Tag: news

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Drug deaths in England being seriously under-counted

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Opioid deaths in England 50% higher than recorded In September 2025 (most recent data for this purpose) , BBC UK reported: More than 13,000 heroin and opioid deaths have been missed off official statistics in England and Wales, raising concerns about the impact on the government’s approach to tackling addiction. Research from King’s College London, shared exclusively with BBC News, found that there were 39,232 opioid-related deaths between 2011 and 2022, more than 50% higher than previously known. The error has been blamed on the government’s official statistics body not having access to correct data and it is understood ministers are … Continue reading Drug deaths in England being seriously under-counted

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Road deaths halve and offences fall by a third as ‘SNP’ Road Safety Framework achieves significant results with 5 years to go

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In the Edinburgh Reporter February 2026 based on a Sunday Mail report: Scotland’s roads are becoming deadlier amid rising fatalities and surging traffic offences, latest figures reveal. Police Scotland say 92 people were killed in car, motorcycle and cycling collisions between April and September 2025 – nine more than the same period last year, an increase of almost 11%. They included one child and six cyclists. Motorcyclist deaths rose to the highest level for five years with 27 during the period. The news comes as reckless drivers are increasingly flouting the law, with significant rises in drink and drug driving, speeding, dangerous driving and … Continue reading Road deaths halve and offences fall by a third as ‘SNP’ Road Safety Framework achieves significant results with 5 years to go

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‘It isn’t tax payers money, it’s the government’s money and the government chooses what is spent’

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By rogercolkett You know that I support your untiring efforts to confront the lies obfuscations and omissions of the mainstream media that seek to show Scotland in as negative a way possible. And I share your annoyance at the waste of resources by the UK Government on projects that provide no benefit to Scotland, it’s part of the reason that I want  Scotland to be an independent country. The main reason, though, is that I would like to live in a Scotland that wasn’t tied to the anti-social and spurious neo-liberal Ideology that dominates the cities of London and Westminster. … Continue reading ‘It isn’t tax payers money, it’s the government’s money and the government chooses what is spent’

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HS2 is a testament to the massive transfer of money from the poor to the professional classes

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By derekscott1953 HS2 is a testament to the massive transfer of money from the poor to the Professional classes – lawyers, land-owners, consultancies, NGOs, layer upon layer of takers, who, given the massive cost rises, late delivery and dubious benefits, are clearly ‘unprofessional’. £102 or 103 billion, up from £35 billion, all to shave minutes off the journey into London. History does not repeat itself but it often rhymes, said Mark Twain, and this rhymes with the banker crisis. Banker even rhymes with another word that has come to define those working in that lower ring of Dante’s inferno. That … Continue reading HS2 is a testament to the massive transfer of money from the poor to the professional classes

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As pothole compensation claims surge in England they plummet in Scotland

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From the Guardian today: Exactly how many holes there are in the country’s roads depends on who’s counting and how they define them, but the RAC reckons there are a million potholes in the UK’s residential, city centre and rural roads, or six every mile. Its data backs up anecdotal evidence that things are getting a lot worse, quickly: compensation claims for pothole damage against UK local authorities rose by 90% in the three years to 2024. More than three times as many drivers cited potholes as the cause of breakdowns in February 2025 than in the same month a year earlier. … Continue reading As pothole compensation claims surge in England they plummet in Scotland

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One Scottish member of an Afghan child sex grooming gang operating only in Norfolk changes nothing in Scotland’s review

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In the Guardian today, the above and: As far as I can see the media operating in Scotland and opposition politicians have not yet spotted that reference to Scotland. That all the offences were committed in Norfolk will not stop them importing child sex grooming gangs into Scotland and calling for an immediate inquiry rather than the SNP Government’s 18-month timetable for a national review that would only then inform a decision on whether a full public inquiry is required. Here’s why a careful approach to a national review is required, reasons which were already in a response to Labour … Continue reading One Scottish member of an Afghan child sex grooming gang operating only in Norfolk changes nothing in Scotland’s review

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Scottish Government has done more to support vulnerable young care leavers

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this: In the Guardian today, the above and: More than 100 young people have died after leaving the care of social services in England in the past year, according to data released by the government. In the year to April 2026 there were 106 reported deaths of care leavers, with 91 deaths reported in the 12 months before. Most of those who died were aged 16 to 21. Although a requirement to report these deaths was introduced in 2023, ministers believe the true figure is probably higher. Labour launched an urgent review into the deaths in April … Continue reading Scottish Government has done more to support vulnerable young care leavers

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The blind spot in researchers’ apocalyptic water shortages predictions – the 90% of the UK supply in Scotland

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In the Guardian today, the above and: Rainwater harvesting, the use of grey water in homes and an urgent campaign to reduce water usage across society are vital to prevent water shortages of 5bn litres a day by 2055, the government has been told. Without intervention, England will face severe water shortages in the coming decades, as climate change-induced weather patterns, population growth and the expansion of industries such as water-intensive datacentres put excessive demand on supplies and endanger life, according to a House of Lords report published on Thursday. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/21/england-harvest-rainfall-water-usage-shortages-house-of-lords-report There’s no mention of Scotland in the report and media operating … Continue reading The blind spot in researchers’ apocalyptic water shortages predictions – the 90% of the UK supply in Scotland

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Scotland’s essential historian for these times publishes the one modestly priced and most concise yet best History of Scotland you need to read and to buy for all those that matter to you

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From Columba to The Corries, the Picts to Paisley, Doggerland to Devolution – here is the unmissable story of Scotland. Scotland is one of the oldest nations in Europe. Its territory remains fundamentally unchanged since the fifteenth century, and its southern border with England has barely altered since 1237.And yet Scotland – a country with its own law, education and church – is not a state at all. In The Shortest History of Scotland, Murray Pittock argues that this very ambiguity has helped make the nation a central part of the global story.From first tribes to Scotland’s multicultural present, Pittock unpicks … Continue reading Scotland’s essential historian for these times publishes the one modestly priced and most concise yet best History of Scotland you need to read and to buy for all those that matter to you

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NHS Highland director reveals child poverty in her previous Wales responsibility is predicted to be a shocking nearly 60% higher

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are living in poverty. BBC Scotland’s wee insert in BBC Breakfast this morning is announcing the above and, on their website: Public health director Jennifer Davies said that of its 12,834 under-fives, almost 22% lived in relative poverty. In a new report, Davies said the “sheer geographic scale” of the area – which covers the Highlands and Argyll and Bute – posed challenges in reaching health services for some families. She said they could benefit from greater availability of housing, improved transport links and investment in play spaces. Davies said support for families should also be strengthened to maximise access … Continue reading NHS Highland director reveals child poverty in her previous Wales responsibility is predicted to be a shocking nearly 60% higher