Tag: politics

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England’s first full investigation into maternity service failures publishing today will reveal such horror that their police investigation being labelled ‘Operation Perth’ shocks investigation-free NHS Scotland

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Absent entirely from UK newspaper front pages today but featured in TV news broadcasts, the above story anticipates a report into maternity services in Nottingham which will be frankly horrific and which police locally have strangely labelled their investigation into criminality, ‘Operation Perth’: The largest maternity review in the history of the NHS – which is expected to detail widespread failings that led to the deaths of babies and avoidable harm – will be published later. About 2,500 families and more than 800 staff members have contributed to the review into Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust, which began in … Continue reading England’s first full investigation into maternity service failures publishing today will reveal such horror that their police investigation being labelled ‘Operation Perth’ shocks investigation-free NHS Scotland

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Reconviction Rates in Scotland fall to tiny percentage per head of those in England and Wales due to twice as many ‘probation officers’

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From Reconviction Rates in Scotland: 2022 to 2023 Offender Cohort, published today: Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/reconviction-rates-in-scotland-2022-2023-cohort/ What might account for this? There are currently 5 576 ‘band 4’ probation officers in England.2 Scotland does not have “probation officers” as a distinct role. The equivalent is Justice Social Workers (also called criminal justice social workers), who are qualified social workers employed mainly by the 32 local authorities. Per head of population, you might expect that Scotland would have around 560 of these but has 1 174 up from 950 the year before.3 Scotland has twice as many! How does this play out in terms of … Continue reading Reconviction Rates in Scotland fall to tiny percentage per head of those in England and Wales due to twice as many ‘probation officers’

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Did the media get Murrell 5 years in jail? In 2019 a Labour councillor stole from a charity which then collapsed, causing great harm to locals, and did not plead guilty yet she still avoided jail

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From BBC Scotland in 2019: A former [Labour] councillor has been convicted of taking more than £8,000 from a local charity where she worked. Yvonne Kucuk, 52, was the company secretary for the People’s Development Trust in Dalmarnock, Glasgow. The trust ran the £3.5m Commonwealth Games legacy hub in the area, which was launched by football legend Sir Kenny Dalglish in 2015. But, later financial concerns led to auditors looking over the organisation’s books. Kucuk – ex-Labour councillor for the city’s Calton area – and the trust’s project manager William Faulds, 55, were eventually held by police. A trial heard … Continue reading Did the media get Murrell 5 years in jail? In 2019 a Labour councillor stole from a charity which then collapsed, causing great harm to locals, and did not plead guilty yet she still avoided jail

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Scotland in top ten for foreign direct investment out of more than one thousand European ‘regions’, first per head in UK and well ahead of Burnhamland

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The above table is from this report published today: The EY UK Attractiveness Survey 2026, the latest in our series of annual reports exploring the performance and perceptions of the UK as a destination for foreign direct investment (FDI). It’s now been 25 years since EY first published this study. Over that time, it has become an eagerly awaited and indispensable reference point for business leaders, investors and policymakers as they seek to understand the drivers of inward investment and the UK’s relative performance against other European FDI locations in a constantly changing global landscape.1 EY’s database does not give … Continue reading Scotland in top ten for foreign direct investment out of more than one thousand European ‘regions’, first per head in UK and well ahead of Burnhamland

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‘Alleged anti-Muslim attacks are ‘intolerance wake-up call’ but there are positives to be noted in Scotland

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From BBC Scotland yesterday: The first minister has said a series of alleged anti-Muslim attacks in Edinburgh should be a “wake-up call” to Scotland over intolerance towards others. John Swinney said he was “terrified” the incidents, which left five men injured in the north and west of the city on Friday, were the product of intolerance being “legitimised”. He accused Reform MSPs at the Scottish Parliament of using language which had caused “division” among communities. Reform said the attacks should not be “conflated” with a “genuine debate around mass migration”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75y44e9w9do All true, I fully agree but let’s not think … Continue reading ‘Alleged anti-Muslim attacks are ‘intolerance wake-up call’ but there are positives to be noted in Scotland

