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How the Crown Estate raised funds in Scotland and bypassed devolution to invest the money in England to continue a practice going back decades before devolution

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Posted last night in Facebook by Salvo, a link to this P&J article from June 2018: The UK’s Crown Estate has been accused of a “cash grab” that could cost Moray assets a share of a £167 million windfall. The agency has sold its multi-million stake in the Fort Kinnaird retail park in Edinburgh. However, despite the estate’s assets north of the border being devolved to Crown Estate Scotland – the money will instead be funnelled to a retail park in Cheltenham. Last night, Moray MSP Richard Lochhead branded the sale “a scandal” while the Auchenhalrig Farm on the Fochabers … Continue reading How the Crown Estate raised funds in Scotland and bypassed devolution to invest the money in England to continue a practice going back decades before devolution

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Seven reports proving Scotland’s prison service’s superior performance and Low Moss is no less safe today

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BBC Scotland today is platforming selectively an inspectors’ report on Low Moss prison in Glasgow which has 835 prisoners when it was designed for 784. They have not mentioned its ‘revised operational/safe capacity’ of 884 via Project 100. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-62043866 Inspectors did not find it had caused any measurable rises in in-prison offending or safety breakdowns. The prison maintained satisfactory safety standards amid the changes. https://prisonsinspectoratescotland.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publication_files/Report%20on%20HMP%20Low%20Moss%20Full%20Inspection%2031%20January-11%20February%202022.pdf The media operating in Scotland have not, however, covered the content of these seven reports by TuS revealing Scotland’s prisons to be operating with far better outcomes than you might expect and than is the … Continue reading Seven reports proving Scotland’s prison service’s superior performance and Low Moss is no less safe today

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A tale of two dentists – Anas Sarwar and ‘Odious’ Lord Offord’s Brother

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Three months ago, angered by Lord Offord of Reform’s claim that he had ‘bounced up to him’ seeking to collaborate against the SNP, Anas had some harsh words for Lord Offord. Did he know then that Lord Offord’s wee brother would be inviting him to speak at a a do on dentistry? How will that go? A surprise inclusion in the website of Vermilion, a private dental company owned by Dr David Offord, who I think, both born in Greenock. might be the brother of Baron Malcolm Offord of Garvel (and Reform UK). Vermilion hold a symposium every two years … Continue reading A tale of two dentists – Anas Sarwar and ‘Odious’ Lord Offord’s Brother

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Burnham’s 5.1 Million Dollar Question

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By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 If Westminster politicians have no problem telling the entire electorate of the UK that Scotland is “subsidised” by England, then there are a couple of very simple questions that they should answer. Official figures show that in England today, around 3.4 million children and 1.7 million pensioners live in relative poverty. That’s a combined total of approximately 5.1 million people. Scotland’s entire population is just under 5.5 million. If Scotland is really such a financial burden on the UK Treasury, why does it keep carrying that cost? Why is the welfare of Scotland so important … Continue reading Burnham’s 5.1 Million Dollar Question

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Researchers cast doubt on soaring depression and anxiety among young people – short video

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Detail at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/07/19/research-reveals-increasing-mental-health-referrals-among-children-may-be-more-due-to-a-greater-readiness-to-come-forward-and-to-coding-changes-than-to-an-actual-increase-in-depression-and-anxiety-and/ Continue reading Researchers cast doubt on soaring depression and anxiety among young people – short video

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If it were really the case that Starmer has made the country better why, after only two years, is he now being replaced ?

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By Liz S Yesterday Keir Starmer posted this on ‘X’ “The test of any Prime Minister is: do you leave your country in a better place than you found it? I’m proud that the answer is yes”. Still delusional I see. I mean if it were really the case that he has made the country better via his premiership, then why, after only two years as the Labour UK PM , is he now being replaced ? Obviously his deluded observation is not supported by either his own MP’s nor indeed the public. I wonder if as a reward for … Continue reading If it were really the case that Starmer has made the country better why, after only two years, is he now being replaced ?

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As another private care home is exposed how we disclosed Anas Sarwar backing a care home cash cow milking the tax-payer

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Today BBC Scotland has this below, reminding us of the above: BBC Scotland, in June 2023 exposed a Care Home owner who seems not to be a Tory or Labour donor. It’s taken them three years to find one. Three years ago, we had this: By stewartb So the care home visited by Anas Sarwar MSP is being used to justify his claim of care homes at ‘breaking point’? If so, this company’s situation must have changed radically since 22 December 2022. This is the date Applecross Nursing Home Limited submitted its Annual Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March … Continue reading As another private care home is exposed how we disclosed Anas Sarwar backing a care home cash cow milking the tax-payer

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The offending carer ‘no longer works there’ because Scotland’s scheme uniquely continuously updates and informs employers

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BBC Scotland today, typically, have been making much of a single, unacceptable I know, case in a care home for the elderly: The daughter of an 85-year-old care home resident who was photographed while she was partially naked by a carer has called the incident a “violation”. Police are investigating a claim that “inappropriate images” were taken at the Kingsacre Care Home at Duntocher in Clydebank in March this year. The elderly woman’s daughter, Catherine, told the BBC her mother, who has dementia, would be “disgusted” if she knew the photo had been taken and shared with another person. The … Continue reading The offending carer ‘no longer works there’ because Scotland’s scheme uniquely continuously updates and informs employers

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As Derbyshire folk suffer eye-watering toxic landfill, England and Europe’s hidden leaking toxic landfills are often unknown but Scotland’s sites are all known to Sepa and landfill now only a third of that under Labour

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Today’s reports from Derbyshire of a toxic landfill site not being dealt with the the Environment Agency remind me of this from the Guardian in December 2025: UK and Europe’s hidden landfills at risk of leaking toxic waste into water supplies – Thousands of landfills across the UK and Europe sit in floodplains, posing a potential threat to drinking water and conservation areas if toxic waste is released into rivers, soils and ecosystems, it can be revealed. and ‘I kept smelling a horrible nasty smell’: the risks of England’s old dumping grounds – For some, the smell brings on nausea and headaches. Others fear … Continue reading As Derbyshire folk suffer eye-watering toxic landfill, England and Europe’s hidden leaking toxic landfills are often unknown but Scotland’s sites are all known to Sepa and landfill now only a third of that under Labour

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As ‘miserable’ Derbyshire villagers face ‘swarms of flies’ Scotland’s environment agency is TWICE as effective in closing illegal waste dumps

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Featuring on BBC Breakfast this morning and across local media: Residents claim their lives are being made a misery by a massive “eyesore” landfill site that now looms over their village, bringing with it swarms of flies and thick clouds of dust. Furious locals in Duckmanton, Derbys. , have watched the foul-smelling site grow considerably over the years to the point where it has now encroached upon the hillsides overlooking homes in the picturesque village. They report that swarms of flies descend upon their living rooms and kitchens on a daily basis, leaving them feeling like “prisoners in their own … Continue reading As ‘miserable’ Derbyshire villagers face ‘swarms of flies’ Scotland’s environment agency is TWICE as effective in closing illegal waste dumps