ editions all having English based HQ’s and so then are all also from an (English) Unionist perspective.
Indeed even the UK government itself are responsible for and so then they manage English public services in England………and that is where we often witness and hear in their political speeches and political press conferences what is regarded as being “Muscular Unionism”.
That is where they , as supposed UK politicians, regularly conflate Britishness with Englishness…….and now since Brexit various UK governments and UK politicians seek to assert Westminster’s sovereignty over Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, in them often bypassing or limiting devolved powers , where it was argued that they , UK governments and their English client media , often “project a specifically Anglo-centric view of the union across all four constituent nations”.
The so called UK Internal Market…….a post Brexit excuse for a WM government to now try to take (back) control of devolved Nations and much of their powers (and money).
This then brings me back to Rupert Lowe , who now has formed a new party called Restore Britain.
Upon reading his various ranting posts on ‘X’, well it then becomes patently clear that his real vision is to try to only “save” his England , which I think he plans to do in him attempting, in the future, to “restore” England as being the one nation that eventually controls all other Nations within the UK State.
Restore Britain ?
Really ?
Yet most of Lowe’s arguments go from noting Britain , to then quickly becoming arguments in defence of and so in support of England only !
Surely it is now way past time that Scotland was finally saved from the likes of Rupert Lowe and Nigel Farage. We might even be able to save ourselves from the Tories , Labour and the Lib Dems also before it is too late……..for us.
But we could also save ourselves from a dominant English media and also from the surge in English nationalism, the type of nationalism that has risen because of those so called traditional mainstream political parties , like Labour and the Tories , and also their client media , who have both been so ******* terrible as UK governments (past and present) and also as a supposed UK but really an Anglo centric media.
Farage and Lowe (pretend) that they both only want to ‘Make England Great Again’ while hiding behind saying that they want to ‘Make Britain Great Again’……..
Of course the reality is that they both would align their future Britain with a Trump led America….one that paved the way for all of the worst aspects of Trump’s America…..greedy American corporations seeking a way into various lucrative (for them) markets of a broken Brexit Britain.
Indeed Brexit and the supposed restoring of Britain as a sovereign state would all be gone and so then forgotten about , as their future Britain would be served up to and so then mostly owned by Trump’s America (First).
“Post-Brexit, there has been a surge in US investment that saw major firms like Morrisons and G4S acquired by American interests. Data suggests that US investors now own a larger share of “corporate Britain” than domestic institutions”……….
So much for a post Brexit Britain “taking back control”…….
So do you, in the future, want them, Trump’s America, to then take total control of Scotland ?
If not , then do not vote for any party that is led by Farage or Rupert Lowe and also stop voting for all of the traditional mainstream parties like Labour, the Tories and Lib Dems too……who , let’s be honest , got us all into this ******* mess. (aka they paved the way for people like Farage and Lowe to rise to prominence in UK politics).
In fact it would probably be best if you just tell them all that is was because of some of your fellow Scots once voting No ******* Thanks in 2014, that has now led to all of the S*** that we within Scotland find ourselves in , what with us still being a part of their ******* terrible UK State.
Sorry for long comment, if you managed to read it Ha Ha, but really when is all of this S*** finally going to come to an end for us in Scotland……it just cannot come soon enough.
Liz S
LikeLike