LATEST – SNP maintain crime level steady at 40% below that of last Labour government but need the full powers of independence to push it further down again

Professor John Robertson OBA From Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2024-25, published today, the above graph, and: There was little change in crimes recorded by the police in Scotland, decreasing by <1%, from 299,790 to 299,111. The recording of crime remains below the position immediately prior to the pandemic (2019-20) and down 51% from its peak in 1991. https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2024-25/ I know not all crime is recorded by police but research by Edinburgh University asking around 5 000 people if they have experienced crime shows a similar 46% fall from 2007, as the SNP came to power. https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-crime-and-justice-survey-2023-24-main-findings/pages/overview-of-crime-in-scotland/ page 79 Also, to … Continue reading LATEST – SNP maintain crime level steady at 40% below that of last Labour government but need the full powers of independence to push it further down again

Dr Kennedy says NHS Scotland is dying as a third of us turn to private care, this map shows only Scotland keeping its head above the tide

Professor John Robertson OBA The above from September 2023, shows private healthcare providers (red) and MPs taking money from them to push their interests (blue £), notably then only two in Scotland – Edinburgh South (Labour) and Shetland/Orkney (Lib Dumb). I’ve been to a private physio and to a private consultant endocrinologist in recent times but, together, they add up to around 1% of the time I’ve spent in the NHS in the same period. My NHS is not dying nor is yours, I suspect. Looking closer, Central Scotland: 13 providers. The impoverished NE of England: 2 to 3 times … Continue reading Dr Kennedy says NHS Scotland is dying as a third of us turn to private care, this map shows only Scotland keeping its head above the tide

State of Herald headlines as tourism surges

Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald today follows the above headline with these facts: The number of international visitors to Scotland increased again in 2024, as new figures show a record 4.4 million trips were made to the country last year – a 10% rise on 2023. And the amount spent by overseas visitors increased by 7% to £3.9 billion, although the number of nights those tourists stayed in the country decreased. It’s bit of a non sequitur for those of us who speak Scots. ‘The state of’ is always bad. The state of you, of your bedroom, of Sauchiehall … Continue reading State of Herald headlines as tourism surges

Our NHS is strong and improving but this Unionist part-time GP poses regularly to lie about it

Professor John Robertson OBA Dr Iain Kennedy above, a trade union rep, sometimes laughably referred to as a ‘top’ doctor, is often platformed to attack the Scottish Government and, today is in the Daily Record to claim ‘OUR NHS IS DYING.’ He approved the above image! I only did two years of psychology but I recognise that personality type. You do too I’m sure. Stay away. Back to his claim. I could go on. Continue reading Our NHS is strong and improving but this Unionist part-time GP poses regularly to lie about it

The ferry new build and maintenance delays reported so feverishly by media are covered by other vessels and have not affected CalMac’s performance – 98% of sailings completed and 99% of those on time

Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald and BBC Scotland continue to deceive with selective reporting of the availability of particular vessels with sensationalist headlines hiding the fact that ferry services are largely unaffected by these as CalMac’s large fleet provides reliable cover. That they are deliberately making up a picture of unreliability due to a few maintenance and new build delays and implying that these result in a loss of service is simply countered by data, in the public domain, which they choose to ignore. CalMac is obliged to publish ‘contractual reliability‘ data (sailings completed as a percentage of those … Continue reading The ferry new build and maintenance delays reported so feverishly by media are covered by other vessels and have not affected CalMac’s performance – 98% of sailings completed and 99% of those on time

NHS Scotland caring for 8% of the population but with not one of the five major maternity crises and a system that is ‘equitable’

Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Health today: Health Secretary Wes Streeting, has said “we must act now” as he announced a national investigation into maternity care in England. The announcement comes after a series of critical reports into maternity care over the past decade. Dr Clea Harmer, chief executive of the baby loss charity Sands, said the national investigation was “much-needed and long-overdue”. The ‘Scottish’ media are quiet. If they had something, they’d be all over it like nappy rash. I searched for ‘Scotland maternity inspections substandard‘ – only English ‘hits’. I searched the Healthcare Improvement Scotland site – … Continue reading NHS Scotland caring for 8% of the population but with not one of the five major maternity crises and a system that is ‘equitable’

Families in England even more worried over lack of speech therapists and lagging behind Scotland, as the waiting list there is 17% longer than in Scotland

Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland today, the above case study and: Families [well two] worried over lack of specialist speech therapists – A new report seen by BBC Scotland News shows that demand for speech and language therapists (SLT) is increasing in Scotland but that the numbers of therapists is falling behind the rest of the UK. The report, by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), says Scotland needs to increase its full-time equivalent SLT therapists by 370, from a current total of 530. It also says that Scotland is lagging behind England in terms … Continue reading Families in England even more worried over lack of speech therapists and lagging behind Scotland, as the waiting list there is 17% longer than in Scotland

Corruption and incompetence in Scottish Higher Education beginning at least 10 years ago but unresolved today it seems

Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair UWS Recent headlines casting doubt on the competence and probity of senior staff across Scotland’s universities, and notably the current UWS principal reminds me sadly of my own attempt, nearly ten years ago, to publicly expose malpractice there, which no public body, no local MP, no government minister and no media oultet would touch. Here it is. Read and weep: Public Interest Disclosure Policy & Procedure (Whistleblowing) To: Chair of Court Discloser: Professor John Robertson, School of Media, Culture and Society Date: 18th November 2015 Key aspects of complaint: Academic or … Continue reading Corruption and incompetence in Scottish Higher Education beginning at least 10 years ago but unresolved today it seems

What’s the legacy of the British Labour Party after 27 continuous years governing in Cardiff? Think about it before voting Labour in Scotland in 2026!

By stewartb – a long read British Labour Party MSPs and MPs are ramping up the negative rhetoric about Scotland in advance of the 2026 Holyrood election. And the mainstream media for the most part are playing their part in communicating Labour’s campaign messages – with little challenge, without context, without perspective, and without cross-UK comparative analysis. Moreover, British Labour Party MPs, elected to represent Scottish constituencies, have been standing up every week at PMQs to put a ‘question’ designed ONLY to denigrate the Scottish Government and Scotland’s (devolved) public services. All to entertain their colleagues from English constituencies and … Continue reading What’s the legacy of the British Labour Party after 27 continuous years governing in Cardiff? Think about it before voting Labour in Scotland in 2026!

NHS Wales slipping into crisis after 27 years of Labour mis-rule

By stewartb Another question for Dame Jackie Baillie and her ilk! How can this (below) be happening in a nation that has been governed by the British Labour Party for 26 or 27 years? From the Wales page of the BBC News website today (June 19): ‘Treatment wait times up despite extra NHS funding’. This is what we learn about NHS Wales today: The health think tank, the Nuffield Trust now offers users of its website access to an AI powered search facility. It invites them to pose their own questions. To the question ‘What is the state of NHS Wales?’, this is … Continue reading NHS Wales slipping into crisis after 27 years of Labour mis-rule