Year: 2025

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Talking of water

johnrobertson834

Liz S Talking of water…..as in ‘uisge beatha’ the ‘water of life’……this below was on the UK Politics page but when you click onto the story it takes you to the Asia page of the BBC website. “India PM Modi in UK to sign ‘landmark’ trade deal with Starmer” “India and Britain are set to sign a free trade deal to cut tariffs on goods and increase market access for the two countries”. “India will lower tariffs on British whisky, gin and other drinks as well as cars. The UK in turn will import more of India’s textiles, gemstones and other goods”. At last someone has … Continue reading Talking of water

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NHS Scotland treats 98% of urgent skin cancer cases within 31 days compared with only 82% in England but Herald platforms Sandesh Gulhane (Con) to misrepresent the data from a different report

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Cancer waiting times 1 January to 31 March 2025 published on 24 June 2025, the above table reveals target-busting performance by NHS Scotland in treating urgent cases of skin cancer (Melanoma). This performance is never reported by the MSM.1 For the same period, the figure for NHS England was only 81.56%.2 Sources: Continue reading NHS Scotland treats 98% of urgent skin cancer cases within 31 days compared with only 82% in England but Herald platforms Sandesh Gulhane (Con) to misrepresent the data from a different report

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Independent Water Commission for England and Wales – providing a partial and flawed assessment of significance of ownership for performance outcomes?

johnrobertson834

By stewartb The ‘Independent Water Commission Final Report’ (aka the Cunliffe report) published on July 21 has a lengthy section examining any possible relationship between water company ownership and performance outcomes. British Labour Party politicians are at work with the mainstream media to allege poor performance of Scottish Water in order to convince the electorate that public ownership is ineffective and/or unnecessary. In this context, it’s worthwhile examining what the Commission’s report actually stated on this subject and worth assembling other relevant evidence to counter Labour’s talking down Scotland – again! From the Water Commission’s report From Para 693: ‘The … Continue reading Independent Water Commission for England and Wales – providing a partial and flawed assessment of significance of ownership for performance outcomes?

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Independent Water Commission for England and Wales makes multiple, substantive and favourably framed references to Scotland

johnrobertson834

By stewartb The water industry is the news again. On July 21,  the ‘Independent Water Commission Final Report’ (aka the Cunliffe report) was published. Given it dodged the issue of nationalisation – incurring the wrath of some – it’s perhaps no surprise that the water industry in Scotland is also in the news. This is a result of a British Labour Party MP for an Edinburgh constituency plus a Labour minister making statements to the media that talk down Scotland. Their purpose – distraction and to diminish public confidence in Scottish Water and thus public ownership of this essential for … Continue reading Independent Water Commission for England and Wales makes multiple, substantive and favourably framed references to Scotland

19 Comments

Urgent advice needed

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Image Licence Enquiry for Press Association Images (case reference number: OKA2UL) I’ve received two emails recently, of this type. They’re looking for £1 200 for just two images. Naively, I may have used more in the past. Does anyone have any advice for me? Press Association <fairlicensing@pamediagroup.com> 10:40 AM (40 minutes ago) to me To whom it may concern, We are contacting you regarding the use of our imagery on your website thoughtcontrolscotland.com. We don’t have any record of our content being licensed for this use. This email outlines the situation and the steps you need to take to resolve the matter. Use of … Continue reading Urgent advice needed

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There will be no race riots in Scotland this summer

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Professor John Robertson OBA The UK media, above, are clear in their uncritical acceptance of the PM and the Deputy PM’s worries that riots will spread across the ‘UK’ again this summer. There were none in Scotland last year and the evidence remains to suggest there will be none again this year, no matter how hard the ‘Scottish’ media try to find something similar. What really happened and why did it not happen in Scotland? From BBC Scotland on 9 August 2024, in what must be an unauthorised ‘Scotland is the best‘ report by a junior reporter not yet ‘inducted‘: Police Scotland … Continue reading There will be no race riots in Scotland this summer

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SNP minister writes to correct UK Labour minister’s lies on water quality but is completely ignored by BBC Scotland and STV, despite them having reported the lies unchecked in the first place

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Professor John Robertson OBA Having lied bare-faced on the Channel 4 News, last night, to claim that water pollution levels in Scotland are worse than they are in England, UK Environment Secretary Steve Reed’s words were reported unchecked across Scottish media. Today, SNP Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, Gillian Martin, corrected him at some length in a letter, posted on the Scottish Government website this morning. Her letter has been largely ignored, other than in the Independent, above, and in the National. It begins: I am writing following the publication of the final report from the Independent Water … Continue reading SNP minister writes to correct UK Labour minister’s lies on water quality but is completely ignored by BBC Scotland and STV, despite them having reported the lies unchecked in the first place

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If Nigel Farage is wrong on ‘UK’ crime, he’s even more wrong on crime in Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian yesterday, the above and evidence that Farage is a bit off in his use of statistics on ‘UK’ crime. Will they survive a collision with the evidence here? From May 2025: Crime confirmed as really continuing to fall, based on three sources, to remain at roughly 1 in 10 experiencing crime directly from 1 in 5 under Labour From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: May 2025, published today: Police recorded crime is down 1% since year ending December 2023, and remains below the position immediately prior to the pandemic. The total number … Continue reading If Nigel Farage is wrong on ‘UK’ crime, he’s even more wrong on crime in Scotland

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As resident (junior) doctor strikes loom in NHS England, SNP settlement praised by BMA means NHS Scotland set to avoid thousands of excess deaths again

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today, the above and: In a letter to the NHS chief executive, Sir Jim Mackey, the BMA council chair, Dr Tom Dolphin, and the deputy council chair, Dr Emma Runswick, said: “Your decision to instruct hospitals to run non-urgent planned care stretches safe staffing far too thinly, and risks not only patient safety in urgent and emergency situations, but in planned care, too. “Consultants cannot safely provide elective care and cover for residents at the same time. We therefore strongly urge you to reconsider your instructions to hospitals, which should be preparing now … Continue reading As resident (junior) doctor strikes loom in NHS England, SNP settlement praised by BMA means NHS Scotland set to avoid thousands of excess deaths again

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English expert says – “I would say Scotland does a better job [of monitoring water quality] than England does.” 

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Professor John Robertson OBA What will look bad at first sight, above and in much media coverage a the time, for some, is a classic example of misleading reporting of percentages. Scotland has 18 743 km of coastline compared to England’s 8 982, only one-tenth of the population and, crucially far fewer areas requiring monitoring. Dr Simon Boxall of Southampton University, a leading expert on water quality, explained this in the National, in August 2022: An overview of the most obvious data on bathing water quality superficially appears to show Scotland actually has poorer-quality bathing spots than England. But this … Continue reading English expert says – “I would say Scotland does a better job [of monitoring water quality] than England does.”