Tag: news

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Chief Inspector of Prisons – “Overcrowding places the public at greater risk than emergency release”

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By Professor John Robertson An LBC report today either deliberately or stupidly misinterprets the words of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland Wendy Sinclair-Gieben. Their headline – ‘Crisis point’ prison conditions mean inmates released early ‘pose risk’ to public, watchdog warns She says: “Overcrowding is huge and it’s at crisis point. I’m glad we’ve decided on the emergency release but it is a short term fix and we need to do longer. “We need to recognise overcrowding places the public at greater risk than emergency release. It means people are locked in rooms 22, 23 hours a say. … Continue reading Chief Inspector of Prisons – “Overcrowding places the public at greater risk than emergency release”

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Even Japan just dumps radioactive waste in the sea as will Starmer’s UK

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Labour, contrary to all the evidence, plan new small modular reactors (SMRs), above, across the UK unless Scottish planning authorities stand firm. The new small plants actually generate more waste to be dealt with. Yesterday, we saw in Global Times: Chinese nuclear power industry insiders told the Global Times at an event in Beijing on Wednesday that China offered Japan a technology specifically for tritium wastewater treatment for their crippled Fukushima Daiichi complex, but due to the high costs, Japan eventually chose what was the simplest and cheapest method for them – to discharge it into the sea. At a … Continue reading Even Japan just dumps radioactive waste in the sea as will Starmer’s UK

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Scots Unison leader betrays her members, who benefit most from the SNP’s progressive policies, for political gain

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Christine McAnea, UK Labour Party member and current General Secretary of UNISON, has just written to members to say: A new dawn for public services – Investing in public services is more than just a budgetary choice; it’s a moral duty. High-quality public services are the foundation of a fair and just society. With Labour in charge, we have the chance to build a more equitable and prosperous future for everyone in the UK. McAnea, former Communist Party Member, earns £119,513 with benefits of £12,756, plus pension contributions and employer’s national insurance contributions that are not publicly available. With Labour … Continue reading Scots Unison leader betrays her members, who benefit most from the SNP’s progressive policies, for political gain

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New Zealand ferry runs aground after button is ‘inadvertently pressed’ by crew member denying he had left the bridge for coffee

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From 1News today: Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground after a button was “inadvertently pressed”, sending the vessel off-course, according to an internal safety bulletin obtained by 1News. According to the bulletin, dated July 5, the bridge crew had switched the Aratere from hand steering to autopilot as it passed Mabel Island when an “execute button was inadvertently pressed” at 9.26pm. This led the vessel to “commence an alteration of course” by around 1 nautical mile earlier than planned. The bridge team attempted to switch back to hand steering mode but was unable to override the autopilot in time. Hewlett denied … Continue reading New Zealand ferry runs aground after button is ‘inadvertently pressed’ by crew member denying he had left the bridge for coffee

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Police Chiefs launch three-year plan to disrupt violent English drug gangs operating in England, Scotland & Wales, to a media silence

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The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) brings together and is funded by police forces in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as the armed services and some British Overseas Territories. Yesterday, the NPCC announced: The NPCC alongside the NCLCC have today (9 July) launched the Disrupting County Lines Policing Strategy. The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) County Lines and Gangs alongside the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) have today (9 July) launched the Disrupting County Lines Policing Strategy 2024 to 2027. The strategy aims to: Building on the success since the launch of the Home Office County Lines programme in 2019, … Continue reading Police Chiefs launch three-year plan to disrupt violent English drug gangs operating in England, Scotland & Wales, to a media silence

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The Letby baby deaths and the UK Conservative / Lib Dem Government cuts beginning 5 years earlier to nurse-staffing levels far below those in NHS Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson In June 2024, researchers at The Kings Fund revealed the above collapse in funding for the NHS in England, after the last Labour Government in 2009. Above, from the House of Commons Library in March 2024, revealing the 100% plus increase in the waiting lists in the same period of suppressed funding. Above from the Kings Fund in May 2024, evidence of significant increases in some NHS England staffing but, crucially, not in nurses and those who support them – a 25% increase to deal with doubled waiting lists. In the Guardian‘s Lucy Letby: killer or … Continue reading The Letby baby deaths and the UK Conservative / Lib Dem Government cuts beginning 5 years earlier to nurse-staffing levels far below those in NHS Scotland

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Oxford research proves Jackie Baillie’s support for UK Labour’s privatised health strategy will lead to ‘worse patient care’

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By Professor John Robertson In the National today: Jackie Baillie has suggested the Scottish Government should follow Wes Streeting’s plans for heavier involvement of the private sector in the NHS. It comes after Streeting promised to go further than Tony Blair in making use of the private sector to ease NHS pressures. https://x.com/ScotNational/status/1810259280970268917 From Oxford University researchers reported in The Lancet, on 29 February 2024: A new review has concluded that hospitals that are privatised typically deliver worse quality care after converting from public ownership. The study, led by University of Oxford researchers, has been published in The Lancet Public Health. … Continue reading Oxford research proves Jackie Baillie’s support for UK Labour’s privatised health strategy will lead to ‘worse patient care’

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Voters in Wales are less than convinced about Labour’s track record

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By stewartb The BBC News website’s Wales section today has this headline: ‘Low Welsh voter turnout appalling, says Kinnock’. It reports that: ‘In Wales, only 56% of voters filled out their ballot papers, compared to 60% across the UK, and 67% in Wales last time out in 2019.’ (In Scotland the overall turnout was 59%, down 8.4% from 2019.) And: ‘Despite winning the majority of seats, Labour’s vote share in Wales actually dropped, down from 40% to 37%.’ ‘… every Welsh constituency saw a decline compared to the previous election.’ So the impact on the 2024 GE of Labour having a long record in government in Cardiff whether on … Continue reading Voters in Wales are less than convinced about Labour’s track record

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Massive fall in reconvictions per offender

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From the Scottish Government today, the recidivism rates: In England and Wales, in 2022, the figure was 25.5% For interest, in the USA, the recidivism rate after 3 years is 66% and after ten, 82%. Sources: https://www.gov.scot/publications/reconviction-rates-scotland-2020-21-offender-cohort/pages/2/ https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/proven-reoffending-statistics-january-to-march-2022/proven-reoffending-statistics-january-to-march-2022#:~:text=The%20overall%20proven%20reoffending%20rate,proven%20reoffending%20rate%20of%2025.1%25. https://www.success.com/recidivism-rates/#:~:text=More%20than%201.2%20million%20people,the%20Bureau%20of%20Justice%20Statistics. Continue reading Massive fall in reconvictions per offender

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England’s gangland bosses breaking Scotland’s prison system

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Neil Mackay in the Herald today has: Scotland’s gangland bosses break the nation’s ‘failed’ prison system. Jails are bursting at the seams, staff are exhausted, and as police arrest more and more organised crime members, Scotland’s prisons are in turmoil. Our Writer at Large reports IT sounds like life for prison officers at the height of Ulster’s Troubles: intimidation, threats to kill, assassination plots, fire-bombings, and looking over your shoulder when you clock off and walk through the jail gates. Given that overall crime is down by 40% since the SNP came to power in 2007, organised crime based on drugs, prostitution, … Continue reading England’s gangland bosses breaking Scotland’s prison system