Year: 2025

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Now conveniently forgotten about by media and settlers – How the Scottish Government transformed the economies of Scotland’s island communities

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Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to Legerwood for reminding us of this The above chart from the Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff [RET] on the Clyde and Hebridean Network Prepared for Transport Scotland March 2020 reveals a massive increase in ferry usage to the islands with a consequent economic boost, but increasing costs for the taxpayer in lost revenue. The comparison is based on ticket sales only and takes no account of retail revenue, which is likely to have increased as a result of the increased numbers of passengers. What is the RET? In October 2008, Transport Scotland introduced … Continue reading Now conveniently forgotten about by media and settlers – How the Scottish Government transformed the economies of Scotland’s island communities

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South Uist islanders get a free lift to Oban cutting their travel time and effort to Glasgow but John Daniel Peteranna is still not happy and tells a big fat lie about the extra crossing time, unchecked by BBC Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Bob Lamont for alerting me to this. From BBC Scotland today: South Uist has been under particular pressure recently as state-owned ferry operator CalMac struggles with a shortage of ships while it awaits replacements for its ageing fleet. Winter maintenance has uncovered new problems with several vessels, forcing CalMac to rejig its schedules and move ferries onto different routes. Instead of sailing to Mallaig, it travels to Oban, 85 miles away from the normal scheduled port, which adds more than four hours to the crossing time. John Daniel Peteranna, from the South Uist Business … Continue reading South Uist islanders get a free lift to Oban cutting their travel time and effort to Glasgow but John Daniel Peteranna is still not happy and tells a big fat lie about the extra crossing time, unchecked by BBC Scotland

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No driving test touts and delays 33% longer in England than in Scotland – Is there nothing SNP government does not do better?

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Professor John Robertson OBA Judging by the coverage on BBC Breakfast today, the driving test touts pushing up costs dramatically are operating in the same areas as the grooming gangs so we must assume that BBC Scotland staff are working hard to find at least one of them in Scotland, as they have done for the grooming gangs. No luck so far based on the above but give them time. They had a go in April 2025 when long delays were first reported, to suggest, as they love to do, that things must be as bad in Scotland. One newspaper … Continue reading No driving test touts and delays 33% longer in England than in Scotland – Is there nothing SNP government does not do better?

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Troubled English ferry company has to borrow to survive but still pays nearly £1 million to directors

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Isle of Wight County Press, three days ago: The parent company of the Isle of Wight’s Red Funnel has seen its profitability drop by more than 20 per cent, latest figures show, but the boss of the ferry firm has once again quashed “incorrect” talk of administration. Accounts for 2023 for Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (SIOW), trading as Red Funnel, have now been published. In the year ending December 2023, the accounts show that SIOW recorded a 10.4 per cent increase in turnover, reporting £61.08 million in 2023 … Continue reading Troubled English ferry company has to borrow to survive but still pays nearly £1 million to directors

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With 5 to 6 times as many temporary school exclusions and 900 times as many permanent exclusions, per head, than Scotland, England’s schools are in a deep crisis fuelling County Lines gangs and street violence

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No childish images required here Professor John Robertson OBA From my previous post, you’ll see there were 11 676 temporary and 1 permanent exclusion from Scotland’s school in 2022/2023, the most recent figures.1 Now, I know some don’t want to see comparisons with other parts of the UK. ‘I don’t live in England’, they’ll shout, but I feel you you don’t always know what you’ve got until you see what others have got or have not got. So, all things being equal with 10 times the population, England might be expected to have around 120 000 temporary exclusions and 10 … Continue reading With 5 to 6 times as many temporary school exclusions and 900 times as many permanent exclusions, per head, than Scotland, England’s schools are in a deep crisis fuelling County Lines gangs and street violence

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School exclusions plummet to just over a quarter of the level under Labour and full ‘expulsions’ to just one three-hundredth of the level then

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No childish images required here Professor John Robertson OBA From School exclusion statistics published today, we can see that there were 39 717 temporary exclusions across Scotland in 2007/2008 and 11 676 in 2022/20231, the most recent figures. This a stunning decline further casting doubt of opposition party claims of a surge in school violence. From the same data, we can see the number of pupils removed from the register, permanent exclusions, ‘expelled‘ as we might have said, fell from 292 in 2002/2003 to only 1 in the last two years. I think this kind of comparison with the past … Continue reading School exclusions plummet to just over a quarter of the level under Labour and full ‘expulsions’ to just one three-hundredth of the level then

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The deep irony of BBC Scotland talking about ‘hidden’ waiting lists when they routinely hide target-beating and lists much shorter than elsewhere in the UK

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland today, based on a feed from one psychiatrist and no actual figures, the above tasteless image and unsubstantiated headline. Let me be clear, as always, I’m not doubting the opinion of the medic here, but challenging the politicising of the unconfirmed data by BBC Scotland with a view to, always, implying failure by the Scottish, SNP, Government. In this report, BBC Scotland do credit the meeting of targets for children and adolescent’s mental heath care last month but when the data were first published on 4 March 2025, were quick to move on … Continue reading The deep irony of BBC Scotland talking about ‘hidden’ waiting lists when they routinely hide target-beating and lists much shorter than elsewhere in the UK

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Westminster MP report and BBC UK suggests ‘unprepared police’ and summer riots ‘across the country’, hiding the Scottish data and why they are different

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC UK today: Police forces were in several cases unprepared for the level of violence that broke out in riots after the murder of three children in Southport last summer, a report by MPs has found. Acknowledging this was the worst disorder the country had seen since 2011, MPs said police forces should have “better anticipated the risk of disorder in general” following an initial instance of disorder in Southport. Officers across the country worked “tirelessly”, the report said, but forces being unable to act proactively left them exposed. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20zrjr5n4ro In the full House of … Continue reading Westminster MP report and BBC UK suggests ‘unprepared police’ and summer riots ‘across the country’, hiding the Scottish data and why they are different

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SNP 1 and 2? A bold and bald campaign

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Professor John Robertson OBA How and why did we manage to get an overall majority in 2011? How might we shape future campaigns to recreate this result? Some ideas for debate: The campaign Research by the London School of Economics (LSE), in 2011, concluded that this was ‘an extraordinary result in an ‘ordinary’ election.’ By this, they mean that the data from 4 000 eligible voters in the Scottish Election Study did not reflect a surge in support for independence but, rather a desire to reward the SNP for effective government from 2007 to 2011. This is echoed today in … Continue reading SNP 1 and 2? A bold and bald campaign

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The other reason to favour Troon over Ardrossan for the Arran ferry crossing – corruption on grand scale

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There is little to choose in overall travelling time from Brodick in Arran to Glasgow, via Ardrossan or Troon. For the detail worked out, See: There is however a bloody good reason to prefer Troon based on the nature of their owners compared with the owners of Ardrossan, currently trying to screw the Scottish taxpayer for improvements they should have carried out themselves. Ardrossan harbour is owned by Peel Group. They have a frankly sickening reputation. For example: Controversies Hunterston Parc Campaigners objected to an LNG terminal Peel proposed for Hunterston Parc, Largs. The scheme included a combined cycle gas turbine power station; deep … Continue reading The other reason to favour Troon over Ardrossan for the Arran ferry crossing – corruption on grand scale