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In Scotland, twice as many ‘probation officers’ and so only a tiny fraction of the re-offending level

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In the Guardian today: The public is “at direct risk” from unsupervised ex-offenders because probation officers in England and Wales are being asked to cope with excessive workloads, a union has said. As ministers prepare to release and monitor tens of thousands more prisoners this autumn, Napo’s executive has declared for the first time that it has no confidence in managers at the probation service. In a worrying development for the government, the union is threatening to launch industrial action in three months’ time unless members receive increased support and pay. James Timpson, the prisons minister, told MPs last week that the … Continue reading In Scotland, twice as many ‘probation officers’ and so only a tiny fraction of the re-offending level

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UK Energy Minister, Michael Shanks, should be warned about Rural Scots trapped in a ‘quiet crisis’

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The Scotsman today has a report on the Poverty Alliance apparently warning the SNP on the costs of energy in rural parts, unconnected to the gas grid and where home heating oil has to be bought in bulk in the absence of any price protection. The absence of price protection for heating oil, the regulatory framework for energy markets, and the overall approach to supporting off-grid households are reserved matters.1 Scotland has a higher proportion of homes off the mains gas grid than most of the UK. These households (roughly 142,000 using oil) rely on heating oil (kerosene), LPG, or … Continue reading UK Energy Minister, Michael Shanks, should be warned about Rural Scots trapped in a ‘quiet crisis’

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Why Swinney is correct to reject call for AI data centre pause in Scotland

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I knows this one is divisive. More than a few Talking-up Scotland readers disagree with us on it but here is the case, again, that Scotland is one of the few places with the resources – water and energy – to make a lot of money out of data centres, once independent of course. From the Sunday Mail 28 December 2025, the above back-to-front headline and: Massive new data centres planned in Scotland to power the AI revolution would use up to three quarters of the country’s total electricity demand [sic], a new study has claimed. Research firm Foxglove, which campaigns for fair tech, … Continue reading Why Swinney is correct to reject call for AI data centre pause in Scotland

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Why does BBC UK report an English drug gang terrorising Aberdeen but BBC Scotland hide it?

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From the Scottish Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service yesterday: Victor Kihu, 24, recruited men from deprived areas in England to sell and supply Class A drugs from several properties in a cross-border county lines illicit practice known as cuckooing.  Prosecutors from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) gathered evidence which showed Kihu exercised control over multiple addresses to oversee the drug-trafficking scheme.  He directed others to purchase and sell cocaine and heroin while using the homes of susceptible individuals as a base for his criminal conduct.  He was a member of an organised crime group known as Harlem which operated between Aberdeen, Glasgow and Inverness.   and: “Victor Kihu deliberately targeted people … Continue reading Why does BBC UK report an English drug gang terrorising Aberdeen but BBC Scotland hide it?

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The real drug gangs plague in Scotland – Media still keeping quiet on drug gang origins in England

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Images – Police Scotland Forget the Daniels and Lyons Scottish drug gangsters so beloved of the media operating in Scotland. They’re at a global level. They’re not dealing to your kids. This lot are, in a hundred locations from Thurso to Dumfries. From BBC Scotland: NE, Orkney & Shetland, yesterday: Eight men have been arrested and charged after police in Aberdeen seized drugs with a street value of more than £1.37m.Officers targeted 11 addresses across the city on Monday and Tuesday and discovered eight cannabis cultivations. The men, aged between 24 and 54, were due to appear before Aberdeen Sheriff … Continue reading The real drug gangs plague in Scotland – Media still keeping quiet on drug gang origins in England

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Unemployment in England 19% higher than in Scotland after nearly 20 years of not being governed by a social democratic party like the SNP

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In the Guardian today and from the ONS, above, but getting no BBC coverage: Unemployment fell and wages increased in April, official figures showed, putting pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates despite a peace deal in the Middle East. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed [UK] unemployment slipped to 4.9% in the three months to April from 5% in the three months to March. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/18/uk-unemployment-rate-falls-wages-interest-rates-iran-war Looking just at England and Scotland, it’s, in crude terms, 0.8% higher in the former. BBC Reporting Scotland will probably describe that as ‘similar’ but as a … Continue reading Unemployment in England 19% higher than in Scotland after nearly 20 years of not being governed by a social democratic party like the SNP

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Scotland’s pharmacy scheme ‘the model for England’ may reduce shortages problems

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In the Guardian today: Britons [sic] are facing some of the “most severe” shortages of NHS medicines on record including common painkillers, epilepsy drugs and HRT, health leaders have warned, even forcing some patients with impaired digestive systems to skip meals. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned that medicine shortages pose a “serious risk to patient safety”. The Royal College of GPs has also raised concerns about the impact medicine shortages have on patients, GPs and pharmacists. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/18/nhs-patients-face-worst-drug-shortages-on-record-say-pharmacists-and-gps BBC Breakfast 29 May 2026 told us the Scottish Government has long put in place a better model for pharmacies, repeatedly covered here but never in the … Continue reading Scotland’s pharmacy scheme ‘the model for England’ may reduce shortages problems

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TORY OIL AND GAS PROMISES IN ABERDEEN SOUTH: EMPTY RHETORIC FROM A PARTY OF WASTE

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By JimMennie As Aberdeen South goes to the polls today, Tories are still attempting to pitch themselves as the saviours of North Sea jobs. Their candidate and national figures claim they alone will “get Britain drilling” and reverse decline. The reality is starker. The long-term drop in oil and gas employment has been driven primarily by global markets, a maturing North Sea basin with smaller, costlier fields, and the inevitable energy transition — factors no Westminster government fully controls. Their own record of squandering billions in public money makes these promises ring hollow for voters who have lived through the … Continue reading TORY OIL AND GAS PROMISES IN ABERDEEN SOUTH: EMPTY RHETORIC FROM A PARTY OF WASTE

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UK Labour deny England’s under-22’s the ‘transformative benefit’ of Scotland’s free bus scheme as it hits more than 300 million journeys

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From Transport Scotland yesterday, the above and: Children and young people in Scotland have now made over 300 million free bus journeys since the Scottish Government introduced free travel for under-22s. Since January 2022, the scheme continues to transform how young people are traveling by bus, saving people money, supporting greener travel, and boosting the economy by opening up access to education, jobs, and leisure. Over 80% of eligible young people have access to the scheme through a National Entitlement Card or Young Scot National Entitlement Card. Source: https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/over-300-million-free-bus-trips-made-by-young-people-across-scotland/ What’s happening in England, Sir Keir? Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to … Continue reading UK Labour deny England’s under-22’s the ‘transformative benefit’ of Scotland’s free bus scheme as it hits more than 300 million journeys

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Calls for a public inquiry as Scottish Labour spend 60% more for Anas to lose the seat than the SNP did for Zen to win it

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In the Herald today, clearly now giving up entirely on Anas: Labour ploughed thousands into Anas Sarwar’s doomed bid to win a constituency seat, according to receipts filed with the Returning Officer in Glasgow. Despite the cash boost, the party leader still lost heavily to the SNP’s Zen Ghani. and: So, £3.36 is £1.25 more than £2.11, 59.24%. We need a public inquiry into Scottish Labour embezzling their members in this way. Continue reading Calls for a public inquiry as Scottish Labour spend 60% more for Anas to lose the seat than the SNP did for Zen to win it