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Laughable – the Scotsman’s ‘top economist’ casting doubt on the SNP budget is not even vaguely one of those

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. In the Scotsman, 4 days ago, and influencing other reports in Scotland’s media: SNP budget ‘looks increasingly detached from reality’, top economist warns – SNP ministers have not got the money to pay for doctor’s pay deals with next year’s budget looking ‘increasingly detached from reality,” atop economist has warned. and: David Phillips, an economist with IFS, said: “The Scottish Government’s funding allocations for health in 2026/27 look increasingly detached from reality. To get a job as a university lecturer in Economics, you’d need a PhD and one or two research-based papers … Continue reading Laughable – the Scotsman’s ‘top economist’ casting doubt on the SNP budget is not even vaguely one of those

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Referral for terror concerns of 11 to 15 year-olds SIX times more common in England & Wales than in Scotland

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. From 25-3990 – Prevent Data – age breakdown of under 15s + referral reason – 2016/17 TD, published yesterday: There were 33, 27, and 39, eleven to fifteen year-olds in Scotland, referred to Prevent who had their cases followed up, in the years 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24. Before the Pandemic-affected year of 202/21, the average was around 30 so there is no sign of an increasing trend. https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2026/january/25-3990-prevent-data-age-breakdown-of-under-15s-referral-reason-2016-17-td/ If the level of the problem was similar in England & Wales, you might expect a figure of around 430. It was 2 729, … Continue reading Referral for terror concerns of 11 to 15 year-olds SIX times more common in England & Wales than in Scotland

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UK unemployment 40% higher, youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland, BBC Scotland ‘disappear’ the good news again

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. BBC Breakfast this morning with an extended piece on unemployment not being mirrored by BBC Scotland. The unemployment rate in Scotland at the end of 2025, was 3.7%, down from 3.8% in 2024.  In crude terms 5.1 is 1.4 greater than 3.7 but as a percentage, to take account of the millions of people being referred to, unemployment in England is 37.8% higher. There are about 1.8m unemployed in the UK so if the rate was the same in the UK as it is in Scotland, hundreds of thousands of those would be … Continue reading UK unemployment 40% higher, youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland, BBC Scotland ‘disappear’ the good news again

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Murder by stabbing in Scotland has fallen in a steady trend to half of the level of 6 years ago but the Herald seeks to scare you

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. I am not, in any way, disputing the case for police officers confronted with a knife-wielding attacker to be able to protect themselves fully and quickly, and use a gun, if it’s deemed necessary. However, the above Herald front page, based on trade union data, like its even more melodramatic cousin in the Record yesterday, is in danger of unnecessarily panicking the wider population. Why? Murder by stabbing in Scotland has fallen in a steady trend to half of the level 6 years ago – From Knife crime statistics: FOI release, published today, … Continue reading Murder by stabbing in Scotland has fallen in a steady trend to half of the level of 6 years ago but the Herald seeks to scare you

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Scottish Government report on ‘Five years of Scottish Child Payment’ totally ignored by ‘our’ media

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Scottish Child Payment has supported more than 241,000 parents and carers since its launch five years ago, helping put over £1.3 billion into the pockets of low-income families. An increase to the payment for children under one will be introduced during 2027/28, estimated to benefit around 12,000 children and could be worth an extra £500 a year for each eligible child. The payment, which is only available in Scotland, provides families with £27.15 a week, rising to £28.20 from April 2026, for every eligible child under 16.  Latest figures show more than 322,000 children are … Continue reading Scottish Government report on ‘Five years of Scottish Child Payment’ totally ignored by ‘our’ media

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Scottish Labour – Not just friends of paedophiles but by far the most actual convicted sex offenders, including 5 paedophiles, convicted since 2007

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. To be fair, she’s in the top position, though we’ll soon see how long she lasts there and you’ll note they’ve kept the ‘sex offender‘ bit small and the ‘paedophile‘ bit invisible. In an extended piece by Andrew Kerr, there’s complete avoidance of the word ‘paedophile‘ and absolutely no historical context of the kind we always get with the SNP. Here it is: Two Scottish Labour MSP, Anas Sarwar and Pam Duncan Glancy, both long-term friends of known paedophiles, but the problems run far deeper at Scottish Labour. Based on extensive searches … Continue reading Scottish Labour – Not just friends of paedophiles but by far the most actual convicted sex offenders, including 5 paedophiles, convicted since 2007

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95% of Scotland’s schools in good condition up from only 62% under Labour and they struggle to do anything about it in England after 19 months in government

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and need refurbishing or even replacing, according to a group of MPs in a report that’s out this morning. Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. That’s the message on BBC Breakfast this morning. What’s the situation in Scotland? This but you won’t be hearing it elsewhere: By stewartb School estate statistics 2024 provides statistics for context and perspective. It follows a BBC Scotland article on the corporation’s News website on 12 October headlined: ‘Child safety fears as ‘repaired’ ceiling falls at neglected school’. Now don’t get me wrong, no one should have a piece of wood or plasterboard … Continue reading 95% of Scotland’s schools in good condition up from only 62% under Labour and they struggle to do anything about it in England after 19 months in government

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Shamefully, even now, BBC Scotland still conceal how Jeanne Freeman’s, unique in the UK, quick action on vaccines saved thousands of lives in Scottish care homes

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. In BBC Scotland’s retrospective comment on Jeanne Freeman’s time as Health Secretary, they write: Freeman stood beside Sturgeon in press conferences throughout the next year. There would be praise for their calm stewardship and she was there at the start of the vaccine roll-out. But the decision to discharge elderly hospital patients to care homes during the first few weeks of the pandemic without a requirement for a negative test was one which hung over Freeman for the rest of her time in politics and beyond. The worst mortality rates were … Continue reading Shamefully, even now, BBC Scotland still conceal how Jeanne Freeman’s, unique in the UK, quick action on vaccines saved thousands of lives in Scottish care homes

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No media coverage as Scottish Government allocates £20m to help young people secure homes where they live and second homes plummet by half from Labour era

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. From the Scottish Government yesterday into complete media silence: Plans to develop a Rural and Island Housing Grant Scheme, with an indicative budget of up to £20 million over four years, have been announced by the First Minister. Designed to help with costs in rural and island communities, the scheme will enable people, including first-time buyers and families, to own affordable homes in the places they want to live. Announcing the scheme at the National Farmers Union Scotland Conference, the First Minister also confirmed a package of agricultural support including £14.25 … Continue reading No media coverage as Scottish Government allocates £20m to help young people secure homes where they live and second homes plummet by half from Labour era

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Almost all terror-related offences in Scotland carried out by whites

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. From a Police Scotland Freedom of Information request 25-2862 Crime stats – Terrorism inc. accused gender/ age/ ethnicity – 2025 published today, where ethnicity was recorded: Ethnicity Total White Scottish 9 White British 6 White Irish 1 White Other 1 White European 6 White North European 1 Black Scottish Other 1 Source: https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2025/october/25-2862-crime-stats-terrorism-inc-accused-gender-age-ethnicity-2025/ Why is there little sign there of the Islamic terror threat typically frothed about in the popular news media in England? Some ideas I posted tentatively in 2019: I know we have lots of racists and Islamophobes in … Continue reading Almost all terror-related offences in Scotland carried out by whites