Fire and Water! CalMac ferry-user group thought to be safe

From the Sun today, the above, and: THIS is the jaw-dropping moment a huge inferno rips through a ferry off the coast of a British holiday hotspot sparking a frantic evacuation. Shocking footage showed towering plumes of smoke billowing from the flaming vessel north of Mykonos, Greece. With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 It is not known how many Scottish ‘islanders’ were on the above fiery ferry or on this Washington State ferry, below, last year, … Continue reading Fire and Water! CalMac ferry-user group thought to be safe

Drug related deaths among the young plummet in Scotland but climb in England & Wales to herald the end of Scotland’s dark reputation before long

With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Scotland’s drug-related deaths peaked in 2020 and the overall trend since then has been down, but within that trend there is some really positive, optimistic detail. Look at the under 25s more than halved and the under 35s, halved in just 5 years. This is a cultural change as younger people turn away from drugs and, indeed, alcohol, finding alternatives in, especially, social media. The 35 to 54 group, the … Continue reading Drug related deaths among the young plummet in Scotland but climb in England & Wales to herald the end of Scotland’s dark reputation before long

European Union Drugs Agency – drug deaths ‘must be understood as underestimations’ (as in England) proving that Scotland is the only ‘Drug Death Accurate Reporting’ capital of Europe

With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 By JB We all saw the MSM headlines yesterday: “ although Scotland’s drug deaths fell they still ‘remain’ the highest in Europe”. Based on what comparable statistics? From AI…”Comparable statistics allow for systematic evaluation, hypothesis testing, and data-driven decision-making by identifying similarities and differences between groups or phenomena. To be comparable, data must either be collected with  standardised methods and definitions  or have undergone a thorough assessment of differences in … Continue reading European Union Drugs Agency – drug deaths ‘must be understood as underestimations’ (as in England) proving that Scotland is the only ‘Drug Death Accurate Reporting’ capital of Europe

Huge surge in child exploitation – carrying drugs in body cavities and sexual abuse – by English county lines drug gangs in Scotland

With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From Human Trafficking NRM referrals re county lines – 10yrs published by Police Scotland today, that ‘referrals made by Police Scotland to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) where county lines and suspected criminal exploitation was a factor‘ was: Under 16 year-olds – from 6 in 2020/2021 to 39 in 2025/2026, almost a seven-fold increase. 16-17 year-olds, from 16 to 65, a four-fold increase. Source: https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2026/june/26-1022-human-trafficking-nrm-referrals-re-county-lines-10yrs/ What forms does that exploitation … Continue reading Huge surge in child exploitation – carrying drugs in body cavities and sexual abuse – by English county lines drug gangs in Scotland

‘Thousands of opioid deaths missed off official figures’ in England & Wales thanks to errors ‘not present in Scotland’

With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON By Liz S Anas Sarwar now knows his election campaign in Scotland is crumbling , mainly because it was all built on a foundation of lies, that as a strategy , is one that was not sustainable as an ongoing plan that would generate support for him to … Continue reading ‘Thousands of opioid deaths missed off official figures’ in England & Wales thanks to errors ‘not present in Scotland’

Researchers prove that Scotland’s drug death surge was the simple and tragic consequence of the UK Conservative Government’s brutal austerity strategy from 2012 to 2019

With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Drug deaths have always been more prevalent in poorer communities. In Scotland, half of all drug deaths are from among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods.1 According to research recently published by David Walsh and Gerry McCartney2, of Glasgow University, drug deaths amongst the most deprived communities in Scotland had begun to climb from around 2003 to 2009, under New Labour and then again, but far more dramatically, from around 2012 … Continue reading Researchers prove that Scotland’s drug death surge was the simple and tragic consequence of the UK Conservative Government’s brutal austerity strategy from 2012 to 2019

Scotland has ring-fenced convicted sex offenders from emergency early release

Help Talking-up Scotland keep goingCrowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From the Guardian today, the above and: More sexual predators in England and Wales could be freed instead of jailed because of the pressure on courts and prisons, police sources have told the Guardian. The warning comes after the Metropolitan police commissioner, Mark Rowley, on Thursday condemned the release on bail of a man after he admitted taking pictures of children and women, and then using AI to sexualise them. Zafer Dogan was bailed to his flat overlooking a children’s playground, from which he committed some of the offences … Continue reading Scotland has ring-fenced convicted sex offenders from emergency early release

Which is the most industrious, comprehensive and best sourced pro-Scottish independence blog? Awkk!! It’s certainly not your one Jock!

Help Talking-up Scotland keep goingCrowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Grok – Which is the most industrious, comprehensive and best sourced pro-Scottish independence blog? Thought for 18s Wings Over Scotland (wingsoverscotland.com), run by Stuart Campbell since 2011, is the standout match for industriousness, data-driven comprehensiveness on the core political/media issues, and sourcing. Other notable options Bella Caledonia (bellacaledonia.org.uk, founded 2007): The longest-running prominent site. More magazine-like, with essays on culture, ideas, international issues, and politics from multiple contributors. Broader in scope than Wings but less relentless on daily statistical or media-watch grind. thenational.scot Wee Ginger Dug (Paul Kavanagh): Consistent, … Continue reading Which is the most industrious, comprehensive and best sourced pro-Scottish independence blog? Awkk!! It’s certainly not your one Jock!

Labour still trying to get away with hoping that the public have very poor memories and have forgotten how Labour treat workers in Scotland

Help Talking-up Scotland keep goingCrowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 By Liz S More brass neck from Labour and this time from the Labour MP Brian Leishman . Leishman who in the past, together with Anas Sarwar, campaigned in 2024 in the UK GE when he and Sarwar were both promising (in what turned out to be an empty promise) that “a Labour government would step in, keep Grangemouth working, and invest hundreds of millions into the site’s transition”. Labour won the 2024 UK GE. Grangemouth Oil Refinery was not saved and so over 400 workers lost their jobs. … Continue reading Labour still trying to get away with hoping that the public have very poor memories and have forgotten how Labour treat workers in Scotland

Fire and rehire is typically driven by the pressing need to address equal pay and equality issues

Help Talking-up Scotland keep goingCrowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 By stewartb It is frankly remarkable that in its multiple lengthy articles on the BBC News website in recent days, BBC Scotland’s journalists have avoided providing any reference to the origin story regarding Glasgow City Council’s predicament over changing staff terms and conditions. Whatever the rights and wrongs of ‘fire and rehire’ as a process, its proposed abolition in Westminster legislation for the whole UK prompted warnings last year from the Local Government Association in England: ‘Councils issue warning over removal of ‘fire and rehire’ without replacement mechanism for … Continue reading Fire and rehire is typically driven by the pressing need to address equal pay and equality issues