Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland because….

The Scotsman today trying suggest terror referrals in Scotland are a serious problem just like in other parts of the UK. It’s not true. Even if we accept their claim of higher ‘preliminary’ figures up from 162 in 2024/2025 to 227 in 2025/2026, these remain tiny compared with those in other parts of the UK: So, quickly, 11 times the population, if Scotland was just as troubled by this as England & Wales, and they’d have 1 782 referrals but they had 8 778, MORE THAN FOUR times as many, 98% of the total. If we accept the Scotsman’s figure … Continue reading Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland because….

Domestic abuse is twice as common in England & Wales but care should be taken in interpreting this

From Domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland, 2024-25 published today: The police recorded 64,967 incidents of domestic abuse in 2024-25, an increase of 2% compared to the previous year. Despite increasing over the latest two years, this figure remains below the peak in 2020-21. https://www.gov.scot/news/domestic-abuse-recorded-by-the-police-in-scotland-2024-25/ The introduction of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 and greater recognition of coercive and controlling behaviour have likely improved identification and recording of some forms of abuse that previously might not have been recorded as such. The statistics show offences under that Act now make up a measurable share of recorded domestic-abuse-related … Continue reading Domestic abuse is twice as common in England & Wales but care should be taken in interpreting this

Police Scotland merger criticised by opposition parties has resulted in world leading detection rate and every homicide committed in Scotland since 2013 solved

The Sun ‘newspaper’ this week has been milking Scotland’s dark history of murder, based entirely on offences which took place before the merger of Scotland’s eight regional forces. They have no choice to do so because not only has the murder level plummeted from 64 in 2012/2013, to 44 in 2024/2025, 33% in only 12 years, one of the lowest rates in Europe and well below that in England & Wales, every single cases has been solved. The merger as with every SNP initiative met with opposition and media criticism. In 2017, the Herald‘s Tom Gordonstoun told us: THE SNP Government has been accused of … Continue reading Police Scotland merger criticised by opposition parties has resulted in world leading detection rate and every homicide committed in Scotland since 2013 solved

Second US report of compensation for radiation exposure highlights the terrible cancer rates in Scotland living next to England’s waste reprocessing at Sellafield

From the website of Josh Hawley, US Senator for Missouri yesterday: Our state just passed a major milestone. The federal government has now paid out more than $100 million to the Missouri families poisoned by their government’s reckless handling of nuclear waste. Nothing can make up for the pain and suffering that radiation survivors have endured at the hands of their own government. But this compensation, made possible by the expanded Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), provides a measure of relief— and a measure of justice. The application window is still open, and my office stands ready to assist survivors … Continue reading Second US report of compensation for radiation exposure highlights the terrible cancer rates in Scotland living next to England’s waste reprocessing at Sellafield

Managing the Pandemic – How Boris Johnson’s top civil servant credited Nicola Sturgeon for showing them how to do it

One more reason to be utterly disgusted by the current witch-hunt: From the National in May 2024: NICOLA Sturgeon was showing the Tory government “how to do it” during the Covid pandemic, according to WhatsApp messages sent by the UK’s most senior civil servant. Simon Case, who as cabinet secretary oversees the work of the UK’s entire civil service, made the comments in April 2020 just weeks after the first lockdown, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has heard. Case was giving evidence to the inquiry on Thursday when the WhatsApps were revealed. In a conversation with former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara, Case … Continue reading Managing the Pandemic – How Boris Johnson’s top civil servant credited Nicola Sturgeon for showing them how to do it

England’s drug gangs have been cuckooing the vulnerable in Scotland for years now

There’s no mention of Scotland in the above BBC UK story today, but we’ve known for some time how present this plague is in Scotland: Regulars here will recognise the rarely enlightening thinktank headed up by Lord McConnell, Chris Deerin and their totally non-academic, guide-leader, BBC average housewife interviewee, Research Director, Alison Payne. In May 2026, they had the above and: The recent passage of a new criminal offence of cuckooing within the Crime and Policing Act marks a significant milestone after years of sustained advocacy by the Centre for Social Justice and Justice and Care. It is a reform … Continue reading England’s drug gangs have been cuckooing the vulnerable in Scotland for years now

Before a Nation Loses Its Chance of Freedom, It Loses Its Confidence

By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 This will be my final article on the SNP/Nicola Sturgeon/Peter Murrell saga. Not because there is nothing more to say, but because I have no wish to add more fuel to a fire that is already burning. Yes. Political parties must be scrutinised. Politicians must be held accountable. Nobody is beyond criticism. That is the beauty of a healthy democracy. But what I am now witnessing goes far beyond that.  As I watch the endless stream of anti-SNP memes, AI-generated cartoons and social media derision — fed relentlessly by a 24-hour news cycle — … Continue reading Before a Nation Loses Its Chance of Freedom, It Loses Its Confidence

Functional dads, lead-free petrol and home entertainment – the disappearance of serial killers and the massive fall in violent crime among the young in Scotland?

My regular column in Scots Independent, the first and oldest (100 years-old this year), Scottish newspaper supporting independence has been promoted to page 2. In all modesty, it’s a fascinating account of the several factors which seem likely to explain the falling crime among the young, in Scotland and elsewhere from Washington to Wishaw but less so in Wolverhampton. Scots Independent comes monthly to your door by post, on paper, in an envelope and can be read device-free in your garden or in the pub. Get it at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ The best reader on this, paperback this Thursday – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0349127514?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title Statistics … Continue reading Functional dads, lead-free petrol and home entertainment – the disappearance of serial killers and the massive fall in violent crime among the young in Scotland?

19 years of the SNP in charge and UK youth unemployment is shocking 55% higher than in Scotland which has one of the lowest rates in Western Europe

The above, presented as applying to the UK as a whole, formed part of a BBC Breakfast report 2 May 2026 including these comments: Being out of work or education between the ages of 16 and 24 can have serious long-term consequences for people’s health, employment and finances later in life. A new study suggests that nearly one million young people are currently not in education, employment or training across the UK (sic) The latest, January 2026, figure for Scotland is 10.2%. 15.8% is 54.9% higher. https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/l2qpgqbx/economy-people-and-skills-january-2026.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com In a wider European context, Scotland has one of the lowest rates in Western Europe: The 10.2% figure would put Scotland … Continue reading 19 years of the SNP in charge and UK youth unemployment is shocking 55% higher than in Scotland which has one of the lowest rates in Western Europe