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

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

Police Scotland less likely to stop and search children and minorities

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

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

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?

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

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?

Oz taxpayers pay for new wharves but must wait years for ferries in latest fiasco

From the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday: Taxpayers have spent $78 million for two soon-to-be-opened ferry wharves near the entrance to Sydney’s Botany Bay, but the public faces a years-long wait for services between La Perouse and Kurnell because of state government indecision. and from the Leader: Transport Minister Jo Haylen and Coordinator General, Transport for NSW, Howard Collins were grilled by Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party MP Mark Banasiak, who said it had “always been a dog of a project” and was “the epitome of white elephants”. Meanwhile in Scotland: By Professor John Robertson From the Scottish Government today and, of … Continue reading Oz taxpayers pay for new wharves but must wait years for ferries in latest fiasco

New BBC Scotland tactic – ‘numbing the senses of the nation with trivia’

By stewartb The contributions to life in Scotland by the public service broadcaster, BBC Scotland are well known to TuS readers. Most readily analysed is its output appearing daily on the BBC News website: context-free, perspective-free news on economic and political matters; politicisation of public service issues to a degree unknown in the output of BBC Wales; an evident preference for negativity – candidly, gaslighting; and to reinforce this, a practice of bias by omission. All the foregoing is consistent with exerting influence in support for the Union. However, today on the Corporation’s News website we may be seeing a … Continue reading New BBC Scotland tactic – ‘numbing the senses of the nation with trivia’

Fury as taxpayers fork out BILLIONS on warships that have never fought but ferries, ferries, ferries………

As you can see , our wee sniffling rodents are all over the story of the crew that had to be recruited for the new ferries before delays set in. THREE POINT FNNNN MILLION! They were less interested in these far greater tales of wasted BILLIONS. First, in 2018, from the Mail: The £6 billion Royal Navy fleet that hardly ever went to sea: Warships that can’t sail in the heat spent 80 per cent of the year in dock The British Royal Navy’s six Type 45 £1 billion destroyers barely ever leave their docks HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender, … Continue reading Fury as taxpayers fork out BILLIONS on warships that have never fought but ferries, ferries, ferries………

The relative effectiveness of Scotland’s health services – so different from what Unionist politicians and their MSM allies portray in their gaslighting of Scotland’s electorate!

By stewartb You may be interested to learn the following about childhood vaccination take-up rates. Source: NHS England (28 Sep 2023) Childhood Vaccination Coverage Statistics, England, 2022-23.  See the section of the report entitled ‘Coverage in UK countries – 2022-23’: it has a table which displays the latest annual (2022-23) coverage values for all childhood vaccinations across the four UK countries. Overwhelmingly, the take-up rates in Scotland are the highest of any UK country across the full range of childhood vaccinations. (See https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-immunisation-statistics/england-2022-23/6in-1-vaccine  ) To prevent whooping cough, the childhood disease in the news today from England, the relevant vaccine is termed … Continue reading The relative effectiveness of Scotland’s health services – so different from what Unionist politicians and their MSM allies portray in their gaslighting of Scotland’s electorate!

Scotland to power millions of homes in England, for no return, for the moment

From the Yorkshire Post in February 2024: Landowners in East Yorkshire have complained of feeling “pressurised” over an undersea electricity “superhighway” from Scotland to England which will cross their land. The £2.1bn link between Peterhead in north east Scotland and Drax in north Yorkshire, is expected to provide enough “green” electricity from Scottish offshore wind farms to power 2m homes in England. England. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/the-yorkshire-beach-where-ps21bn-cable-carrying-electricity-from-scottish-windfarms-will-come-onshore-4039515?s=03 Bloody Scots, comin’ down ere, powering our homes and blighting our landscapes with their pylons? 2 million homes eh? Based on average electricity bills, around £2 billion in revenue, taxed by the UK Treasury and kept there for … Continue reading Scotland to power millions of homes in England, for no return, for the moment

Cannabis use by Scotland’s teens – Lisa Summer’s deliberate attempt at obfuscation or just clumsy?

By stewartb The availability of the cannabis use statistic for Scotland may be very ‘fortuitous’ for the headline writer of the BBC News website’s article on Scotland. The same website’s piece on its main UK page which focuses on England tells us: ‘NO DATA ON CANNABIS WAS PROVIDED FOR ENGLAND.’ (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-68884005) The article on England now only has prominence on the BBC News website’s ‘health’ page. At the bottom of the article, the BBC provides links to ‘related topics’ which include ‘alcohol’ and ‘cannabis’. The BBC News website’s article on the same WHO data remains prominent on the main Scotland page (at … Continue reading Cannabis use by Scotland’s teens – Lisa Summer’s deliberate attempt at obfuscation or just clumsy?