Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Will Anas Sarwar follow Sir Keir Starmer on this too – radioactive emissions through your windows and now floodwaters on your doorstep?

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dottie, again, for alerting me to this. In the Guardian today: More than 100,000 new homes will be built on the highest-risk flood zones in England in the next five years as part of the government’s push for 1.5m extra properties by the end of this parliament, Guardian analysis suggests. Building on areas with the highest risk of serious flooding is supposed to be discouraged. Experts say development should be avoided unless absolutely necessary because there is a significant chance of regular deluges, which will flood the properties, cause hundreds of millions of pounds of economic … Continue reading Will Anas Sarwar follow Sir Keir Starmer on this too – radioactive emissions through your windows and now floodwaters on your doorstep?

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Glasgow Council to maintain one of best pupil/teacher ratios in UK as pupil numbers fall.

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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 BBC Scotland today is making much of teacher strikes planned for Glasgow this month. There is no context offered. Here is some. The first reliable school statistics, avoiding double-counting,1 were published in December 2013. There were, … Continue reading Glasgow Council to maintain one of best pupil/teacher ratios in UK as pupil numbers fall.

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NHS staffing and bed-blocking – Sandesh Gulhane allowed to lie twice on STV News with no checking to see that both are improving and way ahead of NHS England

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By Professor John Robertson OBA On STV News at 6pm tonight, Conservative Shadowy Health Secretary, Sandesh Gulhane was allowed, unchecked and uncontested, to claim that less (sic) people are coming into ‘our’ health service and that delayed discharges need to come down. First, NHS Scotland staffing – 160 840 FTE, up 1.6% on last year and 17.7% up on ten years ago.1 So, more not fewer (Sandy!) people are coming into my NHS. Sandy’s from south of the border. How is staffing there? 1.3 million FTE.2 Now, with one tenth of the population, Scotland must only need around 130 000 yet … Continue reading NHS staffing and bed-blocking – Sandesh Gulhane allowed to lie twice on STV News with no checking to see that both are improving and way ahead of NHS England

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After 6 months of Labour, NHS England long wait A&E lists are 2 to 3 times as long as in Scotland

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stewartb It’s worth adding the performance stats on long waits from TIME OF ARRIVAL in order to compare with NHS Scotland. NHS England statistics on waits in A&E departments over 12 hours from time of arrival are published monthly. However, the data have also been compiled for ease of reference in something called ‘Supplementary ECDS Analysis Time Series February 2023 Onwards (XLS, 41.9KB)’. Using this source it is possible to compare and contrast the number and percentage of A&E attendances spending 12 hours or more from time of arrival to admission, discharge or transfer. Set out below are snapshots of … Continue reading After 6 months of Labour, NHS England long wait A&E lists are 2 to 3 times as long as in Scotland

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Ferguson Marine boss hits out at ‘ill-informed’ criticism from ‘spurious sources’ damaging the future of Clydeside shipbuilding

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From Insider, yesterday: Miller [CEO Ferguson Marine] was also critical of the extensive media coverage of the yard since it was taken into public ownership in 2019 and the discovery of major issues with the two ferries, claiming the “constant drip-feed of criticism” was “one of the most damaging things to the future of Ferguson Marine”. He claimed some reporting was “totally ill-informed and comes from spurious sources”, though he did not specify which. Later in the committee, Miller appeared to compare press reporting of the saga to child abuse. “It’s like raising a child and abusing it, physically abusing … Continue reading Ferguson Marine boss hits out at ‘ill-informed’ criticism from ‘spurious sources’ damaging the future of Clydeside shipbuilding

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A year later after they had queued round the block for a dentist, Labour has no plan but the SNP has managed 95% registered with an NHS dentist

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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 Today lawyer Peter Stefanovic re-posted the above video to makes these points: The Labour Party went into the 2024 election promising to reform the discredited NHS contract fuelling the current crisis. According to @TheBDA there has … Continue reading A year later after they had queued round the block for a dentist, Labour has no plan but the SNP has managed 95% registered with an NHS dentist

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Massive surge in patients waiting more than 12 hours in NHS England A&E after 6 months of Labour-rule

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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 In December 2024, 54 207 people waited more than 12 hours [after triage and decision to admit] in NHS England A&E departments, up from 36 806 in July when Labour won the General Election promising change but … Continue reading Massive surge in patients waiting more than 12 hours in NHS England A&E after 6 months of Labour-rule

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Research from USA reveals ‘eye-popping’ new costs for small nuclear reactors favoured by Labour

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to JB for alerting me to this: From the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial analysis in January 2023, based on a US (Utah) energy company’s updated projections, the above chart and: As recently as mid-2021, the target price for power was pegged at $58 per megawatt-hour (MWh); it’s risen to $89/MWh, a 53% increase. The price would be much higher without $4 billion federal tax subsidies that include a $1.4 billion U.S. Department of Energy contribution and a $30/MWh break from the Inflation Reduction Act. The higher target price is due to a 75% increase … Continue reading Research from USA reveals ‘eye-popping’ new costs for small nuclear reactors favoured by Labour

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People of Scotland call on Sarwar to drop brainless support for ‘small’ nuclear power – more costly, less efficient, more polluting, more cancers-triggering and terrorism vulnerable

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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 From STV News / PA Media today: Anas Sarwar has called on John Swinney to drop his “ideological” opposition to nuclear power in Scotland. The Scottish Labour leader told the First Minister his refusal to allow new … Continue reading People of Scotland call on Sarwar to drop brainless support for ‘small’ nuclear power – more costly, less efficient, more polluting, more cancers-triggering and terrorism vulnerable

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How the SNP Government kept your health data out the hands of an NHS England contractor who openly boasts about killing people in Gaza for profit

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From the Skwawkbox, today, the above video (link below) and this: Alex Karp, the chief executive of software company Palantir – which supplies military software and services to the Israeli occupation that has murdered and maimed hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank and also has a huge contract from the UK government to manage NHS data – has told shareholders he’s sure they’re having as much fun as he is and approves of the company ‘scar[ing] enemies and on occasion kill[ing] them’. Palantir has also been linked, in a parliamentary enquiry and … Continue reading How the SNP Government kept your health data out the hands of an NHS England contractor who openly boasts about killing people in Gaza for profit