Tag: news

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‘An awful experiment’ – BBC Scotland omit the SNP promise to scrap cruel two child limit, all their Scottish MPs voting to keep it and Anas Sarwar’s chicken-hearted complicity with it

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BBC Scotland today have: With six children, a busy home, and barely a spare moment, Heather MacMichael’s life is hectic before she even begins to think about money. The 35‑year‑old from Dunfermline has learned to stretch every pound while raising her family on a tight benefits budget – more so under the Universal Credit two-child limit, which excludes support for most of her children. With that policy set to be scrapped on 6 April, Heather is preparing for a shift that could bring a welcome £1,200 extra a month into her household. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czre84d03veo Who has been responsible for this ‘awful … Continue reading ‘An awful experiment’ – BBC Scotland omit the SNP promise to scrap cruel two child limit, all their Scottish MPs voting to keep it and Anas Sarwar’s chicken-hearted complicity with it

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BBC Scotland still acting as if it is an opposition party to the SNP in Scotland

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By Liz S BBC Scotland website yesterday : Headline – “Labour drops election candidate after fraud charge” At 14.57pm that article , which was only added yesterday onto their site, was the 4th article on the Scotland main page, by 4pm above, gone and the 2nd article on the Scottish politics page. The top article yesterday on both the Scotland main page and politics page was this: “SNP candidate ditched over handling of Linden complaints” (Note that according to the BBC website headlines, the Labour candidate was “dropped” but the SNP candidate was “Ditched”). This morning it is still the top article on the Scottish politics page and now the 7th article … Continue reading BBC Scotland still acting as if it is an opposition party to the SNP in Scotland

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As gangs of youths run riot in Clapham for second night will Scotland’s plummeting anti-social behaviour figures cause a problem for media operating in ‘SNP soft touch on crime’ Scotland?

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In the Telegraph and other media today, the above story and: Another day, another mini-riot, as gangs of marauding youths run amok – this time in Clapham, south London. A few days ago social media was full of footage of what seemed to be teenagers (they were all in hoodies so one can’t be sure how old they were) causing chaos in Wolverhampton, throwing eggs at anyone they could find. Video then emerged of hundreds of young men and women rushing a streetwear pop-up shop in Soho in central London. The footage was notable only for being not remotely notable; … Continue reading As gangs of youths run riot in Clapham for second night will Scotland’s plummeting anti-social behaviour figures cause a problem for media operating in ‘SNP soft touch on crime’ Scotland?

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Dear George (Monbiot), here’s why ‘this country’ is not a dump’

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George Monbiot in the Guardian today: This country’s a dump. I don’t mean that metaphorically. I mean it literally. From the point of view of criminal waste gangs, it is one big potential landfill. The chances of being caught range between minimal and nonexistent, and the penalties are mostly laughable. Successive governments have given criminals a licence to print money. Last week, the Commons public accounts committee reported that illegal waste dumping is “out of control”. The UK is now blighted with between 8,000 and 13,000 illegal waste sites. Most consist of a few lorry loads. Some contain tens of thousands of tonnes of waste, which … Continue reading Dear George (Monbiot), here’s why ‘this country’ is not a dump’

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Increased violence against teachers in English schools DOES make sense

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BBC Breakfast today had an extended piece on violence in the classroom increasing. It made sense in the context of worsening youth violence against adults across society, in England. There are similar reports from BBC Scotland. They don’t make such good sense. More on that below. First, of direct relevance, from the Guardian on 31 December 2025: The number of violent offences involving an adolescent attacking their parents or step-parents has increased by more than 60% in the past decade, according to figures recorded by the UK’s biggest police force. Data released by Scotland Yard reveals that there were 1,886 such offences … Continue reading Increased violence against teachers in English schools DOES make sense

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Scotland’s own global celebrity drug baron is not your main concern

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The media operating in Scotland have loved Scotland getting to this ‘world-cup’ of global celebrity drug barons ‘masterminding hits’ on other global celebrity drug barons and the associated relatively minor collateral violence back home in Scotland. As that peaked in the summer of 2025, the Telegraph had: A wave of violence The flames have been there for all to see. Over six weeks in March and April, there were more than a dozen arson attacks in the two cities, with cars, homes, garages and businesses set alight. In other incidents, shots have been fired and two people, a pensioner and a 12-year-old boy, seriously … Continue reading Scotland’s own global celebrity drug baron is not your main concern

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BBC Scotland admit County Lines drug gangs are another plague from England but try to contain it in the Highlands

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Charity workers have raised concern about the number of vulnerable youngsters in the Highlands being targeted big city drug dealers from England. Barnardo’s staff say they’re being exploited and threatened by County Lines drug gangs in Inverness. The charity runs the Anchor project in the City, which is trying to help tackle the problem. Police reckon 12 organised crime groups are operating in the Highland capital. BBC Scotland, in their BBC breakfast insert this morning, with a second only explicit mention of where the County Lines drug gangs are from. I must say, I’m puzzled by this openness after 7 … Continue reading BBC Scotland admit County Lines drug gangs are another plague from England but try to contain it in the Highlands

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Labour vows to merge ferry bodies and fix ‘broken system’ broken by their Douglas Alexander and Jack McConnell in the first place

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Headlining for BBC Scotland, featuring across all media operating in Scotland and in The Standard today: Labour vows to merge ferry bodies and fix ‘broken system’ – Anas Sarwar will visit Stornoway on Monday, as he warned the ‘SNP’s ferry fiasco is a symbol of their incompetence and waste’. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/anas-sarwar-snp-holyrood-isle-of-lewis-b1276923.html I’m already blinded by the shine from Labour’s brass neck on this one. Merge what? CalMac which runs the service and CMAL which owns the ferries and commissions the building of new ones. Until 1 October 2006, Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd ran the service and owned the boats. The harbours and … Continue reading Labour vows to merge ferry bodies and fix ‘broken system’ broken by their Douglas Alexander and Jack McConnell in the first place

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Disturbing research finding repeat AI errors in a medical procedure cast doubt on UK Labour’s rush to replace clinicians and confirm Scottish Government’s caution

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Thanks to NHS for YES for alerting us to this. From a February 2026 peer-reviewed research paper on an AI tool for Nasogastric Tube Position, the above image and this disturbing conclusion: Administration of food or medication through a misplaced nasogastric tube (NGT) constitutes a “never event” (defined by the National Health Service as a serious incident that is wholly preventable) in health care systems given the high likelihood of patient harm. Efforts to ensure adequate NGT positioning typically focus on increased education. Artificial intelligence (AI)–driven decision-support tools could address such challenges in a more streamlined manner, yet external validation … Continue reading Disturbing research finding repeat AI errors in a medical procedure cast doubt on UK Labour’s rush to replace clinicians and confirm Scottish Government’s caution

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SNP Government’s defence of the disabled against ‘a cruel penalty’ portrayed as economic mismanagement by BBC Scotland

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In the Guardian, today, the above (left) and: Hundreds of thousands of severely ill and disabled people making new claims will have their benefits cut if the government assesses that their condition might improve, charities have said. In April, the health element of universal credit – an extra payment for people assessed as too unwell to work or prepare for work – will be halved to £50 a week and frozen for new claimants unless their condition is found to be terminal or severe and lifelong with no prospect of improvement. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/29/disabled-benefit-claimants-face-lower-payments-if-conditions-not-deemed-lifelong-charities-say Will this apply in Scotland? PIP and equivalent … Continue reading SNP Government’s defence of the disabled against ‘a cruel penalty’ portrayed as economic mismanagement by BBC Scotland