Referral for terror concerns of 11 to 15 year-olds SIX times more common in England & Wales than in Scotland

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. From 25-3990 – Prevent Data – age breakdown of under 15s + referral reason – 2016/17 TD, published yesterday: There were 33, 27, and 39, eleven to fifteen year-olds in Scotland, referred to Prevent who had their cases followed up, in the years 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24. Before the Pandemic-affected year of 202/21, the average was around 30 so there is no sign of an increasing trend. https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2026/january/25-3990-prevent-data-age-breakdown-of-under-15s-referral-reason-2016-17-td/ If the level of the problem was similar in England & Wales, you might expect a figure of around 430. It was 2 729, … Continue reading Referral for terror concerns of 11 to 15 year-olds SIX times more common in England & Wales than in Scotland

Scottish Government report on ‘Five years of Scottish Child Payment’ totally ignored by ‘our’ media

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Scottish Child Payment has supported more than 241,000 parents and carers since its launch five years ago, helping put over £1.3 billion into the pockets of low-income families. An increase to the payment for children under one will be introduced during 2027/28, estimated to benefit around 12,000 children and could be worth an extra £500 a year for each eligible child. The payment, which is only available in Scotland, provides families with £27.15 a week, rising to £28.20 from April 2026, for every eligible child under 16.  Latest figures show more than 322,000 children are … Continue reading Scottish Government report on ‘Five years of Scottish Child Payment’ totally ignored by ‘our’ media

What kind of miserable wee s***e had the meanness of spirit to ask how much it cost to send the New York mayor an SNP baby box and which media outlet do they work for – what’s your guess?

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. On the 23rd January, someone wrote to the Scottish Government to ask: Please provide copies of any internal correspondence, submissions, briefings or approvals relating to the decision. Please provide the total cost incurred by the Scottish Government in producing, packaging and sending the Baby Box. They got a reply on 4th February and it was published yesterday. https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202600503409/ In the correspondence you can see that the Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville had seen Mayor Mamdani express a desire to introduce a similar baby box in New York. Sharing his views on … Continue reading What kind of miserable wee s***e had the meanness of spirit to ask how much it cost to send the New York mayor an SNP baby box and which media outlet do they work for – what’s your guess?

Scottish Labour – Not just friends of paedophiles but by far the most actual convicted sex offenders, including 5 paedophiles, convicted since 2007

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. To be fair, she’s in the top position, though we’ll soon see how long she lasts there and you’ll note they’ve kept the ‘sex offender‘ bit small and the ‘paedophile‘ bit invisible. In an extended piece by Andrew Kerr, there’s complete avoidance of the word ‘paedophile‘ and absolutely no historical context of the kind we always get with the SNP. Here it is: Two Scottish Labour MSP, Anas Sarwar and Pam Duncan Glancy, both long-term friends of known paedophiles, but the problems run far deeper at Scottish Labour. Based on extensive searches … Continue reading Scottish Labour – Not just friends of paedophiles but by far the most actual convicted sex offenders, including 5 paedophiles, convicted since 2007

95% of Scotland’s schools in good condition up from only 62% under Labour and they struggle to do anything about it in England after 19 months in government

and need refurbishing or even replacing, according to a group of MPs in a report that’s out this morning. Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. That’s the message on BBC Breakfast this morning. What’s the situation in Scotland? This but you won’t be hearing it elsewhere: By stewartb School estate statistics 2024 provides statistics for context and perspective. It follows a BBC Scotland article on the corporation’s News website on 12 October headlined: ‘Child safety fears as ‘repaired’ ceiling falls at neglected school’. Now don’t get me wrong, no one should have a piece of wood or plasterboard … Continue reading 95% of Scotland’s schools in good condition up from only 62% under Labour and they struggle to do anything about it in England after 19 months in government

Why is the wettest part of the UK, North-east Scotland coping so well? Scottish Government investment pays off

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Look at that Met Office map above and note how awesomely wet January was for Scotland’s north-east. I suppose that photograph must there too. No, it’s Somerset. What is the Guardian saying about that? The Guardian view on heavy rain: England’s flood defences are not strong enough Never, mind, all that rain, folk must flooded out of their homes in North-East Scotland. In January 2026, there was not one image, I can find, on BBC Scotland News, STV News or in any Scottish edition newspaper. Find one and I’ll edit this story. … Continue reading Why is the wettest part of the UK, North-east Scotland coping so well? Scottish Government investment pays off

No media coverage as Scottish Government allocates £20m to help young people secure homes where they live and second homes plummet by half from Labour era

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. From the Scottish Government yesterday into complete media silence: Plans to develop a Rural and Island Housing Grant Scheme, with an indicative budget of up to £20 million over four years, have been announced by the First Minister. Designed to help with costs in rural and island communities, the scheme will enable people, including first-time buyers and families, to own affordable homes in the places they want to live. Announcing the scheme at the National Farmers Union Scotland Conference, the First Minister also confirmed a package of agricultural support including £14.25 … Continue reading No media coverage as Scottish Government allocates £20m to help young people secure homes where they live and second homes plummet by half from Labour era

Experienced researcher finds AI far more trustworthy on Scottish politics than BBC Scotland, STV, the Herald, the Scotsman or The Ferret

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. I really had to laugh. I’ve done a lot of searching for information and sometimes analysis and evaluation using Grok, chatgpt and other general AI platforms. I do find bias against the independence movement, the SNP and the Scottish Government but only when the AI gives to much credence to the so-called Scottish media, especially those in my headline above. Mostly, however, if I’m careful with my questions, initial and follow-up, I discover that these AI tools, all owned outside the UK do not seem to have an agenda on Scotland. … Continue reading Experienced researcher finds AI far more trustworthy on Scottish politics than BBC Scotland, STV, the Herald, the Scotsman or The Ferret

Almost all terror-related offences in Scotland carried out by whites

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. From a Police Scotland Freedom of Information request 25-2862 Crime stats – Terrorism inc. accused gender/ age/ ethnicity – 2025 published today, where ethnicity was recorded: Ethnicity Total White Scottish 9 White British 6 White Irish 1 White Other 1 White European 6 White North European 1 Black Scottish Other 1 Source: https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2025/october/25-2862-crime-stats-terrorism-inc-accused-gender-age-ethnicity-2025/ Why is there little sign there of the Islamic terror threat typically frothed about in the popular news media in England? Some ideas I posted tentatively in 2019: I know we have lots of racists and Islamophobes in … Continue reading Almost all terror-related offences in Scotland carried out by whites

Surely that should be Anas Sarwar to face questions after John Swinney calls for investigation into Mandelson

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Who on earth wrote that headline? Anas Sarwar’s spad? John Swinney will be answering questions on this: The Promise is a landmark report which followed Scotland’s Independent Care Review, which set out a long-term commitment to transform the care system for children and young people. but the idea that this has anything to do with Mandelson is utterly bizarre. Are they trying to associate Swinney with Mandelson and to deflect from Anas Sarwar? There have been equally bizarre, slimy, attempts by a Labour MP to draw Swinney into the mire, because … Continue reading Surely that should be Anas Sarwar to face questions after John Swinney calls for investigation into Mandelson