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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’

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All CalMac routes in full service by Friday but will that be reported?

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From STV today, the above and: CalMac has revealed a timeline for all major vessel routes to return to service after a number of ferries required repairs. MV Hebrides is due to return to service on the Little Minch on Wednesday afternoon following work to address a leak on her bow visor seal, which came at the end of her planned annual overhaul. By the end of this week, CalMac expects all major vessel routes to have planned levels of service. https://news.stv.tv/scotland/calmac-reveals-timeline-for-all-major-vessels-to-return-to-service-following-challenging-few-weeks It’s what they’ve been screaming for this last three years but will they tell anyone? BBC Scotland currently … Continue reading All CalMac routes in full service by Friday but will that be reported?

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Canadian state with twice Scotland’s GDP builds fewer than half the number of new ferries for its lifeline island services

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From CBC News yesterday, the above graphic and ‘Highway on the Sea’: How decisions made about B.C. Ferries decades ago led to problems today – After building 12 major vessels in its first 21 years of operation, B.C. Ferries has only managed to build five major vessels that managed to consistently work in the 45 years since — resulting in stagnating capacity as older ships have retired. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-ferries-deep-dive-2026-9.7193809 Despite having roughly twice the GDP of Scotland, British Columbia (Canada) has built only 3 ferries in the last 20 years, compared to10 built for CalMac. ‘We don’t live in Canada‘ some … Continue reading Canadian state with twice Scotland’s GDP builds fewer than half the number of new ferries for its lifeline island services

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‘Botched Bass Strait [Tasmania] ferries’ overspend budget is greater than for Glen Sannox & Glen Rosa hybrid ferries but media coverage is the opposite

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Above, the sharply contrasting MSM media coverage of two very similar ferry projects. From The Advocate, yesterday: A bungled delivery of two Bass Strait ferries, in which the vessels were finished before a berth was ready, has cost $717 [£360m] million more than an original business case. And the overall cost to taxpayers will be even higher, with bailout money and the price tag for ongoing temporary berths not included in the figure. https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/9245119/botched-bass-strait-ferries-717-million-over-budget/ How do the two projects compare? Once you normalize the accounting treatment, the Tasmania and Scottish ferry disasters become much closer than the headline numbers initially … Continue reading ‘Botched Bass Strait [Tasmania] ferries’ overspend budget is greater than for Glen Sannox & Glen Rosa hybrid ferries but media coverage is the opposite