Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Badenoch forgets that hospital mask-wearing saves lives

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Professor John Robertson OBA I’m sure BBC Scotland would have only one reaction to the above attack on face mask wearing in hospitals. They’d find a way with their newspaper pals to suggest Nicola Sturgeon had overdone similar requests back in 2022. She was, of course, correct. In October 2021, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine had been monitoring behaviour changes in terms of facemask wearing and social mixing. Notably, for the week-ending 29 September 2021, with rates falling slightly or flat across the UK, they noted in their data: Self-reported facemask wearing for those who have at … Continue reading Badenoch forgets that hospital mask-wearing saves lives

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Is Malcolm Offord now Reform UK’s spokesperson in Scotland?

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By Liz S “Storm Brann” you say. Well tomorrow there may be another kind of storm……one created by one of our many many UK nemeses , BBC QT and UK politicians (as in all of those ones whom we see as being sympathetic to and supportive of English Nationalism while opposing Scottish Independence and the SNP). Tomorrow BBC QT is in Paisley……..the last show before Xmas………of course it is. To no doubt try to leave a bad taste in the mouths of the SNP as a party and also those of us who support them and vote for them. (and also all within Scotland who support and so want Scottish independence). How … Continue reading Is Malcolm Offord now Reform UK’s spokesperson in Scotland?

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Daily Record manages to miss easily accessed figures proving that the SNP has closed the attainment gap in Scottish schools, increased attainment of the most disadvantaged and widened it with England

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Somebody post this here – https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotland/ – I’m banned Professor John Robertson OBA In the Record today, the above and: Even with Covid in mind, Record View says closing the poverty-related attainment gap in schools is yet another key SNP promise the party has failed to deliver. They have just not bothered or deliberately avoided the evidence easily accessed in the public domain From the Scottish Government’s Literacy and numeracy standards reach record high report in December 2024: The proportion of pupils achieving the expected level in literacy and numeracy across primary and secondary schools has reached a new high, officials figures … Continue reading Daily Record manages to miss easily accessed figures proving that the SNP has closed the attainment gap in Scottish schools, increased attainment of the most disadvantaged and widened it with England

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Storm Brann fails to breach even one of Scotland’s flood defences after 18 years of SNP Government but 8 500 fail in England

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Professor John Robertson OBA Yesterday, Sepa forecast widespread and intensive flood risk across the most populous parts of Scotland. Today BBC England had Thousands of flood defences meant to protect multiple homes or businesses in England were below the required condition when winter began, a new analysis has found. The 6,498 “high consequence” defences were among about 8,500 that were not fully working as intended due to erosion, damage or being overgrown. BBC Scotland and all of Scotland’s newspapers have nothing at all on flooding. In 2022, BBC Scotland reporters were all over the North-east interviewing the flooded and letting … Continue reading Storm Brann fails to breach even one of Scotland’s flood defences after 18 years of SNP Government but 8 500 fail in England

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Corridor care least common in Scotland and most common in Wales and Northern Ireland suggests shoddy trainee emergency doctors survey

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The Guardian today has: Corridor care ‘endemic’ in UK, doctors say as study reveals scale of problem The report is based on Understanding corridor and escalation area care in 165 UK emergency departments: a multicentre cross-sectional snapshot study by the Trainee Emergency Research Network TERN in the BMJ, yesterday. The above map has England broken up into regions but it’s clear that put together and averaged, England would have a darker shade than Scotland. The only mention of Scotland in the report: Hospital level surveys with variable methodology from 21 hospitals in Scotland and 15 hospitals in Wales suggest escalation … Continue reading Corridor care least common in Scotland and most common in Wales and Northern Ireland suggests shoddy trainee emergency doctors survey

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There is a marked overall decline in youth violence in Scotland but a surge from 2012 in England as Tory austerity kicked in

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Professor John Robertson OBA Today’s reporting of apparent surges in youth violence across parts of England bears no resemblance to Scotland other than in the bonfire riots in 2023 and before. What is the long-term youth violence trend in Scotland? Overview of Youth Violence in ScotlandYouth violence in Scotland typically refers to violent incidents (e.g., assaults, robberies, or homicides) involving individuals under 18 as victims, perpetrators, or both. Data comes from sources like the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS, a victimization survey), Recorded Crime in Scotland (police data), and cohort studies such as the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions … Continue reading There is a marked overall decline in youth violence in Scotland but a surge from 2012 in England as Tory austerity kicked in

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The Emma Caldwell Public Inquiry must ask if the Scottish Labour Government of 20 years ago took its eye of the ball

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From Emma Caldwell Public Inquiry begins work, published yesterday: The independent Public Inquiry into the investigation of Emma Caldwell’s murder in April 2005 has been formally set-up and begins its work today (9 Dec). Justice Secretary Angela Constance informed Parliament on the formal setting-up date and on the Inquiry’s terms of reference through a Government Initiated Question today. The statutory inquiry will examine what went wrong in the investigation carried out by Strathclyde Police into the murder of Emma Caldwell, including the direction given by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. It will examine what steps which could reasonably … Continue reading The Emma Caldwell Public Inquiry must ask if the Scottish Labour Government of 20 years ago took its eye of the ball

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English schools excluding pupils at twice the rate and expelling infinitely more often than in Scotland with consequent surges in youth crime

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Professor John Robertson OBA From School attendance, absence and exclusions statistics 2024-25 published yesterday: Cases of exclusion decreased from 11,673 in 2022/23 to 10,647 in 2024/25. This is consistent with the overall downward trend since 2006/07. The rate of exclusions per 1,000 pupils decreased from 16.6 in 2022/23 to 15.2 in 2024/25. This is consistent with the overall downward trend since 2006/07. No pupils were removed from the register in 2024/25, compared with one pupil in 2022/23. This is the first time there has been no pupils removed from the register since records began in 2002/03. In England, in the same period, … Continue reading English schools excluding pupils at twice the rate and expelling infinitely more often than in Scotland with consequent surges in youth crime

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6 505 fewer teachers yet more teachers and still far fewer pupils per teacher to refute Herald’s claim

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Pupil and teacher characteristics 2025 published yesterday, the above data revealing a significant fall in pupil numbers yet a small increase in the number of teachers.1 There are 18 pupils for every teacher in England, 18.9 in Wales but only 13.3 in Scotland’s schools. That’s a huge difference that must surely transform the experience in Scottish schools.2 The Scottish Government has managed to support the far better PTR in Scotland through years of a reducing share of Scotland’s revenue being returned to us. Sources: Continue reading 6 505 fewer teachers yet more teachers and still far fewer pupils per teacher to refute Herald’s claim

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TB cases in Scotland at less than half that in England and 40% down on last Scottish Labour government

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From Tuberculosis annual report for Scotland 2024 published yesterday, the above graph and: In 2024, 266 cases of tuberculosis were reported in Scotland, equating to an annual incidence of 4.8 cases per 100,000 population. Whilst this is a 6.0% decrease in case numbers compared to 2023 (283 cases, 5.1 cases per 100,000 population), it is a 33.7% increase since 2022, (199 cases, 3.7 cases per 100,000 population) and a return to levels last observed in Scotland in 2018. In 2024, 75.2% of tuberculosis cases in Scotland were born outside of the UK, the highest proportion recorded since surveillance began. Of … Continue reading TB cases in Scotland at less than half that in England and 40% down on last Scottish Labour government