Reform UK’s funding lead over Labour is far less than Labour’s over the SNP – does the latter damage democracy too?
Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 In the Guardian today, the Labour Party rails against the apparent injustice of another political party getting bigger donations than they get and, thus damaging democracy. According to the Electoral Commission, in Quarter 1 of 2026, UK Labour received from private donors just over £4 million, the Tories – £4.2m, Reform UK – £9.2m, the Lib Dems £2.3m and the SNP just £125k. Sources: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/media-centre/political-parties-accept-ps247m-donations-q1-2026 and So, the Labour Party has had 32 times as much as the SNP with no apparent concerns about … Continue reading Reform UK’s funding lead over Labour is far less than Labour’s over the SNP – does the latter damage democracy too?
Student loans in England to be tweaked so they know earlier of a life in debt
Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From BBC England today: University applicants in England will be given clearer information about student loans before they take them out, the government has said. Ministers said they would spell out that governments can change repayment rules and that different career choices can affect how much borrowers repay. They agreed to some but not all of the recommendations made by MPs after an inquiry into student loans, and did not say whether they would reverse a freeze to the repayment threshold for some graduates. … Continue reading Student loans in England to be tweaked so they know earlier of a life in debt
Metering the Border
The above dynamic map adds the new power lines (yellow) often from the bottom (south) to the top (north) as if to imply that the power might ever flow that way in this United Kingdom. Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From the Guardian today, the above, and: Tens of billions of pounds are being spent on new pylons, subsea cables and converter stations to connect a growing fleet of wind and solar farms and carry clean power to where it is needed. It comes after successive global shocks – Russia’s invasion of … Continue reading Metering the Border
The prof who believes that Pisa tests prove England’s schools are better is also the same one who tried to stop my research in 2014 revealing BBC bias from affecting the Referendum
Not just posing in front of books but higgledy-piggledy ones? Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Regulars here will know that we’ve been reacting, often angrily, to Prof Paterson’s attempts to shame Scottish schools, based on the skills he picked up in his own early research into barley crop yields, bull testicles and other agricultural products. I won’t re-tread these today. I have another reason to question his motivations, that I’d forgotten about these 13 years since I did quantitative research into BBC/STV reporting of the referendum campaign and found, … Continue reading The prof who believes that Pisa tests prove England’s schools are better is also the same one who tried to stop my research in 2014 revealing BBC bias from affecting the Referendum
Major comparative study by respected London-based Nuffield Foundation revealed higher educational achievement across the board in Scotland’s senior schools (16-18) than in other parts of the UK
The Nuffield Foundation’s finding are entirely welcomed across education, considered useful and trusted on the basis of its transparent and rigorous methods. Many prominent educationist see Pisa as a destructive force narrowing and distorting curricula. Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA, for nearly 40 years a schoolteacher, a teacher education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance, research methods lecturer, PhD supervisor and Faculty Research Ethics Chair From Comparing inequality and outcomes across post-16 education in the UK, published in August 2025, utterly ignored at the time. Since the formal introduction of … Continue reading Major comparative study by respected London-based Nuffield Foundation revealed higher educational achievement across the board in Scotland’s senior schools (16-18) than in other parts of the UK
No credible researcher into pupil attainment, values the Pisa tests but Lindsay Paterson is wheeled out again to praise, utterly ill-informed, England’s dodgy results
Professor John Robertson OBA, for nearly 40 years a schoolteacher, a teacher education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance, research methods lecturer, PhD supervisor and Faculty Research Ethics Chair The Holyrood podcast Politically Speaking is owned by the Tory, Lord Ashcroft. He owns the Holyrood magazine too. They currently have Prof (rtd) Lindsay Paterson on to tell you plainly that Scotland’s falling Pisa scores are the consequence of devolution and SNP policies and that England is doing better. Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 I’ll repeat our, utterly mainstream in academia (proper that is) … Continue reading No credible researcher into pupil attainment, values the Pisa tests but Lindsay Paterson is wheeled out again to praise, utterly ill-informed, England’s dodgy results
Scotland’s glowing report from Pisa – this is a must read – from Jackie Kemp
This is essential. Read it in full at: England v Scotland, the battle of the PISA tests John Continue reading Scotland’s glowing report from Pisa – this is a must read – from Jackie Kemp
Legal aid for abuse women – Yet another example of the value of TuS
By stewartb I too have noticed this contention about Legal Aid being made here btl multiple times and over a prolonged period. I can’t recall any links to source documents ever being supplied. Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 I’ve never quite had enough motivation to research the claim tho’ it has occurred to me to do so too in the past. I’m glad you’ve now done this: it’s an important matter. Yet another example of the value of TuS! I hope the persistent ‘campaigner’/btl contributor offers a response to what you’ve … Continue reading Legal aid for abuse women – Yet another example of the value of TuS
English County Lines drug gangs increasing crime in the posher English counties after practising their dark arts in Scotland’s posher parts?
Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 In the Daily Express two days ago, the above and: County lines drug gangs are becoming ever more dangerous in affluent areas, with police seizing weapons in Home County areas. New figures show five in eight home county police forces recorded higher weapons possession rates than the London average in the last year. The findings come as the Home Office announced a record year for the largest number of drug lines closed, making 7,381 arrests following a crackdown on county lines gangs. Despite a rise in arrests, heightened policing … Continue reading English County Lines drug gangs increasing crime in the posher English counties after practising their dark arts in Scotland’s posher parts?
Even under Plaid Cymru rule BBC Wales can maintain professional journalism standards miles above the BBC Scotland scare stories
Two headlines sum it all up for us? Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 BBC Wales and BBC Scotland react, both on the 9th September, to the latest Pisa results. The BBC Wales reporting is especially notable given these: Imagine if Scotland had been bottom, how BBC Scotland would have covered. Of course, the English figures are fiddled. They’ve just recruited image consultants to present their still dodgy data so that they don’t nearly get chucked off the whole thing as in 2022. See: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/09/08/two-leading-academics-cast-doubt-on-englands-supposedly-better-pisa-scores-as-their-sample-is-revealed-to-be-skewed-toward-high-achievers-by-schools-gaming-the-system-again/ Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or … Continue reading Even under Plaid Cymru rule BBC Wales can maintain professional journalism standards miles above the BBC Scotland scare stories
Talking-up Scotland 