Unregistered children’s homes in England & Wales creating a ‘perfect storm’ for criminals exploiting young people are prevented in Scotland because of Nicola Sturgeon’s ‘promise’ in 2016

Yesterday from Policing Insight, the above and: New research by Anglia Ruskin University into the risks of child exploitation in unregistered children’s homes in England and Wales highlights that with youngsters often “institutionally invisible” in such settings, many are easy targets for organised crime gangs, county lines drug networks and sexual abusers, as the location of such homes and the lack of monitoring create a “perfect storm” of exposure for vulnerable children, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons. https://policinginsight.com/feature/unregistered-childrens-homes-create-a-perfect-storm-for-criminals-exploiting-young-people/ We explained why and how this does not happen in Scotland in June 2026: Before anyone accuses me of being duped, read … Continue reading Unregistered children’s homes in England & Wales creating a ‘perfect storm’ for criminals exploiting young people are prevented in Scotland because of Nicola Sturgeon’s ‘promise’ in 2016

37% fewer crimes yet more police officers than in the last days of Labour

From Police officer quarterly strength statistics: 30 June 2026 published today: there were 16,402 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on 30 June 2026 police officer numbers decreased by 29 FTE officers (-0.2%) in the last quarter from 31 March 2026 police officer numbers decreased by 25 FTE officers (-0.2%) in the last year from 30 June 2025 this is an increase of 168 FTE police officers (+1.0%) from the 16,234 FTE police officers recorded at 31 March 2007 Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/police-officer-quarterly-strength-statistics-30-june-2026/ In 2025/2026, total crimes in Scotland have fallen dramatically from around 500 000 in 2007/2008 to 315 357 … Continue reading 37% fewer crimes yet more police officers than in the last days of Labour

Drug-related hospital admissions plummet to lowest level since records began, treatment service meets 90% target for last 15 years and world-first opioid overdose reversal programme enters 8th year but BBC Scotland ignore all that and doorstep the minister on one Glasgow Council service closure

From BBC Scotland this morning, the above and: A residential drug service in Glasgow is to close its doors after a long-running financial dispute with its council-owned landlord. The service run by the charity Turning Point Scotland will shut down, while a nearby drug crisis centre will move to the site instead. This had also been run by Turning Point, but will now be taken over by Glasgow City Council and the city’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). It follows a 14-month dispute over rent increases and repair bills with City Property – an arms-length firm that manages the council’s commercial … Continue reading Drug-related hospital admissions plummet to lowest level since records began, treatment service meets 90% target for last 15 years and world-first opioid overdose reversal programme enters 8th year but BBC Scotland ignore all that and doorstep the minister on one Glasgow Council service closure

E-bike injuries in Scotland only one sixth of the UK level after SNP limits government-backed trials

Headlining on BBC Breakfast but not being liked to comparable problems in Scotland by BBC Scotland, here’s why: When you compare the number of casualties involving e-bikes. In 2024, the UK, saw 1 390 casualties.1 With 8% of the population, you might then expect around 111 casualties in Scotland. There were 18, one sixth of the level.2 Why might this be? I suppose weather will be a factor but the lack of legal government-backed trials in Scotland, even regulated, with speed limits, geofencing, insurance, and age checks have not increased exposure in high-traffic urban areas here, keeping casualties down here.3 Has the Scottish Government been criticised for … Continue reading E-bike injuries in Scotland only one sixth of the UK level after SNP limits government-backed trials

Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland to rebut Labour scare story

In the deeply untrusted Herald yesterday, the above, and: Scotland’s only ethnic-minority and Muslim MP has called on the Scottish Government to fund a cohesion strategy in the wake of last month’s violent far-right rally in Glasgow . Dr Zubir Ahmed said cuts to youth provision and to community policing meant the early warning signs of radicalisation were being missed. Does being ‘Scotland’s only ethnic-minority and Muslim MP’ mean you are well-placed to knowing what’s going in? Apparently not: Ahmed is trying to suggest terror referrals in Scotland are a serious problem just like in other parts of the UK and are being missed. … Continue reading Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland to rebut Labour scare story

From the wetter parts of Britain to the places that ‘actually need it’

By Liz S Talking of “Fire” there is another huge problem in certain parts of the UK State , that is where droughts are also currently happening , all as a result of the greatly increased temperatures in some places within the UK state and also due to a lack of rainfall. There is a digital online travel platform called ‘Exploring GB’. They posted this on 28 July on Facebook: “Scotland gets huge amounts of rainfall, while parts of southern England regularly end up facing droughts and hosepipe bans”. “The Romans were transporting water over vast distances 2,000 years ago. Surely in 2026, we’re capable of getting water from the … Continue reading From the wetter parts of Britain to the places that ‘actually need it’

There is no trusted journalism that matters in Scotland

The Herald is owned by a corporation and serves the interests of that corporation including its preference for the stability of the UK within NATO. The empirical evidence is clear and can be trusted far more than the Herald’s unconvincing claims: Substantial empirical evidence from case studies, content analyses, and comparative work on these topics aligns with and supports the core predictions of Herman and Chomsky’s propaganda model. The model holds that structural filters (ownership, advertising, elite sourcing, flak, and ideology) systematically shape mainstream media performance to favor elite/state/corporate interests when those interests are relatively unified, limiting the range of … Continue reading There is no trusted journalism that matters in Scotland

Environment body admits Dounreay (Caithness) decades-long nuclear leak cannot EVER be cleaned up

The above, which I missed 15 years ago, popped up in social media recently to shock me with the candour of the headline. More on it below, after this. Last October 2025 we had: Inspectors raise Scottish nuclear plant with excess child leukaemia risk to an ‘enhanced level of regulatory attention for safety because of unsatisfactory site performance across numerous areas’ with 300 years to go until it’s ‘safe’ From the Chief Nuclear Inspector’s annual report on Great Britain’s nuclear industry October 2025, page 28: In July 2024, we increased NRS Dounreay to an enhanced level of regulatory attention for safety because … Continue reading Environment body admits Dounreay (Caithness) decades-long nuclear leak cannot EVER be cleaned up

A ‘Box of Frogs’ plan for Scottish Independence

By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 And Now For Something Completely Different A number of the anti-Scottish Independence media outlets have started reporting on a recent ‘proposal’ by former UK ambassador and Scottish independence campaigner Craig Murray.  Murray’s plan, described by some political pundits as “sinister”, suggests that the Scottish Government should simply declare an independence date without Westminster’s consent. Among his more controversial proposals are; the requiring civil servants to swear an oath of allegiance to a new Scottish state or face dismissal, encouraging Scottish citizens to occupy UK Government buildings and blockade military bases as part of a national … Continue reading A ‘Box of Frogs’ plan for Scottish Independence