Tag: books

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How SNP donors were denied the right to testify and so COPFS/Police Scotland had no automatic right to assume misuse

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By Jim Mennie “DONORS RIGHTS TO TESTIFY ON SNP DONATIONS” Thursday 4th June 2026 As expected, there are many bad actors now looking to demand that Murrell return the funds stolen from the SNP coffers. It’s all smear and dirty politics of course intended to hurt the SNP but it’s already backfiring with increases in SNP membership and donations. Many SNP members and donors are already in print saying in effect “I gave away my money voluntarily, and I don’t want it back.” So this might be a bit of Déjà vu for some of you. My good friend Para … Continue reading How SNP donors were denied the right to testify and so COPFS/Police Scotland had no automatic right to assume misuse

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Sturgeon has repeatedly championed women’s rights and women in both Scotland and the rest of the UK have a lot to thank her for

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By stewartb To the question: ‘Whatever happened to the heroes?‘ I’m strongly inclined to take the Stranglers’ advice when musing about the state of the world and those in leadership positions: ‘No more heroes anymore’! So why write the following? When evidence-free opinions are given in derogatory terms – ‘Wee Nippy’, ‘worst FM’, ‘disgrace to Scotland’ and Prof Robertson singled out as ‘coming across as a dafty’ – on a topic that is (surely) more nuanced, it’s hard not to be motivated to offer some balance, some perspective: seems to me that’s something TuS always strives to do! My humble opinion of … Continue reading Sturgeon has repeatedly championed women’s rights and women in both Scotland and the rest of the UK have a lot to thank her for

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The Huffy Bros – Rev(olting?) Stu Campbell and Robin McAlpine fighting for the Union

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The had such promise in 2014, those two, but these days all they do is snipe, living for SNP scandals they can persuade mugs to read about and earn them a living. I suspect their business model is based on Russel Brand. There are times I wonder about our business model at TuS as we batter-out researched reports to counter Unionist lies for well-under the minimum wage and they just feed lazily on tabloid………….shite. McAlpine’s latest in an exemplar of projection, projection of your own doubts, with eg: Sturgeon would still be Narcissus, the Greek tragic hero who so needed … Continue reading The Huffy Bros – Rev(olting?) Stu Campbell and Robin McAlpine fighting for the Union

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As an English judge is soft on three young gang rapists BBC News does not call England ‘rape capital’ of the UK

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As BBC Breakfast ask Gisele Pelicot to discuss the astonishing, shameful, failure by an English judge to detain three frankly evil young gang rapists, BBC Scotland seem unable to find a story to tell us that things are as bad here. They tried in June 2025 when annual crime statistics were published showing an increase in sex crimes. The media in Scotland are headlining the increase in recorded cases of rape and attempted rape in Scotland. Though the increase may in part be a consequence of a greater confidence by victims to come forward and report these crimes, the figures … Continue reading As an English judge is soft on three young gang rapists BBC News does not call England ‘rape capital’ of the UK

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Is Tory monarchist and arch-loyalist Murdo Fraser MSP resiling from his past remarks praising the qualities of the late queen, Elizabeth?

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stewartb In an increasingly desperate pursuit of his political agenda, to rile up certain Unionists, is Tory monarchist and arch-loyalist Murdo Fraser MSP resiling from his past remarks praising the qualities of the late queen, Elizabeth? In The Scotsman (September 13, 2022): ‘King Charles needs no better role model than the late Queen Elizabeth – Murdo Fraser MSP’. ‘The tremendous outpouring of national grief and emotion we have seen over the past few days has been a recognition from a generally unemotional nation of the lengthy and enduring service provided by Queen Elizabeth over the 70 years of her reign.’ (my emphasis) Who … Continue reading Is Tory monarchist and arch-loyalist Murdo Fraser MSP resiling from his past remarks praising the qualities of the late queen, Elizabeth?

