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'Stupidest' and 'unhinged' seem like measured descriptions amid destruction Words such as 'unhinged' and 'stupidest' seem perfectly measured and proportionate in the scheme of things

It is now more than nine years since the UK electorate voted for Brexit but the issue - most justifiably given the damage it is causing to the...

yesterday 0

Herald Scotland

Ian Mcconnell

Do not believe the middle-class moaning about private schools

You’ll remember that when Labour said they were planning to put VAT on private school fees, some people said it would be disastrous, schools would...

yesterday 0

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

This pernicious legislation is fatally flawed

A good old fashioned parliamentary dust-up seems quite tame compared to the political tsunamis that have engulfed our parliaments in recent years....

yesterday 0

Herald Scotland

Roz Foyer

A genuine opportunity to spark growth but risk of stalling

The UK Government’s latest Spending Review offers a genuine opportunity to spark growth, create much-needed jobs, and unlock private investment...

yesterday 0

Herald Scotland

Liz Cameron

There is an alternative to massive defence spending: it means a new kind of security

When the Scottish Trade Union Peace Network gathered on June 18  to launch the Alternative Defence Review (ADR), which will be echoed on...

yesterday 0

Herald Scotland

Karen Bell

History will judge this Labour government for targeting protesters

History will judge this Labour government for targeting protesters

A FEW years ago I interviewed Donna McLean, one of the women lied to and seduced by undercover police officers from a special unit set up to...

