Labour Government now actively sabotaging Scotland with hypocritical concerns about spying wind turbines in Ardesier in Scotland which are 300 times further away from Westminster than the approved redacted rooms in the new China embassy

Ardesier is 447 miles from Westminster while the new Chinese embassy will be only 1.5. Thanks to Arty Hetty for sharing this: From Renewables Now today:: The UK government has blocked Chinese wind turbine maker Mingyang Smart Energy Group Ltd (SHA:601615) from developing a GBP-1.5-billion (USD 2bn/EUR 1.73bn) manufacturing hub in the Scottish Highlands, citing national security concerns. The decision suspends plans that were first unveiled in late 2025. The initiative was described as the largest and first fully integrated facility of its kind in the UK. The factory was supposed to be making turbines for offshore and floating wind projects. … Continue reading Labour Government now actively sabotaging Scotland with hypocritical concerns about spying wind turbines in Ardesier in Scotland which are 300 times further away from Westminster than the approved redacted rooms in the new China embassy

It’s not just child poverty, nearly 30% more of adults in England than in Scotland live in relative poverty and here’s why

From Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2022-25 published today Around 17% of Scotland’s population were living in relative poverty after housing costs. https://www.gov.scot/publications/poverty-and-income-inequality-in-scotland-2022-25/ For England, the equivalent figure was 22%, 29.4% higher than in Scotland: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn07096/ Why is this? Fewer adults (typically working-age adults) in Scotland live in relative poverty (after housing costs, AHC) than in England primarily due to a combination of lower average housing costs and targeted devolved social security policies that provide extra income support, especially for low-income families. These factors help more Scottish households stay above the relative poverty threshold (below 60% of the UK contemporary … Continue reading It’s not just child poverty, nearly 30% more of adults in England than in Scotland live in relative poverty and here’s why

Property and violent crime has fallen by 42% since 2008-09 far more than in England & Wales

From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: March 2026 published today, the above and : Results from the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) show that one-in-five (20.8%) adults were estimated to have experienced at least one crime in 2024-25. This included property crime (9.4% of adults), violent crime (2.5%) and for the second time fraud and computer misuse (11.5%). The latest findings show that the overall level of property and violent crime combined and the likelihood of being a victim of these crimes has fallen since 2008/09 but have been stable in recent years. https://www.gov.scot/publications/safer-communities-and-justice-statistics-monthly-data-report-march-2026/pages/statistics-on-crime-in-general/ This kind … Continue reading Property and violent crime has fallen by 42% since 2008-09 far more than in England & Wales

Number of victims of homicide at the lowest level since 1976

From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: March 2026 published today, the above and : Number of victims of homicide at the lowest level since 1976. There were 45 homicide victims recorded by the police in Scotland in 2024-25, a 21% decrease from 2023-24 and a 24% decrease from 2015-16. https://www.gov.scot/publications/safer-communities-and-justice-statistics-monthly-data-report-march-2026/pages/statistics-on-crime-in-general/ In the year ending March 2025, there were 522 victims of homicide in England and Wales – https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2025 All things being equal, with 11 times the population, you’d expect there to have been around 495 homicides in England and Wales but there were 522, 5.4% more. Remember, only … Continue reading Number of victims of homicide at the lowest level since 1976

Scotland’s crime clear-up rates improve to levels far above those in England & Wales

From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: March 2026 published today: Increase in crime clear up rate. The clear up rate for all recorded crimes was 56.0% in 2024-25, up from 54.1% in 2023-24. Crimes against society (93.8%), non-sexual crimes of violence (68.4%) and sexual crimes (56.9%) continued to have higher clear up rates in 2024-25 than crimes of dishonesty (35.1%) and damage and reckless behaviour (31.0%). https://www.gov.scot/publications/safer-communities-and-justice-statistics-monthly-data-report-march-2026/pages/statistics-on-crime-in-general/ Comparisons can be problematic but, if correct, this AI generated answer to the question What is the crime clear up rate in England? is shocking Overall charge/summons rate: Approximately 7.3% of all … Continue reading Scotland’s crime clear-up rates improve to levels far above those in England & Wales

Scots feel safer, feel crime has fallen, as it has, and has affected hospitals less

From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: March 2026 published today: Public perception that the crime rate in their local area had decreased or stayed the same over the last couple of years has increased since 2008/09. The SCJS found that almost three quarters (72%) of adults in 2024-25 said that the crime rate in their local area had decreased or stayed the same over the last couple of years. This is higher than the 60% in 2008/09 but unchanged since 2023/24. Most adults feel safe walking alone after dark. The SCJS found that three quarters (75%) of adults said … Continue reading Scots feel safer, feel crime has fallen, as it has, and has affected hospitals less

Fires fall dramatically to lowest in 10 years

From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: March 2026 published today, the above and : Number of fires fell 5% in the last year. In 2024-25, there were 22,925 fires in Scotland, down 5% on 2023-24 and the lowest in the last ten years. There were 36 fire fatalities in 2024-25, down from 42 in 2023-24 and the second lowest in the last decade. The number of deliberate building fires has fallen over the last year while the number of deliberate road vehicle fires increased over the same period. There were 290 deliberate building fires in 2025-26 Q1, down from … Continue reading Fires fall dramatically to lowest in 10 years

Short video – Scotland does TWICE the UK rate of heart transplants per capita, thanks to additional financial support from the SNP government but the UK does lag far behind rest of Europe

Full details at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/03/26/scotland-does-twice-the-uk-rate-of-heart-transplants-per-capita-thanks-to-additional-financial-support-from-the-snp-government-but-the-uk-does-lag-far-behind-rest-of-europe/ Continue reading Short video – Scotland does TWICE the UK rate of heart transplants per capita, thanks to additional financial support from the SNP government but the UK does lag far behind rest of Europe

After Mairi McAllan given top job, Scotland still builds twice as many affordable homes as last Scottish Labour government did, beats 110 000 target by an extra 30 000 and watches on as UK Labour slashes its target for England by more than a third

As the Daily Recortd, today, has Housing emergency ‘going from bad to worse’ after Mairi McAllan given top job, do we care who said that? Nope, we barely care enough to respond but just in case you know someone still reading it, the facts: McAllan became Cabinet Secrtetary on 11 June 2025 and on the 30th September 2025, this from Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply to end June 2025: For 2025, the SNP Government funded 5 313 new affordable home starts, down from a peak of 11 158 in 2021 but above the level … Continue reading After Mairi McAllan given top job, Scotland still builds twice as many affordable homes as last Scottish Labour government did, beats 110 000 target by an extra 30 000 and watches on as UK Labour slashes its target for England by more than a third