Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Jackie Baillie hides Matt Hancock’s denial of PPE to Scotland and our gift of two million facemasks to England

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Jackie Baillie yesterday knowingly, I’m sure, twists the truth of PPE supplies during the pandemic to blame the SNP for the sins of the UK Government as it tried to reserve PPE supplies, paid for by all across the UK, just for English care homes, in a desperate attempt to head of the storm of death they faced. She also omits to remind us of the failures of the privately owned care homes in Scotland, under-resourcing PPE themselves and underpaying staff so that those infected were unable to afford to stay at home. 15 July 2026, The Times had the … Continue reading Jackie Baillie hides Matt Hancock’s denial of PPE to Scotland and our gift of two million facemasks to England

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Oxford Prof says ‘The biggest success story in social policy in the UK for 40 years. Stunning. The biggest fall in child poverty anywhere in Europe for at least 40 years. Right here, done here.’ in Scotland ‘Not reported at all in England.’

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From Professor Danny Dorling of Oxford University in 2023: The best news story hopefully is there at the moment. I haven’t seen any news reports. Has there been a camera opportunity. Is Camila and Charles? Are they in Balmoral? Yeah I think they are. OK. Where they can celebrate because they’re in the only part of the Kingdom which has done the most dramatic thing. You almost certainly know a small Scottish Child Payment was brought in during the worst of the cost of living crisis starting £10 if you had a child age six or under. Not much. November … Continue reading Oxford Prof says ‘The biggest success story in social policy in the UK for 40 years. Stunning. The biggest fall in child poverty anywhere in Europe for at least 40 years. Right here, done here.’ in Scotland ‘Not reported at all in England.’

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Andy Burnham Labour’s Social Cleanser driving the poor out – 7 reasons not to follow him

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The supposedly successful clearing of poverty in the middle of Manchester. Let’s go forward. There we go to Manchester, we now have social cleansing of the poor from the centre. They just pushed them out. This is ‘the great achievement’ of Manchester men or of part of the Labour Party….have cleared the poor out of the centre of Manchester and are proud of it. This is from a presentation in 2023 by Professor Danny Dorling of Oxford University at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCUfqIND8mQ Manchester? Continue reading Andy Burnham Labour’s Social Cleanser driving the poor out – 7 reasons not to follow him

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Most of these clinics compete with each other on alternative therapies and cosmetic practices not part of current NHS core remits

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In the Herald today, the above, and: A short flight of stone steps leads to the entrance of Health3 on St Vincent Street in Glasgow. The black-painted doorway, framed by chunky classical columns, looks more like the threshold of a private members’ club than a medical clinic. Inside, the owners have taken great care to make the practice look like anything but a doctor’s office. The dark walls and near-black woodwork, high ceilings topped with ornate cornicing, arches and a decorative cast-iron staircase are dripping in contemporary luxury. A waiting room, illuminated with pools of amber light, is decorated with … Continue reading Most of these clinics compete with each other on alternative therapies and cosmetic practices not part of current NHS core remits

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Devolved First Ministers offer expert advice on tackling poverty to UK Ministers but BBC Scotland won’t be telling you about that when they have a 32 year-old murder and Andy’s buses for you

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Published earlier today but as yet nowhere to be seen on BBC Scotland – Joint letter from the Scottish and Welsh Governments calling on the UK Government to scrap “punitive” welfare policies, adopt plans to cut energy bills, and to further devolve powers to help drive continued progress in tackling poverty, posted in full here: To: The Rt Hon Pat McFadden MPSecretary of State for Work and Pensions To: The Rt Hon Lucy Powell MPSecretary of State for Education 20 October 2026 Dear Pat and Lucy, We are writing jointly to congratulate you on your appointment and to restate our … Continue reading Devolved First Ministers offer expert advice on tackling poverty to UK Ministers but BBC Scotland won’t be telling you about that when they have a 32 year-old murder and Andy’s buses for you

