Tag: history

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Encouraging research reveals Scotland not ‘worst in world’ for teen drinking and smoking but England might be

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By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian today, there’s some pretty bad news in the above graph regarding England’s 15 year-old girls, with a sharp increase from 2018 in the percentage having smoked. There’s some but far less so for Scotland, as our 15 year-old boys and girls, reveal a slight fall to stay significantly below the average in this WHO survey of 280 000 children in 48 countries . For alcohol consumption by 13 year-old boys, the picture in Scotland is very positive with a significant fall from 2018 in the percentage having drunk alcohol. For girls there is … Continue reading Encouraging research reveals Scotland not ‘worst in world’ for teen drinking and smoking but England might be

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Tory Minister ‘wades into’ private ferry operator betraying Scilly islanders

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By stewartb In a BBC News article dated 8 January 2024 entitled ‘Grant Shapps wades into Isles of Scilly ferry row’, in the context of the lengthy ongoing saga regarding the replacement of the ageing ferry to the Isles of Scilly, we learn this from islands’ Councillor Steve Sims: “People are quite worried, because you know, it’s quite a visceral thing this. “People would like to know what’s happening and when it’s going to happen, so they can put their minds at rest really.” He said this was a “huge, huge issue” for the Isles of Scilly.’ The incumbent service … Continue reading Tory Minister ‘wades into’ private ferry operator betraying Scilly islanders

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You’re almost TWICE as likely to be on a waiting list for cardiac care in England than you are in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson From the Guardian today, we see that 408 548 are waiting for cardiac care in England. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/11/number-waiting-for-nhs-care-for-serious-heart-problems-in-england-rises-fivefold You know the drill. With one-tenth of the population, all things being as equally bad as our media would hope, Scotland might expect to have around 40 000 on the waiting list for cardiac care but according to the Herald on 6 February 2024, it’s 23 000, just over half. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24091977.cardiology-waiting-lists-at-highest-level-record Is it just this or is there a wider picture of NHS Scotland waiting lists being shorter after 16 years of the SNP in Government? Search: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=wait to … Continue reading You’re almost TWICE as likely to be on a waiting list for cardiac care in England than you are in Scotland

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SNP policies continue to push worst form of poverty downward despite UK trends

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From the Scottish Government yesterday, but getting no MSM coverage: Between 2018 and 2022, 10% of people in Scotland were in persistent poverty after housing costs. These rates have changed very little over time. Persistent poverty identifies individuals who live in relative poverty for three or more of the last survey periods. It therefore identifies people who have been living in poverty for a significant period of time, which is more damaging than brief periods spent with a low income. The impacts can affect an individual throughout their lifetime. Persistent poverty in both Wales, after forever Labour control, and in England, … Continue reading SNP policies continue to push worst form of poverty downward despite UK trends

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‘Only seven countries meet WHO air quality standard, research finds’….plus Scotland

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According to the Guardian today, Scotland is not a country and by implication falls with the UK into the failed group. The latest WHO level for the deadly PM2.5 particles is 5 micrograms per cubic metre. Though no Scottish average seems available, you can, I find, go to the IQAir site and find the level of PM2.5 where you live. How about Glasgow High Street? 3.1, well under the WHO level. https://www.iqair.com/gb/uk/scotland/glasgow/glasgow-high-street To my surprise the partly-pedestrianised Ayr High Street – 5.7, just over. Aberdeen Anderson Drive – 4.5 Edinburgh Tower Street – 1.5! Busy Queensferry Road – 1.9 Bainsford … Continue reading ‘Only seven countries meet WHO air quality standard, research finds’….plus Scotland

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‘Police Scotland acts to protect young people from County Lines drug dealers’ – how long can BBC Scotland stem the tide of local media coverage?

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Even BBC Scotland’s ‘local’ website for the Midlothian area has nothing on the serious matter of County Lines drug gangs from large cities in England terrorising small town Scotland. To be fair they have covered the arrest of a ‘beer bike’ to stem the flow of that crime wave also terrorising small town Scotland. In my local area, you can’t cross the street for ‘beer bikes’ hurtling by. Back to the point. Why Midlothian? This: The lads at the Midlothian View Reporter are on the ball but perhaps we’re being unfair to that ancient defender, the Scotsman? Drug gangs from … Continue reading ‘Police Scotland acts to protect young people from County Lines drug dealers’ – how long can BBC Scotland stem the tide of local media coverage?

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Third tower block fire in Scotland contained on one floor with no casualties proves no Grenfell risk here

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The Scottish media is full of accusations that the SNP Government is failing to spend the ‘almost £100m from the UK government‘ on fireproof cladding to avert a Grenfell ‘towering inferno‘ here. From BBC Scotland this morning: Residents have been evacuated after a fire broke out at flats in Edinburgh in the early hours of the morning. Around 45 firefighters have been tackling the blaze in Breadalbane Street, Leith, with Police Scotland also in attendance. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said it sent nine fire engines and a height appliance to the scene after the alarm was raised … Continue reading Third tower block fire in Scotland contained on one floor with no casualties proves no Grenfell risk here

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The comedy time lag on Scotland’s violent past

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Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ Here’s an English comedian recently working the hard Scots stereotype. Comedians, Scottish ones too, have lived of this trope for decades. As recently as 2005, not quite 20 years ago, it was based on a degree of reality: In 2005, a United Nations report named Scotland as the most violent country in the developed world. You were 3x more likely to be a victim of assault in Glasgow than you were in America. Glasgow … Continue reading The comedy time lag on Scotland’s violent past

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England well ahead of Scotland on post Grenfell cladding remediation…..because only they actually need to be

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ In the latest of the endlessly ill-informed coverage of flammable cladding on tower blocks being replaced, Scotland’s Insider has: Only two of the 105 buildings included in the Scottish Government’s cladding remediation programme have had work carried out. With a Holyrood committee scrutinising new legislation aimed at dealing with potentially flammable cladding on blocks of flats, MSPs said that “progress has been slow”. A report published by the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee said: “Of the 105 buildings within the Scottish Government’s cladding remediation programme, only … Continue reading England well ahead of Scotland on post Grenfell cladding remediation…..because only they actually need to be

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Conspiracy to push drugs across ‘county lines’ into Dumfries and Scotland

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ From Greater Manchester Police news two days ago but not being covered by the Dumfries newspapers or wider Scottish media: Officers in GMP’s Challenger South team, along with forcewide resources executed 12 warrants across Manchester, West Yorkshire and in Scotland in relation to an investigation into a conspiracy to supply class B drugs. Seven people aged between 24 and 58 were arrested this morning on suspicion of conspiracy to supply the class B drug of cannabis. They are all suspected to be involved in a conspiracy to … Continue reading Conspiracy to push drugs across ‘county lines’ into Dumfries and Scotland