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Several more police officers injured and more cars damaged in Newcastle than in Glasgow but BBC Breakfast allow BBC Scotland the headline space

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Ed: To set the scene for a longer piece from Liz S – From BBC Tyne today: Six people, including three teenage boys, have been arrested after a night of violence saw fireworks and bricks launched at emergency services on Bonfire Night. Northumbria Police said its crews had been attacked after responding to reports of anti-social behaviour in the Waterville Road area of Meadow Well in North Tyneside at about 21:00 GMT on Thursday. A number of officers were injured, the force said, and five police cars and three fire engines were damaged. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c61wvv8w9wevo The actual number of officers injured … Continue reading Several more police officers injured and more cars damaged in Newcastle than in Glasgow but BBC Breakfast allow BBC Scotland the headline space

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CalMac has one of the youngest ferry fleets in the developed world

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From the Herald (SoS) today, the above and: This is a new low for Maritime Williams, the Herald’s Captain Hogwash. ’15 of 33 vessels now at least 30 or over?’ There 37 CalMac ferries in service and there are 15 in that age range. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caledonian_MacBrayne_fleet Who to compare with? Washington State Ferries, operating out of Seattle to a comparable island archipelago in the USA and British Columbia Ferries, operating out of Vancouver to a comparable island archipelago in Canada, but both areas with a GDP far higher than in Scotland. Isle of Wight and Channel Island ferries are far too … Continue reading CalMac has one of the youngest ferry fleets in the developed world

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With Glasgow Central at 1 458th in the table, the safest railway stations are in Scotland

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The Guardian today has: ‘The violence is off the scale’: staff and passengers at risk as assaults on trains in Great Britain soar to record high – Cases of abuse, spitting, head-butting and sexual harassment, have spiked as transport police numbers have dwindled. I can find no directly comparable figures for rail travel in Scotland but in February 2025, I found this: With Glasgow Central at 1 458th in the table, the safest railway stations are in Scotland. The Daily Record, ever-useless as a reliable information source for its readers, has: A recent analysis of UK-wide data identified the train … Continue reading With Glasgow Central at 1 458th in the table, the safest railway stations are in Scotland

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Violent crime in England & Wales is 8 times more common than in Scotland…per square mile

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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 When rtpscott replied in https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/09/25/drug-deaths-simple-language-not-simplistic-solutions/: The population of England in 2026 is estimated to be approximately 58.8 million people, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Scotland’s population was estimated at 5,545,500 as of mid-2025 by the National Records of Scotland (NRS), marking a slow growth of less than 0.1% from the previous year Maybe I am being stupid but using these two figures how is it that Scotland has more recorded drug deaths than England I doubt that MSM will look into that,anything to do down … Continue reading Violent crime in England & Wales is 8 times more common than in Scotland…per square mile

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There are 54% [66% in Borders] fewer road traffic accidents but only 33% fewer officers on the roads in Scotland

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.…so that is bound to have an impact on visibility, and impact on road safety and an impact on travelling criminality. 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 Neither in the short BBC Scotland insert in BBC Breakfast nor in the longer website report, do we hear any useful context to the above news of cuts. How do the levels of road accidents in 2013 and in 2025 compare? Sources: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/scottish-transport-statistics-no-33-2014-edition/j357783-09/ https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/key-reported-road-casualties-scotland-2025/key-findings/ Why are the seriously injured figures not comparable? How it used to work (including 2013)An officer judged severity using … Continue reading There are 54% [66% in Borders] fewer road traffic accidents but only 33% fewer officers on the roads in Scotland

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Another nail in the coffin of the Herald’s cheap catamaran plan for Scotland

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From Fox News yesterday: Tourists hopping between Greece’s islands on high-speed ferries are reporting rough rides and brutal bouts of seasickness along the way. Across social media, travelers this summer have been opening up about stories of rocky crossings, ill passengers and crews handing out sickness bags. Given all the reports, the ferry has been dubbed the “vomit comet,” according to The Wall Street Journal. High-speed ferries are a popular choice for travelers looking to move quickly between Greece’s islands, said Mina Agnos, founder and president of luxury travel company Travelive. “We see most clients looking for the quickest point from A to B,” she … Continue reading Another nail in the coffin of the Herald’s cheap catamaran plan for Scotland

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Largs to Millport ferry, four times every hour, with capacity for 6 million passengers and three quarters of a million cars only used one eighth and one third of that capacity in 2024 – who pays for such generosity?

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Every year, thousands of drivers, often in SUV’s, try to get on to a tiny island which thousands of others walk and cycle round, their potentially lovely day spoiled by those same drivers. There’s a well-run bus service from the ferry slip to the town with hundreds of bicycles for hire and lots of wee cafes to relax in. I’ve been there more times than I can remember and never felt the need to take a car. These days, I’d struggle to get round the island on feet or wheels but there’s no way I’d be bullying my way round … Continue reading Largs to Millport ferry, four times every hour, with capacity for 6 million passengers and three quarters of a million cars only used one eighth and one third of that capacity in 2024 – who pays for such generosity?

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‘I see tourists pee in front of my house?’ – the real campervan crisis was in 2021

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BBC Scotland this morning is going large on: ‘I see tourists pee in front of my house’: The campervan problem on the Isle of Skye. More than 30,000 trips by campervans and motorhomes are made to the Scottish Highlands every year – with many of them touring the Isle of Skye. For islanders, the tourists play an important part in the local economy. But some visitors bring significant challenges too – leaving litter and even toilet waste in the stunning landscape. Julia Dawber says people should be discreet when nature calls. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crlwj7z7481o As an aside, it is good to see … Continue reading ‘I see tourists pee in front of my house?’ – the real campervan crisis was in 2021

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UK Labour deny England’s under-22’s the ‘transformative benefit’ of Scotland’s free bus scheme as it hits more than 300 million journeys

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From Transport Scotland yesterday, the above and: Children and young people in Scotland have now made over 300 million free bus journeys since the Scottish Government introduced free travel for under-22s. Since January 2022, the scheme continues to transform how young people are traveling by bus, saving people money, supporting greener travel, and boosting the economy by opening up access to education, jobs, and leisure. Over 80% of eligible young people have access to the scheme through a National Entitlement Card or Young Scot National Entitlement Card. Source: https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/over-300-million-free-bus-trips-made-by-young-people-across-scotland/ What’s happening in England, Sir Keir? Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to … Continue reading UK Labour deny England’s under-22’s the ‘transformative benefit’ of Scotland’s free bus scheme as it hits more than 300 million journeys

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As pothole compensation claims surge in England they plummet in Scotland

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From the Guardian today: Exactly how many holes there are in the country’s roads depends on who’s counting and how they define them, but the RAC reckons there are a million potholes in the UK’s residential, city centre and rural roads, or six every mile. Its data backs up anecdotal evidence that things are getting a lot worse, quickly: compensation claims for pothole damage against UK local authorities rose by 90% in the three years to 2024. More than three times as many drivers cited potholes as the cause of breakdowns in February 2025 than in the same month a year earlier. … Continue reading As pothole compensation claims surge in England they plummet in Scotland