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Huge surge in child exploitation – carrying drugs in body cavities and sexual abuse – by English county lines drug gangs in Scotland

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From Human Trafficking NRM referrals re county lines – 10yrs published by Police Scotland today, that ‘referrals made by Police Scotland to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) where county lines and suspected criminal exploitation was a factor‘ was: Under 16 year-olds – from 6 in 2020/2021 to 39 in 2025/2026, almost a seven-fold increase. 16-17 year-olds, from 16 to 65, a four-fold increase. Source: https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2026/june/26-1022-human-trafficking-nrm-referrals-re-county-lines-10yrs/ What forms does that exploitation take? County lines refers to a violent, exploitative model of illegal drug distribution in the UK, where urban gangs and organised criminal networks export drugs (primarily heroin and crack cocaine) … Continue reading Huge surge in child exploitation – carrying drugs in body cavities and sexual abuse – by English county lines drug gangs in Scotland

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Holyrood still far more open and transparent for journalists than Westminster

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The Herald and other media wailing at new constraints on their journalists wandering Holyrood and mobbing ministers, fail to tell you this. Holyrood access still remains more transparent overall than Westminster, even after the recent media pen change. The new restriction is narrow and targeted. It’s only after First Minister’s Questions, in one specific area. Westminster’s system is much more controlled. Why Holyrood Is Still More Transparent There is broader general access. Accredited journalists at Holyrood have significant freedom to move around the building, approach MSPs in public areas and can conduct impromptu interviews. The media pen is limited. It … Continue reading Holyrood still far more open and transparent for journalists than Westminster

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Nine SNP initiatives to tackle child poverty all unique to Scotland and all of them not news for you apparently

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From: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan: Progress Report 2025-26 published yesterday to the above MSM response: Steps taken in the past year to further strengthen the support available to families include: This is in addition to our continued investment in actions delivered over the life of this plan, including devolved employability support, free bus travel for under 22s and disabled people, and our package of social security payments including the Scottish Child Payment. Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/tackling-child-poverty-delivery-plan-progress-report-2025-26/pages/3/ In short, these steps are Scotland-only measures designed to tackle child poverty within the devolved framework. They do not apply elsewhere in the UK, though … Continue reading Nine SNP initiatives to tackle child poverty all unique to Scotland and all of them not news for you apparently

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‘Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated’ and ‘Burnham putting Scotland back in its box’

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By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 While the band strikes up Hail to the Chief in Makerfield and the Prime Minister spends a nervous weekend contemplating his future at Chequers, sections of the Scottish press are once again falling over themselves to predict the death of the Scottish independence movement. The instrument of execution this time? Andy Burnham. According to Herald columnist and occasional prophet Neil Mackay, Burnham represents the SNP’s nightmare: a popular Labour leader who restores faith in Westminster and pulls the political rug from beneath the feet of the Scottish National Party and its supporters. It is an … Continue reading ‘Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated’ and ‘Burnham putting Scotland back in its box’

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As effectiveness of the new UK Labour government plan to protect victims from released prisoners is revealed to be failing, a former Scottish MP and former senior police officer explained the more effective Scottish system more than two years ago

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From the Western Mail 12 May 2026, the above image and: A MAN punched his fists through the kit­chen win­dow of his former part­ner’s house and threatened to murder her before tak­ing her by the throat and squeez­ing, a court has heard. Alex Thomas had only been out of prison for a mat­ter of days when he attacked the woman in her own home. Source: https://www.pressreader.com/uk/western-mail/20260512/281754160949044?srsltid=AfmBOoqFwQYiCXNV8WvWaCzWS66IFxf79j9_SJdB7fRphldnxLtOEm8t In August 2025, the UK Labour Government set out plants to prevent this kind of thing> Today’s latest ‘back-of-a-cigarette-packet‘ plan by the UK Labour Government to protect victims from released violent offenders has been … Continue reading As effectiveness of the new UK Labour government plan to protect victims from released prisoners is revealed to be failing, a former Scottish MP and former senior police officer explained the more effective Scottish system more than two years ago