previous day 10

Herald Scotland

Dani Garavelli

I have walked amongst Scotland's largest seagulls - and they are a menace AS anyone who has ever had the ill fortune to meander down Aberdeen’s Union Street around 3am on a Sunday morning, seagulls can be a bit of a problem.As they feast on discarded kebabs, burgers, baked potatoes or even the odd buttery, the thousands of birds are quite a sight as seem to move as one like a feathered carpet down the famed thoroughfare.They are big​ too. Very big, probably the biggest in Scotland, and with their size comes with equally large beaks, and that is where the problem lies.Have anything edible about your person at that time of the morning then you really are in trouble.For gulls, like some of us humans, seem to have forgotten all about their traditional diet of healthy fish discarded over the side of a trawler, and now prefer fast food – and more of it the better.And you can see their point in a way. Why would you want a measly fish straight out of the sea, when you can gorge on plump ones wrapped in batter and served with chips. However, it is not a laughing matter really, as there are increasing examples of people getting hurt by the hungry birds up and down the country.Now the problem (again) has been raised at Holyrood with former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross warning that Scots risk losing their lives over the “growing problem” of “dominating” gulls if action is not taken to stop them. That is quite the claim but at least had evidence to back it up. In the chamber, Mr Ross spoke of gull horror stories including one woman who fell outside her house as a result of a gull attack, broke her leg, went to hospital and then, upon her return, was attacked again. The debate was led by Mr Ross after he submitted a motion stating that the parliament should note concern around the reported changes to the approach taken for granting licences to control gulls in recent years by NatureScot.He argued that this has led to fewer licences being approved.A total of  2,041 licences were granted in 2023, however this figure fell to 505 in 2024.He told the chamber there is a “clear conflict” in the Scottish Government body Nature Scot between conserving and preserving bird numbers and controlling the applications to regulate bird numbers. Mr Ross also criticised NatureScot and the Scottish Government for being on the side of seagulls and not humans during a sometimes heated debate at Holyrood.The Former Scottish Conservative leader said: “Currently they are clearly conflicted between conserving and preserving bird numbers and also being the agency that looks at and deliberates on applications to control birds.“It is not possible any more for Nature Scot to do those dual roles”.Mr Ross pointed that Nature Scot keep a record of bird deaths or injury but not take any record of people injured. He said communities and businesses in his own constituency of Moray, Nairn and Inverness have had significant problems with gulls in recent years, but that many communities across Scotland also experience similar problems.He also said the gulls are causing “mental health issues” as their constant screeching torments the general public. “They are a menace,” he emphasised to parliament. Mr Ross said he is not ignoring that people are encouraging gulls by feeding them and he accepted that was “part of the problem”. Gulls “dominating areas” are also seeing a reduction of other smaller birds, he argued.Mr Ross called on more “robust action” from the Scottish Government and NatureScot to protect humans and businesses from “the menace of dangerous gulls”.It is hard to argue with Mr Ross on this one as we can all probably recall being menaced by seagulls at one point or another in recent times.His point about smaller birds being driven from some areas is also true, as I can vouch from my own garden, which can  suddenly become full of gulls, particularly when people put bread out.Of course, this is always well intentioned as it put out for smaller birds who cannot get a  look in as everything is hoovered up by the aggressive gulls.I live a good 30-odd miles from the coast too, proving that the problem with gulls is not confined to seaside communities.Residents and businesses in the former fishing port of Nairn on the Moray Firth believe gulls have become a serious problem.A survey by Nairn Business Improvement District (Bid) last year received 85 reports of gull attacks.Manager Lucy Harding told the BBC: “That was quite worrying. It is an issue I regularly get reports on, of people being attacked for food particularly.”Gulls, like other birds, are protected by law and Scotland’s nature body, NatureScot, has strict rules around how they are controlled.A licence is needed for the removal of nests and eggs from the roofs of buildings in areas where gulls are deemed to be a nuisance.But Ms Harding said it was now harder to obtain the necessary paperwork.Nairn Bid has put in place other measures to discourage gulls from nesting in the town, including reflective devices designed to scare birds away from rooftops.Gulls are a coastal species, but they have been drawn into towns and cities due to the plentiful places to build nests, a lack of predators - and lots of opportunities to find food.In their natural habitats - the coast and farmland - the birds eat carrion, seeds, fruits, young birds, eggs, small mammals, insects and fish.NatureScot issued 2,633 nest removal licences across Scotland in 2023, and 1,601 in 2024. It said it understood gulls could sometimes cause problems in towns and cities, but at the same time populations of the birds were facing “serious declines”.NatureScot said it would continue to issue licenses where gulls were causing a health and safety issue.RSPB Scotland say that people and gulls could coexist if the right action was takenNumbers of herring gulls, a species people are most likely to encounter in urban areas, have fallen by 48% in Scotland since the 1980s, according to RSPB Scotland.Clearly the answer then is not just mass culling of gulls, but it is fair to say that more robust action needs to be taken before somebody does get seriously hurt. But the answer ultimately lies with all of us and the amount of food that we just casually throw away, which then attracts gulls.We all need to look at our own behaviour and stop blaming the gulls, however menacing they are,  for everything. Ultimately, we are the problem and therefore we are the solution too.

