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Green datacentres seem a no-brainer for energy and water-rich Scotland

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In the Guardian today: A Scottish government policy designed to encourage datacentres to build in Scotland could lead to a massive volume of carbon emissions being ignored, according to an analysis by a Scottish charity. “Green datacentres” are at the heart of Scotland’s ambitions to develop economically. Enshrined in national policy, they are part of a larger, UK-wide effort to attract big AI investment to Scotland. But Scotland appears to have no clear definition of what a “green datacentre” is. This means that current AI developments might call themselves “green” while their impact on the climate are ignored, according to Action to Protect … Continue reading Green datacentres seem a no-brainer for energy and water-rich Scotland

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NHS Scotland – only half the diagnostic scans outsourcing and building capability rather than just relying on private sector

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In the Guardian today: The NHS [England] is paying private firms record sums to analyse diagnostic scans because hospitals are too busy and understaffed to do the work themselves, research has revealed. The amount being spent on outsourced the interpretation of CT and MRI scans is “spiralling out of control” and reflects a short-sighted failure to train enough doctors, ministers are being told. Scans are vital for diagnosing diseases such as cancer and for monitoring patients’ responses to treatment, so they need to be done quickly. Many hospitals, however, rely on non-NHS health companies reading some scans to ensure they get the … Continue reading NHS Scotland – only half the diagnostic scans outsourcing and building capability rather than just relying on private sector

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Massive news missed by all of MSM – Older men in Scotland just as violent as they ever were but violence by young men numbers ‘fall off a cliff’

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There is a clear positive trend revealed in the ‘total offenders’ column data above from Re-conviction statistics for male offenders: FOI release published in March 2026. Violent crimes over the eight year period from 2012/13 to 2020/21, among under 21s fell from 181 to 44, more than three-quartered! For 21 to 30 year-olds from 492 to 231, it more than halved! Then, however, for all of the over 30 years groups, there were much more modest improvements. 51 to 60 year-olds? Just one fewer. What might explain this? On 1 January 2000, lead in petrol was banned in the UK, when Scotland’s … Continue reading Massive news missed by all of MSM – Older men in Scotland just as violent as they ever were but violence by young men numbers ‘fall off a cliff’

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A Tale of Two Peters – Despite computerised systems, DNA evidence from Nicola’s hairbrushes, mobile phone records and a big blue tent, the police investigation into an ‘SNP fraud’ which cost the taxpayer nothing will soon cost them more than £2 million and take longer than the bungled Yorkshire Ripper case

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Today, the not-even-vaguely Scottish Daily Express, reminds us that Peter Murrell is in court tomorrow and that the cost of the police investigation is £2 million and counting, for a case of fraud which cost the taxpayer £0. In August 2025, as Nicola Sturgeon spoke of the ordeal of being arrested and as MSM Monitor‘s question above waited to be answered, the trial of the SNP CE looks suspiciously likely to be set for the days just before the Holyrood election in May 2026 but then was postponed. The Yorkshire Ripper investigation ran from August 1975 to January 1981, 5 years and six months, before Peter … Continue reading A Tale of Two Peters – Despite computerised systems, DNA evidence from Nicola’s hairbrushes, mobile phone records and a big blue tent, the police investigation into an ‘SNP fraud’ which cost the taxpayer nothing will soon cost them more than £2 million and take longer than the bungled Yorkshire Ripper case

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The Islay Whisky Festival 2025 was the ‘most successful’ to date contrary to ferry ‘fiasco’ fake news then so it must be even more successful this time?

johnrobertson834

The Islay Whisky Festival 2026 started in Friday. I’ve seen no media talk of a ferry fiasco though the 7am next Tuesday sailing has been cancelled. Surely that will cause terrible disruption for travellers going home? In June 2025, stewartb surprised us all when he found out this: The Islay Whisky Festival 2025 is the ‘most successful’ to date contrary to ferry ‘fiasco’ fake news You may recall from TuS on May 22, 2025 this headline: ‘Stricken!! The Herald and local haulier conspire to hide the deep satisfaction of Islay folk with their ferry service.’ The blog post included this extract from … Continue reading The Islay Whisky Festival 2025 was the ‘most successful’ to date contrary to ferry ‘fiasco’ fake news then so it must be even more successful this time?

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Drug deaths in England being seriously under-counted

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Opioid deaths in England 50% higher than recorded In September 2025 (most recent data for this purpose) , BBC UK reported: More than 13,000 heroin and opioid deaths have been missed off official statistics in England and Wales, raising concerns about the impact on the government’s approach to tackling addiction. Research from King’s College London, shared exclusively with BBC News, found that there were 39,232 opioid-related deaths between 2011 and 2022, more than 50% higher than previously known. The error has been blamed on the government’s official statistics body not having access to correct data and it is understood ministers are … Continue reading Drug deaths in England being seriously under-counted

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Road deaths halve and offences fall by a third as ‘SNP’ Road Safety Framework achieves significant results with 5 years to go

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In the Edinburgh Reporter February 2026 based on a Sunday Mail report: Scotland’s roads are becoming deadlier amid rising fatalities and surging traffic offences, latest figures reveal. Police Scotland say 92 people were killed in car, motorcycle and cycling collisions between April and September 2025 – nine more than the same period last year, an increase of almost 11%. They included one child and six cyclists. Motorcyclist deaths rose to the highest level for five years with 27 during the period. The news comes as reckless drivers are increasingly flouting the law, with significant rises in drink and drug driving, speeding, dangerous driving and … Continue reading Road deaths halve and offences fall by a third as ‘SNP’ Road Safety Framework achieves significant results with 5 years to go

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‘It isn’t tax payers money, it’s the government’s money and the government chooses what is spent’

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By rogercolkett You know that I support your untiring efforts to confront the lies obfuscations and omissions of the mainstream media that seek to show Scotland in as negative a way possible. And I share your annoyance at the waste of resources by the UK Government on projects that provide no benefit to Scotland, it’s part of the reason that I want  Scotland to be an independent country. The main reason, though, is that I would like to live in a Scotland that wasn’t tied to the anti-social and spurious neo-liberal Ideology that dominates the cities of London and Westminster. … Continue reading ‘It isn’t tax payers money, it’s the government’s money and the government chooses what is spent’

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HS2 is a testament to the massive transfer of money from the poor to the professional classes

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By derekscott1953 HS2 is a testament to the massive transfer of money from the poor to the Professional classes – lawyers, land-owners, consultancies, NGOs, layer upon layer of takers, who, given the massive cost rises, late delivery and dubious benefits, are clearly ‘unprofessional’. £102 or 103 billion, up from £35 billion, all to shave minutes off the journey into London. History does not repeat itself but it often rhymes, said Mark Twain, and this rhymes with the banker crisis. Banker even rhymes with another word that has come to define those working in that lower ring of Dante’s inferno. That … Continue reading HS2 is a testament to the massive transfer of money from the poor to the professional classes

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As pothole compensation claims surge in England they plummet in Scotland

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From the Guardian today: Exactly how many holes there are in the country’s roads depends on who’s counting and how they define them, but the RAC reckons there are a million potholes in the UK’s residential, city centre and rural roads, or six every mile. Its data backs up anecdotal evidence that things are getting a lot worse, quickly: compensation claims for pothole damage against UK local authorities rose by 90% in the three years to 2024. More than three times as many drivers cited potholes as the cause of breakdowns in February 2025 than in the same month a year earlier. … Continue reading As pothole compensation claims surge in England they plummet in Scotland