More than ten times as many, per head, early release prisoners being recalled in England & Wales due to half the staffing in Scotland
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going 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 As Andy Burnham pushes ahead with his ‘tough enough’ kneejerk reaction to early prisoner release, he’d do well to look North (real North) for tips. From the Guardian in February 2026: Record numbers of offenders are being recalled to prison in England and Wales with union officials claiming that some are deliberately breaking the terms of their probation in order to deal drugs in prison. Prison sources said that after the implementation of early release schemes, as many as 5,000 men were recalled in December alone – more than a … Continue reading More than ten times as many, per head, early release prisoners being recalled in England & Wales due to half the staffing in Scotland
New SNP legislation to control irresponsible grouse moor management often responsible for wildfires and flood damage
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going 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 BBC Scotland this morning, the above, and: with too much reliance on informal good will and from ‘Scottish Land and Estates’: It warns that new ‘muirburn’ regulation must strengthen not ‘hollow out’ wildfire resilience. I twitch. Who are ‘Scottish Land and Estates?’ Here they are. Howzat for sending a message before a word is said? A membership organisation that represents landowners, land managers, and rural businesses in Scotland. It acts as their voice to politicians and decision-makers while providing advice, networking, and support. … Continue reading New SNP legislation to control irresponsible grouse moor management often responsible for wildfires and flood damage
Sarwar knew from whistle-blowers in 2019 that the QEUH child cancer wards were vulnerable to significant bacterial aerosol infection from the raw sewage ponds less than 200m away
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going 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 In 2019, The Times reported that a whistle-blower had told Anas Sarwar the pollution/proximity concern dated back to 2002, and the paper covered the subsequent inquiry interest in Shieldhall. Herald and others then reported sewage odour inside the new hospital after it opened. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/sewage-plant-probe-in-glasgow-queen-elizabeth-hospital-deaths-t2wbrcb2g Looking at the Royal Hospital for Children where the child cancer death much used by Anas Sarwar took place, the 5 ‘final’ settlement tanks are around 200m away with the raw sewage removal and tanks to the west, even closer, … Continue reading Sarwar knew from whistle-blowers in 2019 that the QEUH child cancer wards were vulnerable to significant bacterial aerosol infection from the raw sewage ponds less than 200m away
How the Labour/Lib Dem coalition in 2002 hid the facts from the Scottish Parliament in a sham consultation to make sure the new South Glasgow Hospital was built on a filthy site no other city in world would think suitable for its people
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going 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 stewartb With apologies for the length of what follows. It’s hard to do justice to such a topic – to offer an authoritative account – without quoting extensively from the Scottish Parliament’s record of debate from c.25 years ago. I and others on TuS discussing the siting of a new ‘South Glasgow Hospital’ have referred to a debate in the Scottish Parliament on 17 January 2001, noting the cross-party concerns about proposed location. Nearly two years later, these concerns about location of the … Continue reading How the Labour/Lib Dem coalition in 2002 hid the facts from the Scottish Parliament in a sham consultation to make sure the new South Glasgow Hospital was built on a filthy site no other city in world would think suitable for its people
Greenock – If you don’t keep RAAC dry it all needs knocking down
was really upset about everything. Help Talking-up Scotland keep going 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 BBC Reporting Scotland Down today, hear about flats in Greenock with RAAC in them, to be puled down and have a evidence of the above upset. What’s this all about? BBC England on 9 September 2025, has: A hospital which has its ceilings held up by thousands of props has been rated the worst performing in the country. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, came bottom of the league table of 134 acute hospital trusts in England. … Continue reading Greenock – If you don’t keep RAAC dry it all needs knocking down
NHS Scotland ordered to cut corridor care from already the lowest by far in the UK and barely one-third of the level in Andy’s Manchester
departments and aim to discharge patients from hospital within three days of admission, under new Scottish Government plans. Hospitals will also be required to focus on patients with life-threatening conditions and those needing specialist care, with others directed to alternative sources of healthcare. Help Talking-up Scotland keep going 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 BBC Reporting Scotland Down, today with the above , without context. What context? This? In March 2026, ITV News made it very clear, above, just how rare corridor care in Scotland was, in comparison with other parts of the UK – 4 times … Continue reading NHS Scotland ordered to cut corridor care from already the lowest by far in the UK and barely one-third of the level in Andy’s Manchester
Cyprus catamaran ferry turns over and sinks losing up to 26 in wind speeds far below those felt daily by CalMac boats with no loss of life ever while UK-based Townsend Thoresen have lost nearly 200
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going 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 Yesterday’s tragedy in Cyprus caused me to wonder if any CalMac ferry had ever sunk with the loss of life? When you look at the far worse weather conditions around the West Coast of Scotland, surely there have been incidents? You can see below that many CalMac vessels sail in far stormier conditions than you would find in the Eastern Med. Yesterday, off Kyrenia, winds were gusting at up to 22kph, high for the area, but way below what CalMac mono-hulls can manage. Have … Continue reading Cyprus catamaran ferry turns over and sinks losing up to 26 in wind speeds far below those felt daily by CalMac boats with no loss of life ever while UK-based Townsend Thoresen have lost nearly 200
Funding Talking-up Scotland – What can we do?
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going 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 stewartb ‘What can we do?’ – I wish I knew. I do hope the many ‘visitors’ offer up some useful ideas! Just one of the things that I value about TuS is its provision of ‘perspective’. So for what it’s worth, based on stats provided above and recently: 26,625 ‘visitors’ to TuS: £30,000 (crowdfunding target) divided by 26,625 = £1.12 per ‘visitor’. 1,591 TuS signed-up ‘subscribers’: £30,000 divided by 1,591 = £18.85 per annum per subscriber. 845 subscribers that are ‘confirmed’ (i.e. ‘actively receiving … Continue reading Funding Talking-up Scotland – What can we do?
The misogynistic exclusion of Monica Lennon – a debate between the two cheeks of Jackie Baillie’s arse
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going 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 Anonymous I am stepping aside a little from the main thrust of this series of postings about the decision to locate what is now the QEUH on the former Southern General Hospital site, which is juxtaposed to the large Shieldhall sewage works. What struck me reading the transcript of the debate was that the Scottish Parliament was conducting itself in the deliberative non-partisan way which was intended, when the electoral system was established and designed to make it difficult for any single party … Continue reading The misogynistic exclusion of Monica Lennon – a debate between the two cheeks of Jackie Baillie’s arse
There are no plans in Scotland to end indefinite sentences where there is a high risk of violent re-offending
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going 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 In his BBC interview yesterday, aimed at reassuring voters than violent offenders would not be released early, PM Burnham suggested that ending ‘controversial indefinite sentences’ might free up space in prisons. However, the BBC notes – Ending indefinite sentences will require new legislation, meaning it could be years before space is freed up. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdx5zw4e2x9o Are there indefinite jail sentences in Scotland? Scotland uses Orders for Lifelong Restriction (OLRs), introduced in 2006 under the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003. These are indeterminate (no fixed release … Continue reading There are no plans in Scotland to end indefinite sentences where there is a high risk of violent re-offending
Talking-up Scotland 