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Scotland’s environment agency is TWICE as effective in closing illegal waste dumps

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BBC UK and other MSM this morning reporting on illegal waste dumping ‘loopholes’, do not refer to the situation in Scotland. Their reports are based on this from the UK Government, published today: New reforms are set to tighten the net on waste criminals with tougher sentences for those illegally dumping waste, and advanced background checks to help put rogue operators out of business.   As part of the major crackdown on waste criminals, underpinned by the government’s Waste Crime Action Plan, laws being laid this week will require waste handlers to prove they are qualified to transport waste.  The current registration system is broken and outdated, relying on a basic registration process with limited identity and background checks. This has been exploited by rogue operators with a poor track record of dumping waste and … Continue reading Scotland’s environment agency is TWICE as effective in closing illegal waste dumps

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How can the Guardian claim to be a member of the free press when it supports colonialism in Scotland and its editor won’t even acknowledge a polite letter asking why?

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The Guardian continues to locate itself among the ‘free press’: The Guardian has something many news organisations today don’t: guaranteed independence. With no billionaire or large corporate owner, our journalists are free to report without interference. Our role is to hold power to account, not answer to it. We value whatever you can spare, but a monthly subscription makes the most impact, enabling greater investment in our most crucial, fearless journalism. Thank you. Those of us ‘up here’ know that the Guardian, to this day, reports events in Scotland biased in favour of the Scottish Labour Branch’s interests. For many examples, … Continue reading How can the Guardian claim to be a member of the free press when it supports colonialism in Scotland and its editor won’t even acknowledge a polite letter asking why?

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That BBC Scotland journalists ‘did not cover the referendum in the way they would have liked because of commands coming from London’ is untrue. It was because of this guy and others like him

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In the often excellent analysis by Prof Happer in the Herald yesterday, because it correctly identifies the bias in BBC Scotland as, for most staff, ‘structural’, ‘cultural‘ I’d say, I’d have to disagree with this: Happer, who speaks extensively to BBC Scotland staff, said: “BBC Scotland journalists felt they couldn’t cover the referendum in the way they would have liked because of commands coming from London” That’s a clear excuse, rewriting history. In 2014, I was approached by two younger staff at BBC Scotland News and neither mentioned commands from London. They did both say that the then Head of … Continue reading That BBC Scotland journalists ‘did not cover the referendum in the way they would have liked because of commands coming from London’ is untrue. It was because of this guy and others like him

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On the 40th Anniversary of Chernobyl, how a Labour First Minister’s ‘day one’ plans for nuclear power will ‘present an existential challenge for local policing’ and expose our children to thyroid cancer

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On the 40th anniversary of Chernobyl, today, BBC Breakfast visit the site and remind us that while the official death toll was just 31, according to ‘studies’, the wider health impact was likely to be much wider. Studies? Well, here’s just one. According to the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation The most significant wider impact was a sharp rise in thyroid cancer among children and adolescents exposed in 1986 in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. By 2005, more than 6,000 cases had been diagnosed in this age group. Later data (up to ~2015) put the total closer … Continue reading On the 40th Anniversary of Chernobyl, how a Labour First Minister’s ‘day one’ plans for nuclear power will ‘present an existential challenge for local policing’ and expose our children to thyroid cancer

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New research report – The Politicisation of BBC Reporting in the 100 days before the Scottish Election 2026 – Comparing BBC Wales and BBC Scotland

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On Friday 17th April 2026, only three weeks before the Scottish Parliament election on May 7th, 2026, a research team at Talking-up Scotland completed a 100-day survey of the BBC Wales and BBC Scotland’s inserts in BBC Breakfast, Monday to Friday 6 to 9am. Despite both operating within a dramatic political context with pro-independence parties, Plaid Cymru (PC) and SNP, for the first time likely to win in both countries, the coverage differed markedly in terms of the politicisation of reports and in the overall level of negativity know to influence voter behaviour. A 2023 study published by Talking-up Scotland, … Continue reading New research report – The Politicisation of BBC Reporting in the 100 days before the Scottish Election 2026 – Comparing BBC Wales and BBC Scotland