Tag: history

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Baroness Hallett confused about difference between croneyism, corruption and connections to government

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By Liz S Talking of PPE and on the BBC website but currently hidden under the ‘Health’ section. Covid Inquiry reported by the BBC on 14 July this year stated this: Headline “Covid inquiry PPE report – key findings” “The VIP lane system was introduced in April 2020 in England“ The policy was sharply criticised by (Baroness) Hallett who described it as a “misguided attempt at prioritisation” that “embedded unfairness in emergency procurement”. “Sharply criticised” , “misguided attempt at prioritisation” and also “unfairness” wow that’s reprimanding them………not. “While she said there was “no evidence of cronyism or corruption” by ministers or officials when awarding contracts, the system was “inherently biased towards those with … Continue reading Baroness Hallett confused about difference between croneyism, corruption and connections to government

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How Nick Hancock ordered PPE manufacturers not to send supplies to Scottish care homes for the elderly in 2020 – The pandemic exposed the Union for what it is

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Yesterday, BBC Health had: The lives of NHS staff and patients were put at risk in the pandemic because of a lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), with almost £10bn of taxpayers’ money wasted in a scramble to buy more, the Covid inquiry has said. The chair Baroness Hallett criticised the “vast” waste in procurement, put at £9.9bn – two-thirds of the £14.9bn the government spent on PPE. The UK entered the pandemic with its stockpile of masks, gowns and gloves in a perilous state and was unprepared for the global race to secure supplies, she added. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrxrlydyzzo BBC … Continue reading How Nick Hancock ordered PPE manufacturers not to send supplies to Scottish care homes for the elderly in 2020 – The pandemic exposed the Union for what it is

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Burnham’s Manchester is the worst for homelessness in the north west

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By stewartb Ah but what about the supposed economic miracle that is Manchester? From the Manchester Evening News (December 11, 2025): ‘Manchester is the worst for homelessness in the north west – One in every 61 people in Manchester are homeless, according to the latest data. There are 4,678 children and a total of 9,589 people without a home in the Manchester city council area – the most out of any other area in the north west.’ Homelessness across Greater Manchester by borough: Manchester – 9,589 (one in every 61 people) Salford – 2,327 (one in every 126 people) Oldham – 1,347 (One … Continue reading Burnham’s Manchester is the worst for homelessness in the north west

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A more than 3 000 extra violent crimes surge in Scotland’s once low crime areas is more in the public interest than going to a murder pub in Spain over 84 ‘offences’ in Scotland

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BBC Scotland today, surprisingly, given the Widdicombe murder obsession of all the press, has headlined: Gang feud ended with ‘resolution of differences’ between rivals – police – Ross McGill (centre), the former head of Rangers Football Club’s ultras fan group the Union Bears, was a key figure in the feud – Police have revealed that a violent gangland feud spanning six months came to an end through dozens of arrests and a “resolution of differences” between rival groups. The trouble began in Edinburgh last March and led to a series of fire-raisings and attempted murders across the central belt, totalling … Continue reading A more than 3 000 extra violent crimes surge in Scotland’s once low crime areas is more in the public interest than going to a murder pub in Spain over 84 ‘offences’ in Scotland

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SNP buy Prestwick Airport for just £1, make £14 million profit and create 5 000 jobs in only 4 years while its sister airport in Kent goes out of business in only 6 months to become just a lorry park

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From Ian McConnell, the Herald‘s token unbiased, intelligent and ethical journalist but clearly not in control of the headlines, today, has the above and: Source: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26268301.prestwick-airports-flights-success-financial-results-revealed/?ref=ebbn&nid=1388&u=54f15f1382a35160f5f9fbd9de82faff&date=130726 We can add that £3.9m and 200 jobs to the figures I had last November. The Ayrshire Daily New’s Doug Maclean, has a fine piece of journalism serving the information needs of the community. Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Robert Martin for alerting me to this. Both Prestwick airport and its sister airport at Manston in Kent were available for sale in 2013. Both were losing money and the company that owned them were not able or prepared to … Continue reading SNP buy Prestwick Airport for just £1, make £14 million profit and create 5 000 jobs in only 4 years while its sister airport in Kent goes out of business in only 6 months to become just a lorry park

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As youth violence and murder by minors plummet is this the Herald’s most inaccurate, misleading and unethical piece of clickbait ever?

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I know, I’ve already sorted the Herald‘s front page in an earlier report this morning but this email alert version above takes their dishonesty to a new level with the suggestion that ‘new data‘ from schools, on possession, exposes a rise in actual youth violence. It’s utterly untrue, a disgraceful lie aimed at clickbait at the expense of our mental health. So, to repeat: Recorded crime incidents in schools where a blade article or ‘point’ was ‘concerned’ fell from 149 to 127 last year. That’s 0.04% of the secondary school population. The above term does not in any way simply equate to … Continue reading As youth violence and murder by minors plummet is this the Herald’s most inaccurate, misleading and unethical piece of clickbait ever?

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Rapists and sex offenders among 5 000 prisoners to be released early only in England – SNP Government will not release any such offenders early in Scotland

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. In the Guardian yesterday: Opponents of plans to release rapists and sex offenders early from prison have “no solutions” to halt the criminal justice system’s possible collapse, David Lammy has said. Under pressure from Labour MPs – including the former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips – to curb the early release scheme, the deputy prime minister said failing to implement it could leave no capacity across jails in England and Wales in November. Killers, rapists and sex offenders will be among more than 5,000 prisoners freed early from September. They include those convicted of manslaughter, rape, grievous … Continue reading Rapists and sex offenders among 5 000 prisoners to be released early only in England – SNP Government will not release any such offenders early in Scotland

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Glasgow disorder orchestrated by individuals not from Scotland

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In the Glasgow Times, two days ago: Disorder in Glasgow this week has been branded as “disgraceful” and is said to have been ‘orchestrated by individuals who are not from the city’. Protests took place outside homes in the Cranhill and Castlemilk areas earlier this week after claims spread locally and online that ‘suspected sex offenders’ were living there. A significant police response was deployed to both incidents to try and control crowds who could be heard shouting “get them out” and ‘no peace for the beast’ at the properties. David Kennedy, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file … Continue reading Glasgow disorder orchestrated by individuals not from Scotland

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SNP’s progressive policies have not destroyed growth and may have helped

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Thanks to Dottie again for this one: From What can Scotland teach Andy Burnham about devolution? Scotland’s economy has outperformed its neighbours in Future Economy Scotland yesterday, the above and: and: and my favourite: and: Taken together, the evidence is difficult to dismiss. Whether measured by GDP, productivity, earnings, disposable income or the prevalence of low pay, Scotland has generally outperformed the UK since devolution. Across most of these measures, it sits at or near the top of the UK’s league table. None of this proves that devolution itself caused these stronger outcomes. Scotland’s economy differs from England’s in important ways, and … Continue reading SNP’s progressive policies have not destroyed growth and may have helped

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The Wretched of Scotland’s Independence Movements

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While AI has often been taught to favour broadly establishment positions, reinforced by their dominance of the media landscape it relies upon, I have found that, if you keep your wits about you and counter those positions with evidence you have, it will often come to offer a more independent evidence-based answer than you will get from even the most respected but all-too-human academic, like me. Based on the evidence from the time such as the lack of a formal act of union, the unbroken, largely unchanged continuation of the parliament in London and the end of such in Scotland … Continue reading The Wretched of Scotland’s Independence Movements