Tag: water

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The blind spot in researchers’ apocalyptic water shortages predictions – the 90% of the UK supply in Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dorothy for alerting me to this. For the second time this weekend, the Guardian has been reporting on apocalyptic water shortages, from Newcastle to Namibia, but never thinking to ask about the water supply only miles to the north, in Scotland. It reminds me of the Scottish media’s aversion to the word ‘England‘ when they’re discussing drug supplies in Scotland, from Dumfries to Stornoway. From the Guardian today: Water shortages could derail UK’s net zero plans, study finds – Tensions grow after research in England finds there may not be enough water for planned … Continue reading The blind spot in researchers’ apocalyptic water shortages predictions – the 90% of the UK supply in Scotland

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London-based Health & Safety Executive, reporting to Pat McFadden, Labour Friends of Israel Co-chair, find FOUR sites in Grangemouth ‘IDEAL’ for manufacture of explosives and munitions but ignore the multiple deadly risks for my relatives and his

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Health & Safety Executive [reporting to Pat McFadden’s Department for Work and Pensions] ‘believes‘ that at least FOUR sites in Grangemouth could be IDEAL for the manufacture of explosives and munitions? On behalf of the Ministry of Death, the UK Health & Safety Executive, reporting to Labour Friends of Israel vice-chair, McFadden, born in Glasgow and presumably with relatives in Central Scotland, seems unlikely to be concerned for them. Should he be concerned for them? I’m reminded of my days at Stirling University, mid 70s, still living in Grangemouth and doing summer and winter holiday … Continue reading London-based Health & Safety Executive, reporting to Pat McFadden, Labour Friends of Israel Co-chair, find FOUR sites in Grangemouth ‘IDEAL’ for manufacture of explosives and munitions but ignore the multiple deadly risks for my relatives and his

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UK minister slapped down for his Trumpian fake news on Scotland’s water quality – BBC Scotland agenda meeting expected to deem it not in public interest

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dottie for guiding this piece: In the Guardian today: Steve Reed, the housing secretary, has been slapped down by the UK Statistics Authority for falsely claiming that Scottish rivers and lakes are more polluted than those in England. Reed made these comments this summer when he was environment secretary in order to demonstrate that a nationalised water sector would not necessarily deliver cleaner waterways. Scotland’s water is nationalised; England’s isn’t. These claims were obviously false; Scotland has a much lower population density than England and many remote lakes and rivers which are not near … Continue reading UK minister slapped down for his Trumpian fake news on Scotland’s water quality – BBC Scotland agenda meeting expected to deem it not in public interest

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Chill – Scottish data centres powering AI only require 0.00004% of Scotland’s 745 trillion litres of water

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland today has the above headline and: Data centres powering artificial intelligence (AI) in Scotland are using enough tap water to fill 27 million half-litre bottles a year, according to data obtained by BBC News. AI systems such as the large language models (LLMs) that power OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini require warehouses full of specialist computers. The equipment is power-hungry, consuming large amounts of energy, but they also use tonnes of water in their cooling systems to stop the servers overheating. Freedom of Information data shows the volume of tap water used by Scotland’s data centres … Continue reading Chill – Scottish data centres powering AI only require 0.00004% of Scotland’s 745 trillion litres of water

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99.96% of Scottish drinking water meets standards to be ‘amongst the finest in the world’ but the regulator will not rest till it’s 100% or better

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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 From Drinking Water in Scotland 2024, published10 September 2025 Issued on behalf of the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland Water Quality Regulator says “Scotland’s tap water quality is impressive, but more needs to be done to reduce risk”.  The Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) for Scotland’s latest annual report shows that Scottish Water’s compliance with the stringent standards for drinking water remains very high, however there are too many … Continue reading 99.96% of Scottish drinking water meets standards to be ‘amongst the finest in the world’ but the regulator will not rest till it’s 100% or better

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James Cook’s reporting does not hold water in a country with 5.5 million litres per person, 40 times that in England

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland‘s James Cook, today: Rivers at critical level as Scotland’s water supplies feel the strain – Water levels are way below average after the driest spring since 1964 and a hot summer. The problem is especially acute in the east of the country, where the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) is now introducing curbs on some water use. It said two catchment areas – Ythan in Aberdeenshire and North Fife – had reached significant scarcity, the highest level of alert. but then 8 paras down when it’s safe for him to mention it, we see how … Continue reading James Cook’s reporting does not hold water in a country with 5.5 million litres per person, 40 times that in England

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To Margaret Curran’s boy – Scotland does not waste taxpayer money to monitor all of its nearly 4 000 water outflows because, unlike in England, almost all of them are not and have never been polluted – SIMPLE

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Professor John Robertson OBA Another ‘Scottish’ Labour MP, Chris Murray, son of a Labour member of the Lords, Margaret Curran, feeds an English Labour minister with lies about Scotland that can be used then to attack the SNP rather than the Labour-run councils actually responsible for any beach pollution or supposed lack of monitoring. First the supposed Portobello beach pollution, Murray reported last year: Pink diesel, 100% commented one reader. From a tractor raking the sand The actual facts on water company illegal sewage disposal: English water companies fined FOURTEEN THOUSAND times as much for illegal sewage discharges as those … Continue reading To Margaret Curran’s boy – Scotland does not waste taxpayer money to monitor all of its nearly 4 000 water outflows because, unlike in England, almost all of them are not and have never been polluted – SIMPLE

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Contrary to the Guardian view there IS certified water testing ‘in the UK post Brexit’ but it’s ‘so far away’ from England…….in Edinburgh

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Professor John Robertson OBA Today, in the Guardian, this shocking report for readers, in England and probably Scotland too because no one will tell them otherwise: The safety of tap water in the UK could be at risk because water companies are unable to use products to clean it, industry insiders have said, as all the laboratories that test and certify the chemicals have shut down. People in the industry have called it a “Brexit problem” because EU countries will share laboratory capacity from 2026, meaning that if the UK was still in the EU, water companies would be able to use … Continue reading Contrary to the Guardian view there IS certified water testing ‘in the UK post Brexit’ but it’s ‘so far away’ from England…….in Edinburgh

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As the poor struggle to pay more for less in England, Scotland’s cheaper, cleaner drinking water

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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 On BBC Breakfast today, we see an extended report on high and increasing water bills and hardship for the less well off, across England. From Policy Mogul, AI assisted fact checker, on 3 November 2024: Scottish taxpayers pay less for their water than their English counterparts, thanks to public ownership, with the average water bill in Scotland around £438 a year – £35 a year cheaper than the average bill of … Continue reading As the poor struggle to pay more for less in England, Scotland’s cheaper, cleaner drinking water

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Scotland’s rivers far more likely to be clean

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From the Guardian, typically Anglocentric, today: England’s rivers are likely to remain in a poor state for years to come because the government is failing to put in place EU clean water laws post-Brexit, the watchdog has found. When Britain was a member of the EU, the government was required to follow the water framework directive (WFD), standards for waterways that have been credited with cleaning up Europe’s dirty water. Since Brexit, the UK (sic) is no longer required to match EU regulations, and has its own watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP). Under the WFD, all rivers are supposed to … Continue reading Scotland’s rivers far more likely to be clean