Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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‘Controversial’ physician associates more than twice as common in NHS England than in NHS Scotland

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS The role of physician associates [PA] is at the centre of controversy this week as the BMA sues the GMC over how they are to be described. What are PAs? Physician associates (PAs) are medically trained [but not full MD training], generalist healthcare professionals who work with doctors in multidisciplinary teams to provide medical care. PAs are dependent practitioners working with a dedicated supervisor but can also work independently on specific tasks.1 Scotland’s media seem disinterested, … Continue reading ‘Controversial’ physician associates more than twice as common in NHS England than in NHS Scotland

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Sky House Abuse – This media feeding frenzy in a psychiatric unit for adolescents is a new low in ethical standards across journalism in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Primary School Teacher, Education Lecturer, Associate Dean and Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS I’ve held back from commenting on the sad reports from the Skye House psychiatric unit for 11-18 year-olds, in Glasgow, but it’s clear that the media are in a sickening feeding frenzy on the reports by three teenagers, former patients, of abusive behaviour by staff there. No one else seems prepared to speak on behalf of the staff and the unit. So, three teenagers reported abusive behaviour by nurses including mocking suicide attempts. Skye House supports 24 patients and has been doing so for … Continue reading Sky House Abuse – This media feeding frenzy in a psychiatric unit for adolescents is a new low in ethical standards across journalism in Scotland

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Here are the most important NHS pandemic recovery figures they’re hiding from you

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS It’s constant, I’m sure you know, this kind of thing with Sarwar, Baillie and others frothing over selective figures: From Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios October 2023 to September 2024 published today, clear evidence of an … Continue reading Here are the most important NHS pandemic recovery figures they’re hiding from you

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Latest hospital mortality figures reveal that Scotland does have a one-tier health service unlike the one in that other place

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS From Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios October 2023 to September 2024 published today: The above funnel plot shows that all of Scotland’s hospitals had the level of mortality previously predicted in earlier data … Continue reading Latest hospital mortality figures reveal that Scotland does have a one-tier health service unlike the one in that other place

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10th sub-poll in a row confirms Reform UK in second place, death of Cons and SNP 21 points ahead of Labour for second time in a row

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS Since the 2nd of December 2024, I’ve been monitoring the Scottish sub-polls of 100-200, in UK-wide Westminster polls which have a breakdown for Scotland. Each sub -poll, in and of itself, is … Continue reading 10th sub-poll in a row confirms Reform UK in second place, death of Cons and SNP 21 points ahead of Labour for second time in a row

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Scotland’s private sector economy surges in UK league but the news ‘falls of the BBC News editor’s table’

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWSIn the Herald today, by their only decent journalist, Ian McConnell: Scotland last month surged up the league table of UK nations and regions in terms of the performance of its private sector … Continue reading Scotland’s private sector economy surges in UK league but the news ‘falls of the BBC News editor’s table’

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I see we are about to nationalise it but why should we, the Scottish taxpayer, pay much for the Ardrossan dock, fully owned and neglected by a Manchester billionaire tax exile ?

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First posted nearly a year ago By Professor John Robertson OBA Front page in the Herald today, 18 paragraphs putting responsibility for the maintenance of the Ardrossan dock, one of the two hubs for Arran crossings, onto the First Minister, based on the prompting of Katy Clark, Labour MSP and Baroness of Kilwinning. After reading those 18 paragraphs, would any reader wonder who owns the dock? CalMac? Scottish Government? North Ayrshire Council? Nope, it’s James Whittaker, a Manchester billionaire. Read on. In the UK Defence Journal in April 2024: “The facilities at Ardrossan have not been maintained to an acceptable standard,” stated Duncan Mackison, Interim … Continue reading I see we are about to nationalise it but why should we, the Scottish taxpayer, pay much for the Ardrossan dock, fully owned and neglected by a Manchester billionaire tax exile ?

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Released prisoners now 27% less likely to re-offend than they were when Labour was in power

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS This morning, BBC Reporting Scotland Down has a scare story interview with the Governor of Barlinnie prison [above] on overcrowding and the latest Scottish Parliament law on early prisoner release. The underlying … Continue reading Released prisoners now 27% less likely to re-offend than they were when Labour was in power

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TWICE as many wait over 8 hours in NHS Wales A&E departments but Holyrood Mag finds a way to hide that fact and others favourable to NHS Scotland as well as to fake their figures

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stewartb An article about NHS Scotland in Holyrood Magazine today has a very odd statistic. Am I missing something? See: Holyrood Magazine (February10, , 2025) Bed Bound: The chronic problem of delayed discharges is tying up resources across the NHS. Here is the text with the problematic stat (the named reference is to the author of a recent IFS report): ‘The honest answer is that it’s probably too early to tell, although Phillips says there are some signs of recovery in England’s NHS based on available data. Meanwhile, figures published last week showed more than 180,000 patients waited more than eight hours … Continue reading TWICE as many wait over 8 hours in NHS Wales A&E departments but Holyrood Mag finds a way to hide that fact and others favourable to NHS Scotland as well as to fake their figures

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MI5, CIA, SNP and the GRA – Have I watched Homeland and the Diplomat too often?

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Express today has: Nicola Sturgeon was CIA agent who stoked gender wars to foil Scexit, claims top nationalist – Former diplomat Craig Murray suggests that American spooks used USAID funding to split the SNP, adding that the former First Minister was likely ‘bribed, indoctrinated and blackmailed’ https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/nicola-sturgeon-cia-agent-who-34647121 Mad, eh? Who would believe any of that? I’m saying nothing….well nothing much but I have worried and written at times of a more subtle form of CIA presence – a form of cultural imperialism which manifests itself in ‘Atlanticism‘ – a tendency to admire US politics, especially … Continue reading MI5, CIA, SNP and the GRA – Have I watched Homeland and the Diplomat too often?