Year: 2025

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84% of 15 000 CalMac ferry users satisfied with service in 6 month long survey to upturn politicised, shoddy, media reporting

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Bob Lamont for suggesting this. I can’t believe I’ve missed out on the regular large-scale surveys of CalMac ferry performance, published but ignored by MSM, as they pursue a different agenda regardless of the facts, and fully transparent. Any journalist can scrutinise these surveys, demand all information, and report on any debates within them. Notably none ever do. If you don’t trust these surveys, challenge CalMac for details of who did them, how they were done and get the raw data. They cannot refuse you. If you have something and can present it honestly, … Continue reading 84% of 15 000 CalMac ferry users satisfied with service in 6 month long survey to upturn politicised, shoddy, media reporting

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Dramatic fall in Non-crime Hate Incidents

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Professor John Robertson OBA From – Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following details: The number of non-crime hate incidents recorded by the police force every year, and by year, from 2009 to 2024, published today, we seen that non-crime hate incidents have fallen from 1066 in 2022 and 1296 in 2023 to 1054 in 2024.1 What is a non-crime hate incident? A non-crime hate incident is any incident perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated either entirely or partly by malice and ill-will towards a person or group based on … Continue reading Dramatic fall in Non-crime Hate Incidents

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News you won’t hear today – SNP Government increases grants to local authorities for affordable housing by nearly 20% in just one year

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the Scottish Government today, we see that grants totalling £600 million, up from 510 million last year have been allocated to council to plan their affordable housing supply.1 The grant funding is broken down as: How is Scotland doing with the building of affordable homes compared to the rest of the UK? This: Sources: Continue reading News you won’t hear today – SNP Government increases grants to local authorities for affordable housing by nearly 20% in just one year

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How the ‘Scottish’ media have singularly failed to investigate and fully report on the true state of the ferry services

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By stewartb: The level of mainstream media ‘interest’ in CalMac ferry services has been ramped up and highly politicised over recent years. However, in sharp distinction to coverage by the highly resourced-constrained TuS, the highly resource-rich BBC Scotland and others in the mainstream media – those supposedly serving Scotland – have singularly failed to investigate and fully report on the true state of these ferry services. This failure is despite pointing out the economic and social importance of the ferries to the communities served. As best as I can recall (and do correct me if I’ve missed something substantive): And … Continue reading How the ‘Scottish’ media have singularly failed to investigate and fully report on the true state of the ferry services

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Last word on Tom Hunter and Richard Tice of Reform UK – Why don’t we emulate Norway instead of dark and undemocratic Singapore

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By stewartb I agree. It seems appropriate to repeat here a btl post on an earlier thread about emulating Singapore. How far should we change to do so? From The Straits Times (May 11, 2024) ’20 years as PM – Singapore’s political system is rare and once lost there is no turning back, says PM Lee‘. It quotes Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who is also secretary-general of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and is the eldest son of Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew, who governed Singapore for c.31 years! “People ask how does politics work in Singapore? … Continue reading Last word on Tom Hunter and Richard Tice of Reform UK – Why don’t we emulate Norway instead of dark and undemocratic Singapore

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Tom Hunter – Scotland should emulate Singapore? What would this take: what would it cost us?

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By stewartb Emulate Singapore? What would this take: what would it cost us? From a profile of Singapore published in 2021: https://freedomhouse.org/country/singapore/freedom-world/2021 ‘Singapore’s parliamentary political system has been dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and the family of current prime minister Lee Hsien Loong since 1959. The electoral and legal framework that the PAP has constructed allows for some political pluralism, but it constrains the growth of opposition parties and limits freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.’ ‘The current prime minster, Lee Hsien Loong, has been in power since 2004 and secured a new mandate after the July 2020 parliamentary elections. … Continue reading Tom Hunter – Scotland should emulate Singapore? What would this take: what would it cost us?

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Missed doctor appointments, hours-long delays, students unable to get to school and flooded car decks look like continuing as Washington State Ferries delays new electric ferries and bring aging old diesels back into service

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A typical WSF ferry – aging, rusty and prone to flooded car decks: Free car wash? Professor John Robertson OBA From KIRO7 in Seattle, 4 days ago, we hear that Washington State Ferries is delaying plans for new electric ferries and bringing 3 older diesel boats back into service. CalMac has 36 ferries in service with 5 under construction, serving 50 locations and 5.3 million passengers per year.1 Washington State Ferries in the affluent region around Seattle had 21 vessels but now has only 18 and none in construction, serviceable vessels, serving 19 million passengers per year.2 From Kitsapp Daily News March … Continue reading Missed doctor appointments, hours-long delays, students unable to get to school and flooded car decks look like continuing as Washington State Ferries delays new electric ferries and bring aging old diesels back into service

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‘Millionaire ‘Sir’ Tom Hunter gets it wrong by urging Scotland to emulate Singapore!

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By JB So Tom hunter, the businessmen, has urged the Scottish Government to emulate Singapore by cutting tax and red tape in an effort to reverse what he described as “managed decline”. He also said that “If we can get better wealth creators to Scotland, they will create the jobs, they will pay more tax, not because of the rate, because of the take.” Millionaire urges Scotland to emulate Singapore to reverse ‘managed decline’ | STV News  Managed decline? On the former according to the database numbeo.com comparing Singapore to Glasgow ( it doesn’t let you put in Scotland) we … Continue reading ‘Millionaire ‘Sir’ Tom Hunter gets it wrong by urging Scotland to emulate Singapore!

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Latest – Heart operation waiting list in NHS England 50% longer than in NHS Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Guardian today prompted me to check the media reporting of waiting lists for heart operations in Scotland. In February 2025, STV had: Waiting times for heart appointments in Scotland are at their highest level on record, figures have shown. Data from Public Health Scotland showed more than 24,000 people were waiting for a cardiology appointment as of September 2024. The number represents a 252% increase since 2019 and an increase of 1,000 in just one year. https://news.stv.tv/scotland/nhs-waiting-times-for-heart-appointments-in-scotland-reach-highest-level-on-record More Primary Schools maths to get a big percentage there and, of course, no context such as the … Continue reading Latest – Heart operation waiting list in NHS England 50% longer than in NHS Scotland

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New US hybrid ferries look like costing much more than the new CalMac vessels

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From EUUSATODAY, today: Bids to build new plug-in Washington state ferries come in high It’s raising doubts about the state’s plans to construct up to five new hybrid-electric vessels with the $1.3 billion [£1 billion] lawmakers have set aside. Ferry system managers and state budget writers in Washington took a cold wave over the bow Monday upon opening the bids to construct up to five new hybrid electric ferries. “I don’t see how you get to five. There’s money for three [160 car vessels] on a good day,” said state House Transportation Committee Chair Jake Fey, D-Tacoma. The Washington Legislature … Continue reading New US hybrid ferries look like costing much more than the new CalMac vessels