Year: 2025

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Police suspected drug deaths trend continues steady fall but under-educated Daily Record Labour hack prefers to attack FM with statistically meaningless one-year change

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Professor John Robertson OBA Any fool can see from the above line graph what the trend is and despite the ups and downs, Scotland’s suspected drugs deaths are falling. From nearly 1 500 per year at the end of 2020 to just over 1 000 in the last 12 months, a 33% fall in only 5 years. The bar chart also show the usual seasonal fall from a winter peak. From Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: July to September 2025 published yesterday: There were 898 suspected drug deaths, 8% (65) greater than during the same period of 2024 (833). Note … Continue reading Police suspected drug deaths trend continues steady fall but under-educated Daily Record Labour hack prefers to attack FM with statistically meaningless one-year change

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How we have paid tens of millions for fourteen years to transform the lives and the economies of islanders only to have a small entitled business elite platformed by media to hide it

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland, today, in their BBC Breakfast TV insert but not on their website so just another report feed to the Pacific Quay team of a no news-value story on supposed hardship for island businesses. What’s the problem with it? There’s a very significant background story never told of just how much this SNP Government has done to transform life on the islands, funded by the rest of us living often in less pleasant places and with never the suggestion of compensation because of limited public transport services. Here it is: The above chart from the Evaluation … Continue reading How we have paid tens of millions for fourteen years to transform the lives and the economies of islanders only to have a small entitled business elite platformed by media to hide it

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50% more children at risk of being overweight or obese in England than in Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Primary 1 Body Mass Index (BMI) statistics Scotland School year 2024 to 2025, published yesterday, the above and: In school year 2024/25, 74% of Primary 1 children measured had a healthy weight, 24% were at risk of overweight or obesity and 1% were at risk of underweight. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/primary-1-body-mass-index-bmi-statistics-scotland/primary-1-body-mass-index-bmi-statistics-scotland-school-year-2024-to-2025 In England, in the same period only 63.2% had a healthy weight. 1.6% were at risk of being underweight thus 35.2% were at risk of being overweight or obesity: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/static-reports/obesity-physical-activity-nutrition/national-child-measurement-programme-2024-2025-academic-year.html Roughly then 50% more children at risk of being overweight or obese in England than in Scotland? … Continue reading 50% more children at risk of being overweight or obese in England than in Scotland

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Number assessed but not receiving local authority long-term support is at least around 60% greater in England than in Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA From People requiring a social care assessment and care at home services published yesterday: The estimated number of people assessed and waiting for a care at home package was 3,207 on 24 November 2025. This is slightly higher (3%) than the number of people (3,119) waiting for a care at home package this time last year (25 November 2024). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/people-requiring-a-social-care-assessment-and-care-at-home-services/people-requiring-a-social-care-assessment-and-care-at-home-services-16-december-2025 From: Number of people receiving adult social care assessments, who have not received local authority social care support in the previous 12 months From April 2024 to September 2024, 285,000 people received a local authority adult … Continue reading Number assessed but not receiving local authority long-term support is at least around 60% greater in England than in Scotland

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Only Scotland and Wales meet WHO target for measles protection

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland Quarter ending 30 September 2025, yesterday: The first dose of Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is offered between 12 and 13 months old and the second dose at 3 years 4 months old. 92.5% of children had the first dose of MMR vaccine by 24 months of age. This rose to 95.9% for children who had reached age 5. Uptake of the second dose of MMR vaccine by 5 years was 90.6%, rising to 90.9% by age 6 years. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/childhood-immunisation-statistics-scotland/childhood-immunisation-statistics-scotland-quarter-ending-30-september-2025/ From Vaccine update: issue 365, November 2025 published on 26 … Continue reading Only Scotland and Wales meet WHO target for measles protection

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If ever Police Scotland needed a new AI system this is it

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Liberty Investigates today: Police forces are trialling AI technology that enables them to identify and track “suspicious” journeys by drivers on Britain’s road network. They are using an app which analyses data collected by automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, using artificial intelligence to identify vehicles that may be linked to “county lines” activity, whereby criminal gangs move drugs across the road network. Police have until now used the UK’s network of more than 12,000 fixed and nearly 1,900 mobile ANPR cameras to generate alerts when a “vehicle of interest” passes a particular location or … Continue reading If ever Police Scotland needed a new AI system this is it

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How one Nottinghamshire man might have survived an ‘avoidable’ deadly sepsis infection had he been cared for in one of Scotland’s post-Sturgeon cleaner hospitals

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Nottinghamshire today, the above and: The care given to a 45-year-old man with disabilities who died from sepsis after not being given the correct medication for 34 hours has been described as a “shambles” by his mother. The father of two – named only as Graham – was taken into Bassetlaw Hospital in Nottinghamshire with an infection in November 2022. An investigation by Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) noted doctors did not follow advice from the mother, care home staff or paramedics to give him intravenous (IV) antibiotics rather than oral as it … Continue reading How one Nottinghamshire man might have survived an ‘avoidable’ deadly sepsis infection had he been cared for in one of Scotland’s post-Sturgeon cleaner hospitals

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UK unemployment 35% higher, youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland

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in the three months to October it has increased to just over 5% according to official figures. BBC Breakfast had an extended piece this morning on the above concern for the UK (sic), the ‘highest level since 2021′ with a focus on young people BBC Scotland did not cover the issue even though it might have been informative for their audience. Why? First, UK Unemployment surges to massive 35% higher than in Scotland – will ‘SNP’ Government get the credit just as they would have been blamed if it was the other way round? These two headlines today and the … Continue reading UK unemployment 35% higher, youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland

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As BBC Scotland drool over a dentist shortage in Stranraer, they won’t report the shocking wider contrast as nearly twice as many Scots have access to an NHS dentist as those in England

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. BBC Breakfast had extended and intensive coverage on the dentistry crisis in England, with the above images of queues around the block to even get on a dentist’s waiting list, and a minister admitting that folk are using pliers on themselves, 18 months after his government came to power. BBC Scotland is not covering this topic. Here’s why: Shocking contrast as nearly twice as many Scots have access to an NHS dentist as those in England Professor John Robertson OBA The above table from Public Health Scotland today, reveals a very high level of access to … Continue reading As BBC Scotland drool over a dentist shortage in Stranraer, they won’t report the shocking wider contrast as nearly twice as many Scots have access to an NHS dentist as those in England

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Respect? Why Scotland’s resident doctors delayed their ballot until after the deadly flu season’s predicted peak

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Professor John Robertson OBA At least four of the above stories, including the resident doctor strike news, in the midst of a flu epidemic, concern only NHS England. BBC Scotland have no apparent health worries for us. Why no reporting? The Scottish Resident Doctors vote does not close until 19 December 2025 with strike action unlikely until January. Why have they delayed until this point? Flu cases tend to decline in early January, year after year. Why would the NHS England resident doctors not have delayed? This: See that ‘still?’ This goes back to earlier experience of the doctors and … Continue reading Respect? Why Scotland’s resident doctors delayed their ballot until after the deadly flu season’s predicted peak