Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Sarwar pulls wee boy huffy face when confronted with uncomfortable facts on housing

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By Professor John Robertson OBA That face! It’s the one a wee boy pulls when he’s caught out telling a porky. At First Minister’s Questions on 21 November 2024, Anas Sarwar theatrically suggested a crisis in housing and didn’t much like being told the truth. Here it is: Year after year, Scotland builds far more, 370 000 per head, affordable (really) housing than England Today, the Scottish Government published Affordable Housing Supply Programme: quarterly updates on approvals, site starts and completions for the year 2023/2024. I thought I’d compare this with the most recent data for England. There are doubts about just how affordable … Continue reading Sarwar pulls wee boy huffy face when confronted with uncomfortable facts on housing

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By Anonymous OMG will this never end. It’s a bloody constant with these Muppets. On the 20 October this same ‘Freelance writer’ wrote in the Times “Ferry fiasco is legacy of SNP-run state” so no bias there then from Alf (Garnett ? Ha Ha). You know the constant regurgitation of Ferries #BAD in Scotland as a story by the media does prove one thing. That is that they, the media, do not have a lot of topics to choose from which they can write negatively about in respect to the Scottish government , that is blatantly obvious if they, as a media, have to … Continue reading

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Even the Titanic took nearly three years to build but that was too slow for Alf Young, it seems

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In the Times today, Alf Young: We used to build ships in four months. Now it takes nine years What is he on about? The Titanic took nearly 3 years and clearly still wasn’t ready. The aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth took just over 6 years. In the 60s, the Liner QE2 took over 2 years. Those CalMac smaller ferries being built in Turkey are taking around 3 years. Even a tenth century Viking long-ship took 6 months. I can’t find anything substantial taking only 4 months. What is he thinking of? Back in his youth……ah now……where was I? Continue reading Even the Titanic took nearly three years to build but that was too slow for Alf Young, it seems

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West Midlands rapper’s ‘County Lines’ drug gang triggering drug deaths spike with deadly additives

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From the Ross-shire Journal, yesterday: County Lines drug gangs reach as far north as Alness, police confirm. THE Highlands are grappling with the grim reality of so-called County Lines drug operations, with 10 separate gangs exploiting vulnerable individuals in its capital city. Police Scotland’s Highlands and Islands Division has identified the growing footprint of organised crime over the past 18 months, with devastating consequences for the community. The criminal networks behind County Lines originate in major cities like Liverpool, London, and the West Midlands, and use a combination of coercion, exploitation, and violence to tighten their grip on the drug trade. … Continue reading West Midlands rapper’s ‘County Lines’ drug gang triggering drug deaths spike with deadly additives

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Othering is a constant tactic Labour choose to deploy,

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Anonymous It is unfortunate for both her and her party that she, Ms Baillie, as one who is ‘afflicted’ by excess weight , is then , in her role as Labour’s Health spokesperson, the one who communicates the message of: “Weight-loss jabs, alongside changes to diet and exercise, have the potential to be a game-changer in the fight against diabetes and cardiovascular disease“ Physician heal thyself or being a Labour MSP and Labour’s Health spokesperson keep telling others to do that which you yourself are obviously both failing to do or even attempting to do. Baillie delivering this message on weight is like an existing chain smoker being … Continue reading Othering is a constant tactic Labour choose to deploy,

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Will Audit Scotland ever get real and fully acknowledge the UK context in which Scotland is governed?

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By stewartb – a long read In recent times leading, broadly centrist, London-based think tanks and others have been arguing that the fiscal practices of Westminster/Whitehall governments have long been dysfunctional. Their damning consensus raises a crucial question: how do ‘dependent’ governments in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh – constrained to operate within devolved settlements – manage their nations’ public finances and the resourcing of devolved public services in an optimal manner to meet national needs and wants? The relevance of this is brought to mind by the recent Audit Scotland report on the state of Scotland’s public finances in which … Continue reading Will Audit Scotland ever get real and fully acknowledge the UK context in which Scotland is governed?

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Westminster Polls – SNP recovering, Labour plummeting, Cons consolidating in heartlands and Reform still too wee

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From More in Common on 21 November1 (11 November in brackets2): So, SNP recovering but still well short of an majority in Westminster comparable to 2-019. Reform, at that level, would be a threat in Holyrood with maybe 12 seats, but in a FPTP system like Westmnister, no threat. Conservatives return to former level, able to compartmentalise themselves as less toxic than Southern members and keep a few seats in South and North East. Sources: Continue reading Westminster Polls – SNP recovering, Labour plummeting, Cons consolidating in heartlands and Reform still too wee

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Weight-loss drug being pushed by Scottish Labour onto SNP associated with 100 hospitalisations and 10 deaths

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BBC Scotland has, of course, attempted to pin one possible weight-loss drug death onto the Scottish Government despite her awareness of the drug resulting from UK Labour’s attempt to use it to drive the obese back to work. From the National on 22 October 2024: Jackie Baillie (above), Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson, told The Times: “Weight-loss jabs, alongside changes to diet and exercise, have the potential to be a game-changer in the fight against diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” She said the Scottish Government “must ensure that patients who have been recommended these approved jabs by their clinician can access them … Continue reading Weight-loss drug being pushed by Scottish Labour onto SNP associated with 100 hospitalisations and 10 deaths

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Why all three 3 Scottish tower block fires have not resulted in ‘towering infernos’ and why in England they seem to be missing the point

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today, the above, and: Far too many high and medium-rise buildings are still unsafe after the Grenfell disaster, with dangerous cladding remaining on at least 2,400 blocks, a housing minister has warned. Wajid Khan, a Labour peer and housing minister, said on Friday that remediation work had not started at approximately 50% of properties being monitored for their unsafe cladding. He told the House of Lords there is a need to “go further, faster” on 2,415 residential buildings over 11 metres in height in England. Figures show that of 4,834 buildings on the register 983 have started remediation, … Continue reading Why all three 3 Scottish tower block fires have not resulted in ‘towering infernos’ and why in England they seem to be missing the point

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NHS Scotland/Scottish Government to avoid ‘toxic staffing row splitting the NHS’ in England, with more training and better conditions

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Health this morning: Julia’s first four years as a physician associate [PA] was everything she hoped it would be. After working in the NHS for the best part of a decade in a non-patient facing role, she was delighted to be on the wards supporting doctors and the wider healthcare teams. “I loved the contact I had with patients, assessing them and playing a part in their care. I felt supported and part of a team.” That all changed about a year ago. “Suddenly we came under attack. Doctors in the radiology department started refusing … Continue reading NHS Scotland/Scottish Government to avoid ‘toxic staffing row splitting the NHS’ in England, with more training and better conditions