Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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When Jack McConnell’s constituency treasurer stole £11 000 over 5 years, 22 years ago, she only got a £2 400 fine not the jail because ‘times’ had ‘moved on’

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Former Labour First Minister Jack McConnell is everywhere in the MSM calling for ‘both parliaments to probe SNP.‘ From the Telegraph in April 2004, the above, and: Internal inquiry eh? That’ll be fair eh? Also: Did she get the jail? Ex-Labour party embezzler fined The probe focused on the Motherwell and Wishaw constituencyA former Labour treasurer has been fined £2,400 for embezzling £11,000 from party funds in the constituency of First Minister Jack McConnell.Elizabeth Wilson siphoned the money from the Motherwell and Wishaw branch and from a fund-raising dinner account.The 62-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this month to one charge of … Continue reading When Jack McConnell’s constituency treasurer stole £11 000 over 5 years, 22 years ago, she only got a £2 400 fine not the jail because ‘times’ had ‘moved on’

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UK Labour Government’s NHS Modernisation Bill expected to save only 0.009% of budget!

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In the Guardian today, the above headline and: Sharing access to patients’ health data across NHS providers in England could result in 20,000 fewer A&E visits a year and save £20m annually, the government has claimed, before the second reading of the NHS modernisation bill on Monday. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/01/single-patient-records-sharing-health-data-nhs-england There were 16.8 million Type 1 (major consultant-led) A&E attendances in England for financial year 2024/25 (April 2024–March 2025) and the total NHS England budget is £208 000 000 000! https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/data-and-charts/accident-emergency-waiting-times https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c3f313471d520038d0f5e3/2025-to-2026-revised-financial-directions-to-NHS-England.pdf So that 20 000 visits is a cut of only 0.12% and the budget cut of £20m is only 0.009%! Labour do … Continue reading UK Labour Government’s NHS Modernisation Bill expected to save only 0.009% of budget!

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Scotland’s additional stricter regulations mean that none of 18 000 nurses with possible criminal records in England could be registered to work here

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From Nursing Standard, four days ago, the above and: Hundreds of nurses are set to have their registrations reviewed after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) failed to follow due process for declaring health conditions and criminal convictions for 12 years.  A member of staff raised concerns about an historical failure to consistently refer declarations of health issues and criminal records to an assistant registrar, which led to an initial review of more than 18,000 registrants. That review determined that no further action was required in 17,639 cases. https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/news/hundreds-of-nurses-to-have-nmc-registration-info-reassessed-after-astounding-failure-222771?utm_campaign=WEEKLY%20BRIEFING%2001.06.26%20-%20REG&utm_content=ZONE%201%20LINK%201%20NEWS%20Hundreds%20of%20nurses%20to%20have%20NMC%20registration%20info%20reassessed%20after%20%27astounding%20fai&utm_term=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Adestra&check_logged_in=1 Might unique NHS Scotland regulations practices and procedures make this less likely even … Continue reading Scotland’s additional stricter regulations mean that none of 18 000 nurses with possible criminal records in England could be registered to work here

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Latest poll suggests SNP support apparently immune to media feeding frenzies and the Nicola witch-hunt

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In the days since Peter Murrell was found guilty of embezzling SNP member’s funds, we’ve seen an astonishing and sickening feeding frenzy with commentators from every part joining in and frankly disgusting misogynistic attacks on his wife. Ever the optimist, informed by our recovery from all the other exposures, I looked forward to the next polls, expecting but never certain, that they’d reveal the eternal truth of the SNP and its core with regard to such media attacks -‘WE DO NOT GIVE A F***K WHAT YOU SAY!’ I was correct again and in spades. We’ve already had: and: but now, … Continue reading Latest poll suggests SNP support apparently immune to media feeding frenzies and the Nicola witch-hunt

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‘Two decades of havoc’ – Here’s what a real, current, international expert ON EDUCATION knows of the PISA testing loved by Scotland’s only user, Lindsay Paterson

