Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Scotland does not leave care leavers alone at 18

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 In the Guardian yesterday, the above and: David’s death is one of a number examined in a landmark review into the deaths of more than 100 care leavers aged 18-24 in 2025. The review findings suggest the death rate of this cohort is about 3-4 times higher than the death rate of the general population. One-fifth of all these deaths occurred at age 18, with experts saying a “care cliff” means young people experience an “immense drop off in support” as they transition from being a … Continue reading Scotland does not leave care leavers alone at 18

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Independence cover-up: We would be rich

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 You Can’t Handle the Truth! The above image is quite the newspaper clipping. Don’t you think?  It tells us something very important about how Scotland was being presented to itself before the Scottish National Party came to power. The date is 30 November 2006. The SNP had not yet formed a Scottish Government. Alex Salmond had not yet become First Minister. The independence referendum was still almost a decade away. This was The Glasgow Herald reporting on revelations that … Continue reading Independence cover-up: We would be rich

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Overall crime in Scotland still lower than 15 years ago, far lower than in England & Wales with murders less than half that under Labour

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 In 2011-12 , in Scotland, there were 598 crimes and offences per 10 000 population with 121 murders, down from 142, when the SNP took over in 2007-08.1 Today, from Recorded Crime in Scotland: year ending June 2026, we see the figure has climbed from a low of 525 in the pandemic to 583 last year but with 49 murders.2 The latest figures for England & Wales are 680 per 10 000 crimes and 522 murders.3 Sources: Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank … Continue reading Overall crime in Scotland still lower than 15 years ago, far lower than in England & Wales with murders less than half that under Labour

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Yet another area of good public service performance in Scotland that cannot be acknowledged, far less lauded

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 By stewartb Evidence of yet another area of relatively good public service performance in Scotland that cannot – must not – be acknowledged, far less lauded, either by the MSM and or by opposition (Unionist) politicians in Scotland. Showing Scotland’s public services and public institutions in a favourable light would dilute the ongoing gaslighting of the nation’s electorate. And that would be a disservice to their precious Union! From the ‘Dentistry’ news website (25 March, 2026) NHS dentistry satisfaction remains low but Scotland shows what … Continue reading Yet another area of good public service performance in Scotland that cannot be acknowledged, far less lauded

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Not safeguarding vulnerable children? Will Labour and Lib Dem figures ever be asked why, after the 1999 Inquiry, they allowed the system to return to business as usual?

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 By shiny592bc990af The 1999 inquiry — formally “The Report of the Edinburgh Inquiry into Abuse and Protection of Children in Care” — was commissioned in response to serious allegations of abuse of young people in Edinburgh’s residential care system. A Scrutiny Panel was set up, chaired by a senior Tory figure, Cllr Tom Ponton, in whose name a report was submitted in October 2003. The Scrutiny Panel report states that its purpose was to review: “all the recommendations of the Edinburgh Inquiry into abuse … Continue reading Not safeguarding vulnerable children? Will Labour and Lib Dem figures ever be asked why, after the 1999 Inquiry, they allowed the system to return to business as usual?

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The conspicuously non-Scottish membership of neo-Nazis on Princes Street

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Thanks to Arty Hetty for alerting us to this: From the Edinburgh Inquirer, today: Police are investigating a far-right demonstration where neo-Nazi, ‘white nationalist’ and banned terrorist group flags were flown on Princes Street. Banners of the neo-Nazi Combat 18, the racist and antisemitic Patriotic Alternative and anti-Islamic Scottish Defence League were displayed at the demonstration at the east end of Princes Street on Saturday, 15 August. Another carried the name of the proscribed terrorist organisation the Ulster Defence Association. The demonstration, attended by … Continue reading The conspicuously non-Scottish membership of neo-Nazis on Princes Street

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Newly created Mayors and far less powers for the Scottish government – That’s where you might live

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 By Liz S “Far more probation officers and far less re-offending – that’s where you live, really” Also potentially “far more” newly created Mayors and “far less” powers for the Scottish government – “that’s where you live” , as in perhaps coming soon within Scotland under a Andy Burnham UK Premiership. BBC website politics section article dated 23 August 2026: (English) “Mayors to get powers to overrule local councils on planning decisions”. “Mayors across England will be given new powers to overrule local councils … Continue reading Newly created Mayors and far less powers for the Scottish government – That’s where you might live

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The power of nightmares – the real reasons why the BBC made THAT Glasgow documentary?

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 You can listen to what they have to say at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0030l7g?at_ptr_name=twitter&at_campaign_type=owned&at_medium=social&at_campaign=Social_Flow I have a weak stomach and an aversion to rats, wee ones especially, so I won’t be. Anyhow, I, none of us, need to hear their unconvincing lies. We already know: Researchers have found that heavy consumption of negative news triggers the release of stress hormones and consequent increases in anxiety [i], [ii], [iii]. Studies of voting patterns have found that those with a ‘negativity bias’ derived from fear and anxiety about the world they live … Continue reading The power of nightmares – the real reasons why the BBC made THAT Glasgow documentary?