As Trump takes Venezuela and talks of Cuba and Greenland; as Putin will not let Ukraine go and as China threatens Taiwan, is a different world emerging, with new lessons for Scotland?

Amongst other things I’m not a renowned global politics theorist or historian so here’s a, for me, fascinating AI-produced and sourced essay. I look forward to your thoughts: The geopolitical landscape in early 2026 indeed appears to be shifting toward a more assertive era of great-power competition, where major actors like the United States, Russia, and China are pursuing territorial or influence-based ambitions with less regard for traditional norms of sovereignty and international law. This could signal the emergence of a “different world”—one reminiscent of 19th- or early 20th-century spheres of influence, where smaller entities face heightened risks of coercion, … Continue reading As Trump takes Venezuela and talks of Cuba and Greenland; as Putin will not let Ukraine go and as China threatens Taiwan, is a different world emerging, with new lessons for Scotland?

Racist attacks and attacks on children are increasingly rare in Scotland much as our media may hate it to be so

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 or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland, two days ago had: A teenager who stabbed a 13-year-old boy in a racially aggravated attack has been jailed for more than seven years. Junior Cameron, now aged 18, shouted a racist remark at the boy during the attack in Glasgow’s Queen’s Park on 8 March 2024. The child was punched, kicked and stabbed during the incident and was left needing 12 stitches. He has since suffered from … Continue reading Racist attacks and attacks on children are increasingly rare in Scotland much as our media may hate it to be so

Trump – Are you expecting us to believe that other American presidents and the CIA were incapable of acting in a way that put “America First” in the world?

By Liz S Whatever you think of Trump or Zelensky one thing stands out with a Trump presidency. He is acting in a way that is normally hidden from public view when other presidents were in charge of America. I mean , come on , are some supposedly intelligent people , as in those who are political commentators for MSM and also those online, actually expecting us to believe that other American presidents and also their secret service organisation, the CIA, were incapable of acting in a way that put “America First” in the world. Or rather they, as political … Continue reading Trump – Are you expecting us to believe that other American presidents and the CIA were incapable of acting in a way that put “America First” in the world?

The SNP can win again if they learn from the US Democrat’s defeat – don’t respond to opposition ‘facts’, frame the argument as strength and do not move to the right as that only convinces voters that the right has better ideas

I’m grateful to stewartb for alerting me to this: How could so many people vote for someone who does not have their best interests at heart? Because people don’t necessarily vote their self-interest. Instead, they vote their values. Moving forward, Democrats must stop making these superficial, last-minute lurches toward Republican ideas. They must frame the case not as left or right, but for the people and the public good. Moving to the right only convinces voters that the right has better ideas. It’s a desperate short-term strategy with harmful long-term consequences. These two quotes are from Some lessons of the … Continue reading The SNP can win again if they learn from the US Democrat’s defeat – don’t respond to opposition ‘facts’, frame the argument as strength and do not move to the right as that only convinces voters that the right has better ideas

Why facts don’t change our minds but framing does

By stewartb Intuitively ‘facts’ should form a key part of informing, rebutting and changing views, but what impact do ‘facts’ actually have on voting intentions? There are many studies of human behaviour in elections in western democracies – albeit mostly focused on the USA – that, worryingly, question the role played by ‘facts’. As one example, a review of some leading academic studies published in New Yorker magazine in 2017 had this headline: ‘Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds – New discoveries about the human mind show the limitations of reason.’ Here are some extracts to give a sense of its content: I’d … Continue reading Why facts don’t change our minds but framing does