Tag: news

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6% Missing council tax payments? Is that a lot? Yeh, but don’t mention it costs less here, OK?

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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 my favourite, nearly 100 year-old, paper-based, to your door, Scots Independent newspaper, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ tax payment last year – that’s according to Citizen’s Advice. A survey by the charity suggests around 6% of people missed a payment at least once in 2023. Reporting Scotland’s opening story, first thing to today, to get you off to a bad start in Scotland. Reporting Scotland editor: 270 000? Nice big number but don’t mention the percentage. Wait, they did. Who put that in? It’s too wee! FFS! Haven’t I told … Continue reading 6% Missing council tax payments? Is that a lot? Yeh, but don’t mention it costs less here, OK?

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Exclusively repetitive on a ferry story from the Herald

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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 my favourite, nearly 100 year-old, paper-based, to your door, Scots Independent newspaper, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ I’m saying nothing about knobs but from the Herald today: Nationalised Ferguson Marine have denied a breach of the ferry fiasco agreement after cutting the contracted size of the two lifeline ferries by 300 passengers. The Herald can confirm that a redesign of the two ferries, as a result of safety concerns, will cut its passenger carrying capacity below that specified when the contract was signed in October, 2015. The … Continue reading Exclusively repetitive on a ferry story from the Herald

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As homelessness falls only in Scotland – the irony of those claiming we’re being ‘gaslighted’ actually doing it

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Today in the Herald: The head of one of Scotland’s most influential charities has launched a scathing attack on Humza Yousaf over the nation’s “housing emergency” claiming the First Minister is “gaslighting” the country. Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland – the leading housing and homelessness charity – spoke out as it emerged nearly 10,000 children are currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation, such as cheap hotels and B&Bs. First, some facts: The Guardian today has There has been a dramatic rise in the number of homeless young people in the UK since Christmas, charities have warned. The New Horizon Youth Centre in London said a record number of … Continue reading As homelessness falls only in Scotland – the irony of those claiming we’re being ‘gaslighted’ actually doing it

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‘In a piece of self-aggrandisement BBC Scotland journalist Samantha Poling is implying that she solved the murder’

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Image – Scottish Sun Alasdair Macdonald The media, with justification, are focussing on the failure to arrest the killer of Emma Caldwell in 2007. This was, indeed, a shocking failure of policing. This occurred during the period when police forces in Scotland were run locally and the force responsible here was Strathclyde Police. Police Scotland had not yet been created. It was Police Scotland which solved this crime. However, the media are not making much of that. As far as they are concerned the ‘police’ are responsible ergo Police Scotland is responsible and this enables them to blame the Scottish … Continue reading ‘In a piece of self-aggrandisement BBC Scotland journalist Samantha Poling is implying that she solved the murder’

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International news media cover dramatic English ‘County Lines’ gangsters impacting public safety in Dundee but Scottish media strangely miss it

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From BNN Correspondents, a global news desk, on 28 February 2024: In June 2019, Dundee became the focal point of a high-stakes law enforcement operation that culminated in the sentencing of two key figures involved in a dangerous county lines drug trafficking network. Joshua Olumuyiwa, 32, and Brandon Collins, 24, were convicted for their roles in the supply of cocaine, marking a significant victory for community safety efforts. The incident that led to their capture was nothing short of cinematic, with Olumuyiwa behind the wheel of a Ford EcoSport fitted with fraudulent plates, leading police on a high-speed chase that … Continue reading International news media cover dramatic English ‘County Lines’ gangsters impacting public safety in Dundee but Scottish media strangely miss it

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SNP competence check – ‘England may wish to follow Scotland’s lead on preventive healthcare for under 5s’

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ From an article in the British Medical Journal, a remarkable report of the impact of the Scottish Government’s unique investment in health visitors, across a range of outcomes including infant survival, vaccination rates, breastfeeding, obesity, GP workload, A&E attendance levels and dental treatment. The full article is behind a paywall so unless you have access to an institutional (university, health board etc) account you may not be able to read the whole thing. It’s stunning. Here is an extract: Urgent action is needed to tackle worsening health … Continue reading SNP competence check – ‘England may wish to follow Scotland’s lead on preventive healthcare for under 5s’

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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

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Audit Scotland satisfied with SNP ferry contract awards

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ Scotland’s narrowest ferry correspondent cannot hide his huff as Audit Scotland decide not to carry out further inquiries into the new ferry procurement procedures. In 2022, they had concerns but, according to the Herald today (unsourced), they appear to have accepted that due process was followed. Here’s the end after all the hissyfitting: Audit Scotland previously questioned why a builder’s refund guarantee – which would protect the buyer – was not part of the contract with Ferguson Marine despite usually being a mandatory consideration. But Audit Scotland … Continue reading Audit Scotland satisfied with SNP ferry contract awards

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100 000 children to be kept out of poverty in 2024-25 as a result of Scottish Government policies

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ From the Scottish Government today: The First Minister has welcomed analysis which estimates 100,000 children will be kept out of relative poverty in 2024-25 as a result of Scottish Government policies. Updated modelling of the cumulative impact of policies such as the Scottish Child Payment indicates the relative child poverty rate will be 10 percentage points lower than it would otherwise have been. Speaking after joining a Book Bug session at Drum Brae Library Hub in Edinburgh with the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Mr Yousaf highlighted estimates … Continue reading 100 000 children to be kept out of poverty in 2024-25 as a result of Scottish Government policies

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Latest crime statistics too nice to talk about

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ From the Scottish Government yesterday: The police in Scotland recorded 302,076 crimes in the year ending December 2023. This was 5% higher than the 287,678 crimes recorded in the year ending December 2022, but 2% lower than the 308,434 crimes recorded in the year ending December 2019. https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-december-2023 I’ve had to get the above graph from June 2023 to reveal the trends – more than 300 000 fewer crimes per year reported than at the end of Thatcherism and around 150 000 fewer since the SNP took … Continue reading Latest crime statistics too nice to talk about