Tag: history

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The strange case of YouGov’s shrinking Glasgow samples confirms their polls to be purely propaganda

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy I’ve written before about YouGov‘s unerring and almost unique (Survation too) ability to pluck a No lead out of a trend dominated by Yes leads, found by various other pollsters. It’s been a long time since they found a Yes lead. They seem to prevent it by adjusting (weighting) their sample to have 55% No voters and 45% Yes voters as in 2014 and thus get the same result ten years later. James Kelly of Scot Goes Pop has already reported on this at: https://scotgoespop.blogspot.com/2026/02/why-is-yougov-under-representing-yes.html … Continue reading The strange case of YouGov’s shrinking Glasgow samples confirms their polls to be purely propaganda

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‘Aggressive assertion’ in Spain and England fans – two former imperial powers – but Scotland fans’ jovial defiance ?

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy Two stories today have got my goat. Yes, I know you know my goat well. First, in the Guardian today: ‘The referee has to be neutral’: Rodri claims Manchester City are victims of injustice – Rodri said: “I know we won too much and the people don’t want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral. It’s not fair because we work so hard. When everything is finished, you are frustrated.” https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/feb/02/rodri-referee-neutral-manchester-city-spurs ‘Rodri’, I thought, why do I already have a dim view … Continue reading ‘Aggressive assertion’ in Spain and England fans – two former imperial powers – but Scotland fans’ jovial defiance ?

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Starmer’s China whisky deal will benefit Scotland by SFA!

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy From BBC Scotland, 30 January 2026: A cut in tariffs on Scottish whisky exports to China will come into force on Monday, the prime minister has told the BBC. As a result of a new deal agreed during Sir Keir Starmer’s trip to China, import taxes on whisky will be cut from 10% to 5% – a deal the UK government said would be worth £250m to the UK’s economy over the next five years. Scotch whisky is a key export for Britain’s drinks … Continue reading Starmer’s China whisky deal will benefit Scotland by SFA!

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Scottish homes will probably not have to be abandoned: how climate crisis has reshaped RumpUK’s flood risk

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy In the Guardian today: ‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/31/climate-crisis-flood-risk-britain There’s only one mention of Scotland: But it is not just the south-west facing ever more floods as the climate crisis bites. Environment Agency data estimates 6.3m properties in England are at risk of flooding, rising to 8m by 2050, with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland also hit hard. Wow, impressive research there…not. In the Guardian 14 October 2025, the above maps showing only two wee bits of Scotland … Continue reading Scottish homes will probably not have to be abandoned: how climate crisis has reshaped RumpUK’s flood risk

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‘It was Glasgow Labour Councillors on the Board who exerted pressure to get QEUH open without delay and without fully informing SNP/Scot Gov of full facts about concerns’

johnrobertson834

That headline is quote from a Herald Facebook comments section.1 Another comment suggested – ‘Labour had more to gain from the opening of the hospital as they had 9 councillors sitting on the health board.’ There were several other comments suggesting similar views. Are these any less reliable than what we have heard from BBC or Herald reporters or from Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie insisting that the SNP Government is to blame for forcing the hospital to open too early? Why would the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board care when the hospital opened? It was entirely their … Continue reading ‘It was Glasgow Labour Councillors on the Board who exerted pressure to get QEUH open without delay and without fully informing SNP/Scot Gov of full facts about concerns’

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Yet another BBC report on the Stonehaven rail deaths fails to tell you that responsibility does not lie with the Scottish Government but in Westminster

johnrobertson834

BBC Scotland today, has: Stonehaven train derailment inquiry told of ‘lives ripped apart’ – A fatal accident inquiry into a train derailment which killed three men in the north east of Scotland has been told lives were “ripped apart” in the crash. The Aberdeen to Glasgow train came off the rails at Carmont in Aberdeenshire on 12 August 2020 after it hit debris washed from a drain following heavy rain. Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the crash. Network Rail was later fined £6.7m in court for a series of failings. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98pl47ylgno There’s … Continue reading Yet another BBC report on the Stonehaven rail deaths fails to tell you that responsibility does not lie with the Scottish Government but in Westminster

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The Herald – Untrustworthy for 20 years – the evidence

johnrobertson834

When I saw the above being punted by the Herald, I didn’t know whether to laugh or…………laugh. It’s Trump-like in its mix of self-delusion and deep cynicism. They’ll be giving themselves sound kind of Pulitzer prize, awarded at a ceremony hosted by Anas Sarwar. I’ve long lost track of how untrustworthy they have proved to be these last twenty years of anti-SNP propaganda though, before that, they were long champions of corporate interests against those of their own readers. I searched TuS for every post, these last 11 years, mentioning them and there are far too many to mention here. … Continue reading The Herald – Untrustworthy for 20 years – the evidence

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Makes their flesh creep? Trump’s comments only a taste of what Scots have felt for a hundred years hearing of a place ‘that is forever England’ yet was full of their war dead

johnrobertson834

We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan … and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines. The words of the US President yesterday shock with their under-educated insensitivity. The Black Watch, the Argylls, the Borderers, the Highland Fusiliers and others fought on the frontline in Afghanistan. 39 Scots died, a disproportionate share, even today, relative to population, because of their mainly infantry roles. This offense may be new to many today and in other parts of the UK but it’s familiar … Continue reading Makes their flesh creep? Trump’s comments only a taste of what Scots have felt for a hundred years hearing of a place ‘that is forever England’ yet was full of their war dead

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Daily Mail report highlights the great CalMac service we all enjoy by looking at affluent Washington State’s far older ferries and failing services

johnrobertson834

In the Daily Mail, 8 January 2026 and the astonishing images above from the Independent two years ago: Almost a third of the lifeline ferries operating in Washington state are out of action because of lawmakers’ obsessions with electric boats, Republicans have claimed.  Six out of the 21 vessels used for critical operations off the coast of the Pacific Northwest state are currently unable to sail, according to the Seattle Times.  Two of the boats have been out of action due to ‘unexpected mechanical issues’ since January 1, while four are on planned maintenance, per the paper.  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15445653/washington-state-ferry-electric-boats-democrats.html Washington State Ferries carry 20 million passengers a year in a … Continue reading Daily Mail report highlights the great CalMac service we all enjoy by looking at affluent Washington State’s far older ferries and failing services

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Major Scottish Government investments in eradicating child poverty that you’ll struggle to hear about

johnrobertson834

From Investing in Scotland’s children, published 22 January 2026 09:20, covered by STV but nowhere else I can see: Children and families across Scotland will benefit from the Scottish Government’s sustained investment in Education and Skills as part of the national mission to eradicate child poverty. The proposed Scottish Budget for 2026-27 commits up to £200 million to the Scottish Attainment Challenge, which has already delivered sustained progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap. This includes Pupil Equity Funding that aims to empower headteachers to tailor support to meet the specific needs of pupils and families in their communities. An … Continue reading Major Scottish Government investments in eradicating child poverty that you’ll struggle to hear about