Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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CalMac ferry contract – Polish shipyard may have been unfairly subsidised to lower costs

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Professor John Robertson OBA Amidst fake indignation over the loss of the new ferries contract to a Polish shipyard and attempts to blame the SNP for what the media and the opposition parties have done to the reputation of a Scottish shipyard, the fairness of the competition has to be questioned. In November 2008, BBC UK reported: The European Commission has ordered Poland to reclaim more than 3bn euros of state subsidies paid to two shipyards which were facing bankruptcy. The move means Poland will have to sell the Gdynia and Szczecin yards, putting some 60,000 jobs at risk. The … Continue reading CalMac ferry contract – Polish shipyard may have been unfairly subsidised to lower costs

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The astonishing year-round value for money of Scotland’s island ferry travel constantly being hidden from us

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By stewartb The ticket price differences are crazy. The single adult passenger fare for the 2 hour 45 minute journey from Penzance Harbour, Cornwall to St Mary’s Harbour, Isles of Scilly by the ferry Scillonian III on Wednesday March 26, 2025 is available for purchase online at £92.99. For the reverse journey on 27 March, the ticket price is £87.99. The passenger only ferry, Scillonian was built in 1977, so now c.48 years old. It operates March to November. (https://www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/scillonian-iii/ ) By contrast, for the c. 4 hour 45 minute journey from Oban to Castlebay, Barra on 26 March, CalMac is charging £17.30 for … Continue reading The astonishing year-round value for money of Scotland’s island ferry travel constantly being hidden from us

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BC Ferries in Canada has to patch-up 60 year-old ferry for busiest route as replacements not yet ordered despite it being 19 years older than Scotland’s oldest comparable ferry

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Professor John Robertson OBA Yesterday from chekNEWS: BC Ferries has a major vessel back in its operational fleet as the Queen of New Westminster ferry returned to service Friday, just in time for the spring peak travel season. The vessel, which serves BC Ferries’ busiest route between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, had been out of service for nearly 200 days due to extensive repairs and scheduled maintenance. The 60-year-old vessel was pulled from service in September after experiencing a significant failure in its propulsion system, where structural fatigue caused the propeller shaft to detach. https://cheknews.ca/queen-of-new-westminster-ferry-back-in-operation-after-lengthy-repairs-1244124/ Meanwhile, in Scotland, in stormier more … Continue reading BC Ferries in Canada has to patch-up 60 year-old ferry for busiest route as replacements not yet ordered despite it being 19 years older than Scotland’s oldest comparable ferry

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Grangemouth – Why would a well-informed BBC journalist omit to inform on the Scottish Government’s substantial contributions alongside those of the Westminster government?

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By stewartb The BBC News website (March 17) has this headline: ‘Grangemouth: A new dawn for the home of UK’s oldest oil refinery?’. It’s no surprise to find such a long article in both the main Scotland and Scotland Business sections written by BBC Scotland’s environment correspondent. After all, it’s one of the most important topics currently in Scotland – economically and politically. The article emphasises the past and present importance of the Grangemouth refinery and its potential for the site to be important economically in future. Readers of the BBC piece are told this: ‘The UK government commissioned a report – … Continue reading Grangemouth – Why would a well-informed BBC journalist omit to inform on the Scottish Government’s substantial contributions alongside those of the Westminster government?

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How the Isle of Wight’s ferry fiasco is not news for the BBC there

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By Liz S “More misery for car ferry customers as cancellations continue’ in English ‘scandal’ ferry system” Wow that sounds like a bit of a, checks bloody notes, “Catastrophe” and a Fiasco” and to be honest it’s also a bloody “Scandal” too…..and dare I say it’s also a touché moment for our Scottish government , and for us too who support the Scottish government. I wonder , this #Bad Isle of Wight Ferry story , is it only in the ‘local news’ for ‘local people’ and so it has not quite made it into the ‘National’ news yet ,as in … Continue reading How the Isle of Wight’s ferry fiasco is not news for the BBC there

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By every measure, Labour have made NHS England’s A&E even worse than the Tories managed

