Missed doctor appointments, hours-long delays, students unable to get to school and flooded car decks look like continuing as Washington State Ferries delays new electric ferries and bring aging old diesels back into service

A typical WSF ferry – aging, rusty and prone to flooded car decks: Free car wash? Professor John Robertson OBA From KIRO7 in Seattle, 4 days ago, we hear that Washington State Ferries is delaying plans for new electric ferries and bringing 3 older diesel boats back into service. CalMac has 36 ferries in service with 5 under construction, serving 50 locations and 5.3 million passengers per year.1 Washington State Ferries in the affluent region around Seattle had 21 vessels but now has only 18 and none in construction, serviceable vessels, serving 19 million passengers per year.2 From Kitsapp Daily News March … Continue reading Missed doctor appointments, hours-long delays, students unable to get to school and flooded car decks look like continuing as Washington State Ferries delays new electric ferries and bring aging old diesels back into service

‘Millionaire ‘Sir’ Tom Hunter gets it wrong by urging Scotland to emulate Singapore!

By JB So Tom hunter, the businessmen, has urged the Scottish Government to emulate Singapore by cutting tax and red tape in an effort to reverse what he described as “managed decline”. He also said that “If we can get better wealth creators to Scotland, they will create the jobs, they will pay more tax, not because of the rate, because of the take.” Millionaire urges Scotland to emulate Singapore to reverse ‘managed decline’ | STV News  Managed decline? On the former according to the database numbeo.com comparing Singapore to Glasgow ( it doesn’t let you put in Scotland) we … Continue reading ‘Millionaire ‘Sir’ Tom Hunter gets it wrong by urging Scotland to emulate Singapore!

Latest – Heart operation waiting list in NHS England 50% longer than in NHS Scotland

Professor John Robertson OBA The Guardian today prompted me to check the media reporting of waiting lists for heart operations in Scotland. In February 2025, STV had: Waiting times for heart appointments in Scotland are at their highest level on record, figures have shown. Data from Public Health Scotland showed more than 24,000 people were waiting for a cardiology appointment as of September 2024. The number represents a 252% increase since 2019 and an increase of 1,000 in just one year. https://news.stv.tv/scotland/nhs-waiting-times-for-heart-appointments-in-scotland-reach-highest-level-on-record More Primary Schools maths to get a big percentage there and, of course, no context such as the … Continue reading Latest – Heart operation waiting list in NHS England 50% longer than in NHS Scotland

New US hybrid ferries look like costing much more than the new CalMac vessels

From EUUSATODAY, today: Bids to build new plug-in Washington state ferries come in high It’s raising doubts about the state’s plans to construct up to five new hybrid-electric vessels with the $1.3 billion [£1 billion] lawmakers have set aside. Ferry system managers and state budget writers in Washington took a cold wave over the bow Monday upon opening the bids to construct up to five new hybrid electric ferries. “I don’t see how you get to five. There’s money for three [160 car vessels] on a good day,” said state House Transportation Committee Chair Jake Fey, D-Tacoma. The Washington Legislature … Continue reading New US hybrid ferries look like costing much more than the new CalMac vessels

Reform UK can learn from low crime Scotland not Dubai or UAE

The international drugs cartel made at home in Dubai. Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Politics, two days ago: Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has said the UK could learn from Dubai’s national pride and low crime levels. In a BBC interview, he said the UK should “aspire to” the kind of safety seen in the Emirati city – where he claimed people leave belongings unattended and return to find them untouched. Tice splits his time between Westminster, his Skegness constituency and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which he said he visits “once every six to eight weeks” to … Continue reading Reform UK can learn from low crime Scotland not Dubai or UAE

Sunday Post claims 77% of Scots children are losing ability to use pencil based on less than 0.2% of 25 000 Scottish Primary teachers

Professor John Robertson OBA In the Scottish Sunday Post, today, the above and: It’s a UK poll of 569 primary school teachers so around 50 in Scotland of whom 77% or 38 thought the above. Less that 0.2% of more than 25 000 across Scotland. It’s not even slightly credible. Continue reading Sunday Post claims 77% of Scots children are losing ability to use pencil based on less than 0.2% of 25 000 Scottish Primary teachers

John McLeod of the Daily Mail wouldn’t know an ‘antique’ ferry if it…..

Professor John Robertson OBA John McLeod of the Daily Mail on 14 May 2025, had: A mainland excursion by ferry? I’m taking a chance on the antique boat show – I am meant to be in Glasgow next Thursday evening for some glitzy function – all starched shirtfronts and varnished hors d’oeuvres – but between the mainland and I are miles of roiling Hebridean sea. And, as so often these days in the Western Isles, few plans of action survive contact with Caledonian MacBrayne. The ship in question, the Hebrides – just scant weeks back from her annual overhaul – has a … Continue reading John McLeod of the Daily Mail wouldn’t know an ‘antique’ ferry if it…..

For Heaven’s sake just fix the leaks in the South-East where they have less water than Syria should be the ‘Scottish’ Daily Mail’s message

Professor John Robertson OBA The SDM today has For Heaven’s sake just fix the leaks! front page. I’m not arguing against the idea of fixing leaks but it’s worth getting the figures in perspective. Perspective? The Mail? Yes, I know. What is that perspective? Covering about 2% of Scotland’s land area, our rivers and lochs contain 90% of the UK’s surface freshwater. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.environment.gov.scot/media/1172/water.pdf Why is it so important to plug all the leaks in some other parts of the UK? One of the biggest challenges facing the water supply network in the UK is ensuring that supplies do not run … Continue reading For Heaven’s sake just fix the leaks in the South-East where they have less water than Syria should be the ‘Scottish’ Daily Mail’s message

The unreported English gangs really tearing Scotland apart

Professor John Robertson OBA In the Telegraph today, the above and: A wave of violence The flames have been there for all to see. Over six weeks in March and April, there were more than a dozen arson attacks in the two cities, with cars, homes, garages and businesses set alight. In other incidents, shots have been fired and two people, a pensioner and a 12-year-old boy, seriously assaulted by men wearing masks. I’m not for a minute doubting the trauma for those affected but these events are relatively local and minor compared with this: From the Daily Mail on February 3rd … Continue reading The unreported English gangs really tearing Scotland apart

Facilities fiasco as £3.5bn aircraft crew cannot get a hot shower – perhaps one of the older CalMac ferries could be spared to escort her and provide facilities?

Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Legerwood for alerting me to this: In the Telegraph today, the above and: With a deck the size of three football pitches, HMS Queen Elizabeth is Britain’s flagship aircraft carrier – a 65,000-ton floating airport designed to wage war anywhere on the planet. On its maiden world tour in 2021, when it cruised the Middle East and prowled the South China Sea, Whitehall hailed it as a new symbol of “Global Britain”. Yet for all its pomp and splendour, “Big Lizzie”, as it is known, has an embarrassing personal hygiene problem. For the past six months, … Continue reading Facilities fiasco as £3.5bn aircraft crew cannot get a hot shower – perhaps one of the older CalMac ferries could be spared to escort her and provide facilities?