# scottish government (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 3 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover scottish government. Page: Feed: --- ## [Postcards from the Triglav National Park (4) – mountains and people](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/08/21/postcards-from-the-triglav-national-park-4-mountains-and-people/) _2026-08-21 · Nick Kempe · parkswatchscotland_ I had wanted to climb Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia, ever since meeting some Slovenian climbers on a Mountaineering Council od Scotland many years ago. My interest was fanned by Mike Newbury, a stalwart of MCifS’ access and conservation committee, who went on holiday to Slovenia each year and whose privately published guide I... The post Postcards from the Triglav National Park (4) –… ## [Graham Grant’s glaikit attack on the Scots language](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/08/20/graham-grants-glaikit-attack-on-the-scots-language/) _2026-08-20 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ You have probably never heard of Graham Grant, which is a great blessing. Grant is the home affairs editor of the Scottish Daily Mail, a far right rag which devotes itself to stories about celebs and royalty and informing its elderly readership of Tory and Reform UK supporters of all the many and myriad ways \[…\] ## [The BBC’s Glasgow hit piece says more about the BBC than Glasgow](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/08/19/the-bbcs-glasgow-hit-piece-says-more-about-the-bbc-than-glasgow/) _2026-08-19 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ I’ve already briefly mentioned BBC Scotland’s disgraceful hit job on Glasgow which was broadcast earlier this week, but it’s worth exploring the issues around the programme in more detail, as the programme and its broadcast tell us far more about the priorities and concerns of the BBC in Scotland than they do about the state \[…\] ## [Mapping the extent of the Abernethy – Glenmore wildfire](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/08/19/mapping-the-extent-of-the-abernethy-glenmore-wildfire/) _2026-08-19 · Andy Amphlett · parkswatchscotland_ At the time of writing (19th August( no map has been published showing the actual extent of the Abernethy – Glenmore wildfire. Given that such a map would be of wide public interest, I kept an eye on the Copernicus Sentinel-2 L2A satellite imagery, and the one flown on 12/08/2026 was the first occasion when... The post Mapping the extent of the Abernethy – Glenmore wildfire appeared first on… ## [Postcards from the Triglav National Park (3) – wildfire risk](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/08/18/postcards-from-the-triglav-national-park-3-wildfire-risk/) _2026-08-18 · Nick Kempe · parkswatchscotland_ Walking up through the forest to our first hut below Debela Pec we had little idea if it’s extent until altitude started to stunt tree growth. Prompted by the Glenmore fire and Victor Clements post (see here) I wondered what would happen if a wildfire became established in a forest of this size and if it... The post Postcards from the Triglav National Park (3) – wildfire risk appeared first on… ## [The BBC, the Reform UK Broadcasting corporation](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/08/17/the-bbc-the-reform-uk-broadcasting-corporation/) _2026-08-17 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ Although in recent weeks the Reform UK bandwagon looks as though it has hit a roadblock in the form of scandals about the party’s addiction to dodgy donations, the media in the UK continues to do its utmost to treat Farage’s party as the government in waiting. Reform has a mere eight MPs, it is \[…\] ## [Postcards from the Triglav National Park (2) – capercaillie](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/08/17/postcards-from-the-triglav-national-park-2/) _2026-08-17 · Nick Kempe · parkswatchscotland_ An RSPB newsletter I read before leaving Scotland for Slovenia, referred to capercaillie as birds of the Caledonian pine forest. This may now be the case in Scotland but wasn’t always so, as when capercaillie inhabited the mixed woodland on the Loch Lomond islands. Capercaillie, while mainly found in the boreal zone, are also distributed... The post Postcards from the Triglav National Park (2) –… ## [Postcards from the Triglav National Park (1)](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/08/16/postcards-from-the-triglav-national-park-1/) _2026-08-16 · Nick Kempe · parkswatchscotland_ My original plan for this summer was to start walking the Via Alpina, which traverses the arc if the Alps from Trieste to Nice or thereabouts. The first part through Slovenia, however, did not sound that much fun so I decided to spend a week instead wandering through the Triglav National Park. Having skirted the... The post Postcards from the Triglav National Park (1) appeared first on… ## [Farage’s pyrrhic victory over a bin](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/08/14/farages-pyrrhic-victory-over-a-bin/) _2026-08-14 