Religious hate crime in England & Wales surges to the highest since 2012, TWICE that, per head, in Scotland where it falls to the lowest since 2004

From the Guardian today: Religious hate crimes in England and Wales have soared by 25% to record levels, coinciding with the Israel-Hamas conflict, government statistics show. The increase, from 8,370 to 10,484 offences reported to police forces in the year to March, was driven by a rise in offences against Jewish people and to a lesser extent Muslims, the Home Office said. According to the statistical bulletin, the total of 10,484 anti-religious offences was the highest annual tally of these offences since hate crime records began in the year ending March 2012. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/10/religious-hate-crimes-at-record-levels-in-england-and-wales-official-figures-show In June 2024, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service … Continue reading Religious hate crime in England & Wales surges to the highest since 2012, TWICE that, per head, in Scotland where it falls to the lowest since 2004

In which Scottish town did Buckinghamshire County Lines drug gang exploit a vulnerable woman – media silence on more than 300 cases

Only from Yahoo! News today: A 20-year-old man [above] has been jailed for over a year after ferrying class-A drugs between Aylesbury and Scotland and ‘cuckooing’ a vulnerable woman at her home. Tyrees Kuba-Ngoma, of Friarscroft Way in Aylesbury, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin at Aylesbury Crown Court last Tuesday, October 1. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/man-20-jailed-cuckooing-vulnerable-170642139.html Police Scotland estimate more than 300 homes in Scotland have vulnerable adults being cuckooed by English County Lines gangs. BBC Scotland have twice, in 2021 and 2024, referred to this practice but on neither occasion did they indicate the English city from … Continue reading In which Scottish town did Buckinghamshire County Lines drug gang exploit a vulnerable woman – media silence on more than 300 cases

London Deputy Mayor comes up to repeat urban myth of job flight to south as 12 500 flee north to fairer Scotland in just last year

The Scotsman tells us today: Exclusive: SNP must narrow Scotland-England income tax gap in Budget, says City of London. The City of London Corporation said there were ongoing concerns in the financial sector SNP ministers should act to narrow the income tax gap between Scotland and England when they set out their spending plans later this year, the governing body for London’s financial district has said. Chris Hayward, policy chairman at the City of London Corporation, said there were ongoing concerns within the financial sector over the tax regime. He is due to meet First Minister John Swinney today. RUBBISH … Continue reading London Deputy Mayor comes up to repeat urban myth of job flight to south as 12 500 flee north to fairer Scotland in just last year

Up to 80% of Scotland’s drug deaths were among those who became addicted before the SNP came to power, 93% of nearly 30 000 referrals per year are treated within 3 weeks and more than half within only 1 week!

From Public Health Scotland’s National drug related death database (Scotland)Analysis of Deaths Registered in 2019 and 2020, published today, it’s clear that Scotland’s drug deaths are to a very large extent a legacy of the Labour and Tory governments that ruled the UK and devolved Scotland for decades before the SNP came into power, with limited powers over drug use, in 2007. Treatment for these users has been, for years, top notch, with above the 90% target seen within three weeks or less: Between 1 April and 30 June 2024, 7,361 referrals to community-based services started treatment. Of these referrals, … Continue reading Up to 80% of Scotland’s drug deaths were among those who became addicted before the SNP came to power, 93% of nearly 30 000 referrals per year are treated within 3 weeks and more than half within only 1 week!

