Tag: travel

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For those who still maintain it was a voluntary union – the suffocation of Scotland’s independence movement in 1746

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Professor John Robertson OBA The suffocating, intense domination of Scotland’s communities by British Army forces after Culloden is often understated by historians but it’s hard to see the above as other than a brutal and thorough suppression of any surviving independence movement. Further, the myth developed after 1746 and perpetuated for the purposes of indoctrination as late as my own historical education in the 1960s, that the ‘Jacobite’ rebellions were entirely Monarchist and Catholic rebellions rather than a wider pro-independence struggle has been fully debunked by, for example, Murray Pittock of Glasgow University: The Myth of the Jacobite Clans was … Continue reading For those who still maintain it was a voluntary union – the suffocation of Scotland’s independence movement in 1746

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Talking of water

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Liz S Talking of water…..as in ‘uisge beatha’ the ‘water of life’……this below was on the UK Politics page but when you click onto the story it takes you to the Asia page of the BBC website. “India PM Modi in UK to sign ‘landmark’ trade deal with Starmer” “India and Britain are set to sign a free trade deal to cut tariffs on goods and increase market access for the two countries”. “India will lower tariffs on British whisky, gin and other drinks as well as cars. The UK in turn will import more of India’s textiles, gemstones and other goods”. At last someone has … Continue reading Talking of water

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Independent Water Commission for England and Wales makes multiple, substantive and favourably framed references to Scotland

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By stewartb The water industry is the news again. On July 21,  the ‘Independent Water Commission Final Report’ (aka the Cunliffe report) was published. Given it dodged the issue of nationalisation – incurring the wrath of some – it’s perhaps no surprise that the water industry in Scotland is also in the news. This is a result of a British Labour Party MP for an Edinburgh constituency plus a Labour minister making statements to the media that talk down Scotland. Their purpose – distraction and to diminish public confidence in Scottish Water and thus public ownership of this essential for … Continue reading Independent Water Commission for England and Wales makes multiple, substantive and favourably framed references to Scotland

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English expert says – “I would say Scotland does a better job [of monitoring water quality] than England does.” 

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Professor John Robertson OBA What will look bad at first sight, above and in much media coverage a the time, for some, is a classic example of misleading reporting of percentages. Scotland has 18 743 km of coastline compared to England’s 8 982, only one-tenth of the population and, crucially far fewer areas requiring monitoring. Dr Simon Boxall of Southampton University, a leading expert on water quality, explained this in the National, in August 2022: An overview of the most obvious data on bathing water quality superficially appears to show Scotland actually has poorer-quality bathing spots than England. But this … Continue reading English expert says – “I would say Scotland does a better job [of monitoring water quality] than England does.” 

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For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight

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Professor John Robertson OBA Throughout much of 2024, the Herald worked with opposition politicians in a campaign aimed at undermining CalMac and, by association, the SNP’s competence in government. We, at TuS found several reports of the unsuitability of catamarans across the globe, even in milder conditions than off the West coast of Scotland and today we have used the X AI platform Grok to finally answer the question – Are mono hull or catamaran ferries better for the West Coast of Scotland island routes? The findings were unequivocal in favour of the mono-hulls: Choosing between mono hull and catamaran … Continue reading For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight

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Local press reveals scale of ‘English drug dealers’ presence in NE Scotland but BBC Scotland maintain a suspicious silence for six years now

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Graham for these three alerts below and this comment: So that’s THREE more cases from the P&J over a couple of days, on top of the Scouse Jack case. July 11, two days ago and the Aberdeen-based P&J has the above explicit linking of the local drugs supply to England. Two days before that and the supply is clearly identified as being from large English cities. Does anyone believe the flow is going the other way? On the same day, the P&J illustrates how vulnerable locals are being ‘cuckooed’ and the judge clearly knows … Continue reading Local press reveals scale of ‘English drug dealers’ presence in NE Scotland but BBC Scotland maintain a suspicious silence for six years now

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Had it been the opposite, England benefitting from reduced zonal pricing, then this U Turn would not have ever occurred

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Liz S It is being reported in the newspapers that Labour Minister Ed Milliand has abandoned plans to charge less for electricity in Scotland. This was reported as such in The Guardian newspaper. However in the Daily Mail (the non so called ‘Scottish’ edition) they reported it as this: “Ed Miliband ‘abandons zonal electricity pricing’ plan that would have charged people in southern England more for power than Scots” just so that we all know whose side they , the Daily Mail, are on i.e. not the “Scots” . This is the same story as The Guardian but with a different pro … Continue reading Had it been the opposite, England benefitting from reduced zonal pricing, then this U Turn would not have ever occurred

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English shipyard botches repairs of young Scottish ferry built by another struggling English yard

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland has, today, been working oh so hard to turn this story around so that it reflects badly on CalMac and, by association, the Scottish Government, with this sort of comment: Ferry operator CalMac is trying to recover millions of pounds of repair costs for a ship that has been out of action for 18 months – and is still not fixed. CalMac is now seeking compensation from Cammell Laird over problems discovered when the ship returned to Scotland last September, after the Merseyside firm carried out the first phase of work. The 32-year-old ship … Continue reading English shipyard botches repairs of young Scottish ferry built by another struggling English yard

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One Canadian city with 50% more GDP than the whole of Scotland gets round to planning to replace 90 year-old ferry, more than twice the age of CalMac’s oldest large ferry

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Professor John Robertson OBA From NSAUGA ONTARIO LOCAL NEWS, two days ago, The above image and: Anyone who regularly travels to the Toronto Islands to enjoy a day at Centreville, the beach or the adorable (and hidden-ish) Franklin the Turtle Children’s Garden knows that the ferry (even if delayed) is part of the fun. Now, the city is working to replace its aging ferry fleet with sleek, new electric vessels.  Recently, the City of Toronto announced that construction has started at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in the city’s downtown core. While the construction and ferry upgrades won’t happen overnight, … Continue reading One Canadian city with 50% more GDP than the whole of Scotland gets round to planning to replace 90 year-old ferry, more than twice the age of CalMac’s oldest large ferry

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Scotland’s free prescriptions and cleaner air saving lives of thousands of asthma sufferers and reducing GP visits as they surge in rUK

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Professor John Robertson OBA Headlining in the Guardian today, the above and: The number of patients being treated by GPs for asthma attacks has increased by 45% in a year, prompting calls for urgent action to tackle toxic levels of air pollution. There were 45,458 presentations to family doctors in England between January and June this year, according to data from the Royal College of General Practitioners research and surveillance centre. Across the same period in 2024, there were 31,376 cases. The figures come a week after a damning report by the Royal College of Physicians revealed that 99% of the UK population was now breathing … Continue reading Scotland’s free prescriptions and cleaner air saving lives of thousands of asthma sufferers and reducing GP visits as they surge in rUK