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SNP Government’s world-first opioid overdose reversal programme increases reach to 84% and its protection of hospitals as it fights the effects of the English County Lines drug gangs plague in Scotland

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From the National naloxone programme Scotland – Quarterly monitoring bulletin Quarterly Monitoring Bulletin April to June (Q1) 2025/26 published today: The overall aim of Scotland’s NNP is to prevent fatal opioid overdoses. Administration of naloxone provides time for emergency services to arrive and for further treatment to be given. Following suitable training, THN kits are issued to people at risk of opioid overdose, their friends and family and service workers in order to help prevent overdose deaths.  Drug-related hospital admissions plummet for third year in a row after Scottish Government’s ‘world-first’ opioid overdose reversal Naloxone initiative but are not being … Continue reading SNP Government’s world-first opioid overdose reversal programme increases reach to 84% and its protection of hospitals as it fights the effects of the English County Lines drug gangs plague in Scotland

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US authorities seize shrimp with lethal radioactivity level only a fifth of that found on a Scottish beach upstream from Sellafield nuclear plant in North-West England

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From the Washington-based The Hill, two days ago, the above and: The specter of radioactivity in food just reared its head again, with another shipment of imported shrimp recalled for possible Cesium-137 contamination.   The MAHA Commission 2025 report unfotunately ignored radioactivity as a possible cause of rising cancer and chronic illness. But even leaving aside nuclear accidents, studies show living near nuclear plants elevates cancer risk. Nuclear reactors generate radioactive waste and ionizing radiation, which get into the environment, contaminating air, water, soil and food. Harmful isotopes like Cesium-137 aren’t natural; they’re made only in reactors, but persist in the environment and food for centuries. Decades after Chernobyl, for instance, researchers found Cesium-137 in meat from domestic … Continue reading US authorities seize shrimp with lethal radioactivity level only a fifth of that found on a Scottish beach upstream from Sellafield nuclear plant in North-West England

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Scotland’s schools narrow attainment gaps across the board and ‘most deprived’ 14/15 year-olds make major strides in literacy

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From Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels, 2024-25 published on 9 December 2025: The statistics also provide information on the gap in attainment between pupils from the most and least deprived areas of Scotland: For literacy, there was an increase in the proportions of primary pupils (P1, P4, P7 combined) that achieved the expected level, from both the least deprived and most deprived areas with a larger increase in the most deprived areas. As a result, the gap reached its narrowest ever level of 19.4 percentage points. For primary numeracy, the gap narrowed to 16.6 percentage points, which was … Continue reading Scotland’s schools narrow attainment gaps across the board and ‘most deprived’ 14/15 year-olds make major strides in literacy

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Literacy and Numeracy at record highs in Scotland’s schools

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Support Talking-up Scotland -In this election year in Scotland, the 90% pro-Union media and their sponsors in the opposition parties will do everything they can to undermine the pro-independence parties. Thought vastly outnumbered, we will do our very best to counter their lies and get you, every day, the true stories and the sources of evidence to prove them. Help us if you can at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-get-the-facts-for-you From the National Standardised Assessments for Scotland National Report for Academic Year 2024-2025, published today, we can see the one year results but no trends. This is a classic example of a task where … Continue reading Literacy and Numeracy at record highs in Scotland’s schools

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BBC Scotland repeating the lie that hospital infections ‘led to deaths in patients’ in reporting that exploits tragedy for political purposes

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For the second day running, BBC Scotland seeks to misrepresent the findings of an official inquiry into a hospital-acquired infections inquiry. They tell us: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) had consistently denied bacteria in the water was responsible for causing some infections which led to the deaths of patients. But in closing submissions to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, external it has now admitted “on the balance of probabilities”, that there was a “causal connection” between some infections and the hospital environment. That’s correct, true, but you need to have your wits about you for for their next sneaky move. The above is … Continue reading BBC Scotland repeating the lie that hospital infections ‘led to deaths in patients’ in reporting that exploits tragedy for political purposes

