Tag: history

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The plague of English drug gangs terrorising Scotland that cannot be named strikes Falkirk

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According to Police Scotland, two years ago, there were around 50 County Lines drugs, child sex and trafficking, gang groups, based in England, now operating in Scottish towns, from Fraserburgh to Dumfries. Only Auchinleck/Cumnock seems to have driven them out, when locals rioted against a Bradford-based group and burned their base, last November. See: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2023/11/29/locals-confirm-ayrshire-riots-were-against-british-drug-gangs-who-abused-under-age-girls/ While the local press and the tabloids will be explicit about this curse, BBC Scotland, STV, and the ‘serious’ press will not. The words ‘County Lines’ almost never make it to a headline and rarely appear in the text. That this is a flow exclusively … Continue reading The plague of English drug gangs terrorising Scotland that cannot be named strikes Falkirk

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London-based County Lines drug gang exploits child in Aberdeenshire but BBC Scotland look away again as election looms

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By Professor John Robertson Yesterday, STV had this headline and sub: Man, 21, charged in connection with drugs offences and child exploitation – The 21-year-old man is due to appear at Peterhead Sheriff Court on Monday, June 24. They do mention London and County Lines in the text but keep this matter, which clearly harms the Better Together story, from too much attention. I doubt the story has made a TV broadcast. Correct me if you can. BBC Scotland? It is now more than 3 years since BBC Scotland mentioned County Lines gangs, for the only time, in a post. … Continue reading London-based County Lines drug gang exploits child in Aberdeenshire but BBC Scotland look away again as election looms

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Answering Fiona Bruce’s dishonest selective long waiting list question AGAIN when NHS Scotland treats more than 14 times as many of those at risk of imminent death, per head of population, within 18 weeks!

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By Professor John Robertson Fiona Bruce tonight, asked the same question she had asked Kate Forbes last week: Why is it in Scotland there are 7 000 people who’ve waited more than two years for treatment. In England it’s just over 200. To my amazement, Forbes was not ready for it and neither was Swinney tonight. Here it is again. The UK Government and NHS England have been sneaky again, as they did when they began restarting the clock for A&E patients, after they had been triaged. They knew how the media feasted on stories of patients waiting more than two years … Continue reading Answering Fiona Bruce’s dishonest selective long waiting list question AGAIN when NHS Scotland treats more than 14 times as many of those at risk of imminent death, per head of population, within 18 weeks!

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Independence – When will we reach our tipping point? 

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By Brenda Robb Following the launch of the SNPs manifesto many folk have taken to Twitter and newspaper comments to bemoan the SNPs ability to make progress on securing independence. Every armchair expert claims to know what they should have done with solutions ranging from challenging obscure constitutional treaties, declaring UDI or just somehow sorting it. In some ways the Westminster refrain of “Now is not the time” was highly successful as it has allowed time, frustration and division to take their toll on the independence movement.  This is not new. A quick internet trawl gave the following timelines for … Continue reading Independence – When will we reach our tipping point? 

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Answering Fiona Bruce’s sneakily selective waiting list questions with ease

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Fiona Bruce tonight, interrupting Kate Forbes more than the others and campaigning on behalf of the Union with tabloid questions, asked: Why therefore is it that the average time to start chemotherapy in England is 48 days. It’s 65 in Scotland. Why is in Scotland there are 7 000 people who’ve waited more than two years for treatment. In England it’s just over 200. 1. Cancer treatment According to BBC Health in August 2023, 21% of cancer patients waited longer than the 62-day target for treatment in Scotland. In England, it was 36%, in Wales 43% and in N Ireland … Continue reading Answering Fiona Bruce’s sneakily selective waiting list questions with ease

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New research shows that building ferries overseas means getting ‘the more expensive version of that vessel’

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The troubled BC Ferries, operating in the less windy and more affluent conditions of British Columbia has an appalling record of unreliability, high prices and elderly vessels, set against record dividends for shareholders. Scotland’s islanders really need to do a bit of reading on them. Late in the day, the owners have put out a global competitive call for builders of 7 new vessels. B.C. shipbuilding giant Seaspan along with unions and suppliers have launched a new campaign dubbed Build Ferries BC that aims to have those vessels built in Canada. Their call is backed up by new research. The findings are well worth considering in … Continue reading New research shows that building ferries overseas means getting ‘the more expensive version of that vessel’

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Remaining in some corner of a foreign field that is ‘forever Scotland’, our army war dead, a greater sacrifice, 63% higher than the rest of the UK

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By Professor John Robertson In May 2020, after reading new research on Scotland’s share of UK war dead, I was able to write this: ‘Yet while the war dead of some countries were too numerous to count, we should be mindful that ‘Scotland is small enough to know all her sons by heart’ My headline comes from the conclusions to a thorough examination of the facts published in May 2019. I missed it at the time and, I suspect out media did too. Correct me if I’m wrong on that and anything else in this piece, of course. With the … Continue reading Remaining in some corner of a foreign field that is ‘forever Scotland’, our army war dead, a greater sacrifice, 63% higher than the rest of the UK

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Police Scotland less likely to stop and search children and minorities

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this> By Professor John Robertson The Guardian today has the above and: Hundreds of children under 10 faced stop and search by police last year, including some who were strip-searched, the Observer can reveal. At least 432 children under the age of criminal responsibility were searched by the police forces in England and Wales in 2023, according to data.police.uk, an official site for open data on crime and policing. Nearly a quarter of all the searches were conducted on those from black, Asian, or other minority ethnic backgrounds – disproportionately high compared with population representation. First, putting the … Continue reading Police Scotland less likely to stop and search children and minorities

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Why is type 2 diabetes among under 40s far less common and increasing less steeply in Scotland?

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this; In the Guardian today, the above graph and: The number of people under 40 being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the UK has risen 39% in six years, fuelled by soaring obesity levels and cheap junk food. Look at the dark bar for Scotland and imagine it 10 times thicker, for comparison with a country ten times more populous, and it’s barely half as thick. Does that suggest type 2 diabetes is only half as common in Scotland than it is in England? There are no separate data on the under … Continue reading Why is type 2 diabetes among under 40s far less common and increasing less steeply in Scotland?

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Can Modern Studies be taught by an International Court of Justice denier?

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S5 Modern Studies pupil, Tommy, seeing the above, in September 2024, asks newly returned and miserable Mr Shanks, after losing his Rutherglen seat in the 4 July Westminster General Election, can I do: Question 19 International organisations have had both success and failure in tackling international conflicts and issues. Describe, in detail, two successes or failures of an international organisation in tackling the international conflict or issue you have studied. In your answer you must state the world conflict or issue you have studied. on how the UN and the International Court of Justice failed to stop the genocide in … Continue reading Can Modern Studies be taught by an International Court of Justice denier?