Professor John Robertson OBA, former Associate Dean (Quality Assurance) Faculty of Education, UWS
In researching the previous post on school absences and the probable lack of reliable data there are for any comment on them, I noticed ‘Why Educational Data Matters’ from Reform Scotland – Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale (Chair), Chris Deerin (Director) and Alison Payne (Research Director!).
Now, I know there’s debate and, in some specialised scientific areas, it might be acceptable, but:
The grammatically correct approach is ‘data are’, because the word ‘data’ is the plural of the latin word ‘datum’.
https://digitalblog.ons.gov.uk/2016/12/08/data-is-versus-data-are/
Reform Scotland like to style themselves as a thinktank with expertise in education, not some specialist science, so data are important.
Either way, it’s embarrassing for Reform Scotland’s Research Director, Alison Payne. She is former political adviser to Scottish Conservatives leader Annabel Goldie, former head of research for the Scottish Conservatives and unsuccessful Conservative candidate for Portobello/Craigmillar in the 2007 Scottish local elections)
Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) with my regular column on media coverage at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/
The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116
About Oliver Brown, the first Scottish National Party candidate to save his deposit in a Parliamentary election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Brown_(Scottish_activis
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Can’t use Latin correctly ? She will lose a badge for that ! Hope she can use a Woggle correctly !
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You know for political parties who are supposdley (but clearly not) at the opposite sides of the political spectrum, we seem to see a H of a lot of collaboration between both current and past politicians (and political candidates) from both the Labour party and the Tories.
Look at the various Think Tanks that have sprouted up within Scotland and you will see a collusion and collaboration between various pro UK parties reminiscent of all of those various pro UK parties connected to the Better Together campaign in 2014.
It is then very very evident that the formation of these various Think Tanks within Scotland , where we see a continued cross party political collaboration, are only formed to try and stop Scottish independence thus also to then promote the status quo that is the UK.
So why then should the public in Scotland believe anything that they say or that they produce via written reports in respect to politics or public services within Scotland, when it is clear that that as a Think Tank they are compromised by their combined opposition to the SNP and also to Scottish independence.
Let’s be honest here, if your former and current contributions to the political debate within Scotland demonstrated your allegiance to the UK as a continued state and also your alignment to a political party in opposition to the SNP , then why , as part of a Think Tank, should the public then not consider that both you and your organisation’s motivation is driven solely by your opposition to the SNP and Scottish independence, as opposed to your supposed desire to improve anything within Scotland for those of us who live here.
Propaganda finds a home in many of these Think Tanks as opposed to them, as Think Tanks, presenting themselves as those working for the common good of the public within Scotland.
Their output tends to expose their true objective, and in respect to McConnell’s outfit, it is very unfortunate that they are named ‘Reform Scotland’ , not to be confused with Farage’s party Reform UK (apart from that which unites them both, as in Scotland being chained to their UK, but only for the financial benefits that delivers to their UK/England).
Of course the only real reform that matters for Scotland is that where we gain our independence from their UK and where we are then no longer subjected to the false findings of any Think Tank research that is associated with people like Lord McConnell who is an ex Labour FM and now a Labour peer.
Enough said and say no more.
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