Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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‘North Scotland among highest rates of Huntington’s’ – yes, but why?

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland and STV today have short reports on the higher level of Huntington’s disease in the North of Scotland but with no useful content to inform and to educate readers in the manner they often claim to do, leaving readers with just another ‘Scotland is ****’ story that they can quietly associate with 18 years of SNP-rule. When I saw this, I thought straightaway, vitamin D deficiency, as with MS, also more prevalent in the north. While as yet not conclusive, emerging evidence can be found: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are common in older … Continue reading ‘North Scotland among highest rates of Huntington’s’ – yes, but why?

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BBC documentary links increase in drug-related hospital stays after three years of falling to surge in activity by County Lines drug gangs from England

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Professor John Robertson OBA This most recent increase in drug-related hospital stay rates, after three years of falling, has been jumped on by the likes of Jackie Baillie as evidence that the much vaunted Naloxone opioid overdose reversal programme, introduced by the SNP, before any other country in Europe, is not so impressive after all. What Baillie, no one really, has considered is another possible and plausible cause – increased and cheaper supply of more powerful and deadly opioids such as fentanyl into rural areas where there is less familiarity with them. In a documentary made for BBC Scotland and BBC 2 by independent … Continue reading BBC documentary links increase in drug-related hospital stays after three years of falling to surge in activity by County Lines drug gangs from England

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BBC Scotland working hard to cover-up Scottish Labour’s serious electoral fraud

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Professor John Robertson OBA Fraud by a former MSP, minister and council leader is not the headline when you’ve got the gender ID story to headline even though polls say no one is interested in that? No mention of ‘Labour’, image of his face, or that it is electoral fraud?’ Click on the story and: Still no mention of Labour, no face, no mention that it’s electoral fraud? Read the text and Labour gets a mention at last but still no mention of the very serious fact that it’s electoral fraud. What is he actually accused of and which BBC … Continue reading BBC Scotland working hard to cover-up Scottish Labour’s serious electoral fraud

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Is this why there have been no surveys of ordinary ferry-users’ views – more than 90% feel ‘well’ or ‘very well’-served?’

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92.5% of the 186 respondents, living on the islands, felt well or very well-served by CalMac ferries. 95.1% of the 103 tourists who visit the islands, felt well or very well-served by CalMac ferries. Professor John Robertson OBA This is, of course, a snap, self-selecting poll of less than 300 and confirmation or refutal of its findings would require a scientifically sampled poll carried out by a registered pollster, but the fact that this has never been done raises serious questions of the media coverage based entirely on a small number of island ‘representatives‘ of uncertain status in the communities. … Continue reading Is this why there have been no surveys of ordinary ferry-users’ views – more than 90% feel ‘well’ or ‘very well’-served?’

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Now conveniently forgotten about by media and settlers – How the Scottish Government transformed the economies of Scotland’s island communities

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Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to Legerwood for reminding us of this The above chart from the Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff [RET] on the Clyde and Hebridean Network Prepared for Transport Scotland March 2020 reveals a massive increase in ferry usage to the islands with a consequent economic boost, but increasing costs for the taxpayer in lost revenue. The comparison is based on ticket sales only and takes no account of retail revenue, which is likely to have increased as a result of the increased numbers of passengers. What is the RET? In October 2008, Transport Scotland introduced … Continue reading Now conveniently forgotten about by media and settlers – How the Scottish Government transformed the economies of Scotland’s island communities

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South Uist islanders get a free lift to Oban cutting their travel time and effort to Glasgow but John Daniel Peteranna is still not happy and tells a big fat lie about the extra crossing time, unchecked by BBC Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Bob Lamont for alerting me to this. From BBC Scotland today: South Uist has been under particular pressure recently as state-owned ferry operator CalMac struggles with a shortage of ships while it awaits replacements for its ageing fleet. Winter maintenance has uncovered new problems with several vessels, forcing CalMac to rejig its schedules and move ferries onto different routes. Instead of sailing to Mallaig, it travels to Oban, 85 miles away from the normal scheduled port, which adds more than four hours to the crossing time. John Daniel Peteranna, from the South Uist Business … Continue reading South Uist islanders get a free lift to Oban cutting their travel time and effort to Glasgow but John Daniel Peteranna is still not happy and tells a big fat lie about the extra crossing time, unchecked by BBC Scotland

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No driving test touts and delays 33% longer in England than in Scotland – Is there nothing SNP government does not do better?

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Professor John Robertson OBA Judging by the coverage on BBC Breakfast today, the driving test touts pushing up costs dramatically are operating in the same areas as the grooming gangs so we must assume that BBC Scotland staff are working hard to find at least one of them in Scotland, as they have done for the grooming gangs. No luck so far based on the above but give them time. They had a go in April 2025 when long delays were first reported, to suggest, as they love to do, that things must be as bad in Scotland. One newspaper … Continue reading No driving test touts and delays 33% longer in England than in Scotland – Is there nothing SNP government does not do better?

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Troubled English ferry company has to borrow to survive but still pays nearly £1 million to directors

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Isle of Wight County Press, three days ago: The parent company of the Isle of Wight’s Red Funnel has seen its profitability drop by more than 20 per cent, latest figures show, but the boss of the ferry firm has once again quashed “incorrect” talk of administration. Accounts for 2023 for Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (SIOW), trading as Red Funnel, have now been published. In the year ending December 2023, the accounts show that SIOW recorded a 10.4 per cent increase in turnover, reporting £61.08 million in 2023 … Continue reading Troubled English ferry company has to borrow to survive but still pays nearly £1 million to directors

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With 5 to 6 times as many temporary school exclusions and 900 times as many permanent exclusions, per head, than Scotland, England’s schools are in a deep crisis fuelling County Lines gangs and street violence

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No childish images required here Professor John Robertson OBA From my previous post, you’ll see there were 11 676 temporary and 1 permanent exclusion from Scotland’s school in 2022/2023, the most recent figures.1 Now, I know some don’t want to see comparisons with other parts of the UK. ‘I don’t live in England’, they’ll shout, but I feel you you don’t always know what you’ve got until you see what others have got or have not got. So, all things being equal with 10 times the population, England might be expected to have around 120 000 temporary exclusions and 10 … Continue reading With 5 to 6 times as many temporary school exclusions and 900 times as many permanent exclusions, per head, than Scotland, England’s schools are in a deep crisis fuelling County Lines gangs and street violence

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School exclusions plummet to just over a quarter of the level under Labour and full ‘expulsions’ to just one three-hundredth of the level then

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No childish images required here Professor John Robertson OBA From School exclusion statistics published today, we can see that there were 39 717 temporary exclusions across Scotland in 2007/2008 and 11 676 in 2022/20231, the most recent figures. This a stunning decline further casting doubt of opposition party claims of a surge in school violence. From the same data, we can see the number of pupils removed from the register, permanent exclusions, ‘expelled‘ as we might have said, fell from 292 in 2002/2003 to only 1 in the last two years. I think this kind of comparison with the past … Continue reading School exclusions plummet to just over a quarter of the level under Labour and full ‘expulsions’ to just one three-hundredth of the level then