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Professor John Robertson OBA In February 2024, as the UK Conservative Government’s management of NHS England seemed to be collapsing into a full-blown crisis, NHS England’s full, Type 1, A&E departments treated 760 821 of 1 347 642 patients attending, within the 4 hour target and only 44 420 had to wait longer than 12 hours.1 In February 2025, after 7 months of the UK Labour Government’s management, NHS England’s full, Type 1, A&E departments treated only 741 834 of the smaller number of 1 271 336 patients attending within the 4 hour target but a greater number 47 623 … Continue reading By every measure, Labour have made NHS England’s A&E even worse than the Tories managed

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BBC Scotland plugging Labour’s empty dreams for GB Energy and a Green Grangemouth, but they’re not reporting the SNP Government’s £100 BILLION plans for offshore wind

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Reporting Scotland this morning have been plugging Labour’s empty plans for GB Energy and, on their website, headlining a ‘green energy hub‘ idea for Grangemouth as a sop for the loss of Scotland’s only oil refinery. Not being reported, this from yesterday: The expansion of offshore wind energy in Scotland creates substantial opportunities for investors. Scottish Government analysis has estimated that the potential total global capital expenditure value of ScotWind, INTOG, port and supply chain projects, assuming the full deployment of the potential pipeline and development of the relevant projects, could be around £100 billion. … Continue reading BBC Scotland plugging Labour’s empty dreams for GB Energy and a Green Grangemouth, but they’re not reporting the SNP Government’s £100 BILLION plans for offshore wind

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Before Sellafield and before the nuclear submarines on the Clyde, how the Union gave Scotland the benefit of the Anthrax and the Black Death tests in our ‘less populated’ parts

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by the Government in 1952. It was stored offshore on a ship that had been converted into a laboratory. It’s purpose? The top-secret development of biological weapons. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001gn60/plaigh-air-bord Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. BBC Alba this morning, re-broadcasting their 2023 documentary Plaigh air Bord (Plagues on Board), shocked Dottie and me. We all know about these less discussed benefits of the Union, such as Scotland’s highest cancer rates in the UK and in Europe, upwind and upstream of the Sellafield nuclear processing plant, the ‘most toxic site in Europe‘, carefully positioned as far … Continue reading Before Sellafield and before the nuclear submarines on the Clyde, how the Union gave Scotland the benefit of the Anthrax and the Black Death tests in our ‘less populated’ parts

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‘More misery for car ferry customers as cancellations continue’ in English ‘scandal’ ferry system

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Isle of Wight County Press today: Isle of Wight ferry firm Red Funnel has announced another raft of cancellations on its car ferry service. A dozen more sailings are off tomorrow (Monday) — six from East Cowes and six from Southampton. It follows an influx of cancellations over the last week, including today (Sunday), following technical problems with vessel Red Falcon. The ship remains out of action due to an “unexpected fault” with the propulsion system, meaning the route is currently operating with just one boat. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/more-misery-car-ferry-customers-120630177.html Yes, but are they reasonably priced compared to, say, CalMac? … Continue reading ‘More misery for car ferry customers as cancellations continue’ in English ‘scandal’ ferry system

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MV Glen Sannox – ‘Minor weld seam defects can occasionally appear… and are typically straightforward to address’

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stewartb Another viewpoint on the Glen Sannox ‘incident’: UK Defence Journal (March 15, 2025) ‘New Scottish ferry to resume service after minor repair’. (https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/new-scottish-ferry-to-resume-service-after-minor-repair/) ‘In Perspective: As we noted earlier, structural issues like this are not uncommon for newly commissioned vessels and are often identified during early inspections as ships settle into service. ‘Minor weld seam defects can occasionally appear, particularly in areas of high stress or flex, and are typically straightforward to address. ‘A marine engineer we spoke to reinforced this point, saying, “From the available information, this appears to be a minor weld defect rather than a serious structural failure. … Continue reading MV Glen Sannox – ‘Minor weld seam defects can occasionally appear… and are typically straightforward to address’