Over the past few years, a concerning trend has emerged across the UK’s regulatory landscape: the quiet collapse of our public watchdogs. Government “quangos”; public sector bodies designed to operate at arm’s length from ministerial control, were established to provide flexible, specialised, and politically independent oversight. However, this very structure has increasingly sparked debate over…
Recently, the UK’s national terrorist threat level was quietly escalated to “SEVERE,” meaning an attack is considered highly likely. For the police, this often translates into expanded powers and heightened visibility. If you spend any time on social media, you’ve likely seen the daily clips of independent auditors and ordinary citizens being stopped, questioned, and…
The Two-Tier Typewriter: Why a Tweet Can Get You Arrested While the Tabloids Post Freely Every week, another story quietly slips into the news: an individual arrested, charged, or even jailed over a social media post that caused “distress” or “anxiety.” Yet, on the very same day, national newspapers print sensationalised, aggressive, and highly distressing…
I want to take you back to Wednesday 27th March 2019. A 69 year old woman driving back from Ambleside to the Scottish Borders has a horrendous ordeal at the hands of a corrupt police officer; collar number 2542. It’s around 9.45pm and along with her two passengers the woman joins the A66 just after…
The debate over Scottish independence is one of the most defining political conversations of our time. For proponents, the argument is not just about historical identity, but about securing a more prosperous, democratic, and globally connected future. Here is a look at the core arguments for why Scotland could thrive as an independent nation. 1….
A few years ago I was the victim of stalking; not your usual annoying kind of stalking but the violent, intrusive, threatening kind where the stalker is mentally unhinged. Of course my first point of contact was the police, but that turned out to be a waste of time. Despite evidence recorded on my phone,…
Over the coming months you’re going to be hearing a lot about this case. It’s not all that dissimilar to the Eleanor Williams case making false allegations and ending up with a substantial prison sentence. This story goes back to 2005 and a divorced woman by the name of Angela Smith currently of Langholm had…
My first real experience of Stalking was through a friend and his friend Gracie Spinks; this is what inspired and introduced Gracie’s Law. The on-going aim for Gracie’s Law, and her legacy, is to see every police force in the country, have robust and standardised procedures to handle stalking cases, exemplary training for all officers…
I was born and raised in Edinburgh; not only is it the city of my birth, it is a city that I love dearly and could never abandon. I studied here but left to work and spent a good deal of my working life abroad but in 2019 I returned to Edinburgh; I had retired…
So does it? Does the internet make you stupid? Over the past few months I’ve had some very intelligent conversations about the internet; luckily I have some very intelligent friends who don’t rely on the internet as complete fact, or spend time scrolling on social media or drive off cliffs using their Sat Nav. I…