The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson

By Professor John Robertson OBA

Elon Musk circulates information which is untrue and tries to distort what is going on.

Ayesha Yousef Hazarika, Baroness Hazarika MBA ‘Scottish broadcaster, journalist and political commentator, and former political adviser to senior Labour Party politicians’, features in Can Elon Musk Rule the World (Channel 4), broadcast only a few days ago, after her leader began sooking up to Musk’s patron Donald Trump but produced well before that, when Labour leaders were widely attacking both figures.

I’m more concerned with her hypocrisy on accuracy in the media, when it comes to Scotland.

Has she take the opportunity in her frequent media appearances to question her leader’s pre-election promises and subsequent u-turns – two-child benefit cap, winter fuel payment, national insurance, ‘tractor’ tax and bankers’ bonuses? Also:

They included promises to increase income tax for top earners, abolish tuition fees, support public ownership of energy and water firms, give voting rights to EU nationals and defend freedom of movement.

https://westernmorning.news/2024/12/18/all-of-starmers-betrayals-and-u-turns-as-labour-faces-waspi-women-backlash/

Then there’s the Scottish Labour leader – has she criticised this?

In December 2024 Anas Sarwar claimed to have taken ‘immediate actions’ on the disgraced Labour leader of Edinburgh council when complaints had been reported to the Labour Party as early as 2006.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24895948.cammy-day-probe-look-potential-complaint-2006/

BBC Scotland did not confront Sarwar with this earlier evidence of his prior knowledge and the National asked, regarding this and other cases of abuse: Will BBC Scotland chase Anas Sarwar for answers over councillors?

https://www.thenational.scot/politics/24794139.will-bbc-scotland-chase-anas-sarwar-answers-councillors/

Earlier in 2024, the Herald reported –

BBC Radio Scotland rebuked by watchdog over ‘inaccurate’ Sarwar claim – BBC Radio Scotland’s flagship news programme has been carpeted by bosses after erroneously claiming Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar wanted the two child benefit cap scrapped, and then failing to publicly admit their mistake.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24675965.bbc-radio-scotland-rebuked-watchdog-inaccurate-sarwar-claim/

None of this is new to Sarwar.

In October 2012, Wings over Scotland reported:

Following the publication of the latest official employment figures on 17 October, Anas Sarwar announced to the BBC: “In the last three months, 7,000 people in Scotland have lost their jobs while employment in the rest of the UK is going up – this SNP government has to start taking responsibility for that”.

Mr Sarwar is factually wrong. The figures published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) do not say that 7,000 people “have lost their jobs” in the period June through August (i.e. the summer).

It is true that the figure for the total jobless rose by 7,000 to 222,000. But most of that 7,000 figure has nothing to do with people losing their jobs, as Mr Sarwar claims. Rather, it is due to young people joining the labour market from school of university, which is normal in the summer. And from people previously not looking for work returning to the labour market – usually a positive sign of returning economic confidence.

https://wingsoverscotland.com/anas-sarwar-is-still-a-liar/

None of this is new to the Sarwar family.

In March 1999, BBC News reported, on Anas’ dad:

MP Mohammad Sarwar has admitted he lied to his lawyer and Labour Party officials when first asked to explain bribery allegations against him. Mr Sarwar said he lied after seeing his lifetime’s goals “shattered” by a newspaper article accusing him of paying rival candidate Badar Islam £5000 to ease off his campaigning at the 1997 General Election.Mr Sarwar said that almost six months later he had been forced to change his story and tell his solicitor the truth – that the cheque was given to him by his friend and co-accused Mumtaz Hussain.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/295011.stm

Of course the biggest list of untrue comments by Labour concerns NHS performance.

Anas Sarwar and his Depute, Jackie Baillie, have suggested repeatedly across the media that NHS Scotland is in crisis, is broken and that the SNP needs to get a grip.

Her outright lies are never challenged by reporters even though the facts are widely available and reported here:

Scottish Labour in a panic as Welsh Labour plan to ban liars like Jackie Baillie

Another shameful attempt by Jackie Baillie to make you think that folk are dying because of ambulance delays in a country where they are far far faster than in Labour Wales

Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) 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_Brow