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ Of course Farage won the by election in Clacton which he called in an attempt to pre-empt a Parliamentary investigation into his dodgy finances. And of course Farage is crowing about his “decisive victory against the “establishment” candidate, a vainglorious boast when that candidate was a man with a bin on his head and all \[…\] ## [GERSmas Day 2026](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/08/11/gersmas-day-2026/) _2026-08-11 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ It’s always welcome to have some good news for independence, but that’s especially true on GERSmas eve as the British media in Scotland and anti-independence campaigners gear themselves up for their annual orgy of too wee too poor too stupid in the form of GERS Figures which purport to demonstrate that Scotland is an economic \[…\] ## [Stay updated on your professional world (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/D0akC6whfhnN) _2026-08-11 · **Sponsored**_ Keep in touch with people you know, build your career. ## [The nasty party gets nastier](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/08/09/the-nasty-party-gets-nastier/) _2026-08-09 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ The Tories are on a mission. Having had the title of the Nasty Party wrested away from them by Reform UK and by the even more unpleasant Restore Britain, Kemi Badenoch is determined to prove that the Conservatives are the original and best, or should that be worst, nasties of them all. Last week we \[…\] ## [Even good news is spun into SNPbad by the media in Scotland](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/08/05/even-good-news-is-spun-into-snpbad-by-the-media-in-scotland/) _2026-08-05 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ It’s often said there are two kinds of people in the world, those who say the glass is half full, and those who say it’s half empty. This is in fact inaccurate as there is a third kind, those who say: “Oh my God! That glass is about to shatter into a thousand jaggy shards, \[…\] ## [The Cairngorms wildfire and pinewood recovery- PART 2](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/08/05/the-cairngorms-wildfire-and-pinewood-recovery-part-2/) _2026-08-05 · Victor Clements · parkswatchscotland_ A previous article on this (see here) created a significant level of interest and useful feedback, including from BBC Rado Scotland Drivetime and Radio 4 researchers. The message from the post above was that the pinewoods will grow back. The recovery may not be uniform, and there may well be areas of contraction or wider... The post The Cairngorms wildfire and pinewood recovery- PART 2 appeared… ## [Burnham’s mini bounce](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/08/01/burnhams-mini-bounce/) _2026-08-01 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ Our visitors have left now. It was lovely to see them. As far as the blog is concerned I’m able to type again. There was a problem with the keyboard on my laptop which has now been repaired. \[Top tip, don’t spill tea on your laptop.\] So it’s back to blogging as usual. Andy Burnham \[…\] ## [Why you should subscribe to The National](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/08/01/why-you-should-subscribe-to-the-national/) _2026-08-01 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ The National’s summer sale is running until Thursday 6 August. During this limited time period you can purchase an annual subscription to Scotland’s only pro-independence newspaper for the bargain price of £20. You might not agree with everything published by The National, but that’s inevitable in a publication which carries the weight of an entire \[…\] ## [Lies, damned lies and statistics (1) – the Loch Lomond & Trossachs NPA’s review of the camping byelaws](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/07/29/lies-damned-lies-and-statistics-1-the-loch-lomond-trossachs-npas-review-of-the-camping-byelaws/) _2026-07-29 · Nick Kempe · parkswatchscotland_ I was prompted to start Parkswatchscotland as a means of combatting the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA)’s proposals to create camping byelaws. Having been involved, as President of the Mountaineering Scotland, in negotiating the agreement which was eventually enshrined in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 I believed there other ways to... The post Lies, damned lies and… ## [The Cairngorms wildfire and pinewood recovery](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/07/28/the-cairngorms-wildfire-and-pinewood-recovery/) _2026-07-28 · Victor Clements · parkswatchscotland_ This very short post is concerned with pinewood recovery after wildfire, and based around a 10 minute video shot in the Forest of Birse on Deeside, 23 years after a big fire there in 2003. The video can be found viewed here. The context is the big fires taking place at Glenmore Forest and Abernethy... The post The Cairngorms