Fires fall dramatically to lowest in 10 years and staffing climbs to put Prince Street Blaze in perspective

The Scotsman above pushing the ill-informed scare story about fire service cuts in an evidence vaccuum. Badly mixing my metaphors let me shine some light on that vacuum. From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: March 2026 published today, the above and : Number of fires fell 5% in the last year. In 2024-25, there were 22,925 fires in Scotland, down 5% on 2023-24 and the lowest in the last ten years. There were 36 fire fatalities in 2024-25, down from 42 in 2023-24 and the second lowest in the last decade. The number of deliberate building fires has fallen over … Continue reading Fires fall dramatically to lowest in 10 years and staffing climbs to put Prince Street Blaze in perspective

The consequences of being a colony – the view from Norway

Capella writes: I don’t know how or if it’s possible but reporting on the consequences of being a colony would be interesting. We have no power over vital aspects of development and decision making. Something the MSM fails to notice. Jeffrey Sachs pointed out that DR Congo gets criticised for not running the country properly while the long history of imperial exploitation is forgotten. “What’s wrong with your country?” At the world cup a fan stood up dressed as Patrice Lumumba to remind the world that Western intelligence murdered their first democratically elected leader. With power over our resources we … Continue reading The consequences of being a colony – the view from Norway

Latest polls says immigration 2nd in concerns for UK voters but only 7th for Scots voters yet BBC Scotland keep pushing it here in a dirty tactic to help Reform UK

BBC Scotland again telling us that immigration is one of those issues that most concern voters. It’s not true. In September 2025: Immigration & asylum climbing from March to June 2025 as an issue in Scotland after a summer of media frenzy amplifying a handful of tiny peaceful protests here had pushed it into poll respondents’ minds. Less than two weeks earlier one poll by the David Hume Institute was fuelling a media frenzy suggesting Scots too were prioritising immigration as one of the top three issues concerning voters. That the issue was at only at 21% compared to 48% … Continue reading Latest polls says immigration 2nd in concerns for UK voters but only 7th for Scots voters yet BBC Scotland keep pushing it here in a dirty tactic to help Reform UK

Are there similarities in the psychology used by Donald Trump against Iran and that use by Sir Keir Starmer or Wes Streeting against the resident doctors? Yes, indeed, there are.

Listening to Trump and Starmer, as a former teacher, I couldn’t help but notice how they’re both using psychologies long discredited in teaching – they just don’t work. I have a familiar, a raven on my shoulder called Grok! I asked him. He saw it too and he researched a fully-referenced for me as I tire after a Saturday afternoon beer: Yes, there are notable similarities in the psychological tactics and negotiation strategies employed, though the contexts differ dramatically (high-stakes international statecraft versus domestic public-sector labor disputes). Both involve coercive bargaining, public framing to shift moral responsibility, and pressure through … Continue reading Are there similarities in the psychology used by Donald Trump against Iran and that use by Sir Keir Starmer or Wes Streeting against the resident doctors? Yes, indeed, there are.

Some people need to think more about what they are singing when they sing ‘God save the King

  Jimmy Saville was also a favoured celebrity of Margaret Thatcher, the former Tory PM, as it was reported that they had a “close, friendly relationship during the 1980s, which included Saville visiting her at Chequers, her country residence, on multiple occasions”. (Saville’s charity work and his celerity popularity made him a magnet for politicians like Thatcher and also some others to try to leech of and so then try to benefit from his ‘fame’ and his assumed public popularity, his ‘charity’ work being an obvious cover to try to hide his unsavoury, despicable and salacious behaviour that he subjected … Continue reading Some people need to think more about what they are singing when they sing ‘God save the King

Should Pam Duncan-Glancy not have tried to support her long time friend in some way?

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Alasdair Macdonald You are correct as always to point out and publicize the political anti-independence bias displayed by BBC Scotland and the unionist media. I should like to make a point exemplified by the issues in the articles you have used here. It concerns the identification of politicians and other higher profile figures who are associated in some way with individuals who have been accused of a crime even though the well known people are innocent of any crime. It is ‘guilt by association’. A fairly recent example was when a … Continue reading Should Pam Duncan-Glancy not have tried to support her long time friend in some way?

Scottish Labour – Not just friends of paedophiles but by far the most actual 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. 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 and X posts, the Scottish Labour Party has had the most individuals (primarily councillors) reported in the media as convicted sex offenders since 2007. This includes at least five confirmed convictions for child sex offences [in order above]: In comparison: Note that media reports often focus on allegations or charges rather than solely convictions, but “sex offenders” typically … Continue reading Scottish Labour – Not just friends of paedophiles but by far the most actual sex offenders, including 5 paedophiles, convicted since 2007

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?