Tag: scotland

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Supporting the Guardian if you are for Scottish Independence – an open letter to the editor

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Katherine Viner, Editor, the Guardian, katharine.viner@guardian.co.uk Dear Katharine I’d really like to contribute to the Guardian but cannot because of the 12th September 2014 editorial, telling Scots to vote No in the referendum on independence, a few days later:  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/12/guardian-view-scottish-independence In 1967, aged 16, starting Higher History classes in an industrial Scottish town, our teacher suggested we needed to start reading a serious newspaper, and on the following Sunday, I walked into town, had a look around and bought the Observer. I was stunned by its content. My parents took a tabloid, and I had no idea such rich, fascinating material … Continue reading Supporting the Guardian if you are for Scottish Independence – an open letter to the editor

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News houses built in flood risk areas – 1 in 9 in England but only 1 in 200 in Scotland

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON In the Guardian today, the above, and: One in nine new homes in England built between 2022 and 2024 were constructed in areas that could now be at risk of flooding, according to new data. The figures show the number of homes being built in risky areas is on the rise – a previous analysis showed that between 2013 and 2022, one in 13 new homes were in potential flooding zones. The research comes with the government under huge … Continue reading News houses built in flood risk areas – 1 in 9 in England but only 1 in 200 in Scotland

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As drug deaths fall and as locals find fewer discarded needles, Annie Wells calls for the closure of a safe drug injection facility in her hopeless pursuit of votes

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON In the Herald today: The UK’s only drug consumption room has been branded a “failed experiment” as the Scottish Government faces calls to shut down the facility. The Thistle, based on Hunter Street in the east end of Glasgow, opened in January last year and has been accessed more than 11,000 times. Who says it has failed and should be closed? Annie Wells of the Scottish Cons of course. She claims: Why is she and they all wrong on … Continue reading As drug deaths fall and as locals find fewer discarded needles, Annie Wells calls for the closure of a safe drug injection facility in her hopeless pursuit of votes

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

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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, more than 6 times higher. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individuals-referred-to-prevent-to-march-2024/individuals-referred-to-and-supported-through-the-prevent-programme-april-2023-to-march-2024 Why so … Continue reading Referral for terror concerns of 11 to 15 year-olds is SIX times more common in England & Wales than in Scotland

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

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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

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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?

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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?

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

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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 [100 web pages and posts] across web sources … Continue reading Scottish Labour – Not just friends of paedophiles but by far the most actual convicted sex offenders, including 5 paedophiles, convicted since 2007

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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

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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

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

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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

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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

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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