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Nicola Sturgeon pressed the UK Government to shut down money-laundering firms in 2018 but the Ferret won’t tell you that

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I’ll explain the above after this: In the Ferret today, the above, and: Hey there, Jamie here, along with financial crime investigator Diogo Augusto. It’s great when a government decides to tackle abuses made possible by its own legislation – less so when, more than a year after promising reform, it still can’t give a firm date for implementing it. In this case, the reforms are compulsory ID-checks for the owners of a type of Scottish entity that’s become notorious for abuse by money launderers and other international criminals – individuals who certainly wouldn’t be keen to reveal themselves. Implementing … Continue reading Nicola Sturgeon pressed the UK Government to shut down money-laundering firms in 2018 but the Ferret won’t tell you that

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Take away pollsters still skewing their samples to look like it’s 2014, a Yes win by 10-12% in Referendum2 seems probable and Westminster knows that

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From Survation on 14 October 2026, with the 7% Yes lead above, see how they have weighted their sample to take account of how respondents remember voting in 2014 and how they would vote in another referendum: Note how the sample has been changed from a small Yes lead to a larger No lead in both cases. The percentage changes are, however, single digit. The result, despite this skewing of the sample is still a 7% Yes lead, the biggest Yes lead since January. Looking now at the Norstat/Sunday Mail poll which found only a 3% Yes lead, on 23 … Continue reading Take away pollsters still skewing their samples to look like it’s 2014, a Yes win by 10-12% in Referendum2 seems probable and Westminster knows that

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As the Express feeds again on ferry delays, here’s Clyde-based Ferguson Marine’s long track record of delivering them on-time and often commended in Parliament

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Just one of the smelly collection of the latest ‘SNP ferry fiasco’ stories in the bowels of of the media world, from the Express, above. The MV Glen Rosa is a cutting-edge hybrid, much delayed but the MV Islay and her two sisters are simple things by comparisons but delayed too in Turkey Has Ferguson Marine had to delay any simple diesel ferry completions in the last 50 years Simple Diesel Ferry Projects (1975–2015)Ferguson Marine (and its predecessors) delivered multiple diesel-powered Ro-Ro ferries without reported delays. Below is a table of notable examples, focusing on those within the 50-year window. … Continue reading As the Express feeds again on ferry delays, here’s Clyde-based Ferguson Marine’s long track record of delivering them on-time and often commended in Parliament

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Three men jailed for trafficking women FROM England and Wales INTO Scotland just like every other part of this invasive flow from high crime pressure areas into low crime area vacuums

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From STV in Scotland, yesterday, the above, and: Three men have been jailed for a combined 13 years for crimes including trafficking vulnerable women between Scotland, England and Wales. George Filip, 45, Alexandru Moco, 26, and Leonard Banica, 41, targeted 16 vulnerable women, bringing them into the UK to work as sex workers. A fourth man, Ionela Filip, 34, also worked with the three men to run the prostitution ring and various brothels, exploiting the women for their own gain. The group evaded detection by transporting the vulnerable women across the border between Newport, Birmingham and Scotland. https://news.stv.tv/scotland/three-men-jailed-for-operating-prostitution-ring-and-trafficking-women-between-scotland-england-and-wales Between? Between? … Continue reading Three men jailed for trafficking women FROM England and Wales INTO Scotland just like every other part of this invasive flow from high crime pressure areas into low crime area vacuums

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As Burnham wriggles and misleads on slavery compensation, Scotland’s 0.05% elites should pay up

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Andy Burnham, yesterday, misunderstands the nature of slavery in the former English Empire with: “I do not think that British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part.” Nobody, Andy, you know that, thinks ‘the British people’ can be held liable. What percentage of the UK population benefited so significantly from the Atlantic slave trade to the extent they today have such wealth from it that they might be expected to contribute to compensation? The Register of British Slave-Traders identifies … Continue reading As Burnham wriggles and misleads on slavery compensation, Scotland’s 0.05% elites should pay up

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Before some Scottish Labour MP does Burnham a service on it – Burns had no connection to the slave trade and wrote the most powerful words against it

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The Times titillates with a headline today designed to cast doubt on the basis for Scots’ love for Robert Burns. There is nothing there. In short, direct or indirect economic benefit from Caribbean slavery was widespread among the artistic, collecting, and intellectual classes of the period. Burns’ case—an abandoned plan in period of despair with no material outcome is nothing of substance by comparison with the documented ownership, inheritance, investment, and patronage links of figures such as Beckford, Turner, Raeburn, and Reynolds. Many of us will look back with sadness, perhaps shame, at episodes in our lives or of those … Continue reading Before some Scottish Labour MP does Burnham a service on it – Burns had no connection to the slave trade and wrote the most powerful words against it

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As researchers find evidence that a child-obesity crisis is less likely in Scotland, how the Scottish Government has been trying to turn the tide

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Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Morbid obesity in the UK: A modelling projection study to 2035, in 2018, suggested ‘Under current trends it is predicted that 11 per cent of the population in Wales will be morbidly obese in 2035, roughly 340,000 adults, while Scotland is likely to plateau at about 5 per cent and England will rise to about 8 per cent.’ The researchers offer a surprisingly clear, confident and simple explanation, for the significantly slower growth in Scotland – Scottish Government policy initiatives and resource allocation: ‘The government put a massive push on developing a … Continue reading As researchers find evidence that a child-obesity crisis is less likely in Scotland, how the Scottish Government has been trying to turn the tide

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Cringe – How long is Paul Merton’s time lag on Glasgow’s former reputation for violence?

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On Have I Got News for You, last night, Ian Hislop suggested, regarding mummies, that the Glasgow museum curator said it’s disrespectful to have dead bodies lying a round a museum. Quick as you like , Paul Merton said the above to a wave of laughter from all panellists and from the audience, ‘In Glasgow?‘ I know, ‘Get over yourself Jock. It’s only a joke, Jock. Where’s your sense of humour Jock? Comedians including Scottish ones have been clinging to a now hopelessly dated 16 year-old image, ignoring the facts: Glasgow still has the highest level of violent crime in … Continue reading Cringe – How long is Paul Merton’s time lag on Glasgow’s former reputation for violence?

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Prisoner recalls in England & Wales running at 15 to 25 the rate in Scotland in part due to higher background crime and half as many probation officers

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In the Guardian today, the above and: More people were recalled to jails in England and Wales in the first half of this year than were released, despite government efforts to reduce the prison population, according to figures released on Thursday. Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data shows that 12,338 people were recalled to custody between the beginning of April and the end of June, while 12,278 people were released. It continues a trend set between January and March, when 13,193 people were returned to prison and 12,977 released. A total of 52,716 prisoners were put back behind bars in the … Continue reading Prisoner recalls in England & Wales running at 15 to 25 the rate in Scotland in part due to higher background crime and half as many probation officers

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Percentage of babies born in ambulances ‘on the road’ in England & Wales is almost three times higher than in Moray?

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Headlining on BBC Scotland today, the above. How common is this? It is at least the third time a woman has had to give birth at the side of the A96 since 2018, with two other cases reported by the Press and Journal, external in 2021 and 2022. Approximately 0.05% or less of all births to Moray families since the 2018 downgrade. In England? Office for National Statistics data for England and Wales show the category “elsewhere” (neither hospital nor planned home birth). In 2024 there were about 837 such live births, compared with roughly 583,600 in hospital. That is … Continue reading Percentage of babies born in ambulances ‘on the road’ in England & Wales is almost three times higher than in Moray?