I have walked amongst Scotland's largest seagulls - and they are a menace AS anyone who has ever had the ill fortune to meander down Aberdeen’s Union Street around 3am on a Sunday morning, seagulls can be a bit of a problem.As they feast on discarded kebabs, burgers, baked potatoes or even the odd buttery, the thousands of birds are quite a sight as seem to move as one like a feathered carpet down the famed thoroughfare.They are big​ too. Very big, probably the biggest in Scotland, and with their size comes with equally large beaks, and that is where the problem lies.Have anything edible about your person at that time of the morning then you really are in trouble.For gulls, like some of us humans, seem to have forgotten all about their traditional diet of healthy fish discarded over the side of a trawler, and now prefer fast food – and more of it the better.And you can see their point in a way. Why would you want a measly fish straight out of the sea, when you can gorge on plump ones wrapped in batter and served with chips. However, it is not a laughing matter really, as there are increasing examples of people getting hurt by the hungry birds up and down the country.Now the problem (again) has been raised at Holyrood with former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross warning that Scots risk losing their lives over the “growing problem” of “dominating” gulls if action is not taken to stop them. That is quite the claim but at least had evidence to back it up. In the chamber, Mr Ross spoke of gull horror stories including one woman who fell outside her house as a result of a gull attack, broke her leg, went to hospital and then, upon her return, was attacked again. The debate was led by Mr Ross after he submitted a motion stating that the parliament should note concern around the reported changes to the approach taken for granting licences to control gulls in recent years by NatureScot.He argued that this has led to fewer licences being approved.A total of  2,041 licences were granted in 2023, however this figure fell to 505 in 2024.He told the chamber there is a “clear conflict” in the Scottish Government body Nature Scot between conserving and preserving bird numbers and controlling the applications to regulate bird numbers. Mr Ross also criticised NatureScot and the Scottish Government for being on the side of seagulls and not humans during a sometimes heated debate at Holyrood.The Former Scottish Conservative leader said: “Currently they are clearly conflicted between conserving and preserving bird numbers and also being the agency that looks at and deliberates on applications to control birds.“It is not possible any more for Nature Scot to do those dual roles”.Mr Ross pointed that Nature Scot keep a record of bird deaths or injury but not take any record of people injured. He said communities and businesses in his own constituency of Moray, Nairn and Inverness have had significant problems with gulls in recent years, but that many communities across Scotland also experience similar problems.He also said the gulls are causing “mental health issues” as their constant screeching torments the general public. “They are a menace,” he emphasised to parliament. Mr Ross said he is not ignoring that people are encouraging gulls by feeding them and he accepted that was “part of the problem”. Gulls “dominating areas” are also seeing a reduction of other smaller birds, he argued.Mr Ross called on more “robust action” from the Scottish Government and NatureScot to protect humans and businesses from “the menace of dangerous gulls”.It is hard to argue with Mr Ross on this one as we can all probably recall being menaced by seagulls at one point or another in recent times.His point about smaller birds being driven from some areas is also true, as I can vouch from my own garden, which can  suddenly become full of gulls, particularly when people put bread out.Of course, this is always well intentioned as it put out for smaller birds who cannot get a  look in as everything is hoovered up by the aggressive gulls.I live a good 30-odd miles from the coast too, proving that the problem with gulls is not confined to seaside communities.Residents and businesses in the former fishing port of Nairn on the Moray Firth believe gulls have become a serious problem.A survey by Nairn Business Improvement District (Bid) last year received 85 reports of gull attacks.Manager Lucy Harding told the BBC: “That was quite worrying. It is an issue I regularly get reports on, of people being attacked for food particularly.”Gulls, like other birds, are protected by law and Scotland’s nature body, NatureScot, has strict rules around how they are controlled.A licence is needed for the removal of nests and eggs from the roofs of buildings in areas where gulls are deemed to be a nuisance.But Ms Harding said it was now harder to obtain the necessary paperwork.Nairn Bid has put in place other measures to discourage gulls from nesting in the town, including reflective devices designed to scare birds away from rooftops.Gulls are a coastal species, but they have been drawn into towns and cities due to the plentiful places to build nests, a lack of predators - and lots of opportunities to find food.In their natural habitats - the coast and farmland - the birds eat carrion, seeds, fruits, young birds, eggs, small mammals, insects and fish.NatureScot issued 2,633 nest removal licences across Scotland in 2023, and 1,601 in 2024. It said it understood gulls could sometimes cause problems in towns and cities, but at the same time populations of the birds were facing “serious declines”.NatureScot said it would continue to issue licenses where gulls were causing a health and safety issue.RSPB Scotland say that people and gulls could coexist if the right action was takenNumbers of herring gulls, a species people are most likely to encounter in urban areas, have fallen by 48% in Scotland since the 1980s, according to RSPB Scotland.Clearly the answer then is not just mass culling of gulls, but it is fair to say that more robust action needs to be taken before somebody does get seriously hurt. But the answer ultimately lies with all of us and the amount of food that we just casually throw away, which then attracts gulls.We all need to look at our own behaviour and stop blaming the gulls, however menacing they are,  for everything. Ultimately, we are the problem and therefore we are the solution too.

