Professor John Robertson OBA From Cancelled planned operations Month ending 30 September 2025, published today: There were 25,322 operations planned to take place across NHSScotland. This is 12.1% higher (+2,738) than the number planned a year previously in September 2024 (22,584). Overall, the number of planned operations had been steadily increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic impacted service provision, until May 2024 when increases in the 12-month rolling average began to plateau. Since June 2025 this has started to increase again.  Of all planned operations during September 2025 in NHSScotland, 819 (3.2%) were cancelled by the hospital for clinical reasons, 728 … Continue reading NHS Scotland staffed and equipped to complete 98% of more than 25 000 operations in September 2025 despite 12% increase in demand is deeply impressive

Professor John Robertson OBA The Record and BBC Scotland today are headlining a report by the police officers trade union, the SPA, claiming: A report has highlighted a “concerning increase” in the number of attempted murders carried out by children in Scotland. The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) paper, external said there were 17 attempted murders involving 20 children in the three months between April and June this year. It means children were involved in almost a quarter of all attempted murders where a suspect was identified, with cases in nine separate divisions of Police Scotland. But the report found that the overall level … Continue reading Keeping quiet about a fall in actual murder and actual murder by children but headlining trade union rumours of a possible increase in attempted murder by children – BBC Scotland and The Record darkening your lives with a purpose

The Labour candidate for the Ayr constituency in the 2026 Scottish election, is Brian McGinley, above. At the time of the 2022 local elections, McGinley was Labour group leader. The outcome was: The Conservatives formed a minority administration. This was enabled by independent councillors and abstentions from Labour councillors on key votes to set-up the Conservative administration. In 2025, the Conservative council collapsed in a ‘job for pals’ scandal over the award of contracts. The consequences have been ‘devastating’ for local people. See this: Who is to blame? Did Ayr Labour Facilitate a Conservative Council? Yes, specifically the South Ayrshire … Continue reading Untrustworthy – Ayr Labour candidate for Holyrood election in 2026 ‘enabled’ the corrupt Tory council that reduced public services, increased costs for households and stalled community projects, on direct orders from Anas Sarwar

warned the prison system is at breaking point……The jail’s population has reduced since earlier this year and staff absences have improved. Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland today is headlining a story they have gathered themselves in anticipation of linking it to the Scottish Government in an upcoming Holyrood vote on early prisoner release to reduce prison overcrowding. I’m sure Scotland’s prisons are overcrowded and that that’s not a good thing for anyone but media reporting on them is constantly politicised with a view to undermining the reputation of the Scottish Government. Here’s another example of that tendency and the … Continue reading If Scotland’s prisons are at ‘breaking point’, why are assaults on prison officers in England & Wales nearly THREE times as frequent as in Scotland and yet they’re not at breaking point?

Professor John Robertson OBA The National’s piece, above, on the latest problems for the MV Caledonian Isles has no historical perspective on this long-troubled vessel, leaving some to think it’s another ‘SNP ferry fiasco‘. Here it is: Readers will already know that the MV Caledonian Isles had been in dock for repairs following botched work by Cammell Laird in Liverpool. Readers will also be aware of the regular and longstanding Scottish media reports describing the vessel as ‘troubled’ and ‘fault prone.’ While such accounts have been often exaggerated and ill-informed, it may be that the vessel has been, since its … Continue reading ‘Troubled Tory ferry fiasco’ vessel built in England out of action again

Professor John Robertson OBA I should say quickly that I’m right behind women’s right to choose on this. My posts are almost always about the representation rather than the substance of issues. ‘Scotland‘s media are keen to talk about abortion if the narrative can be made anti-Scottish Government/SNP but never if it’s this other side of the story: 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, … Continue reading ‘The Canary in the Coalmine’ – Abortions shocking 36% more common in England & Wales after 18 years of SNP rule

Professor John Robertson OBA The Scotsman today has a wee go at making Scots feel included in this latest British tragedy. There not much in the way of comparative data but a 2019 report by LBC had: The highest number of crimes were recorded in BTP’s B Division North – which covers an area including north London and East Anglia – while the fewest crimes were recorded in Scotland, the only area to show an overall decrease. https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/crime-surges-by-12-per-cent-on-britains-railways-DWygP7_2/ In an extended, good, stats-based survey in the Daily Mail (yes), of sex and violence offences, Scotland barely figures: Don’t worry, that’s … Continue reading Violent attacks on trains are significantly more common in England and Wales than in Scotland

of breaking the NHS. Professor John Robertson OBA author of 20 peer-reviewed papers on media effects The above is not, as they would claim, ‘balance.‘ That would be hard, published, statistics to counter Swinney’s earlier claim that more appointments are being met than last year. Here it is: Official figures from Public Health Scotland show that new outpatient attendances (a key measure of completed appointments) in the first half of the 2025/26 financial year (April to September 2025) totaled 653,805, an increase of 25,027 compared to the equivalent period in 2024/25. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-28-october-2025/ This aligns with broader Scottish Government reporting of … Continue reading BBC Scotland ‘balance’ the FM’s claims on increased NHS appointments with Con and Labour ‘playground’ shouts and of course not the hard evidence that he is correct with 120 000 and 10% more than last year