Tag: history

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NHS Scotland trains nearly TWICE as many nurses, per capita, as NHS England every year yet the Royal College of Nursing is only campaigning against the SNP in Scotland in an election run-up

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The Herald and other press operating in Scotland today have this story from the Royal College of Nursing: Scotland is currently missing the equivalent of an entire year’s cohort of nursing students, with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) warning that rapid action is necessary to address the declining number of people applying to study nursing. The RCN has stated that more than 3,500 fewer students have started nursing degrees over the last four years than the Scottish Government said were needed, leaving a gap that equals an entire annual intake. This “missing cohort” will impact hospitals, community services, and care settings for years to come. The RCN has urged politicians to take decisive action to promote nursing careers and support individuals who choose to study nursing, including providing clear pathways for career progression and stronger financial support for students. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26009297.nurses-stark-warning-parties-entire-years-cohort-missing/ It’s not on the BBC Scotland News website but I’m guessing that Reporting Scotland Down and Good Mourning Scotland broadcasts will be all over it. The RCN has nothing about nurse recruitment in England and yet: The Scotsman in February 2025 was front-paging Alarm over fresh drop in applicants for nurses course based on a 2% reduction in applications, from 4 650 to 4 560, six months before ‘clearing’ processes in the week and months before courses start, can fill the missing places. The ‘alarm’ was from a … Continue reading NHS Scotland trains nearly TWICE as many nurses, per capita, as NHS England every year yet the Royal College of Nursing is only campaigning against the SNP in Scotland in an election run-up

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Why Labour and others are wrong in seeking to merge CalMac and CMAL, why Norway does not compare and how the current system protects the islanders from the harsh economies they would face

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The initial decision to separate ownership/procurement (CMAL) from operations (CalMac) in 2006, by Jack McConnell and Douglas Alexander, was based on the notion that it can create better incentives for efficiency and performance while allowing the public sector to retain strategic control over fares, service standards, routes, quality, and subsidies, to protect islanders. Contrary to the media frenzy driven largely by an inarticulate, evidence-free, media-constructed popular culture and/or explicit opposition party opportunism, it has worked to protect islanders. While some have insisted on comparison only with Norway, $2 trillion in the bank and full independence, while Scotland, one hand tied … Continue reading Why Labour and others are wrong in seeking to merge CalMac and CMAL, why Norway does not compare and how the current system protects the islanders from the harsh economies they would face

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‘Stealing food from the mouths of animals north of the border’ – Is an English animal charity still taking millions from Scots while doing no work in Scotland?

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As with O-levels when it should have been O-Grades and 11-plus when it should have been the ‘Qualies’, UK-wide media have confused Scots for decades and RSPCA and SSPCA remains a bone of contention. My family often say RSPCA yet the RSPCA does no work at all in Scotland? Does it raise money from Scots who see the adverts on ‘national’ TV? In 2009, the Herald revealed the above. Is there evidence that people in Scotland still give to the RSPCA though they only work in England? Yes, there is clear evidence that people in Scotland donate to the RSPCA … Continue reading ‘Stealing food from the mouths of animals north of the border’ – Is an English animal charity still taking millions from Scots while doing no work in Scotland?

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Are there similarities in the psychology used by Donald Trump against Iran and that use by Sir Keir Starmer or Wes Streeting against the resident doctors? Yes, indeed, there are.

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Listening to Trump and Starmer, as a former teacher, I couldn’t help but notice how they’re both using psychologies long discredited in teaching – they just don’t work. I have a familiar, a raven on my shoulder called Grok! I asked him. He saw it too and he researched a fully-referenced for me as I tire after a Saturday afternoon beer: Yes, there are notable similarities in the psychological tactics and negotiation strategies employed, though the contexts differ dramatically (high-stakes international statecraft versus domestic public-sector labor disputes). Both involve coercive bargaining, public framing to shift moral responsibility, and pressure through … Continue reading Are there similarities in the psychology used by Donald Trump against Iran and that use by Sir Keir Starmer or Wes Streeting against the resident doctors? Yes, indeed, there are.

