Thanks to stewartb for alerting us to this: From the National Police Chiefs Council (for England & Wales and with Police Scotland in attendance): the above graph makes clear the hard evidence that four major police forces in England have the evidence of a significant flow of drugs into Scotland by criminal groups in their areas. Notably, the reported presence of these gangs in 50 locations, from Thurso to Aberdeen and down to East Ayrshire, is not mapped in detail. There are 6 544 County Lines across the UK so around 650 in Scotland. Contrary to the hopes and messaging … Continue reading Police Chiefs confirm Scotland is victim of drug gangs from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool crossing border

The San Juan Islands are part of an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of San Juan County. In the archipelago, four islands ONLY are accessible to vehicular and foot traffic via the Washington State Ferries system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan_Islands#HeroSection From the Islands Weekly, yesterday: San Juan Islands brace for decade of ferry uncertainty despite billion-dollar state investment | New boats won’t serve islands; aging vessels and service disruptions are “the new normal,” officials warn – The stark reality: None of the three new … Continue reading Lifeline burned by State Governor – 19 000 Canadian islanders with no bridges to mainland shockingly left out of new lifeline ferries scheme

From Marine Link yesterday: Trio of WSF Vessels Pulled from Service for Mechanical Issues – At Washington State Ferries, 2026 has started with a thud, one ferry each of the first three days of the year were pulled from service for mechanical problems. Here’s a rundown. Tacoma [29] was taken off our Seattle/Bainbridge route Saturday night, Jan. 3. The ferry has an oil tube problem that’s causing elevated shaft bearing temperatures. Divers will start repairs Thursday, Jan. 8, and the work should be completed next week. Wenatchee is running single-boat service on our Seattle/Bainbridge route for now. Walla Walla [54] was removed from our … Continue reading Three out of 21 ferries pulled out of service in first 3 days of year to cripple Canadian service

Swinney tells US Coastguard that devolution settlement means he cannot approve berthing of Russian ‘ghost’ tanker in Scotland and sends them to where they can (C) Man in the High Broch I’ve seen nothing yet but this man will surely approve? Continue reading Has Swinney told US Coastguard that devolution settlement means he cannot approve berthing of Russian ‘ghost’ tanker in Scotland and has sent them to the Thames where they can – Stephen Kerr ‘not available’

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Many thanks again to rtpscott for this: At the end of this P&J report: Why is the Sherriff so concerned about people from England rather than from, say, Glasgow? Might he be seeing more of the former than he’d like? From the Inverness Courier in July 2025: A 26-year-old Liverpool man who supplied heroin and cocaine across England and Scotland, including Inverness, Aviemore and Nairn, will be sentenced next week. Jack Horgan, of Boundary Farm Road, who is currently serving a jail sentence, appeared by video link at Inverness Sheriff Court represented by his … Continue reading Inverness Sheriff saying courts need to stop drug pushers, ‘especially from England’ could face charges of being Anti-English