Tag: news

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Unregistered children’s homes in England & Wales creating a ‘perfect storm’ for criminals exploiting young people are prevented in Scotland because of Nicola Sturgeon’s ‘promise’ in 2016

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Yesterday from Policing Insight, the above and: New research by Anglia Ruskin University into the risks of child exploitation in unregistered children’s homes in England and Wales highlights that with youngsters often “institutionally invisible” in such settings, many are easy targets for organised crime gangs, county lines drug networks and sexual abusers, as the location of such homes and the lack of monitoring create a “perfect storm” of exposure for vulnerable children, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons. https://policinginsight.com/feature/unregistered-childrens-homes-create-a-perfect-storm-for-criminals-exploiting-young-people/ We explained why and how this does not happen in Scotland in June 2026: Before anyone accuses me of being duped, read … Continue reading Unregistered children’s homes in England & Wales creating a ‘perfect storm’ for criminals exploiting young people are prevented in Scotland because of Nicola Sturgeon’s ‘promise’ in 2016

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Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland to rebut Labour scare story

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In the deeply untrusted Herald yesterday, the above, and: Scotland’s only ethnic-minority and Muslim MP has called on the Scottish Government to fund a cohesion strategy in the wake of last month’s violent far-right rally in Glasgow . Dr Zubir Ahmed said cuts to youth provision and to community policing meant the early warning signs of radicalisation were being missed. Does being ‘Scotland’s only ethnic-minority and Muslim MP’ mean you are well-placed to knowing what’s going in? Apparently not: Ahmed is trying to suggest terror referrals in Scotland are a serious problem just like in other parts of the UK and are being missed. … Continue reading Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland to rebut Labour scare story

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From the wetter parts of Britain to the places that ‘actually need it’

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By Liz S Talking of “Fire” there is another huge problem in certain parts of the UK State , that is where droughts are also currently happening , all as a result of the greatly increased temperatures in some places within the UK state and also due to a lack of rainfall. There is a digital online travel platform called ‘Exploring GB’. They posted this on 28 July on Facebook: “Scotland gets huge amounts of rainfall, while parts of southern England regularly end up facing droughts and hosepipe bans”. “The Romans were transporting water over vast distances 2,000 years ago. Surely in 2026, we’re capable of getting water from the … Continue reading From the wetter parts of Britain to the places that ‘actually need it’

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There is no trusted journalism that matters in Scotland

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The Herald is owned by a corporation and serves the interests of that corporation including its preference for the stability of the UK within NATO. The empirical evidence is clear and can be trusted far more than the Herald’s unconvincing claims: Substantial empirical evidence from case studies, content analyses, and comparative work on these topics aligns with and supports the core predictions of Herman and Chomsky’s propaganda model. The model holds that structural filters (ownership, advertising, elite sourcing, flak, and ideology) systematically shape mainstream media performance to favor elite/state/corporate interests when those interests are relatively unified, limiting the range of … Continue reading There is no trusted journalism that matters in Scotland

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Prisons in England and Wales with only half the probation officers, releasing twice as many and having to recall twelve times as many prisoners, proportionally, as in Scotland

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting us to this. From the Parole Board for Scotland Annual Report 2024/2025 (2025/2026 not yet released), 2 386 prisoners were released. Of these, 282 were recalled to prison within 12 months, an 11.8% recidivism rate overall. https://scottishparoleboard.scot/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Annual-Report-2024-2025.pdf All things being equal in terms of influencing facts such as the availability of social rent housing and access to probation supervision staff, you might expect the figure for England and Wales to be around 12 times higher – 28 632 and 3 384. However, according to Offender management statistics quarterly: October to December 2024, the the number … Continue reading Prisons in England and Wales with only half the probation officers, releasing twice as many and having to recall twelve times as many prisoners, proportionally, as in Scotland

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27% more officers help Police Scotland cope with fewer, far smaller and far less violent anti-immigration protests than in England

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is placing significant pressure on its officers. Another one of these stories that only appear in Reporting Scotland broadcasts and are not fully presented with evidence on the website – different editors? This one is based entirely on the opinion of a trade union leader. Anyhow, while not wishing to understate the importance and the pressures involved in dealing with anti-immigration protests in Scotland, there are some facts our taxpayer-funded public service broadcaster should be telling us. First, Scotland has the highest ratio of police officers per 100 000 population – 295. England and Wales forces have a lower combined ratio 235–241. … Continue reading 27% more officers help Police Scotland cope with fewer, far smaller and far less violent anti-immigration protests than in England

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Andy Burnham fails to put out Manchester wildfire after two weeks but luckily, unlike the one the Cairngorms, it’s neither ‘apocalyptic’, the fault of any government nor is it due to the absence of helicopters

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For a reader in Scotland there are quite a few things missing in the above BBC Manchester report two days ago: Wildfires across Greater Manchester are still burning a fortnight after they first started, the fire service has said. More than 100 firefighters and volunteers have been tackling the blaze on two fronts at Dove Stone, after the fire in Saddleworth merged with a fire at Tintwistle, and at Swineshaw. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said specialists from across the UK had been drafted in to control any remaining hotspots. The fires in Greater Manchester and Derbyshire have burned … Continue reading Andy Burnham fails to put out Manchester wildfire after two weeks but luckily, unlike the one the Cairngorms, it’s neither ‘apocalyptic’, the fault of any government nor is it due to the absence of helicopters

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Scottish Government to end risks to vulnerable by requiring social workers from other parts of the UK to be fully registered in Scotland before working here.

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From Community Care yesterday: Scottish Government proposals would end provision allowing social workers registered with other UK regulators to practise in Scotland, while it also is seeking views on whether social work assistants should be required to register. The Scottish Government proposal would end provisions allowing social workers practising in the country to be registered with another UK regulator, but not SSSC. Under section 52 of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, no one may call themselves a social worker or work as one in Scotland without being registered as one with the SSSC or with Social Work England, Social Care … Continue reading Scottish Government to end risks to vulnerable by requiring social workers from other parts of the UK to be fully registered in Scotland before working here.

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UK Government is now dishonestly claiming a ‘central’ and ‘instrumental’ role in bringing the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow.

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By stewartb The UK government and especially the Secretary of State for Scotland, Douglas Alexander have been commenting on their role in having the Commonwealth Games come to Glasgow: ‘a central role’; ‘instrumental’; ‘huge supporters of the Games’ etc. From the UK government in a press release dated July 24, 2026: ‘Commonwealth Games return to Glasgow with UK Government backing’: ‘The UK Government is proud to have played a central role in bringing the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Glasgow and securing the future of the competition.’ (my emphasis) Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander is quoted in the press statement: “I am … Continue reading UK Government is now dishonestly claiming a ‘central’ and ‘instrumental’ role in bringing the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow.

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Burnham needs to copy SNP policies to reduce massive gap in youth unemployment, 55% higher ‘across the UK’ than in Scotland

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BBC Home today reporting on the new PM’s latest announcement: Secondary school pupils in England will be able to study subjects like manufacturing and AI in addition to core academic learning under reforms outlined by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The government said the courses, which would be available from Year 10, would be linked to local industries and designed to give children a clearer pathway into work. Data published this year showed more than one million young people across the UK were not in education, employment or training, the highest level in more than 12 years. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4k2djd5qpo This follows on … Continue reading Burnham needs to copy SNP policies to reduce massive gap in youth unemployment, 55% higher ‘across the UK’ than in Scotland