UK Labour doubles weeks on full maternity pay for teachers in England but Scottish teachers still get 5 weeks (62%) more

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. Doubling, Bridget? Doubling what? Teachers, leaders and support staff will see their full maternity pay double from the 2027-28 academic year, rising from four weeks to eight, the Department for Education (DfE) has said. https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/teachers-maternity-pay-boosted-5HjdSZr_2/ I don’t suppose Bridget had her staff check the situation in Scotland. No, why would they? What is it? 13 weeks full pay. https://www.snct.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Part_2_Section_7 So Scottish teachers used to get more than three times as … Continue reading UK Labour doubles weeks on full maternity pay for teachers in England but Scottish teachers still get 5 weeks (62%) more

Labour Government promises to halve the attainment gap by 2062 [!] for all pupils while SNP Scotland has already achieved a new low, in 2024

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON All over BBC UK [England] today, this message: The government says it plans to halve the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in England by the time children born in this Parliament finish secondary school. It’s another one of those promises you might like to ask an 11 year-old to answer these questions: 2044 and 2062!? Meanwhile, from the Scottish Government’s Literacy and numeracy standards reach record high report in December 2024: The proportion of pupils achieving the … Continue reading Labour Government promises to halve the attainment gap by 2062 [!] for all pupils while SNP Scotland has already achieved a new low, in 2024

Scotland’s schools have had a 21% increase in funding to leave them 18%, £1 300 more for every pupil, better off than those elsewhere in the UK

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON The news yesterday, headlining today in BBC UK TV broadcasts seems unlikely to represent an overall increase in funding for schools in England but, rather, a re-organising of them, as in deck chairs on the Titanic. Scotland’s media are, of course, not on this story. Here’s why, from the rarely SNP-friendly Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report – How does school spending per pupil differ across the UK?” – published in April 2023. In Scotland, large increases in … Continue reading Scotland’s schools have had a 21% increase in funding to leave them 18%, £1 300 more for every pupil, better off than those elsewhere in the UK

No Royal in the future will be heard “purring down the line” over Scotland

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON By Liz S A huge factor in the flawed part of Gordon Brown’s past ‘plot’ to encourage Prince William to help in persuading (gullible) Scots to stay within their UK, as in William the future heir to the English Throne (if , that is, it, as an English throne, still exists in the future) . Remember when it was reported in 2021 that Gordon Brown met with Prince William at Holyrood palace. The BBC reported that “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have held a private meeting … Continue reading No Royal in the future will be heard “purring down the line” over Scotland

CalMac ferries are getting better – short video

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON Evidence at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotland Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON Continue reading CalMac ferries are getting better – short video

Breast cancer among mature women far higher living near nuclear power stations – message for Anas – short video

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON Evidence at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/02/20/french-owned-somerset-nuclear-power-station-delayed-by-13-years-with-construction-costs-soaring-from-18bn-to-more-than-50bn-and-to-produce-electricity-costing-more-than-3-times-that-of-wind-power/ Continue reading Breast cancer among mature women far higher living near nuclear power stations – message for Anas – short video

Herald reveals 97% of CalMac sailings were NOT affected by mechanical issues and the number of those are falling dramatically since the Herald’s previous 2018 freedom of information request

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON From the Herald last week, the above, and: More than 18,000 CalMac ferries have been cancelled due to technical faults over the last five years, it has been revealed Bobbie (10) is that big number? It looks big at first, Mr Robertson, but will CalMac ferries maybe not have done a huger number of sailings in 5 years? Find out for me Bobbie and do a percentage as well. On it Mr Robertson. It’s about 770 000, Mr … Continue reading Herald reveals 97% of CalMac sailings were NOT affected by mechanical issues and the number of those are falling dramatically since the Herald’s previous 2018 freedom of information request

There are currently NO publicly detailed specific cases of child rape ‘grooming’ gangs being actively investigated by Police Scotland as UK Government considers 700 groups and 115 000 victims in just one year in England

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON From BBC Stoke & Staffordshire yesterday, the above and: Council leaders have given their backing to their county’s first ever community safety strategy. The document sets out how Staffordshire County Council aims to work with other organisations to protect residents and cut crime over the next three years. Priorities included protecting vulnerable people, with “zero tolerance for grooming gangs, county lines and child exploitation”, a report stated.1 When I saw the reference to ‘grooming gangs’, I have to … Continue reading There are currently NO publicly detailed specific cases of child rape ‘grooming’ gangs being actively investigated by Police Scotland as UK Government considers 700 groups and 115 000 victims in just one year in England

Scotland’s Maternity Services – We already know they ‘deliver’

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON The Herald today with an investigation designed to drag Scotland’s maternity units into the same glare as those in England. It’s a redundant exercise and they know it but you can be sure it will be context-free and worse. Why is it pointless? Maternity unit inspection report requires no formal inquiry or police investigation, SIXTEEN trusts in England do, so BBC Scotland twist the inspection report to suggest ongoing worries though these were dealt with by Scottish Government … Continue reading Scotland’s Maternity Services – We already know they ‘deliver’

French owned Somerset nuclear power station delayed by 13 years with construction costs soaring from £18bn to more than £50bn and to produce electricity costing more than 3 times that of wind power

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this: From the Guardian today: Britain’s first new nuclear plant in a generation at the Hinkley Point C site will face further delay, at a cost of €2.5bn to the French utility company EDF. EDF said the first reactor at the site in Somerset will begin operations in 2030, a year later than planned – almost 13 years after construction work began – after a series of delays to the project. The latest … Continue reading French owned Somerset nuclear power station delayed by 13 years with construction costs soaring from £18bn to more than £50bn and to produce electricity costing more than 3 times that of wind power