No supporters resorted to the more ‘divisive’, the more extreme and inflammatory rhetoric to try to convince voters to stay in the UK

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details By stewartb “Lots of us were persuadable, but if the knee jerk response to common sense questions is ‘you’re a unionist traitor, a scaremonger and no true Scot’, don’t be surprised if the questioner becomes sceptical about the inclusive, egalitarian, welcoming utopia independence activists swore we’d be living in once they were in charge” At one level I’m bored by the likes of this from Ms Rowling and want to move on. But this wishing to occupy some sort of moral high ground grinds … Continue reading No supporters resorted to the more ‘divisive’, the more extreme and inflammatory rhetoric to try to convince voters to stay in the UK

‘I came to the question of independence with an open mind’ – writer of mundane children’s fantasy books

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details By Liz S JK Rowling has now written another loooooooooooong post on ‘X’ today in response to a tweet by, checks notes, Wings Over Scotland. The last paragraph of her post includes this…. “Lots of us were persuadable, but if the knee jerk response to common sense questions is ‘you’re a unionist traitor, a scaremonger and no true Scot’, don’t be surprised if the questioner becomes sceptical about the inclusive, egalitarian, welcoming utopia independence activists swore we’d be living in once they were in … Continue reading ‘I came to the question of independence with an open mind’ – writer of mundane children’s fantasy books

Scotland’s care system FOUR times as effective as in England yet Neil Mackay argues its ‘apocalyptic’ on behalf of business just hoping to charge us more

Professor John Robertson OBA Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details In the Herald today, the commonly hyperbolic Neil Mackay has the above, and: More than 60% of social care charities risk imminent closure leaving the nation’s most vulnerable citizens in peril. Our Writer at Large reports THE numbers are as astonishing as the severity of the warning. More than 200 charities, which provide health and social care across Scotland, are sending out an SOS saying the sector risks collapse. If this was more than just another example of a corporate hack writing … Continue reading Scotland’s care system FOUR times as effective as in England yet Neil Mackay argues its ‘apocalyptic’ on behalf of business just hoping to charge us more

Water shortages – Scotland lazily added to the picture as England faces the ‘jaws of death’

Professor John Robertson OBA Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Maybe I/we should just ignore this kind of thing as once more a nice, young, liberal, educated Guardian writer, yesterday, revealed the underlying Anglocentrism of their mindset. There’s not a mention of Scotland despite its inclusion as also dry and cracking in the illustration. Even I know that with only a word or two your AI illustrator could have made the map just England if you have no intention of mentioning the other three parts of the Union. Why might she have … Continue reading Water shortages – Scotland lazily added to the picture as England faces the ‘jaws of death’

Is there a hidden flood of English students moving to Scotland to avoid tuition fee debt of now £53 000?

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA, former Head of Department and Associate Dean, UWS While there is only, as yet, anecdotal evidence of people moving from England to Scotland with the specific intention of applying to attend Higher Education tuition fee-free, there are two reasons to suspect the trend may be underway in some measure. First, we see an increasing number of media articles advising how it can be done and it is definitely more than possible given the autonomy of each HE institution to decide … Continue reading Is there a hidden flood of English students moving to Scotland to avoid tuition fee debt of now £53 000?

Another offensive act that references ‘sacrifices made in wars’

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details By Liz S Another offensive act that references ‘sacrifices made in wars’ is one where the current UK PM, Keir Starmer, pumps out his annual St George’s day video message on his Twitter ‘X’ account. A message that is meant to both celebrate and highlight only all things ‘English’ that he, as an Englishman first and foremost, wants the whole UK to recognise and so acknowledge. But it is where he , Starmer , the obvious non neutral and clearly English biased supposed UK PM , always mentions in his annual St George’s Day video message….all of those who ‘fought … Continue reading Another offensive act that references ‘sacrifices made in wars’

‘How Scots villagers took the law into their own hands to expel [English] drug dealers’ – Scottish Daily Express reports in more intelligent and sophisticated manner than so-called ‘serious’ media to inform their readers

Professor John Robertson OBA Readers will know that the ‘serious’ or ‘elite’ media in Scotland – BBC Scotland, STV, the Herald and the Scotsman – have an aversion to reporting accurately on the plague of County Lines affecting almost every town and village in Scotland and caused by County Lines gangs from, entirely, English cities. The tabloids and some locals are more honest. Yesterday, the Express in Scotland had the above headline and the comments below on the prosecution of local ‘ringleaders’ of riots which developed in the East Ayrshire former mining village of Auchinleck and which I have already … Continue reading ‘How Scots villagers took the law into their own hands to expel [English] drug dealers’ – Scottish Daily Express reports in more intelligent and sophisticated manner than so-called ‘serious’ media to inform their readers

On VJ Day, a reminder that Scotland’s WW1 army war dead was a greater sacrifice, 63% higher than the rest of the UK

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA With the UK media saturated with frankly disturbing jingoism based on myths about WWII, it seems like a good moment to repeat this attempt to resolve the alleged myth that Scots had given more in blood on the WWI battlefields. On 10th August 2014, with clear political intent, the Scotsman allowed Sir Hew Strachan to confirm it as a myth: Great War worst for Scots troops ‘a myth’ https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/great-war-worst-scots-troops-myth-1529401 In Patrick Watt’s Manpower, Myth and Memory: Analysing Scotland’s Military Contribution to the Great … Continue reading On VJ Day, a reminder that Scotland’s WW1 army war dead was a greater sacrifice, 63% higher than the rest of the UK

Lib Dem Orkney Island council fails for the second time to run a proper ferry service

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/detailsor, if you prefer, a bank transfer, at sort code 089300 account 1421 7339 Professor John Robertson OBA Today, the Herald does have Orkney ferry workers to begin overtime ban amid industrial dispute makes little effort to remind that this not a CalMac story. Yahoo simply re-pastes the Herald story. FERRY services to Orkney will face disruption later this month, a union has warned after workers backed industrial action amid an escalating pay dispute. Unite the Union confirmed on Wednesday that its Orkney Ferries members will take part … Continue reading Lib Dem Orkney Island council fails for the second time to run a proper ferry service

There are no lives at risk from a Grenfell-like towering inferno in Scotland due to cavity fire barriers and higher building standards but tell that to the Herald

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/detailsor, if you prefer, a bank transfer, at sort code 089300 account 1421 7339 Professor John Robertson OBA In the Herald today: ‘Lives at risk’ as ministers spend just 11% of £97m Scots safety fund Ministers have come under fire as repairs on ‘dangerous’ cladding have reached a “scandalous” standstill with just 11% of a special safety fund spent so far – eight years after the Grenfell tragedy. Up to 1500 tower blocks across Scotland may need repairs, but as of June two are being made … Continue reading There are no lives at risk from a Grenfell-like towering inferno in Scotland due to cavity fire barriers and higher building standards but tell that to the Herald