Year: 2025

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How Labour betrayed Clyde shipbuilders and preferred corrupt Polish yards in 2005

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By Liz S Anas Sarwar tweeted this yesterday : “So much for Stronger for Scotland…. More like SNP – Stronger for Poland. This is a huge blow to Scottish shipbuilding. Once again, jobs and investment going abroad on the SNP’s watch” This was in relation to the news that “Ferguson ship yard misses out on new CaLMac Ferry order” as headlined on the BBC website, of course it was. Yet I saw on WGD a commentator, Legerwood, add a comment and a link onto that site that stated this: “Yet when Labour were in power, along with the LibDems, in … Continue reading How Labour betrayed Clyde shipbuilders and preferred corrupt Polish yards in 2005

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Disability benefit cuts – Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie will soon be on deflection manoeuvres

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By Liz S BBC Website – Douglas Fraser wrote that “If there is a cut in the budget for PIPs, a proportionate figure will be cut from the Treasury block grant to Holyrood”. He then writes “So Scottish ministers would have the choice of applying a similar scale of cuts, or of finding funds from other spending, or from higher income tax, to fill that gap” So would that then mean they are ‘spoilt for choice’ to “fill that gap” Mr Fraser ? “A gap” that has been caused by the UK government . The BBC article on their website regarding … Continue reading Disability benefit cuts – Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie will soon be on deflection manoeuvres

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Why is this not headline news? Opioid dependency plummets to around half the level in only 9 years

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Estimated Prevalence of Opioid Dependence in Scotland 2014/15 to 2022/23, published today by Public Health Scotland, the above table shows opioid dependency among males falling from 10 700 to 5 900 and among females falling from 6 400 to only 3 000. This is a most newsworthy and significant trend but you won’t see it in Scotland’s MSM because they don’t do good in case some of their viewers and readers think the SNP are responsible in the way they would be if the trend went the other way. Among 50 to 64 year-olds opioid … Continue reading Why is this not headline news? Opioid dependency plummets to around half the level in only 9 years

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NHS Scotland increases number treated within 18 weeks to lead NHS England by 14%

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland today, for the quarter ending 31 December 2024, we can see that 67% of the 278 805 patients attending were treated within the 18 weeks target. This is a 1.5% improvement on the figures for the same period in 2023.1 NHS England does not published quarterly data but for December 2024, the figure was only 58.9% treated within 18 weeks.2 NHS Scotland is thus treating 13.75% more within the target of 18 weeks. Remember that small percentage figure refers to more than 38 000 seen on time in NHS Scotland who might … Continue reading NHS Scotland increases number treated within 18 weeks to lead NHS England by 14%

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For two years now, pharmacists in England look to Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA England has fewer drug deaths and a shorter two year hospital waiting list but that’s it. After 14 years of not having a Conservative Government, every area of public service is operating better in Scotland. Even our ferries are far better than those in England [Isle of Wight, Scilly Isles, Mersey]. Here’s another – pharmacies The Guardian today, above, typically confused: The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said it had “been left with little choice” but to recommend its 6,000 members take collective action for the first time in its history, unless the government provides “new and sufficient” funding … Continue reading For two years now, pharmacists in England look to Scotland

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CalMac ferry contract – Polish shipyard may have been unfairly subsidised to lower costs

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Professor John Robertson OBA Amidst fake indignation over the loss of the new ferries contract to a Polish shipyard and attempts to blame the SNP for what the media and the opposition parties have done to the reputation of a Scottish shipyard, the fairness of the competition has to be questioned. In November 2008, BBC UK reported: The European Commission has ordered Poland to reclaim more than 3bn euros of state subsidies paid to two shipyards which were facing bankruptcy. The move means Poland will have to sell the Gdynia and Szczecin yards, putting some 60,000 jobs at risk. The … Continue reading CalMac ferry contract – Polish shipyard may have been unfairly subsidised to lower costs

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The astonishing year-round value for money of Scotland’s island ferry travel constantly being hidden from us

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By stewartb The ticket price differences are crazy. The single adult passenger fare for the 2 hour 45 minute journey from Penzance Harbour, Cornwall to St Mary’s Harbour, Isles of Scilly by the ferry Scillonian III on Wednesday March 26, 2025 is available for purchase online at £92.99. For the reverse journey on 27 March, the ticket price is £87.99. The passenger only ferry, Scillonian was built in 1977, so now c.48 years old. It operates March to November. (https://www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/scillonian-iii/ ) By contrast, for the c. 4 hour 45 minute journey from Oban to Castlebay, Barra on 26 March, CalMac is charging £17.30 for … Continue reading The astonishing year-round value for money of Scotland’s island ferry travel constantly being hidden from us

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BC Ferries in Canada has to patch-up 60 year-old ferry for busiest route as replacements not yet ordered despite it being 19 years older than Scotland’s oldest comparable ferry

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Professor John Robertson OBA Yesterday from chekNEWS: BC Ferries has a major vessel back in its operational fleet as the Queen of New Westminster ferry returned to service Friday, just in time for the spring peak travel season. The vessel, which serves BC Ferries’ busiest route between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, had been out of service for nearly 200 days due to extensive repairs and scheduled maintenance. The 60-year-old vessel was pulled from service in September after experiencing a significant failure in its propulsion system, where structural fatigue caused the propeller shaft to detach. https://cheknews.ca/queen-of-new-westminster-ferry-back-in-operation-after-lengthy-repairs-1244124/ Meanwhile, in Scotland, in stormier more … Continue reading BC Ferries in Canada has to patch-up 60 year-old ferry for busiest route as replacements not yet ordered despite it being 19 years older than Scotland’s oldest comparable ferry

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Grangemouth – Why would a well-informed BBC journalist omit to inform on the Scottish Government’s substantial contributions alongside those of the Westminster government?

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By stewartb The BBC News website (March 17) has this headline: ‘Grangemouth: A new dawn for the home of UK’s oldest oil refinery?’. It’s no surprise to find such a long article in both the main Scotland and Scotland Business sections written by BBC Scotland’s environment correspondent. After all, it’s one of the most important topics currently in Scotland – economically and politically. The article emphasises the past and present importance of the Grangemouth refinery and its potential for the site to be important economically in future. Readers of the BBC piece are told this: ‘The UK government commissioned a report – … Continue reading Grangemouth – Why would a well-informed BBC journalist omit to inform on the Scottish Government’s substantial contributions alongside those of the Westminster government?

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How the Isle of Wight’s ferry fiasco is not news for the BBC there

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By Liz S “More misery for car ferry customers as cancellations continue’ in English ‘scandal’ ferry system” Wow that sounds like a bit of a, checks bloody notes, “Catastrophe” and a Fiasco” and to be honest it’s also a bloody “Scandal” too…..and dare I say it’s also a touché moment for our Scottish government , and for us too who support the Scottish government. I wonder , this #Bad Isle of Wight Ferry story , is it only in the ‘local news’ for ‘local people’ and so it has not quite made it into the ‘National’ news yet ,as in … Continue reading How the Isle of Wight’s ferry fiasco is not news for the BBC there