Not-for-profit water should be better but Welsh Labour mess that up too

stewartb It’s useful to have comparisons of the performance of key public services in different parts of the Union – and for a number of reasons. I’ve become especially interested in getting much better informed about what can be achieved by electing the British Labour Party to govern with devolved powers. Fortunately, we have Wales with its longstanding British Labour Party government in Cardiff to use as a benchmark. After all, we need to know what we might expect from a British Labour Party government in Edinburgh after 2026! In this context, how with the British Labour Party in power in … Continue reading Not-for-profit water should be better but Welsh Labour mess that up too

Population size of Arran to have no ferry service at all for nearly two months in affluent Canadian Nova Scotland

From CTV News today: The ferry service between Saint John, N.B., and Digby, N.S., will be out of commission for nearly two months due to mandatory work in Quebec. The MV Fundy Rose will go to the Verreault Shipyard at Les Méchins, Que., for biannual drydock and refit work, according to a news release from Bay Ferries Limited(opens in a new tab). The work will put the ferry out of service from Oct. 15 to Dec. 3. https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/more/saint-john-ferry-going-out-of-service-for-nearly-two-months-marine-atlantic-ferry-sailings-disrupted-1.7064591 There is only one ferry operating this 2 hour 30 min service, to a population of around 5 000 in Digby, Lunenberg and … Continue reading Population size of Arran to have no ferry service at all for nearly two months in affluent Canadian Nova Scotland

53 redactions to protect Angus Robertson from scrutiny is the real and ONLY SNP scandal

We all know that the Alex Salmond case, the camper van, the HQ decoration and the never ending SNP ‘fraud’ investigations were and are deliberate UK security services conspiracy attacks on the SNP, but their own circling of the wagons to protect Angus Robertson is a total self-inflicted cock-up. From an information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, published today: Information requested 1. The minutes of Angus Robertson’s meeting with Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK which took place on 8 August 2024. Please also include the full list of attendees and any decisions that … Continue reading 53 redactions to protect Angus Robertson from scrutiny is the real and ONLY SNP scandal

TOTAL spend on psychiatric locums is FALLING as mental health waiting lists are slashed

Cost of employing locum psychiatrists in the NHS is going up according to figures obtained by the BBC. Data from the country’s 14 health boards show £134 million has been spent on the temporary doctors since 2019. Psychiatrists say it’s reflective of wider recruitment challenges. BBC Reporting Scotland Wrongly is on the above scare this morning. Here are the data apparently: The total cost increased from £20.8m in 2019/20 to £34.8m last year according to figures obtained in a joint investigation by The Guardian and the BBC. This is a very strange graph indeed. The spend on emergency locum deals … Continue reading TOTAL spend on psychiatric locums is FALLING as mental health waiting lists are slashed

New SNP hate crime legislation praised for giving public confidence as opponents trigger flood of politically motivated complaints in early weeks

I’ve had to modify, in the interests of accuracy, Libby Brooks’ Recorded hate crimes in Scotland up 63% since law introduced in April in the Guardian two days ago. She opens with this to feed me the better headline above: Recorded hate crimes in Scotland have risen by 63% since new legislation came into force, with officers saying the increase reflects greater public confidence that offences will be investigated. You have to read on to see: The deputy chief constable, Alan Speirs, said: “When there is increased public trust and confidence, people will speak out. I don’t think this rise suggests any … Continue reading New SNP hate crime legislation praised for giving public confidence as opponents trigger flood of politically motivated complaints in early weeks

Latest University of California research with 300 000 nuclear workers reinforces fears of positive link with leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and multiple myeloma as in WHO study and research in Germany and Scotland 

By Professor John Robertson Today, from the University of California in Irvine, USA: A major update was made to the International Nuclear Workers Study (INWORKS), an international epidemiological study of workers in the nuclear sector to assess their risks of cancer and non-cancerous diseases.  The researchers assembled a cohort of more than 300,000 radiation-monitored workers from France, the United Kingdom and the United States, employed at nuclear facilities between 1944 and 2016. The study revealed a positive association between prolonged low-dose exposure to ionizing radiation and mortality from these haematological cancers. https://www.newswise.com/articles/new-uc-irvine-study-provides-crucial-insights-into-radiation-exposure-s-impact-on-cancer-risk The University then tries to play down the risk, … Continue reading Latest University of California research with 300 000 nuclear workers reinforces fears of positive link with leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and multiple myeloma as in WHO study and research in Germany and Scotland