wildfire and pinewood recovery appeared first on parkswatchscotland . ## [Oxygen Conservation’s business model and the conservation of the Glen Brown Caledonian pinewood](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/07/25/oxygen-conservations-business-model-and-the-conservation-of-the-glen-brown-caledonian-pinewood/) _2026-07-25 · Nick Kempe · parkswatchscotland_ A month before large areas in Strath Nethy and Glenmore were consumed by fire, I went for a short walk to have a look at part of the Caledonian pinewood around Glen Brown which also lies within the Cairngorms National Park. This fragment of Caledonian pinewood is located on the Dorback Estate, which was purchased... The post Oxygen Conservation’s business model and the conservation of the Glen… ## [The potential ecological impacts of the fire in Strathy Nethy and Glen More](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/07/24/the-potential-ecological-impacts-of-the-fire-in-strathy-nethy-and-glen-more/) _2026-07-24 · Andy Amphlett · parkswatchscotland_ UPDATE 25/07/2026 08.30 This blog was written on Thursday 23rd July, when fire flare ups were first being reported. Police Scotland declared a major incident on the evening of the 24th, with residents of Nethybridge evacuated as a precaution. The current extent of the fire is unclear. There is (currently) no public access to the Glenmore... The post The potential ecological impacts of the fire in… ## [Lord Sarwar of Brass Neck](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/07/21/lord-sarwar-of-brass-neck/) _2026-07-21 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ It seems to be a law of Scottish politics, or perhaps it’s more likely it’s just a personal curse, but whenever I try and take some time off from the blog a big story breaks and it’s back to the keyboard. What is most definitely a law of Scottish politics is that I’m not nationalist \[…\] ## [Your 24/7 AI Media Buyer (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/LcQuQGf3h3BX) _2026-07-21 · **Sponsored**_ Finds placement, geo, and funnel leaks and proposes fixes you approve ## [Displacement, access rights and the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s fire byelaws](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2026/07/21/displacement-access-rights-and-the-cairngorms-national-park-authoritys-fire-byelaws/) _2026-07-21 · Nick Kempe · parkswatchscotland_ Walking back from Cook’s Cairn and Corryhabbie Hill in mid-June, I spotted shoeless hoof prints in Glen Suie and then a tepee and two horses in a field by the nearby estate bothy. I went over to have a look and got chatting to a woman minding the camp. She was with two companions and... The post Displacement, access rights and the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s fire byelaws appeared first on… ## [Silly season politics](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/07/17/silly-season-politics/) _2026-07-17 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ With Friday’s coronation of Andy Burnham as leader of the Labour party and his official accession to Ten Downing Street on Monday, the UK is now on its seventh prime minister in ten years. Meanwhile the man who wants to become prime minister after the next general election is fighting a by election with a \[…\] ## [Reform UK’s attack on Scottish languages](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/07/14/reform-uks-attack-on-scottish-languages/) _2026-07-14 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ It’s the greatest attempted Westminster assault on Scottish culture since the Jacobite wars. Reform UK has proposed an amendment to the UK Government’s elections bill which would criminalise the use of any languages other than English or Welsh on electoral material and impose a punishment of up to six months in prison and/or a fine. \[…\] ## [Ich bin ein Bin liner](https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/07/12/ich-bin-ein-bin-liner/) _2026-07-12 · weegingerdug · Wee Ginger Dug_ Last week, Nigel Farage announced that he was going to resign as the MP for Clacton in order to fight a by election to become the MP for Clacton. In a pity political broadcast from Reform UK headquarters which was broadcast live by the BBC and Sky News, Farage railed at the media for unfairly \[…\] ## [45° Cantilever Gravity Dam](https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/2026/07/05/45-cantilever-gravity-dam/) _2026-07-05 · Scottish Scientist · Scottish Scientist_ The up-the-slope downstream face tensioned reinforcing cables hold the cantilever dam up when the reservoir is empty or less than full. I haven’t drawn in the upstream face tensioning cables so that I could mention that they are not needed for hydrostatic forces – but would of course be necessary to resist transient tensions created … Continue reading 45° Cantilever Gravity Dam ## [China’s Big Wind is welcome to Scotland](https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/2025/10/13/chinas-big-wind-is-welcome-to-scotland/) _2025-10-13 · Scottish Scientist · Scottish Scientist_ Ming Yang announces major investment plan to supercharge the UK’s path to clean energy and lower bills Date: 2025.10.10 ● Ming Yang Smart Energy plans to invest up to £1.5 billion in Scotland and create 1500 new jobs ● Plans will create Britain’s first integrated offshore wind turbine manufacturing facility and bring key parts of … Continue reading China’s Big Wind is welcome to Scotland ## [Michael ‘Armitage’ Shanks has blocked me on X](https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/2025/07/15/michael-armitage-shanks-has-blocked-me-on-x/) _2025-07-15 · Scottish Scientist · Scottish Scientist_ 😂 ## [The poodle running Great British Energy](https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/2025/07/07/the-poodle-running-great-british-energy/) _2025-07-07 · Scottish Scientist · Scottish Scientist_ Great British Energy permanent CEO appointed Dan McGrail is just the very 🐩 to short-change Great British Energy, siphoning money off for the nuclear power rip-off, the deadly carbon capture & storage scam and anything else which takes Rachel-from-accounts fancy, delaying the energy transition and harming the national interest. Dan will also be relied upon … Continue reading The poodle running… ## [Pumped Hydro for Western Australia](https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/2025/06/20/pumped-hydro-for-western-australia/) _2025-06-20 · Scottish Scientist · Scottish Scientist_ “The reservoirs can be filled gradually over a decade to support slowly growing deployment of solar and wind.” – Andrew Blakers How pumped hydro could cover for “wet and windless” weeks in the West – tentatively suggesting a gradual rainfall solution to the anticipated water-supply problem with proposals to use fresh water pumped hydro in … Continue reading Pumped Hydro for Western Australia ## [Wave energy is a scam](https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/2025/05/29/wave-energy-is-a-scam/) _2025-05-29 · Scottish Scientist · Scottish Scientist_ “Aberdeen-based ZOEX Ltd, the UK’s only female-founded wave energy company, has secured £531,000 in funding to support the next stage of its clean technology development.” – Water Power There is a very good scientific reason why every other wave energy scheme in history has been a commercial flop – with the sole exception of the … Continue reading Wave energy is a scam ## [Ultra-Quiet Business Mini (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/7VJmx545DIma) _2025-05-29 · **Sponsored**_ Compact business mini, ultra-quiet for focused work. ## [Fada Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme 150GWh 5GW 30h AA](https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/2025/05/24/fada/) _2025-05-24 · Scottish Scientist · Scottish Scientist_ Lochan Fada & Loch Maree in Wester Ross in the north-west of the Scottish Highlands are ideal for building a pumped storage hydro scheme. From the Global Pumped Hydro Atlas “Bluefield” “protected area” database, ranked AA, excellent, for duration 50 hours @ 3GW but I reckon this is just as excellent for 30 hours @ … Continue reading Fada Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme 150GWh 5GW 30h AA ## [Auction grid connections](https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/2024/11/07/auction-grid-connections/) _2024-11-07 · Scottish Scientist · Scottish Scientist_ National Energy System Operator (NESO): Our Clean Power 2030 advice to Government “The connections queue is currently oversubscribed.” (Page 23) “Delivery relies on reforms to the connections queue, planning issues being resolved and market structures providing the right revenue opportunities. These challenges were also raised by many stakeholders.” the recently nationalised NESO told their boss… ## [Eskin Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme 500GWh 10GW 50h AA](https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/2024/10/12/eskin/) _2024-10-12 · Scottish Scientist · Scottish Scientist_ The Global Pumped Hydro Atlas (Bluefield) found this upper reservoir to pair with Loch Ness as the lower reservoir, rated AA, excellent, for storage of 500 GWh, duration of 50 hours and power capacity of 10 GW. Dams The Eskin’s upper reservoir dams crest at 732 metres. There are 3 dams, from tallest to smallest … Continue reading Eskin Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme 500GWh 10GW 50h AA ## [Earba Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme cannot store “40,000 MWh”](https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/2024/10/10/earba/) _2024-10-10 · Scottish Scientist · Scottish Scientist_ Gilkes Energy have made a planning application for the Earba Storage Project claiming it “is a proposed pumped storage hydro (‘PSH’) scheme with an installed capacity of up to 1,800MW and stored energy of up to 40,000 MWh”. 🙄 I regret to inform Gilkes Energy that the Global Pumped Hydro Atlas (Greenfield) begs to differ … Continue reading Earba Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme cannot store “40,000…