Tag: politics

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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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Scotland’s fairer system means they have less reason to ‘tussle over inheritance’

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In The Economist, this week, the above, and: When there’s a will, there’s a war. Or so they say in the courts of England and Wales, which are growing busier with fights over the dead’s estates. The number of probate claims listed at the High Court has grown by over 400% over the past decade, according to Solomonic, a legal-analytics company. https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/07/23/britons-are-increasingly-tussling-over-inheritance If you’re a regular here, you will have spotted the problem above with ‘Britons’ and ‘England and Wales.’ Not for the first time, Scotland has been disappeared. Reader Derek Scott alerted us yesterday to this and noted: An article … Continue reading Scotland’s fairer system means they have less reason to ‘tussle over inheritance’

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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

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SNP Government accused of not predicting which way the wind blows as local shouts ‘Theatre!!!’

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By Alasdair Macdonald BBC ‘Scotland’, some unionist politicians, most of the ‘Scottish’ newspapers, and other UK media, probably via the Press Association have given the Cairngorms wildfire extensive coverage, but as well as than reporting on tackling the fire they have used vox pops from two people in the Nethy Bridge area to ‘slam’ the Scottish Government and Scottish Fire and Rescue. The chair of the local community council is a retired photographer who worked for the P&J in Aberdeen and it is likely that he has used contacts in the media to get his political point across. BBC ‘Scotland’, … Continue reading SNP Government accused of not predicting which way the wind blows as local shouts ‘Theatre!!!’

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Over 55% of Scots to pay less income tax than if they lived in England – Confirmed

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From Scottish tax payers comparison to English counterparts: FOI release, published last Friday: On Tuesday 13th January 2026, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government whilst addressing Holyrood stated that: “As a result, even more people in Scotland can expect to pay less tax than if they lived in England, Northern Ireland or Wales. That’s over 55 per cent of Scots set to pay less income tax because they live in Scotland.” Please can you supply the following information. 1. What was the specific median income figure used in the production of this data? 2. What was the income … Continue reading Over 55% of Scots to pay less income tax than if they lived in England – Confirmed

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Still challenged but Scotland’s care system is years ahead of any plans Burnham has

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As the new PM is pressed on England’s failing social care system, we sometimes hear, not on BBC Scotland of course, that though still challenged, Scotland system after nearly 20 years of centre-left government by the SNP is well ahead. What’s the evidence? What has the SNP done differently? In Scotland, there is free personal care for all adults assessed as needing it. This was introduced for over-65s in 2002 and extended to working-age adults in 2019. This covers help with personal hygiene, continence, diet, mobility, and simple treatments, whether at home or in a care home. The upper threshold … Continue reading Still challenged but Scotland’s care system is years ahead of any plans Burnham has