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How a London-based think-tank is more trustworthy than a Glasgow one with a bias against the SNP

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By stewartb It’s been interesting to compare and contrast how two economic think tanks chose to comment upon the Scottish Government’s recent budget statement and Spending Review. Let’s take the Glasgow-based Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) on the Budget first: FAI (January 13) ‘A Budget where the silences were loudest.’ The up front framing made a good start! And on what the Cabinet Secretary did say, it’s tough to find anything remotely positive in the commentary. The FAI offers this further characterisation of the Budget: ‘Another case of delaying adjustment into the future’. Such a remark emphasises where the FAI ‘s own … Continue reading How a London-based think-tank is more trustworthy than a Glasgow one with a bias against the SNP

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Scottish think-tank – ‘Value judgements’ over analysis-based conclusions.

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By stewartb: As a regular reader of the output of the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI), I’m becoming increasingly disappointed in how it’s opting to express and emphasise what are ‘value judgements’ over analysis-based conclusions. Does it intend to become a quasi-political organisation? On January 15 this headline appeared above an FAI article: ‘Budget – day 3 reaction – Council tax & the Spending Review. Incoherent reforms to council tax: could have been worse, but not good enough.’ Within the piece we read (with my emphasis): ‘Scotland will follow the UK Government’s example and introduce higher taxes on higher value properties. Whereas … Continue reading Scottish think-tank – ‘Value judgements’ over analysis-based conclusions.

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BBC Scotland deliberately misleads on hospital-acquired infections – there was no ‘fatal infection’ nor did ‘infection lead to death’

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BBC Scotland returns once more to the tragic death of a child cancer patient. This case has run for nine years now, during which Anas Sarwar has cynically appeared with the parents, platformed widely by MSM, to support their understandable need to explain the worst thing that can happen to parents. In one televised election debate, Anas even shouted ‘What about Millie!?’ at Nicola Sturgeon. That led to a vomiting attack nationally. The man has no shame. Misleading the general public has been regular and frequent. The headline above is simply wrong. The infection was not fatal in itself but … Continue reading BBC Scotland deliberately misleads on hospital-acquired infections – there was no ‘fatal infection’ nor did ‘infection lead to death’

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This Ayr SNP MSP candidate makes ex-Labour minister look tired and visionless but most of all ignorant of the reasons why ‘visionary’ budgets are simply denied us

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Above right, Siobhian Brown SNP candidate for the Ayr constituency, out leafleting, responds to the accusations from Scottish Labour that the SNP, after 19 years, is ‘tired & visionless.’ Full video at: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17tX9kcQs6/ I feel sure they know how much the devolution settlements firmly denies the Scottish Government the ability to be visionary and their attack, for that reason, is visionless. If Scotland was independent what could the Scottish Government’s budget feature that it cannot at the moment If Scotland were independent, its government’s budget could include a range of powers, policies, and fiscal tools that are currently unavailable or … Continue reading This Ayr SNP MSP candidate makes ex-Labour minister look tired and visionless but most of all ignorant of the reasons why ‘visionary’ budgets are simply denied us

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Teachers vote goes against strike action – leaders and media disappointed they can’t blame SNP so will waste their member fees by having another vote

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Yesterday BBC Scotland and the teachers union leaders were willing on the vote for a teachers’ strike ,then in the early afternoon today, they saw this: Workload Ballot Falls Foul of Soon-to-be Repealed Thresholds: EIS to Re-Ballot Members for Strike Created on: 16 Jan 2026 The EIS announced that its recent statutory industrial action ballot on teacher workload has become a victim of soon-to-be repealed elements of UK anti-trade union laws, having fallen short of the strict thresholds set in that Tory-era legislation.  Workload Ballot Falls Foul of Soon-to-be Repealed Thresholds? Until 2007, that’d be ‘Teachers vote against strike action.’ Then 14 paragraphs … Continue reading Teachers vote goes against strike action – leaders and media disappointed they can’t blame SNP so will waste their member fees by having another vote