Nice map suggesting we already have independence and a wall: (c) vice.com
Recent reports have shown Scotland’s crime levels are falling below those of, in particular, England’s larger cities. See, for example:
Scotland’s university cities by far the safest places to send your children
Reported domestic violence in Scotland falls. Is this part of wider change?
Perhaps it’s one of the laws of crime physics when we read of English drug gangs rushing into the apparent void to take over territories in Scotland, like the Mexican and Columbian gangs in the US and East European gangs in Germany and France?
On the STV News website we see:
‘Crack cocaine: Drug is being moved into north east by English gangs. A survey of police forces conducted by Ann Coffey MP has found the use of these lines is linked to extreme violence in England, as well as the exploitation of children as drug runners. Coffey said: “Big organised crime gangs from the major cities in England are seeking to exploit new drug markets in Scotland. It is accompanied by a very high level of violence as gangs seek to territorial rights with knifings, beatings and assaults.”’
Most of these organised crime gangs come from Merseyside and the West midlands. There is little sign of this in the Greater Glasgow area because of the presence of established Scottish-based organised crime gangs already operating there. Try to resist the temptation to cheer at that!
https://stv.tv/news/features/1407264-county-lines-the-english-gangs-running-drugs-into-scotland/
Is this an early sign of one of the unanticipated consequences of Scotland becoming a less violent, less criminal society. Who now wants a hard border? Who now wants to build a wall?
Footnote: Look at Denmark on the map. Is that why they are the happiest in Europe?
Talking-up Scotland 
Interesting to see that cannabis consumption in Portugal is less than Spain.
Personal possession of drugs in Portugal is not a criminal act. Drugs are treated as a social problem.
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This has been going on for donkey’s.
When I was a polis in Aberdeen (2007-2012) it was well known that the majority of drugs came in via organised crime gangs from Merseyside, Wolverhampton and the Midlands. What was also interesting to note was that many of the individuals involved were seriously violent criminals who were habitually armed (by that I mean guns) back home in England but not up here. These were the sorts of criminals the English police walked up to, tazed and then arrested because the risk of them shooting someone was so high if they were given any warning or asked to surrender. My plain clothes colleagues used to go and arrest them wearing jeans and a t-shirt, which was fine until one such crim decided to try and get away by jumping through a (closed) window… We had a murder up in Aberdeen, committed by one of these guys from Birmingham and two of our CID went down to detain him, liaising with the local cops of course. Their plan had been to knock politely on the door and ask the suspect to come along quietly but West Midlands Police called in their firearms teams and a helicopter and went in through the door, hard.
Such criminals carry guns to use on other criminals not to prey on the public or against the police so down south, where the gangs were bumping into each other and vying for territory, being armed was a necessity (as they define it). Up in the North East there were such rich pickings that these gangs seemed to rub along together fairly well and any violence between them didn’t spill over and come to police attention very often (the odd murder, usually with a knife and rarely with a gun, aside).
As to cannabis, I’d legalise it in a heartbeat. I’ve yet to see any compelling medical evidence that it causes any more harm than alcohol or serves as a gateway to harder drugs and, as a ex-polis, I can hand-on-heart say I have never had to fight someone stoned out of their heads. I wish I could say the same for drunks…
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I agree on cannabis. Interesting inside info. Thanks.
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Thanks for that insight Hugh
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I’m surprised that The Netherlands isn’t higher. Maybe because it’s so easy to buy it (or so I’ve been told!).
I suffer from fibromyalgia and CBD (cannabinoid) oil to help with the related pain and stiffness. It doesn’t totally get rid of the pain but most days it does make my life easier, and I believe the NHS is doing studies into CBD.
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It has always baffled me why opiates are legitimate medical drugs while heroin is not (for understandable reasons) yet medical use of drugs derived from cannabis is such a no-no. It makes no scientific sense whatsoever and smacks of morality trumping rational thought processes.
