….few years…There’s just not the capacity in the system for these people. Above, how Reporting Scotland, and other ‘Scottish’ media are reporting this. First, the facts on that ‘diminishing‘, from Public Health Scotland in December 2022: The Scottish Government set a Standard that 90% of people referred for help with problematic drug or alcohol use will wait no longer than three weeks for specialist treatment that supports their recovery. Nationally, the Standard was met for referrals to community-based services starting treatment for co-dependency (94%), and problematic use of drugs (93%). The Standard was not met for those starting treatment for alcohol (89%). … Continue reading Alcohol treatment services treating 89% within the waiting time target

According to BBC Scotland: Police Scotland launched its Operation Branchfoot investigation into the SNP’s finances in July 2021 after receiving complaints about how donations were used. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65309791 Try searching for Branchfoot and get this: About Branchfoot is a brown tabby cat with yellow eyes. Beyond The Stars In Beyond The Stars, Branchfoot is Twinklegaze’s brother. He, like Twinklegaze and Oceansong, is a kit in the prologue. Branchfoot was the youngest of Skystar’s kits and always envied his older sisters. He killed Twinklegaze’s mate, Silverthorn, and framed her for the murder. With Twinklegaze banished, Branchfoot didn’t feel unimportant anymore, but he had betrayed his sister and his … Continue reading How old is the ‘SNP fraud’ lead investigator?

Sadly, all-too-common, the Guardian lumps Scotland in with it’s reading of a research report which reveals that there is much to be done to reduce racism and ethnic inequality in ‘Britain’. While racism is, of course, still a serious problem in Scotland, there are significant differences emerging in terms of, for example, falling hate crime, increasing identification by minority ethnicities with Scotland, and enlightened political leadership in sharp contrast with UK Cons or Labour. The researchers I contacted, tell me that they have smaller number of respondents in Scotland and Wales, which means we cannot confidently make detailed interethnic comparisons. … Continue reading Scotland just a bit closer to being a racially just society?

From Malachi Malagrowther The weekend saw the climax of a fortnight’s feeding frenzy by the unionist media amplified by the BBC.    The insinuations and smears from the SNP’s political opponents have largely gone unanswered and it seems to be forgotten that no one has been charged with any crime and no other political party has ever had its finances so forensically examined and everything blown out of proportion. The two-year-old “explosive” video was no more than Nicola Sturgeon correctly advising members of the SNP’s National Executive Committee that loose talk costs donors in the run up to elections. Her statement … Continue reading No other political party has ever had its finances so forensically examined

stewartb Whilst on the subject of cross party support for establishing HPMAs in Scotland, the main blog post added the Labour Party in Scotland to the SNP and the Scottish Greens. To these we can add the Tories in Scotland! From the 2021 Tory manifesto for the Holyrood elections (with my emphasis): ‘One in nine species in Scotland are threatened by extinction. To prevent this, the Scottish Conservatives would bring forward an ambitious Nature Bill to strengthen environmental protections on land and sea for Scottish species and their habitats. ‘OUR COASTAL COMMUNITIES CAN THRIVE AND GROW WHILE WE BETTER PROTECT … Continue reading Scottish Conservatives support SNP/Green and now Labour fishing ban

Brian Wilson is: a former Scottish Labour Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Cunninghame North from 1987 until 2005 and served as a Minister of State from 1997 to 2003. After standing down as a Minister prior to his departure from Parliament, he was asked by Tony Blair to act as the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Overseas Trade. Having continued to take an interest in trade promotion, he was appointed to the newly re-established UK Board of Trade in 2017. He is also chairman of Harris Tweed Hebrides, a director of Celtic Football Club and Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson_(Labour_politician) Wilson is a rabid anti-SNP commentator. He knows this below but … Continue reading Labour journalist allowed to hide Labour support for fishing ban with tasteless ‘clearances’ comparison

than any of the previous three. Reporting Scotland have this as a headline story. It’s not on their website but STV have: More motorcyclists died on Scotland’s roads in the past year than any of the previous three, police have said, as they launched a new safety campaign. Police Scotland’s annual motorcycle safety campaign started on Tuesday, with officers aiming to promote safe riding and raise awareness amongst other road users. The campaign comes as the force revealed 27 motorcyclists died on Scotland’s roads in 2022/23 – with 22 of them being killed during the months of April to September … Continue reading As deaths fall, Scotland is one of the safest places for motorcyclists to be on the road in the UK

The Times has a strange notion of what ‘middle-class’ actually means in Scotland. The median wage is £26 000. Even with two such in a household, it’s well below £75 000. How many earn over £75 000? Less than 1 in 10? Not quite ‘middle.’ How many Scots have a second home? We don’t know but there are around 70 000 second homes in Scotland, many owned by non-residents, out of a total of 2 650 000. Not quite ‘middle.’ Continue reading Yousaf NOT squeezing the ‘middle’: Increased tax on only the less than 10% with more than £75 000 and/or the tiny few with second homes

On BBC 1 this morning, the above horror statistics. Might Scots be justified in wondering in things are as bad here? If it was worse, we’d hear all about it as we do relentlessly with drug deaths: So comparing the rUK with Scotland is a useful thing to do it seems? The Scottish Cons are keen to make sure we are well-informed on this in the hope they might squeezer a vote or two out of shaming us. So, they’ll want to know how the knife crimes compare with Con-run England and Labour-run Wales? It’s not as easy as it … Continue reading Why are less than half the knife crimes not in the public interest when higher drug deaths are?