As anyone who has ever had the ill fortune to meander down Aberdeen’s Union Street around 3am on a Sunday morning, seagulls can be a bit of a...

previous day 20

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

How the Highlands is crucial to Star Wars success

How the Highlands is crucial to Star Wars success

Star Wars, it seems, has struck back. The second season of Andor, on streaming service Disney , has been an undoubted critical success. Showrunner...

previous day 8

Herald Scotland

Colin Atkinson

I've got big news to share - life will never be the same again on my Scottish island I found out I was pregnant on a chilly February afternoon. We’d come back from the mainland two days before, and I found myself curled up in bed at 3pm with an exhaustion that felt like I’d been hit by a truck.

I've got big news to share - life will never be the same again on my Scottish island I found out I was pregnant on a chilly February afternoon. We’d come back from the mainland two days before, and I found myself curled up in bed at 3pm with an exhaustion that felt like I’d been hit by a truck.

I’m pregnant. It still feels so strange to say it so plainly, to see it written here in black and white. Almost as though I’m telling you I’ve...

previous day 4

Herald Scotland

Elle Duffy

Scotland is sleepwalking into a dementia care crisis

Scotland is sleepwalking into a dementia care crisis

Hidden inside budget reports for council areas across Scotland are new plans that will have a devastating effect on many of our country’s most...

previous day 3

Herald Scotland

Henry Simmons

Can anyone truly say the Scottish Parliament been a great success? I can't Reform is needed to improve the quality of debate and outcome in the Scottish Parliament.

Can anyone truly say the Scottish Parliament been a great success? I can't Reform is needed to improve the quality of debate and outcome in the Scottish Parliament.

Debate regarding how we are governed in Scotland is dominated by the question of whether Scotland should remain part of the British Union or leave...

previous day 2

Herald Scotland

Guy Stenhouse

So Scots felt they were British centuries before the Union? That's a new one on me

So Scots felt they were British centuries before the Union? That's a new one on me

If history has taught us anything it is that nothing remains the same. Look at a map of Europe after the Second World War and it’s virtually...

previous day 2

Herald Scotland

Isobel Scott

Oh dear, is there even less to Sir Keir than meets the eye? I think so

Oh dear, is there even less to Sir Keir than meets the eye? I think so

I’VE never been able to work out whether being “all things to all men” is a compliment or not. It can be both, I suppose. You might use the...

previous day 2

Herald Scotland

Andrew Tickell

Is there really such thing as a 'cursed' restaurant unit? You'll likely know somewhere that fits the bill. The kind of spots that never quite take off, regardless of what exciting new concept moves in.

Is there really such thing as a 'cursed' restaurant unit? You'll likely know somewhere that fits the bill. The kind of spots that never quite take off, regardless of what exciting new concept moves in.

Hold off on calling in a priest or settling down for a séance. When I talk of cursed units, I don't mean that sort of cursed. Aside from the ones...

saturday 2

Herald Scotland

Sarah Campbell

Starmer is a charlatan without principles – Labour should dump him for Angela Rayner You may not have liked Margaret Thatcher – I certainly didn’t – but you knew exactly what she stood for as a leader. Even with Boris Johnson you knew what he stood for: himself. But what does Keir Starmer stand for?

Starmer is a charlatan without principles – Labour should dump him for Angela Rayner You may not have liked Margaret Thatcher – I certainly didn’t – but you knew exactly what she stood for as a leader. Even with Boris Johnson you knew what he stood for: himself. But what does Keir Starmer stand for?