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English Media say maternity care there is in a doom loop (no ”) but no matter how ‘our’ media try Scotland is not having England’s maternity crisis – It’s just a review

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In the Guardian today, the above with notably no speech marks around ‘doom loop’, and: The NHS Alliance has announced that up to 20 of the country’s 155 smaller, consultant-led maternity units, mostly in rural or coastal areas, might have to close, since their safety is in question. The problem – which will seem very pressing and obvious to anyone about to give birth, yet quite abstract and manageable to anyone who isn’t – is that those areas aren’t teeming with alternatives. There are women in Devon whose maternity hospital has been temporarily closed, whose next nearest hospital is 53 … Continue reading English Media say maternity care there is in a doom loop (no ”) but no matter how ‘our’ media try Scotland is not having England’s maternity crisis – It’s just a review

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Sepsis – STV today failed to tell us how an SNP Health Secretary made sure hospital-acquired sepsis levels would fall way below the level under Labour and that in England

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From STV News, Calum Loudon, yesterday, the above and: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has been ordered to apologise to a patient after they developed sepsis and required surgery to remove their spleen following treatment for a kidney infection. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) found failings in the follow-up treatment provided to the patient, who was readmitted to hospital around five weeks after being discharged. The patient, referred to as C in the report, had initially been admitted to hospital for treatment for a renal abscess, a collection of pus caused by an infection in the kidney. They complained … Continue reading Sepsis – STV today failed to tell us how an SNP Health Secretary made sure hospital-acquired sepsis levels would fall way below the level under Labour and that in England

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Preparing for today’s lies about Covid deaths in care homes in Scotland 5 and FINAL – 3 700, 9% more Covid deaths per head in England’s care homes

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The above today caught my eye because I feel sure the various authorities in England and, of course, the Conservatives. we using a smaller number before. Given their long history of fiddling A&E and drug deaths data, let’s, nevertheless let them have the above. I’ll be quick. What was the equivalent figure for Scotland. Here’s the worst one: Care Inspectorate: 3,774 notifications of COVID-related deaths of care home residents from 16 March 2020 to 31 March 2021. Nearly all (3,761) were in homes for older people. This includes residents who died in hospital or elsewhere, and short-stay residents. https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/documents/inq000507855-report-from-care-inspectorate-titled-covid-19-related-deaths-in-care-homes-2020-21-care-homes-for-adults-and-older-people-in-scotland-dated-26-05-2021/ So … Continue reading Preparing for today’s lies about Covid deaths in care homes in Scotland 5 and FINAL – 3 700, 9% more Covid deaths per head in England’s care homes

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Preparing for today’s lies about Covid deaths in care homes in Scotland 4 – How and why Scotland had fewer Covid deaths than England – short video

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Evidence here: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/02/16/as-covid-inquiry-reconvenes-today-a-reminder-of-how-fm-nicola-sturgeon-and-the-scottish-government-kept-excess-mortality-here-at-one-third-lower-than-the-uk-average-saving-thousands-despite-the-d/ Continue reading Preparing for today’s lies about Covid deaths in care homes in Scotland 4 – How and why Scotland had fewer Covid deaths than England – short video

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Preparing for today’s lies about Covid deaths in care homes in Scotland 3 – Why Scotland’s higher PERCENTAGE of care home deaths was entirely expected because we had fewer deaths OVERALL

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All the necessary data to explain the above is deep in the bowels of the 14 000 or so Talking-up Scotland archives. I could have dug it all up and posted an answer later today but then I thought, what do I keep Grok AI (I imagine a Raven-like familiar) for? I asked him: Compare the percentage of Covid deaths which were in care homes in England and Scotland from March 2020 to February 2022? He did and then I asked: Is this an entirely expected and not negative outcome given that England had overall a much….. before hitting <RETURN> … Continue reading Preparing for today’s lies about Covid deaths in care homes in Scotland 3 – Why Scotland’s higher PERCENTAGE of care home deaths was entirely expected because we had fewer deaths OVERALL