Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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The longest gap in reporting ever since the series began in 2017! – Lack of financial transparency from UK government continues under Labour

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‘In the absence of timely Block Grant Transparency releases, Barnett consequentials are hard to reproduce’ – Scottish Fiscal Commission in evidence to the Scottish Affairs Committee (January 2025) By stewartb What’s happening to ‘transparency’ after c.14 months of this British Labour Party government in Westminster? Any ‘change’, any ‘new direction’? None to date it seems in terms of transparency over how the Barnett formula is applied. The Scottish Affairs Committee of the House of Commons has recently (July 16) published a report entitled ‘The financing of the Scottish Government’. (See https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/48818/documents/256455/default/ ) The issue of transparency over how Westminster’s so … Continue reading The longest gap in reporting ever since the series began in 2017! – Lack of financial transparency from UK government continues under Labour

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Nearly three times more behaviour support staff working in Scottish schools

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA From Pupils with additional support needs and additional support for learning: FOI release published today, the above table.1, 2 The above data represent a 26 % increase in pupil support assistants and an194 % increase in behaviour support staff since 2018. Scotland’s media? The Times Education Supplement, in 2024, has: Just 137 behaviour support staff working in Scottish schools – Official figures also indicate the number of these specialists is … Continue reading Nearly three times more behaviour support staff working in Scottish schools

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3 599 people viewed TuS posts yesterday, 1 912 read the text, 155 500 twitter impressions in last 7 days, yet 243 have contributed to the crowd funder (bless you) to keep it going. I know some of you are in financial difficulties so exempt in my mind but hey…

johnrobertson834

Unless I attract only the poor, 80% of 1500 Tus subscribers could afford at least £5 but only at best 17% have. Then there’s the thousands not subscribed to Tus but following on FB, x and Bsky. At it every day, 74 and fading, with helpers to pay and getting fed up and demoralised. If you’re not in the 20% most disadvantaged but don’t think the subscription is worth paying anything for, please unsubscribe. Continue reading 3 599 people viewed TuS posts yesterday, 1 912 read the text, 155 500 twitter impressions in last 7 days, yet 243 have contributed to the crowd funder (bless you) to keep it going. I know some of you are in financial difficulties so exempt in my mind but hey…

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After 18 years of plummeting crime figures, police recorded AND surveyed by academics, Scots themselves confirm it again – crime IS falling and is far lower than in England & Wales

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA The above poll results for 31 August 2025, repeat something I’ve noticed for years now – Scots seems significantly les concerned about crime than those elsewhere in the UK. At the beginning of August, the same pollster found a ration of 19 to 11 between the UK and Scottish responses. Why might this be? I’d say it’s a clear indicator that the other two sources, policed recorded crime statistics, large … Continue reading After 18 years of plummeting crime figures, police recorded AND surveyed by academics, Scots themselves confirm it again – crime IS falling and is far lower than in England & Wales

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As Audit Scotland and BBC Scotland find bad news on Glasgow have they ever told you how SNP-run Glasgow City builds more than SIX times as many affordable homes as Labour-run Birmingham City thanks to £94 million from SNP Government?

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Professor John Robertson OBA In 2023/2024: Glasgow City Council’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) helped to build over 1,000 [1 011] additional affordable homes in the city in the past year. The original £78.687million grant from the Scottish Government was bolstered during the year by an additional £11.544million to focus on Strategic Acquisitions, and a further £3.825m from the Scottish Government to a final budget of £94.056million. https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/12891/Glasgow-s-Affordable-Housing-Supply-Programme-delivered-over-1000-new-affordable-homes-in-last-year Birmingham City has nearly twice the population [1.16m] , thus revenue, of Glasgow City [622k], so all things being equal, might be expected to have built at least 2 000 new affordable homes, in the same year, … Continue reading As Audit Scotland and BBC Scotland find bad news on Glasgow have they ever told you how SNP-run Glasgow City builds more than SIX times as many affordable homes as Labour-run Birmingham City thanks to £94 million from SNP Government?

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As Audit Scotland and BBC Scotland find bad news on Glasgow have they ever told you how crime in Glasgow fell far below level in English cities?

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland is headlining the above trivia in a trail of negativity about Glasgow, going back years, in the hope of connecting it with the SNP council. Here’s one of the tales they will never tell you. Glasgow Live, 12 July 2025: On June 24, the Scottish Government released its annual Recorded Crime in Scotland report, and it was revealed Glasgow had the highest crime rate, with 829 crimes … Continue reading As Audit Scotland and BBC Scotland find bad news on Glasgow have they ever told you how crime in Glasgow fell far below level in English cities?

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Watch out for Jackie Baillie telling us we need Martha’s Rule too but failing to tell you that hospital acquired infections under the SNP are between a fifth and a half of the level in 2006, under Labour, an eighth of the level in England and a third of the level in Europe?

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA Being broadcast widely by BBC UK and in BBC Health, the above and: Martha’s rule, a way for families to seek an urgent second opinion if they are concerned about the care their loved ones receive, will be rolled out across all English hospitals delivering acute or short-term treatment. The telephone helpline, the result of a campaign by the parents of 13-year-old Martha Mills who died after serious failings in … Continue reading Watch out for Jackie Baillie telling us we need Martha’s Rule too but failing to tell you that hospital acquired infections under the SNP are between a fifth and a half of the level in 2006, under Labour, an eighth of the level in England and a third of the level in Europe?

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Channel Island’s ferry kills three fishermen after underpaid Ukrainian crew with little English failed to understand and respond to warning lights then another hits harbour wall in high winds – Imagine that was in Scotland

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA From ITV News, two days ago: Warnings were flashing on a Condor Ferry for up to 10 minutes before a collision with a much smaller fishing boat that killed three people, the prosecution has told Jersey’s Royal Court. In his opening statement, Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit says the ferry – which is 184 times larger than the L’Ecume II trawler – was left in autopilot and travelling at full speed at the … Continue reading Channel Island’s ferry kills three fishermen after underpaid Ukrainian crew with little English failed to understand and respond to warning lights then another hits harbour wall in high winds – Imagine that was in Scotland

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This is the one statistic that blows all media and opposition claims out of the water – Despite increased demand and near to pre-pandemic levels, Scotland’s hospitals were ready to complete almost 98% of all 25 644 operations on time

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA From Cancelled planned operations Month Ending 31 July 2025, published yesterday, the above graph and: There were 25,644 operations planned to take place across NHSScotland. This is 9% higher (+2,108) than the number planned a year previously in July 2024 (23,536). Of all planned operations during July 2025 in NHSScotland, 776 (3%) were cancelled by the hospital for clinical reasons, 744 (2.9%) were cancelled by the patient, 570 (2.2%) were cancelled … Continue reading This is the one statistic that blows all media and opposition claims out of the water – Despite increased demand and near to pre-pandemic levels, Scotland’s hospitals were ready to complete almost 98% of all 25 644 operations on time

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In Scotland, twice as many midwives and 33% more nurses

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA There’s a lot happening today, a lot to rebut, so we’ll do this rubbish from the Scotsman quickly. Too many vacancies is disturbing but more important is how many midwives and nurses do we have per head of population? First, England and midwives: Midwives: Using the NHS England figure of 23,396 midwives in November 2023 (most specific and recent for England). https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/01/record-number-of-nurses-and-midwives-working-in-nhs/ Population: Approximately 57.1 million (mid-2023 estimate). https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2023 Ratio: … Continue reading In Scotland, twice as many midwives and 33% more nurses