This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter. Even with the u-turn, he’s created a two-tier system where those who...

saturday 3

Herald Scotland

Neil Mackay

Why I think the odds are against Fergus Ewing

Why I think the odds are against Fergus Ewing

Just how much of a threat to the SNP in Inverness and Nairn is Fergus Ewing? Going by Mr Ewing’s musings about how the SNP will “throw...

saturday 7

Herald Scotland

Mark Mcgeoghegan

Why cyber resilience is everyone’s business

Why cyber resilience is everyone’s business

The spate of high-profile cyber attacks we have witnessed recently is proof of the wide-ranging impact they can have on organisations and the...

saturday 2

Herald Scotland

Jude Mccorry

I remembered meeting Scottish company chief with such an inspiring tale It brought back memories of meeting the managing director of this Scottish business, which has such an inspiring story, about seven years ago now

I remembered meeting Scottish company chief with such an inspiring tale It brought back memories of meeting the managing director of this Scottish business, which has such an inspiring story, about seven years ago now

Reflecting this week on the ambitious expansion plans of one of Scotland’s largest structural steel fabricators brought back memories of meeting...

saturday 4

Herald Scotland

Ian Mcconnell

Let's have a conversation about debunking the NHS as a national cult

Let's have a conversation about debunking the NHS as a national cult

“The NHS is dying before our eyes.” So said Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of the doctors’ trade union, the BMA, earlier this week, in response to an...

saturday 3

Herald Scotland

Andy Maciver

Here's some reasons for cheer in the Scottish business community

Here's some reasons for cheer in the Scottish business community

The world is in a more precarious state than at any point in recent decades and that is taking its toll on the UK economy, yet there are still...

saturday 30

Herald Scotland

Kristy Dorsey

A climate of fear: why students in the US are nervous

A climate of fear: why students in the US are nervous

Amid a crackdown on universities and student visas across the United States, University of Edinburgh students who are studying in the US have...

saturday 10

Herald Scotland

Maryse Botts

Missing this opportunity would be a huge error for Scotland

Missing this opportunity would be a huge error for Scotland

Scotland needs and uses nuclear power. Thanks to Torness, our homes are lit, our dinners are hot, and more and more of our cars and even buses are...

saturday 5

Herald Scotland

Joani Reid

At last – maybe we can start talking about the issue we’ve all been ignoring

At last – maybe we can start talking about the issue we’ve all been ignoring

The new British Social Attitudes Survey, and the public reaction to it, told us quite a few things we knew already: lots of people are struggling...

saturday 6

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

What row over Edinburgh Tour de France bid shows - and it may not be what you think Edinburgh’s Chief Executive Paul Lawrence apologised for approving the spending to bring the Tour de France to Edinburgh in principle without first seeking formal council committee approval. He has nothing to apologise for, says John McLellan

What row over Edinburgh Tour de France bid shows - and it may not be what you think Edinburgh’s Chief Executive Paul Lawrence apologised for approving the spending to bring the Tour de France to Edinburgh in principle without first seeking formal council committee approval. He has nothing to apologise for, says John McLellan

The Tour de France claims to be the world’s third biggest televised sporting event after the Olympics and the football World Cup, which would make...

saturday 3

Herald Scotland

John Mclellan

The time Trump reviewed his favourite film and revealed a bit too much of himself The last thing Donald Trump ever wants to be seen as is weak or vulnerable. It is a side of Trump that he hopes no one will ever see or notice. Yet he does exactly that in his review of the Orson Welles classic Citizen Kane.

The time Trump reviewed his favourite film and revealed a bit too much of himself The last thing Donald Trump ever wants to be seen as is weak or vulnerable. It is a side of Trump that he hopes no one will ever see or notice. Yet he does exactly that in his review of the Orson Welles classic Citizen Kane.

The last thing Donald Trump ever wants to be seen as is weak or vulnerable. Faced with a bullet grazing his head, he still strikes a defiant pose...

saturday 1

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

I think Keir Starmer's ineptitude here takes some beating

I think Keir Starmer's ineptitude here takes some beating

Every Prime Minister suffers setbacks from what one holder of the office called “events.”  But this is much worse.  This exposes the fundamental...

saturday 10

Herald Scotland

Brian Taylor

Glasgow is failing music fans with shambolic public transport - and it is mortifying

Glasgow is failing music fans with shambolic public transport - and it is mortifying

The air was sticky and hot in Paris when I arrived last week on the first official night of summer. It was June 21, La Fête de la Musique. The...

saturday 20

Herald Scotland

Marissa Macwhirter

How the future for Torness could be one that embraces renewables Paul McLennan on future of Torness Power Station and what it could look like

How the future for Torness could be one that embraces renewables Paul McLennan on future of Torness Power Station and what it could look like

As the local MSP, I have always taken a keen interest in the future of Torness. When I was elected in 2021, I set up the East Lothian Energy Forum...

