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BBC Scotland mislead on the mental health waiting list for children and young people and suggest we might learn from services in Uganda and India where stigma and horrific violence is more common than any clinical care

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mental health services. The scheme led by the University of Glasgow – is inspired by services in India and Uganda where members of the community are trained and supported by expert clinicians to provide assessments and treatments. It’s hoped the five-year project will highlight new and quicker ways to diagnose and treat mental health illnesses in young people. Public Health Scotland figures show that, as of December last year – more than 4 000 children and young people were on a waiting list to start treatment. This is another story fed to BBC Reporting Scotland but not featuring on the … Continue reading BBC Scotland mislead on the mental health waiting list for children and young people and suggest we might learn from services in Uganda and India where stigma and horrific violence is more common than any clinical care

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‘This is disturbingly similar to what Donald Trump did earlier this year when he gutted the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the US Environmental Protection Agency.’

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Thanks to Jim Draper alerting me to this. From the Canary factchecker today: The nuclear industry will become “more dangerous” and regulation of the sector has been captured by “vested interests,” campaigners and experts have told the Canary, after the Nuclear Regulation Bill was put forward in the 2026 King’s Speech. From CND: When you think of nuclear accidents like at Windscale in 1957, Chernobyl in 1986, or Fukushima in 2011, it’s easy to see that Britain’s current nuclear regulatory procedures and rules are in place for a simple reason – that nuclear power is inherently dangerous. Rather than acknowledge these risks or legacy issues – like tackling the … Continue reading ‘This is disturbingly similar to what Donald Trump did earlier this year when he gutted the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the US Environmental Protection Agency.’

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Rt Hon Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale’s thinktank tries to hide entirely English culture of County Lines drug gang ‘cuckooing’ plague in Scotland

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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. Today, they have 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 grounded not in theory, but in the lived experience of some of the most vulnerable individuals across the UK. Cuckooing, sometimes described as “forced home invasion”, occurs … Continue reading Rt Hon Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale’s thinktank tries to hide entirely English culture of County Lines drug gang ‘cuckooing’ plague in Scotland

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In 2026 almost every poll not owned by Tories DOES show a surge for independence and now 52% to 43% – 9%!

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John Power does have a decent head of hair (right) but clearly imagines an even more powerful bouffant ‘bearskin’ (left) to top his superiority mug. Yesterday, from the deep South, he announced to us: He doesn’t seem to have had a wee look at the polls. In 2026: A Purple Patch – Even skewed by still adjusting the sample to suit the 55% NO 2014 Referendum, 12 years ago (!), support is very strong and would be almost 100% if you take out the YouGov outliers. YouGov has not found a YES lead since September 2022! Two years ago: Looks … Continue reading In 2026 almost every poll not owned by Tories DOES show a surge for independence and now 52% to 43% – 9%!

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South Uist Business Impact Group appears to be inventing problems that, in reality, are not there

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By stewartb Media coverage of ‘ferries’ news has left a lot to be desired. This is true of local press coverage as well as national. In the run up to the Holyrood election there was local press coverage in the Western Isles that seems to exemplify the problem. From Hebrides News online (April 3, 2026): ‘Island economy struggles ‘turning into a nightmare’ due to CalMac ferry crisis’. Firstly readers are told this: ‘South Uist Business Impact Group (SUBIG) have raised concerns over reduced animal welfare as a result of CalMac’s cuts to ferry services’ and ‘The ferry action group said: “CalMac’s cuts mean … Continue reading South Uist Business Impact Group appears to be inventing problems that, in reality, are not there

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NHS Scotland’s faster than NHS England cancer treatment service saved an extra 5 000 lives in the last 10 years but Daily Record finds one wrong test result to front page today

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The Daily Record back in gear only days after being slapped by the recent election results, has a tale of one person getting the wrong test results. If they were a real newspaper, here’s some research they might have done if it didn’t spoil their agenda. From Public Health Scotland Cancer waiting times published in April 2026: There were 4,797 eligible referrals, a decrease of 0.2% from the previous quarter, and an increase of 28.8% from the quarter ending 31 December 2019. 72.6% of patients started treatment within 62 days, compared with 70.7% in the previous quarter. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-waiting-times/cancer-waiting-times-1-october-to-31-december-2025/ The equivalent figure for NHS England … Continue reading NHS Scotland’s faster than NHS England cancer treatment service saved an extra 5 000 lives in the last 10 years but Daily Record finds one wrong test result to front page today

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Glasgow’s ‘Super-hospital’ is safer than the average in Scotland much safer than many in England and has been so for many years – this is a BBC ‘Witch hunt’

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the entire Queen Elisabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow should be risk assessed. Who is this safety expert? for the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry and says it’s incredibly difficult to say whther the hospital is safe or unsafe for all patients. Only yesterday, we had confirmation in the form of official mortality statistics that the QEUH is safer than average in Scotland and far safer than several hospitals in England. See: Looking back over the years to the period of the Inquiry, here are the facts confirming the safety and rejecting Poplett’s attention seeking: In August 2025, BBC Scotland returned with … Continue reading Glasgow’s ‘Super-hospital’ is safer than the average in Scotland much safer than many in England and has been so for many years – this is a BBC ‘Witch hunt’