By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Chair Faculty Research Ethics Committee, UWS As a tragic abortion-related story dominates BBC England news, I was reminded of these important trends in Scotland. From the Guardian 24 May 2024: There were 251,377 abortions for women resident in the two nations in 2022, official figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) show. With 9% of the population of England & Wales, all things being equal, you might expect Scotland to have had around 22 600 abortions in the same year. According to Abortion Rights in May 2023, it had 16 584, around 6 000 fewer. The abortion rate … Continue reading ‘The Canary in the Coalmine’ – Abortions shocking 36% more common in England & Wales after 18 years of SNP rule

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, former Chair Faculty Research Ethics Committee, UWS From BBC Scotland today: The Scottish government has been urged to take immediate action to address “unacceptable” and “dangerous” A&E waiting times by an industry body. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine … Continue reading On average, only 9 A&E patients each, wait more than 12 hours, safely thanks to the triage system, in Scotland’s 32% better-staffed hospital departments

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser [closing 28 February] 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, former Chair Faculty Research Ethics Committee, UWS and Woodland Correspondent 2025 and 2025 Based on figures from Our world in Data, Scotland has been reforesting at an accelerating pace, is now more forested than at the time of … Continue reading Scotland now nearly as forested as it was 1 000 years ago and 80% more forested than England

By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Chair Faculty Research Ethics Committee, UWS and Global Ferry Correspondent 2025 and 2025 My post yesterday on the Arran ferry service has stirred up more anger and snidey ‘Professor’ abuse [rare in TuS] than we get normally. You can read them here: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/02/14/labour-mp-and-councillor-lead-protest-of-only-4-of-arrans-favoured-population-to-demand-we-pay-for-repairs-to-a-harbour-owned-by-an-english-billionaire-tax-exile-so-that-they-can-suffer-more-weather/ The entitled tone of much of the anonymous (of course) comment reminded me of this I posted in December 2024 in response to comment on the Mull service but also covering the Arran service. Headlining on the BBC Scotland website on 29 January 2024: CalMac cuts passenger numbers over safety failure They open with: Ferry … Continue reading Entitled islanders want us, some with far worse hospital access, to subsidise even more half-empty ferries to

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing 28 February 2025, 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 Liz S Labour, as in Labour UK now, Lefties ? That’s an embarrassment and also fake news. Clearly Labour UK’s plans for the whole UK are looking very much like a plan for the “Few … Continue reading Labour UK’s plans for the UK looking very much like for the “Few and not the Many”.

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, former Chair Faculty Research Ethics Committee, UWS The Scotsman today has another health service scare story – Action call as A&E waits ‘contribute to 1 000 deaths.’ The claim is based on ‘research’ by a health trade … Continue reading No evidence that A&E long waits are ‘contributing’ to deaths as Scotland’s hospital death rate falls

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing 28 February 2025, 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, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS In the Herald today from Mark Smith ‘Feature Writer’: The New Nasty: When did lefties become so vile? It was Theresa May who worried, some 20 years ago, … Continue reading Why does Herald’s Mark Smith say Starmerites are ‘lefties?’

Frustrated Arran councillor Charles Currie is urging the Scottish Government to commit to vital upgrading work at Ardrossan Harbour after taking part in a demonstration urging action The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing in 14 days, 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, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS In … Continue reading Labour MP and councillor lead protest of only 4% of Arran’s favoured population to demand we pay for repairs to a harbour owned by an English billionaire tax exile so that they can suffer more weather-related ferry cancellations

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing in 14 days, 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, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS In Holyrood mag today, Archie Willis (above), Journalism & Spanish Student at University of Strathclyde and regular on football at the Herald has a piece on the IFS … Continue reading Journalism student, Herald sport writer allowed to spike good news on pupil spending in Scottish schools and suggest England does better, with Pisa statistics no respectable academic values

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing in 14 days, 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, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS Not so well known as the Scottish Government’s wider strategies to improve the experience of childhood in deprived areas and to reap future benefits, for all of us, … Continue reading 150% surge in Scottish Government investment in play parks to fight obesity, improve mental health and develop young minds