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By stewartb It’s not that hard to find educationalists internationally who are either sceptical or straightforwardly negative about the OECD’s PISA rankings. This from one ‘expert’ in a peer reviewed journal: Zhao, Y. Two decades of havoc: A synthesis of criticism against PISA. J Educ Change 21, 245–266 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-019-09367-x Abstract: ‘The Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) has become one of the most influential forces in global education. The growing influence has been accompanied by growing criticism. For nearly two decades since the first round of PISA was conducted in 2000, the global assessment program has been roundly scrutinized and criticized by education … Continue reading ‘Two decades of havoc’ – Here’s what a real, current, international expert ON EDUCATION knows of the PISA testing loved by Scotland’s only user, Lindsay Paterson

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Major comparative study by respected Nuffield Foundation found higher educational achievement across the board in Scotland in the Sturgeon era than in other parts of the UK

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Note – Do you think Prof Paterson noticed this at the time? Professor John Robertson OBA, for nearly 40 years a schoolteacher, a teacher education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance, research methods lecturer, PhD supervisor and Faculty Research Ethics Chair From Comparing inequality and outcomes across post-16 education in the UK, published in August 2025, utterly ignored at the time but worth revisiting in the light of the current witch-hunt of the First Minister in whose time these achievements were made: Since the formal introduction of devolution in the late 1990s, post-16 education and training (E&T)has looked increasingly different across the four nations of … Continue reading Major comparative study by respected Nuffield Foundation found higher educational achievement across the board in Scotland in the Sturgeon era than in other parts of the UK

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Building standards and regulations in Scotland are generally more strict and demanding than those in England in several key areas

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In the Guardian on 11 February 2026: Even multimillionaires can’t escape Britain’s cowboy builders, it seems. Last week, residents of One Hyde Park, the UK’s most expensive flats, won a £35m court case against the contractor that built their homes. The high court ordered the construction company Laing O’Rourke to fix defective pipework that was discovered to be causing problems in 2014, only three years after the luxury development was completed. At the other end of the economy, tens of thousands of families are facing damp and mould issues also caused by botched building works. A National Audit Office investigation revealed in October … Continue reading Building standards and regulations in Scotland are generally more strict and demanding than those in England in several key areas

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When Labour’s Helena Kennedy said “Scotland has proudly led the way in many areas concerning women’s rights and violence against women” – Nicola Sturgeon had played the major part in that

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The horrific story of Gisele Pelicot dominates discussion of the abuse of women and girls. The comment below may trigger faux rage and deliberate misrepresentation in a few comments. However, to deal with a problem, which Scotland still has ‘in spades’, we have know how we are progressing, if at all. Helena Ann Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, is a Scottish barrister, broadcaster, and Labour member of the House of Lords, is no supporter of the SNP in Government, so what she said nearly two years ago is still important. By stewartb In the light of the above BBC Newsnight report of failures by two English police forces, to protect women, from ‘Misogyny – … Continue reading When Labour’s Helena Kennedy said “Scotland has proudly led the way in many areas concerning women’s rights and violence against women” – Nicola Sturgeon had played the major part in that

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How, thanks to SNP, around Scottish 200 000* families on low income receives £15 000 more a year than identical households in England and eight reasons why that’s good for every one of us

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Thanks once more to Dottie for alerting me to this. In the Guardian yesterday: The emergence of “welfare nationalism” in the UK has created striking differences in benefit entitlement that result in a Scottish family on a low income receiving £15,000 a year more in state support than an identical household over the border in England. A typical out of work couple with four children would have received £22,000 a year benefit income in York, compared with £32,000 in Belfast and £37,000 in Glasgow, according to new research on the impact of devolved welfare approaches Other eye-catching divergences include benefit and … Continue reading How, thanks to SNP, around Scottish 200 000* families on low income receives £15 000 more a year than identical households in England and eight reasons why that’s good for every one of us

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Talking-up Scotland’s reporting has increased 56% since 2024 but Arty Hetty has been our constant friend for many years

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We have many friends here and they are all deeply appreciated but I feel sure that no one will be surprised to see that, over the years, Arty Hetty has often been there, and quickest there, to back us up. The above figures seem huge but bear in mind they only represent the period from around mid 2019, when perhaps in reaction to my recovery from arthritis-triggered opioid painkiller addiction, I changed the blog’s name from the apparently off-putting ‘Though Control Scotland’ which it had been titled since early 2014. The totals from 2014 would be around 11 million views, … Continue reading Talking-up Scotland’s reporting has increased 56% since 2024 but Arty Hetty has been our constant friend for many years