No UK Government homelessness reduction initiative for England has ever stayed within budget so Scots taxpayers will pay for Burnham’s plan

We’ve already shown here that Scots taxpayers will end up funding steel nationalisation in England, illegal dump clear-ups and HS2 stopping well before the border, with no benefits and no Barnett compensation likely. Today, prompted by Kath Barr, we’re looking at whether Andy Burnham’s latest mission to end rough-sleeping by Christmas in England will cost us too. The official line is that it won’t because it will be funded from uncommitted budgets within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), with allocations based on English rough sleeping pressures. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-pm-says-government-can-bring-back-hope-to-britain-and-launches-drive-to-end-rough-sleeping-at-the-earliest-opportunity Uncommitted budgets are a real thing but what is … Continue reading No UK Government homelessness reduction initiative for England has ever stayed within budget so Scots taxpayers will pay for Burnham’s plan

Fires fall dramatically to lowest in 10 years and staffing climbs but the Scotsman….

Above, the bigger picture for fire services in the UK, but the Scotsman today is platforming a trade union they used to habitually attack before they became useful for the Union: 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, 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 … Continue reading Fires fall dramatically to lowest in 10 years and staffing climbs but the Scotsman….

‘The Multiplier Effect’ – Stunning US study in 2025 made clear the enormous wider benefits of building the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa ferries on the Clyde and points confidently to a future there

From the Washington State, USA, based Lynwood Times 28 May 2025 A new independent study by Pennsylvania-based Martin Associates confirms the economic value of building the new Washington State Ferries hybrid fleet in-state, showing that each ferry constructed in the state would generate 1,298 jobs and $31.9 million in state and local taxes. Washington State Ferries, which operates the largest ferry system in the nation, solicited bids this spring to build five new hybrid ferries over a six- to eight-year period with a budget of $1.3 billion. The new hybrid electric ferries have 160-car capacity to support growing rider demand and reduce … Continue reading ‘The Multiplier Effect’ – Stunning US study in 2025 made clear the enormous wider benefits of building the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa ferries on the Clyde and points confidently to a future there

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