Tag: history

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‘It isn’t tax payers money, it’s the government’s money and the government chooses what is spent’

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By rogercolkett You know that I support your untiring efforts to confront the lies obfuscations and omissions of the mainstream media that seek to show Scotland in as negative a way possible. And I share your annoyance at the waste of resources by the UK Government on projects that provide no benefit to Scotland, it’s part of the reason that I want  Scotland to be an independent country. The main reason, though, is that I would like to live in a Scotland that wasn’t tied to the anti-social and spurious neo-liberal Ideology that dominates the cities of London and Westminster. … Continue reading ‘It isn’t tax payers money, it’s the government’s money and the government chooses what is spent’

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Swinney need not apologise for Sinn Fein ‘links’ as IRA was not responsible for the deaths of any Scottish civilians in Scotland

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I understand why the relatives of Scottish soldiers, often just boys at the time, will be upset by links with Sinn Fein but their anger would be better directed at the UK government and senior officers who sent them, ill-prepared, into a brutal civil war, in the first place. The UK has full diplomatic relationships with political parties of government in countries, from Ireland, through Kenya, to Israel and Malaysia, where similar young Scottish soldiers were sent, similarly ill-prepared, to die. Should we ask UK ministers to apologise? This is another media/opposition campaign, exploiting these parents and relatives in an … Continue reading Swinney need not apologise for Sinn Fein ‘links’ as IRA was not responsible for the deaths of any Scottish civilians in Scotland

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Scottish Government has done more to support vulnerable young care leavers

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this: In the Guardian today, the above and: More than 100 young people have died after leaving the care of social services in England in the past year, according to data released by the government. In the year to April 2026 there were 106 reported deaths of care leavers, with 91 deaths reported in the 12 months before. Most of those who died were aged 16 to 21. Although a requirement to report these deaths was introduced in 2023, ministers believe the true figure is probably higher. Labour launched an urgent review into the deaths in April … Continue reading Scottish Government has done more to support vulnerable young care leavers

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Scotland’s essential historian for these times publishes the one modestly priced and most concise yet best History of Scotland you need to read and to buy for all those that matter to you

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From Columba to The Corries, the Picts to Paisley, Doggerland to Devolution – here is the unmissable story of Scotland. Scotland is one of the oldest nations in Europe. Its territory remains fundamentally unchanged since the fifteenth century, and its southern border with England has barely altered since 1237.And yet Scotland – a country with its own law, education and church – is not a state at all. In The Shortest History of Scotland, Murray Pittock argues that this very ambiguity has helped make the nation a central part of the global story.From first tribes to Scotland’s multicultural present, Pittock unpicks … Continue reading Scotland’s essential historian for these times publishes the one modestly priced and most concise yet best History of Scotland you need to read and to buy for all those that matter to you

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NHS Highland director reveals child poverty in her previous Wales responsibility is predicted to be a shocking nearly 60% higher

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are living in poverty. BBC Scotland’s wee insert in BBC Breakfast this morning is announcing the above and, on their website: Public health director Jennifer Davies said that of its 12,834 under-fives, almost 22% lived in relative poverty. In a new report, Davies said the “sheer geographic scale” of the area – which covers the Highlands and Argyll and Bute – posed challenges in reaching health services for some families. She said they could benefit from greater availability of housing, improved transport links and investment in play spaces. Davies said support for families should also be strengthened to maximise access … Continue reading NHS Highland director reveals child poverty in her previous Wales responsibility is predicted to be a shocking nearly 60% higher

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Restore Britain’s position – You live in England, you speak English

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By Liz S Rupert Lowe , an English Nationalist , has now created a new party that he has called ‘Restore Britain‘. Reading his many daily posts on ‘X’ you will see how often he sees England and English as the same as Britain and Britishness , as for him there seems to be no distinction between the two. Yesterday he wrote (yet another) long post about Councils , Reform UK ones, “spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on foreign language translation” He concluded his post in stating this: “Let me be clear about Restore Britain’s position. We would scrap ALL foreign language … Continue reading Restore Britain’s position – You live in England, you speak English

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Ayrshire MP backs leader candidate who pompously refused us a referendum, is closest to private healthcare and to Lord Mandelson

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In his local Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald today, the above and: He insists the former health secretary already has the support of more than 81 Labour MPs – the number needed to back a single candidate to trigger a leadership contest against PM Keir Starmer. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s World at One, Mr Gemmell said: “It’s clear in conversations with MPs and with the unions that the party wants a discussion, a battle of ideas, an open contest, a broad contest for the direction that we should take and how we fix the problems that we’re in. “I hope … Continue reading Ayrshire MP backs leader candidate who pompously refused us a referendum, is closest to private healthcare and to Lord Mandelson

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How can the Guardian claim to be a member of the free press when it supports colonialism in Scotland and its editor won’t even acknowledge a polite letter asking why?

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The Guardian continues to locate itself among the ‘free press’: The Guardian has something many news organisations today don’t: guaranteed independence. With no billionaire or large corporate owner, our journalists are free to report without interference. Our role is to hold power to account, not answer to it. We value whatever you can spare, but a monthly subscription makes the most impact, enabling greater investment in our most crucial, fearless journalism. Thank you. Those of us ‘up here’ know that the Guardian, to this day, reports events in Scotland biased in favour of the Scottish Labour Branch’s interests. For many examples, … Continue reading How can the Guardian claim to be a member of the free press when it supports colonialism in Scotland and its editor won’t even acknowledge a polite letter asking why?

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With TWELVE times as many temporary school exclusions and ONE THOUSAND times as many permanent exclusions, PER HEAD, than Scotland, England’s schools are in a deep crisis fuelling County Lines gangs and street violence

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Thanks again to Dorothy for alerting me to this. From Channel 4 News last night, the above and: England’s schools have been described as being gripped by rising levels of violence against both teachers and pupils, leading to permanent exclusions. According to a new report, a record 3,320 pupils were permanently excluded last spring – which is about 21% higher than before the Covid pandemic. The report also found vulnerable children were affected most – with their exclusions from school almost 6% higher than other pupils. More than 300,000 were suspended last spring. https://www.channel4.com/news/permanent-exclusions-up-21-as-violence-in-schools-rise What are the comparable figures for … Continue reading With TWELVE times as many temporary school exclusions and ONE THOUSAND times as many permanent exclusions, PER HEAD, than Scotland, England’s schools are in a deep crisis fuelling County Lines gangs and street violence

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Attacker of two Jewish men in London had earlier tried to murder a Muslim but typically duplicitous UK media hide that in just the same way they hide essential facts from Scotland – we need out of this

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Readers may feel we’re straying into an area not directly related to our mission but as Liz S points out this is another example of the duplicity of the UK media that we must surely want to leave behind. By Liz S Much of the media and the Met Police are obscuring something else that happened on the same day a man attacked, as in stabbed, two Jewish men in London. Most of the media and the Met police are promoting this as a anti semitic attack and are only referring to two Jewish men being attacked. However it appear that on the same day the suspect was … Continue reading Attacker of two Jewish men in London had earlier tried to murder a Muslim but typically duplicitous UK media hide that in just the same way they hide essential facts from Scotland – we need out of this