Tag: history

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BBC England reports on brutal County Lines drugs gang travelling into Scotland, Police Scotland News reports on these gangs 17 times in 2024 alone but BBC Scotland? Well you know….

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In the above BBC England report, the word Scotland does not appear but in every other report by West Midlands news outlets on the same day, they refer to their police teams working with Police Scotland. Why would Police Scotland do that? Because, English County Lines gangs, based on Police Scotland estimates, have for at least five years now, brought a wave of terror into at least 60 Scottish small towns and villages. They bring with them cheap drug supplies, extreme violence, the use of child drug carriers on the rail lines, people trafficking, prostitution, the exploitation (cuckooing) of vulnerable … Continue reading BBC England reports on brutal County Lines drugs gang travelling into Scotland, Police Scotland News reports on these gangs 17 times in 2024 alone but BBC Scotland? Well you know….

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BBC Scotland has never mentioned the English cities from which these gangsters travel to terrorise small towns and villages across Scotland while STV has done so 16 times – they refuse to respond despite the new data offered as proof

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New complaint today: In an earlier response to me, on the plague of extreme violence, cheap drugs and child abuse perpetrated by exclusively English city-based County Lines gangs, BBC Scotland senior news editors have insisted “there is no substance in your suggestion that BBC Scotland is “Uniquely…hiding this phenomenon.” I have carried out a Google search for ‘BBC Scotland County Lines’ and for ‘STV County Lines.’ The results are that, since 2019 when these gangs were first known of, BBC Scotland has only twice ever mentioned ‘County lines’ in a headline while STV has done so 14 times. In a … Continue reading BBC Scotland has never mentioned the English cities from which these gangsters travel to terrorise small towns and villages across Scotland while STV has done so 16 times – they refuse to respond despite the new data offered as proof

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Criminals from major cities such as London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham are expanding their drug networks into rural and suburban areas throughout Scotland

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Tarves (population 1 080) on 29 June 2024 react with shock to the above in the P&J local newspaper. BBC Scotland NE did not cover the story but STV NE did and mentioned County Lines in the headline. BBC Scotland has only covered County Lines drug gangs 3 times since 2019 with the last, naming them and their origins, in 2021. This plague is big news across Aberdeenshire: Police Scotland, whose activity in investigating supposed SNP fraud has been of endless fascination for BBC Scotland, are heavily involved: BBC Scotland’s clear aversion to covering this plague of violence and related … Continue reading Criminals from major cities such as London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham are expanding their drug networks into rural and suburban areas throughout Scotland

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Drink drive deaths in England soar to nearly three times those in Scotland halved after Scottish Government lowers limit

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By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian, typically Anglocentric, today: Deaths due to drinking and driving on UK roads have increased to 300 annually, a 13-year high, according to newly published government data. There were an estimated 300 deaths where at least one driver was over the legal blood-alcohol limit in 2022, the latest year for which official figures are available, the Department for Transport said. This is the highest annual figure since 2009, a toll motoring organisations described as “abhorrent” and concerning. The number is 16% higher than in 2021 and means drink-drive fatalities accounted for about 18% of all road deaths, … Continue reading Drink drive deaths in England soar to nearly three times those in Scotland halved after Scottish Government lowers limit

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NHS England at risk of ‘collapse’ but after 17 years of not-underfunding by SNP, NHS Scotland will not ‘keel over’ according to Lisa Summers

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By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian today: NHS finances so dire that whole service may collapse, says spending watchdog. National Audit Office says NHS in England too cash-strapped to treat patients quickly enough. Years of underfunding have left the NHS in England so cash-strapped that it cannot treat patients quickly enough, and the rising tide of ill-health will make matters worse, the National Audit Office (NAO) said. https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/23/nhs-finances-so-dire-that-whole-service-may-collapse-says-spending-watchdog On February 22 2024, Audit Scotland reported: “Without change, there is a risk Scotland’s NHS will take up an ever-growing chunk of the Scottish budget. And that means less money for other vital … Continue reading NHS England at risk of ‘collapse’ but after 17 years of not-underfunding by SNP, NHS Scotland will not ‘keel over’ according to Lisa Summers

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BBC Scotland’s avoidance of the County Lines gang plague – formal BBC complaint

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I’ve made the following complaint to the BBC. How will they deal with it this time? I’ll let you know. County Lines gangs, based in large English cities have been responsible for a spreading plague of extreme violence, more accessible and cheaper illegal drug supplies, child abuse, prostitution, people trafficking and the exploitation (cuckooing) of vulnerable adults in small-town UK, into places previously less affected by crime. Recent data reveal a surge in knife crime in rural and small-town areas in England and a recent surge in violent crime in similar areas in Scotland. Police Scotland estimates more than 50 … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s avoidance of the County Lines gang plague – formal BBC complaint

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Labour government Bill on the ‘Lords Spiritual’ extends and applies to Scotland: should we be grateful, reassured … puzzled?

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By stewartb On the website of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland we learn that of Labour Government Bills in the Kings Speech, 24 out of 40 are identified as applying in Scotland. Notable among them is this one: ‘Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill’ concerning representation in the House of Lords. Lords reform It’s hard to resist looking back to 5 December 2022 when the Scotland page of the BBC News website had this headline: ‘Gordon Brown: Labour plan would make UK work for Scotland’. Here we find a photograph of Brown and Keir Starmer … Continue reading Labour government Bill on the ‘Lords Spiritual’ extends and applies to Scotland: should we be grateful, reassured … puzzled?

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Knowing the neighbour  – insights from high profile English patriots

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By stewartb The profile of English patriotism has been heightened by two notable endorsements recently. Many may recall the open letter – to ‘Dear England’ – written by the England men’s football team manager, Gareth Southgate before the European Championship in 2021. This gained such a status that in advance of the England team’s appearance in the recent final of the same competition, the flagship BBC Radio 4 ‘Today’ programme had the letter read out to the ‘nation’ once again. The full text of the letter can be found here: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/dear-england-gareth-southgate-euros-soccer The other high profile statement on English patriotism came … Continue reading Knowing the neighbour  – insights from high profile English patriots

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Second independent fact checker (not TuS) confirms NHS Scotland has far shorter A&E and cancer waiting times and better GP access

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I’ve been comparing the performance of the NHS in Scotland, England and Wales for years now to illustrate the superior performance across many targets, of the former. From FULLFACT on 15 July 2024, corroboration of some of the above but reservations about the comparability of some where data collection methods differ. I agree with that reservation and often point to such but where the gaps are large, perhaps that matters less and, in terms of media coverage, the MSM will gaily compare the incomparable in, say, drug deaths. So, first on cancer care, this: Between October and December 2023, Scotland … Continue reading Second independent fact checker (not TuS) confirms NHS Scotland has far shorter A&E and cancer waiting times and better GP access

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BBC Scotland and ‘County Lines’ drug gangs – now 5 years of silence to protect the Union

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I have an alert for ‘County Lines’ and every day I see reports from BBC UK, BBC England and from BBC regions across the country – BBC Devon (today), BBC Cumbria (last week). I never, ever, see anything from BBC Scotland despite regular reports in the ‘Scottish’ tabloids and on regional news media websites. In October 2019, pushing 5 years ago, BBC Scotland’s Connor Gillies reported under the explicit headline ‘County lines’: Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and Highlands targeted by drugs gangs, this: Rural communities in the Highlands, Aberdeenshire and Perthshire are being targeted by gangs using school children to sell class … Continue reading BBC Scotland and ‘County Lines’ drug gangs – now 5 years of silence to protect the Union