Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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In only 4 minutes, four out of four BBC Scotland broadcast reports aim to worry viewers and three are explicitly associated with Scottish Government responsibility

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Professor John Robertson OBA Following on from a tale of ‘serious’ concerns in a maternity unit, BBC Scotland’s four morning inserts were all equally concerning and three of them were explicitly linked to Scottish Government (SNP) responsibility as in the first, above, on prison overcrowding. I’ve discussed several times before how such a morning diet for viewers, especially the elderly and the vulnerable, predisposes them to conservative political preferences and against change such as Scottish independence. For research evidence of this see: Reporting Scotland Darkly – how research reveals only BBC Scotland’s editors select the nightmares to make you so … Continue reading In only 4 minutes, four out of four BBC Scotland broadcast reports aim to worry viewers and three are explicitly associated with Scottish Government responsibility

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Scotland’s homicide rate plummets by more than half in last 20 years, below Denmark and well below rUK, in wake of 18 years of reducing inequality, predicted by researchers but the story falls off BBC Scotland in only hours

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Homicide in Scotland, 2024-25 published yesterday: Scotland’s Chief Statistician today published Homicide in Scotland, 2024-25. The publication provides information on crimes of homicide recorded by the police in Scotland in 2024-25. The main findings are: In 2024-25, 45 victims of homicide were recorded, 21% (or 12 victims) less than the 57 victims recorded in 2023-24. This is the lowest number of recorded homicide victims since comparable records began in 1976. Over the latest 20-year period from 2005-06 to 2024-25, the number of homicide victims in Scotland fell by 53% (or 51 victims) from 96 to … Continue reading Scotland’s homicide rate plummets by more than half in last 20 years, below Denmark and well below rUK, in wake of 18 years of reducing inequality, predicted by researchers but the story falls off BBC Scotland in only hours

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To keep fleet young and reliable, CalMac scraps 40 year-old, younger or same age as 14 still in service in Canada’s milder seas

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Professor John Robertson OBA BC Ferries, based in archipelago around Vancouver in Canada operates 41 ferries to 47 locations. CalMac operates 36 vessels with another 5 being built to 50 locations. In Scotland, CalMac operates in stormier seas but otherwise they are similar. Today, the MV Hebridean Isles, 40 years-old, is off to the breakers yard. CalMac are often accused in the media of operating elderly, unreliable, vessels so how many older or the same age than the MV Hebridean Isles are BC Ferries still running? Just these: 14 older than or the same age as the 40 year-old CalMac … Continue reading To keep fleet young and reliable, CalMac scraps 40 year-old, younger or same age as 14 still in service in Canada’s milder seas

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BBC Scotland – forced to apologise 5 times in 2025, often ‘politically slanted against the SNP’ and shockingly outnumbering those from all other UK BBC regional/national offices combined!

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Professor John Robertson OBA This is, for reasons of load, reliant almost entirely on Grog AI but I have checked it over and see no misunderstandings on its part. Critics of that must be asked what is wrong with the content or the sources? Recent Apologies by BBC Scotland for Inaccurate or Misleading ReportingBBC Scotland, like other BBC regional outlets, maintains a public corrections and clarifications page where it acknowledges errors in reporting. These often involve factual inaccuracies, misleading phrasing, or unchecked claims that can influence public perception, particularly on sensitive topics like politics, economics, and social issues. Based on … Continue reading BBC Scotland – forced to apologise 5 times in 2025, often ‘politically slanted against the SNP’ and shockingly outnumbering those from all other UK BBC regional/national offices combined!

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Don’t be fooled – this is not a ‘grooming’ gang like those in England – no children, no children’s homes, no thousands of victims

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Professor John Robertson OBA They, Scottish Labour and the MSM, would just love it if Scotland had one of those grooming gangs like the ones they have in England. That’s why they’re using the term for a gang that has little in common with the English ones and which, crucially, required a very different response. Here are key differences: The gangsters are not Scots, not even UK citizens. They did not traffic children from care homes The victims were all adults bar one Scottish 16 year-old. The operation initially trafficked Romanian women, then expanded to Scottish women groomed on the … Continue reading Don’t be fooled – this is not a ‘grooming’ gang like those in England – no children, no children’s homes, no thousands of victims