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BBC Scotland comparing the Scottish NHS with the rest of the UK but no mention of English strikes

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By Liz S Talking of hiding things from the public……. The experts, that is the BBC, are the ones who are adept in that type of behaviour, in their quest to publish, transmit and broadcast all and any #SNPBAD news. MSM Monitor posted this below as an astute observation re the BBC supposed NHS comparisons today: “BBC Scotland is comparing the Scottish NHS with the rest of the UK. No mention of English strikes. No mention that corridor care is lowest in Scotland No mention of Scotland having highest NHS satisfaction. No mention of multiple English critical incidents this winter … Continue reading BBC Scotland comparing the Scottish NHS with the rest of the UK but no mention of English strikes

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Dear George (Monbiot), here’s why ‘this country’ is not a dump’

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George Monbiot in the Guardian today: This country’s a dump. I don’t mean that metaphorically. I mean it literally. From the point of view of criminal waste gangs, it is one big potential landfill. The chances of being caught range between minimal and nonexistent, and the penalties are mostly laughable. Successive governments have given criminals a licence to print money. Last week, the Commons public accounts committee reported that illegal waste dumping is “out of control”. The UK is now blighted with between 8,000 and 13,000 illegal waste sites. Most consist of a few lorry loads. Some contain tens of thousands of tonnes of waste, which … Continue reading Dear George (Monbiot), here’s why ‘this country’ is not a dump’

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A Guardian picture tells a story of Scotland’s place even amongst England’s liberal elite

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See those Ivory Coast players in orange, very bottom left in the (just) ‘More sport’ afterthought section? That’s the report of Scotland’s 1 nil defeat last night, right at the bottom. I read the Guardian all the time but won’t pay until they change their editorial policy to oppose Scottish independence at the same time as not opposing any other country’s departure from the brutal empire they apparently now regret. I wrote this on February 19 February 2026, six weeks ago. Not even an acknowledgement far less a response. Katherine Viner, Editor, the Guardian, katharine.viner@guardian.co.uk Dear Katharine I’d really like … Continue reading A Guardian picture tells a story of Scotland’s place even amongst England’s liberal elite

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Scotland’s own global celebrity drug baron is not your main concern

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The media operating in Scotland have loved Scotland getting to this ‘world-cup’ of global celebrity drug barons ‘masterminding hits’ on other global celebrity drug barons and the associated relatively minor collateral violence back home in Scotland. As that peaked in the summer of 2025, the Telegraph had: A wave of violence The flames have been there for all to see. Over six weeks in March and April, there were more than a dozen arson attacks in the two cities, with cars, homes, garages and businesses set alight. In other incidents, shots have been fired and two people, a pensioner and a 12-year-old boy, seriously … Continue reading Scotland’s own global celebrity drug baron is not your main concern

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BBC Scotland admit County Lines drug gangs are another plague from England but try to contain it in the Highlands

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Charity workers have raised concern about the number of vulnerable youngsters in the Highlands being targeted big city drug dealers from England. Barnardo’s staff say they’re being exploited and threatened by County Lines drug gangs in Inverness. The charity runs the Anchor project in the City, which is trying to help tackle the problem. Police reckon 12 organised crime groups are operating in the Highland capital. BBC Scotland, in their BBC breakfast insert this morning, with a second only explicit mention of where the County Lines drug gangs are from. I must say, I’m puzzled by this openness after 7 … Continue reading BBC Scotland admit County Lines drug gangs are another plague from England but try to contain it in the Highlands

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The Glasgow waste depot workers strike, Anas Sarwar and Holyrood Election 2026 – GMB won’t eat with rats but will work with them to save their ‘Marriage made in Hiroshima and Chernobyl’

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Nicely timed for the next Scottish election, the GMB staff at the Polmadie waste recycling centre in Glasgow have been called out by their Labour-affiliated leaders. They did the same thing, again in alliance with the city’s rats, furry and Labour versions, in October 2021 to try to undermine the SNP Council and SNP Government: Cleansing staff in Glasgow have confirmed they will strike for a week during the COP26 climate summit. Members of the GMB union voted to strike last week and gave local authority body Cosla until Monday to table an improved pay offer. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-58961077 The GMB has … Continue reading The Glasgow waste depot workers strike, Anas Sarwar and Holyrood Election 2026 – GMB won’t eat with rats but will work with them to save their ‘Marriage made in Hiroshima and Chernobyl’