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The big pharmaceutical companies don’t want cannabis to be readily available.
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I cannot imagine
Orra best
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John’s headline mentions – ‘Build a wall?.’ – so that brings the Great Wall of China to mind – so I can raise a point re. Treeza’s visit to China without worrying about going off topic(phew).
Poor Col. Davidson – Who recalls all those diatribes, a few years back, against SNP Scottish Govt. signing Memoranda of Understanding with 2 mega Chinese companies to encourage considering investment (from sources such as Locomotion employees pension funds) in long-term Scottish housing and infrastructure projects? Col. Davidson and her Lab and Lib cohorts complained long and loud that Scottish Govt couldn’t sully hands by treating with Chinese based investors (with, allegedly ‘proven Human Rights issues’. – Then – once the potential Chinese investors took fright at the press/broadcast cacophony (despite the ‘Human Rights’ concerns being demonstrated to be without basis with these particular companies) – the Better Together crew complained even longer and louder about Scottish Govt ‘permitting’ erroneous bad publicity to scare off the potential Chinese investors. (It really was a case study in Project Fear madness). Anyhoo – seems that ‘Auntie’ Treeza has been a real hit in China during current visit. Col. Davidson and crew will be puffed-up with pride at the praise heaped by Chinese State media upon ‘Auntie’ Treeza and her noted ‘silence’ on Human Rights issues during visit: See below from Grauniad:
China commends Theresa May for ‘sidestepping’ human rights
State-run media calls British PM pragmatic for ignoring ‘noise and nagging’ from ‘radical public opinion’ while on visit
Tom Phillips in Beijing
Fri 2 Feb 2018 02.36 GMT Last modified on Fri 2 Feb 2018 09.46 GMT
In an editorial on Friday, the third and final day of May’s tour, the Global Times newspaper said the prime minister had wisely “sidestepped” such issues as she sought “pragmatic collaboration” between Britain and the world’s number two economy.
“Some western media outlets keep pestering May to criticise Beijing in an attempt to showcase that the UK has withstood pressure from China and the west has consolidated its commanding position over the country in politics,” the Communist party-run tabloid claimed in its English-language edition.
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Ludo, Your remarks about Lab/Con and its (I use the singular intentionally) opposition to the SG’s deal with China, but the praise given to ‘strong and stable’ for doing the same, but with cowardice in respect of human rights, reminds me of ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’.
When Butch returns to the Hole in the Wall, he is told that a new leader has been installed and the Butch will have to fight him. Butch fights dirty and with extreme duplicity and then proceeds to do exactly what the new leader had proposed to do. (I found the film to be a deeply immoral one – to jibes of ‘po-face’ from family and friends). Butch was really demonstrating a solipsistic sense of entitlement and could not really give a monkey’s about the rest of the gang other than Sundance (homoerotic?)
I think this is exactly how Lab/Con has been behaving for a long time. That is the true meaning of ‘Better Together’; Lab/Con can maintain its tribal hold on power by sticking together.
The fact that the SNP, Greens and two LibDems have stuck together over the Scottish budget is ridiculed by Lab/Con (and the meeja). Lab/Con attempted a pincer attack, by Lab making a ‘sham’ attack from a ‘left’ perspective, while Con did the ‘low tax’ song.
It is interesting that Wee Wullie Wombat’s attack on the budget was reported as ‘The LibDems opposed the Budget’ with no mention that it was by 3-2.
Labour actually raised the issue of Land Taxation and Monica Lennon made an interesting statement (masked by a jibe). With Anas Sarwar’s claims of racism against him and his wife from within the party, perhaps the tensions are beginning to result in cracks. I really do not think Mr Sarwar had any ulterior motive in making such claims and so I believe him. It is a sad commentary on the cynicism which many of us have about politicians (mea culpa), that we even ponder on whether such a gross personal and racist insult might have some narrow political purpose. When cut, Mr Sarwar bleeds like the rest of us.
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