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Herald headlines shoddy TUC research suggesting only 1 job for every £1m in wind energy, instead of 5 peer-reviewed research papers showing up to 9 times as many

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Professor John Roberson OBA The Herald once more sailing the putrid waters of disinformation on behalf of the trade unions they once despised, has the above outrageous claim based on research by the TUC. This is not snobbery but can we have something by trained impartial researchers on this? We already have? 5 of them? Even the Fraser of Allander? In 2023, 7.6 to 8.1 jobs per £1m GVA (Gross Valued Added).1 In 2020, in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol 119, 7-9 FTE jobs per £1m GVA.2 Also, in 2019, in Energy Economics, 5-15 temporary jobs,3 2016, in Renewable … Continue reading Herald headlines shoddy TUC research suggesting only 1 job for every £1m in wind energy, instead of 5 peer-reviewed research papers showing up to 9 times as many

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BBC Scotland’s Lisa Summers faking a maternity crisis with Scottish Government blame, imaginary spikes, and not one recent failure as BBC England report 500 avoidable baby deaths yet no Government responsibility

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland‘s insert in BBC Breakfast, no doubt in its Reporting Scotland episodes, to come three times today and its website have the above classic tabloid headline, and: Just a week before she was due to give birth, Jacqui Hunter was given the devastating news that her daughter had died in the womb. Less than 24 hours later, Jacqui was also dead. The 39-year-old had been told she would have to give birth to her stillborn daughter, who was called Olivia, and was given medication to bring on the labour. Within hours Jacqui was having intense … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s Lisa Summers faking a maternity crisis with Scottish Government blame, imaginary spikes, and not one recent failure as BBC England report 500 avoidable baby deaths yet no Government responsibility

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How NHS Scotland will not be ‘decimated’ by private equity because the SNP oversight ‘of devolved, generous funding enables a “collectivist” approach with less private penetration.’

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks once more to Dottie for alerting us to this. From The Lowdown, 2 September 2025, the above and: In late August the release of a report by US senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn) on the destruction of hospitals in his home state of Connecticut, and across the US by private equity companies highlights once again the negative effect of this form of investment.  The report documented what happened when three Connecticut hospitals—Waterbury Hospital, Rockville General, and Manchester Memorial—were bought by Prospect Medical Holdings, a company that since 2010 had been owned by private equity firm Leonard Green & … Continue reading How NHS Scotland will not be ‘decimated’ by private equity because the SNP oversight ‘of devolved, generous funding enables a “collectivist” approach with less private penetration.’

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Private rent in England now swallows nearly 60% more of the average wage than it does in Scotland on top of far higher council tax too

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Professor John Robertson OBA According to data from HomeLet (a major UK tenancy deposit scheme provider), as of January 2025, households in Scotland spent less than 28% of their gross income on private rent, making it one of the most affordable regions in the UK. For context, the UK average was 32.5% at that time, with Scotland and Yorkshire & Humber tied for the lowest ratios. More detail with sources at: https://x.com/i/grok?conversation=1982798348303130874 So, the 16% gap between 28% and 44% is in real terms, 57%. Not only that, council tax is lower in Scotland: After 18 years, might these two … Continue reading Private rent in England now swallows nearly 60% more of the average wage than it does in Scotland on top of far higher council tax too

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Scottish Labour will not get far on Further Education cuts when, after 18 years of SNP leadership, it’s funded 25% better, has more staff per learner and a stunning 95% student satisfaction rating

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Julie and Jacob for alerting us to this: Scottish Labour clearly think that they can make hay with Further Education funding in Scotland as they languish in third place, according to the polls for the 2026 Scottish Election in May. They’ve wheeled out their Westminster MPs to fight the cause in constituencies where even those who voted for them won’t recognise them. The Ayrshire, Carrick and Cumnock MP, Elaine Stewart, famous as a lifetime campaigner against poverty until Sir Keir’s whip ordered her to vote for his child poverty policies. She did. Here she … Continue reading Scottish Labour will not get far on Further Education cuts when, after 18 years of SNP leadership, it’s funded 25% better, has more staff per learner and a stunning 95% student satisfaction rating