By Professor John Robertson OBA I’m an SNP member and no one has consulted me on my views regarding the polices currently being developed on the hoof by First Minister John Swinney and Westminster Foreign Affairs spokesperson Stephen Gethins, apparently accepting the deployment of Scottish troops in the Ukraine and calling for a ban on a democratically elected US president visiting Scotland. Do I have to repeat how horrible I think Trump is before reminding people that he is the popular choice, whether we like it or not, of the American people. Further, if we’re into banning people, why is … Continue reading If Starmer says so, Scottish soldiers will be in Ukraine this year and a blood price will have to be paid

By Professor John Robertson OBA I’m well out of my comfort zone on this but in the Guardian today: ‘He contains the whole of literature’: is Dickens better than Shakespeare? After rereading the entire works of the great Victorian novelist during the pandemic, Peter Conrad became convinced – whisper it – that Dickens is an even greater writer than that other British literary giant, the Bard.1 Isn’t there another ‘British literary giant, called the Bard?‘ I think he lived down the road from me, you know – Robert Burns? The word ‘bard‘ is of Celtic origin too, not English, so … Continue reading The Guardian misses a bard, the Scottish one, though he has 6 times as many statues across the globe as Shakespeare does

By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland on 31 January 2025: ScotRail fares set to increase by nearly 4% – Rail fares across Scotland are set to increase by 3.8% in April. Scottish Labour‘s transport spokeswoman Claire Baker said the price increase would “hammer” rail passengers and “consign ScotRail to a spiral of decline”. She added: “The SNP should be making rail more affordable, but instead it has hit passengers with painful fare hikes time and time again. This increase is bad for Scotland’s rail passengers, bad for our economy and bad for the environment.” Sue Webber, transport spokeswoman for … Continue reading Rail fares in England and Wales to soar by 21% more than in Scotland but only Scottish opposition parties are platformed (!) to moan

By Professor John Robertson OBA From A Nuclear Power Resurgence Is Coming to Michigan. What Are the Potential Health Impacts? in Inside Climate News on 28th February 2025: Adding to multiple reports, across the globe of increased cancer cases around nuclear power and waste plants, going back for decades now, recent research evidence from the USA reinforces these and casts Scottish Labour’s support for new nuclear plant in Scotland, into serious doubt. From the above report: Before the Palisades nuclear plant powered on in 1971, cancer death rates in Van Buren County, Michigan, were comfortably below the national average. But … Continue reading Cancer risks around nuclear power stations and lessons for Scottish Labour, latest – ‘Rates exceeded the national average and grew over the plants operating lifetimes’