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‘Loyalist’ Liverpool gangs still exploiting children to push drugs and community violence into Scotland keeping drug deaths high

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From Streamline today: In a massive display of force aimed at dismantling entrenched criminal networks, over 300 Merseyside Police officers executed dozens of synchronized dawn raids across the region on Thursday morning. The sweeping crackdown, codenamed Operation Vanguard, represents the third and largest iteration of Chief Constable Rob Carden’s relentless offensive against serious organised crime, county lines drug trafficking, and endemic community violence. In a massive display of force aimed at dismantling entrenched criminal networks, over 300 Merseyside Police officers executed dozens of synchronized dawn raids across the region on Thursday morning. The sweeping crackdown, codenamed Operation Vanguard, represents the … Continue reading ‘Loyalist’ Liverpool gangs still exploiting children to push drugs and community violence into Scotland keeping drug deaths high

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After 8 years of English drug gang terror in the North of Scotland, BBC Scotland will still not mention this stain on their Union

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From STV and in the Aberdeen-based Press & Journal today, the above headline, carefully avoiding the origins of the dealer, in England:: A county lines drug dealer from Liverpool will serve almost six years for using a stolen BMW to supply class A narcotics in Scotland. James Stephen, 31, was arrested on June 17 last year after police in Aberdeen tracked down a white car that had been stolen from a home in the city the previous month. https://news.stv.tv/north/drug-dealer-caught-using-stolen-bmw-to-take-heroin-and-cocaine-into-scotland The report tells us little of what County lines gangs do and the effects they have. Assistant Chief Constable Andy Freeburn … Continue reading After 8 years of English drug gang terror in the North of Scotland, BBC Scotland will still not mention this stain on their Union

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Going, going, gone – The Labour MSP charged over indecent images and the secret of English drug gangs targeting vulnerable women

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA Briefly last night the Labour MSP charged over ‘indecent images’ (children not mentioned in the text as in other media) has already dropped a place this morning (below). Watch out for how quickly he drops off the page altogether. Still down at the bottom, the County Lines gangs ‘targeting vulnerable women.’ More on this below. Here’s what BBC Scotland say about the County Lines gangs: County lines gangs are forcing vulnerable women into joining networks supplying crack cocaine and heroin to the … Continue reading Going, going, gone – The Labour MSP charged over indecent images and the secret of English drug gangs targeting vulnerable women

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A warning of the terrible costs of not dealing now with English drug gangs terrorising small-town Scotland

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/detailsor, if you prefer, a bank transfer, at sort code 089300 account 1421 7339 Professor John Robertson OBA In the Daily Record yesterday, the above headline and: Three men and a woman were jailed today after taking part in rioting that brought “great terror” to an Ayrshire village as police were forced to deploy riot officers and dog units, writes Dave Finlay. During the violent disorder in Auchinleck police came under attack with bricks and rocks and firefighters who were deployed to tackle a blaze … Continue reading A warning of the terrible costs of not dealing now with English drug gangs terrorising small-town Scotland

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Another ‘Scouse’ county lines gang keeping Scotland’s drug deaths artificially high

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to rtpscott for alerting me to the above. Scouse Jack is not the only Liverpool-based gang whose activities have been clearly identified as fuelling Scotland’s drug deaths. In March 2025, we had: From BBC England, the above and: Five members of a county lines drug gang known as the Scouse Dave Line have been jailed. A total of seven members of the organised crime group, which peddled crack cocaine and heroin between Liverpool, Gosport and Plymouth, were sentenced during the two-day hearing at Portsmouth Crown Court. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd92w0klwy8o When I saw the word ‘scouse‘, I was reminded of … Continue reading Another ‘Scouse’ county lines gang keeping Scotland’s drug deaths artificially high

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Unless Labour further attack the poor, Scotland could hit its 2030 child poverty target in a unique demonstration of compassion and understanding of why child poverty must be eradicated, in the interests of all of us

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By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS The above prediction, from Achieving the 2030 Child Poverty Target published today by the IPPR Scotland, suggests that with the Scottish Child Payment and with compensation for the UK Universal Benefit, two child limit, Scotland could hit its fist child poverty target of 18%. The authors however, make clear that this might be sabotaged by wider UK Government economic policies including benefit cuts, increasing poverty across the UK. Why, need I remind you, does this matter to all of us? Here’s why: From Turning the tide What it will take to reduce child … Continue reading Unless Labour further attack the poor, Scotland could hit its 2030 child poverty target in a unique demonstration of compassion and understanding of why child poverty must be eradicated, in the interests of all of us

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A clear causal connection between Liverpool drug gangs, the flood of cheap, more powerful, drugs into Scotland and our still far too high drug deaths. Why are Scotland’s media ignoring that?

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC England yesterday, the above and: Five members of a county lines drug gang known as the Scouse Dave Line have been jailed. A total of seven members of the organised crime group, which peddled crack cocaine and heroin between Liverpool, Gosport and Plymouth, were sentenced during the two-day hearing at Portsmouth Crown Court. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd92w0klwy8o When I saw the word ‘scouse‘, I was reminded of this: My Google Alert on 14 February 2025, offered Operation Apollo continues crackdown on County Lines with over 300 years in jail time secured [by the above members] from Cheshire Constabulary. There’s no mention … Continue reading A clear causal connection between Liverpool drug gangs, the flood of cheap, more powerful, drugs into Scotland and our still far too high drug deaths. Why are Scotland’s media ignoring that?

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Rail performance – BBC Scotland seeking to frame and amplify a newspaper’s front page story

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By stewartb The iWeekend’s front page is reproduced prominently in the Scotland section of the BBC News website today. One has to magnify the picture on the web page to read the text immediately below the headline which notes: ‘… with Scotrail performing better than most’. This appearance of the I’s front page on the BBC site provides yet another ‘noteworthy’ example of editorial choices by the BBC in Scotland! On TuS on December 20 there was a post with this headline: ‘Too positive to be newsworthy? Scotland’s train cancellations found to be lowest of any country or region in Great … Continue reading Rail performance – BBC Scotland seeking to frame and amplify a newspaper’s front page story

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As BBC Scotland report today on a Motherwell to Murcia drug ‘baron’ last active 4 years ago, here is the real and present threat in your town they dare not mention

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For the full story, click on: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=county For the full story, click on: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=county Above, 9 reports in November 2024. Below the story going back for 5 years: BBC Scotland and ‘County Lines’ drug gangs – now 5 years of silence to protect the Union I have an alert for ‘County Lines’ and every day I see reports from BBC UK, BBC England and from BBC regions across the country – BBC Devon (today), BBC Cumbria (last week). I never, ever, see anything from BBC Scotland despite regular reports in the ‘Scottish’ tabloids and on regional news media websites. In … Continue reading As BBC Scotland report today on a Motherwell to Murcia drug ‘baron’ last active 4 years ago, here is the real and present threat in your town they dare not mention

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Janitor strikes can close schools in Scotland but not in England

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Thanks to Dottie again for alerting me to this, from the Observer today: Headteachers are being forced to mend desks and unblock toilets themselves after sacking school caretakers in the wake of budget cuts, the Guardian has been told. School leaders in England said they could not afford to employ caretakers, and were having to change lightbulbs and clear playgrounds of dead rats themselves. Amanda Richards, the headteacher of Sytchampton primary in Worcestershire, said her school “literally can’t afford” a permanent caretaker, leaving her and other staff to move heavy equipment and make emergency repairs to keep the school running. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/apr/28/headteachers-schools-england-caretakers-budget-cuts The … Continue reading Janitor strikes can close schools in Scotland but not in England