Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Why are so many young men committing sex crimes? Why don’t you start asking that in England where things are twice as bad?

johnrobertson834

Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From BBC Sounds yesterday, the above, and: Sexual crimes recorded by Police Scotland are at their highest level since 1971. With the Scottish Government preparing to recognise misogyny as a “distinct form of prejudice and abuse” in law, we speak to Karyn McCluskey (pictured left), formerly of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, and criminal defence lawyer Tony Lenehan KC (pictured right). https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0p90gzq I’m not of course questioning the importance of reducing violence against women but it remains important to make sure this kind of … Continue reading Why are so many young men committing sex crimes? Why don’t you start asking that in England where things are twice as bad?

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E-bike crime – Another ‘Scottish’ Westminster Labour MP educated in England tries to transfer e-bike crime 6 times more common there, north to help his bosses criticise Scottish Government

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From the Daily Record two days ago, the above scare story with Labour MP Richard Baker trying to get an attack on the SNP Government going, based on the experience of only one of his constituents (94), with an e-bike rider. Richard went to fee-paying St Bees School in Cumbria. They claim: This situation has led to an explosion of e-bike gangs roaming around without a care for their own safety or that of the pedestrians they crash into. Police are often unable to chase them … Continue reading E-bike crime – Another ‘Scottish’ Westminster Labour MP educated in England tries to transfer e-bike crime 6 times more common there, north to help his bosses criticise Scottish Government

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Revealed – Prof Paterson’s failed ‘Circuits and efficiency in incomplete block designs’ class for Primary 2, was left out of BBC Scotland decision to make him a ‘Leading Educationalist!’

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Oh, OK, I admit it, I only got a C2 for the infant stage in West Quarter Primary School (1980?) after the class accused me of cheating on caterpillar/butterfly metamorphosis, but I then got a B+ with the ‘big yins’ (11 year-olds) in Bantaskine, before going on to great success in Stirling, corrupting young minds in the school football team with the cynical Italian ‘Catennacio’ defensive system. Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 By Liz S That is he, who is a much favoured guest of the BBC Scotland news … Continue reading Revealed – Prof Paterson’s failed ‘Circuits and efficiency in incomplete block designs’ class for Primary 2, was left out of BBC Scotland decision to make him a ‘Leading Educationalist!’

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Pisa’s in the bin, Pizza too? England lags years behind Scotland’s school dinner menus

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Today, BBC England return to their greasy school kitchens strangely located next to, according to the junk statistics of Pisa, high achieving classrooms. It doesn’t add up. Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 BBC England, today has the above. BBC Scotland does not. Here’s why: Scotland has its own statutory framework under the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020. These cover food and drink standards across the whole school day plus nutrient standards for analysed primary lunches, secondary analysed lunches, and secondary hostel evening meals. … Continue reading Pisa’s in the bin, Pizza too? England lags years behind Scotland’s school dinner menus

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Reform UK’s funding lead over Labour is far less than Labour’s over the SNP – does the latter damage democracy too?

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 In the Guardian today, the Labour Party rails against the apparent injustice of another political party getting bigger donations than they get and, thus damaging democracy. According to the Electoral Commission, in Quarter 1 of 2026, UK Labour received from private donors just over £4 million, the Tories – £4.2m, Reform UK – £9.2m, the Lib Dems £2.3m and the SNP just £125k. Sources: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/media-centre/political-parties-accept-ps247m-donations-q1-2026 and So, the Labour Party has had 32 times as much as the SNP with no apparent concerns about … Continue reading Reform UK’s funding lead over Labour is far less than Labour’s over the SNP – does the latter damage democracy too?

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Student loans in England to be tweaked so they know earlier of a life in debt

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From BBC England today: University applicants in England will be given clearer information about student loans before they take them out, the government has said. Ministers said they would spell out that governments can change repayment rules and that different career choices can affect how much borrowers repay. They agreed to some but not all of the recommendations made by MPs after an inquiry into student loans, and did not say whether they would reverse a freeze to the repayment threshold for some graduates. … Continue reading Student loans in England to be tweaked so they know earlier of a life in debt

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Metering the Border

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The above dynamic map adds the new power lines (yellow) often from the bottom (south) to the top (north) as if to imply that the power might ever flow that way in this United Kingdom. Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From the Guardian today, the above, and: Tens of billions of pounds are being spent on new pylons, subsea cables and converter stations to connect a growing fleet of wind and solar farms and carry clean power to where it is needed. It comes after successive global shocks – Russia’s invasion of … Continue reading Metering the Border

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The prof who believes that Pisa tests prove England’s schools are better is also the same one who tried to stop my research in 2014 revealing BBC bias from affecting the Referendum

johnrobertson834

Not just posing in front of books but higgledy-piggledy ones? Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Regulars here will know that we’ve been reacting, often angrily, to Prof Paterson’s attempts to shame Scottish schools, based on the skills he picked up in his own early research into barley crop yields, bull testicles and other agricultural products. I won’t re-tread these today. I have another reason to question his motivations, that I’d forgotten about these 13 years since I did quantitative research into BBC/STV reporting of the referendum campaign and found, … Continue reading The prof who believes that Pisa tests prove England’s schools are better is also the same one who tried to stop my research in 2014 revealing BBC bias from affecting the Referendum

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Major comparative study by respected London-based Nuffield Foundation revealed higher educational achievement across the board in Scotland’s senior schools (16-18) than in other parts of the UK

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The Nuffield Foundation’s finding are entirely welcomed across education, considered useful and trusted on the basis of its transparent and rigorous methods. Many prominent educationist see Pisa as a destructive force narrowing and distorting curricula. Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA, for nearly 40 years a schoolteacher, a teacher education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance, research methods lecturer, PhD supervisor and Faculty Research Ethics Chair From Comparing inequality and outcomes across post-16 education in the UK, published in August 2025, utterly ignored at the time. Since the formal introduction of … Continue reading Major comparative study by respected London-based Nuffield Foundation revealed higher educational achievement across the board in Scotland’s senior schools (16-18) than in other parts of the UK

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No credible researcher into pupil attainment, values the Pisa tests but Lindsay Paterson is wheeled out again to praise, utterly ill-informed, England’s dodgy results

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Professor John Robertson OBA, for nearly 40 years a schoolteacher, a teacher education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance, research methods lecturer, PhD supervisor and Faculty Research Ethics Chair The Holyrood podcast Politically Speaking is owned by the Tory, Lord Ashcroft. He owns the Holyrood magazine too. They currently have Prof (rtd) Lindsay Paterson on to tell you plainly that Scotland’s falling Pisa scores are the consequence of devolution and SNP policies and that England is doing better. Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 I’ll repeat our, utterly mainstream in academia (proper that is) … Continue reading No credible researcher into pupil attainment, values the Pisa tests but Lindsay Paterson is wheeled out again to praise, utterly ill-informed, England’s dodgy results