27.06.2025 6

Herald Scotland

Paul Mclennan

Reform threatens to smash Yes/No divide in Scotland - here's how

Reform threatens to smash Yes/No divide in Scotland - here's how

The first time that Nigel Farage campaigned in Scotland he ended up barricaded in an Edinburgh pub. He was portrayed the quintessential Little...

27.06.2025 7

Herald Scotland

Fraser Nelson

I was a Labour minister: Sir Keir you must U-turn on benefits cuts

I was a Labour minister: Sir Keir you must U-turn on benefits cuts

All Prime Ministers have to fight back-bench rebellions and they usually win, at least in the short term. Those who are encouraging Keir Starmer...

27.06.2025 3

Herald Scotland

Brian Wilson

Trump said ‘f**k’ and I started to agree with him. What the hell is happening to me? On Tuesday evening, I found myself in the frankly remarkable position of nodding along with Trump. Momentarily, I thought I was going mad.

Trump said ‘f**k’ and I started to agree with him. What the hell is happening to me? On Tuesday evening, I found myself in the frankly remarkable position of nodding along with Trump. Momentarily, I thought I was going mad.

In The Art of War, the ancient Chinese military textbook, Sun Tzu wrote: "If you wait by the riverbank long enough, eventually the bodies of your...

27.06.2025 1

Herald Scotland

Neil Mackay

Dear Keir, voters expect a Labour government to reduce poverty - not make it worse

Dear Keir, voters expect a Labour government to reduce poverty - not make it worse

Does the UK Government really know what it’s doing cutting health-related benefits and trying to get more claimants into work instead? Around 126...

27.06.2025 4

Herald Scotland

Rebecca Mcquillan

What have we learned about Scottish education over the past year? In the final Lessons to Learn newsletter before the summer, education writer James McEnaney looks back at the biggest stories of the school year.

What have we learned about Scottish education over the past year? In the final Lessons to Learn newsletter before the summer, education writer James McEnaney looks back at the biggest stories of the school year.

This article appears as part of the Lessons to Learn newsletter. To all the parents, pupils, teachers, lecturers, support staff, and education...

27.06.2025 1

Herald Scotland

James Mcenaney

Glastonbury - a field of dreams? More like nightmares!

Glastonbury - a field of dreams? More like nightmares!

It’s a mud swamp in the middle of Somerset, not at all cute like Shrek’s, instead strewn with plastic bottles, discarded prophylactics and unwashed...

27.06.2025 4

Herald Scotland

Brian Beacom

Police Scotland must take action against 'masked youths' at Glasgow University It is frankly unforgivable these protests have been met with undeniable apathy from both the University and Police Scotland.

Police Scotland must take action against 'masked youths' at Glasgow University It is frankly unforgivable these protests have been met with undeniable apathy from both the University and Police Scotland.

Peaceful protest has long been a part of this country’s history, from the Quakers to the Suffragists. Indeed, the legally enshrined rights to...

27.06.2025 3

Herald Scotland

Katherine Mckay

Don’t proscribe organisations: prosecute criminal actions

Don’t proscribe organisations: prosecute criminal actions

I was in the Northern Ireland Office in the 1970s, 80s and 90s when the Troubles were both tragic and highly politically sensitive. One regular...

27.06.2025 20

Herald Scotland

George Fergusson

'Why discard 40 years of nuclear expertise at Torness?'

'Why discard 40 years of nuclear expertise at Torness?'

Torness Power Station has a proud history of generating clean, reliable energy and providing skilled jobs. It was among my earliest local visits...

27.06.2025 6

Herald Scotland

Douglas Alexander