Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
7 Comments

Access to NHS dentistry in Scotland – How trust in hypocritical Scottish Labour has ‘rotted away’

johnrobertson834

stewartb More on the state of dentistry in England. From The Mirror – traditionally a Labour-supporting newspaper (July 14, 2025): ‘Wes Streeting defends only paying for half the population to get an NHS dentist – Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been grilled by MPs about suggestions Labour will not substantially increase the NHS dentistry budget it inherited from the Tories’ ‘Health Secretary Wes Streeting has defended why the Government is only paying for half the population of England to get an NHS dentist. (my emphasis) ‘MPs on the Health Committee grilled Mr Streeting on whether he would “reconsider” a decision to stick with similar funding for … Continue reading Access to NHS dentistry in Scotland – How trust in hypocritical Scottish Labour has ‘rotted away’

2 Comments

Leading health think tank praises new framework for population health co-created by Scottish Government and COSLA

johnrobertson834

– ‘this is a major step forward’ –  ‘Despite the now released Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan, England has nothing equivalent’ – ‘England would do well to draw inspiration from its neighbour’. By stewartb A respected think tank focusing on health and care in England, the King’s Fund published (July 14) a blog post with the headline: ‘What can English health policy learn from Scotland? A coherent policy approach to population health.’ Source: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/blogs/scotland-coherent-policy-approach-population-health It describes the King’s Fund’s longstanding advocacy of a stronger focus in England on population health through promoting the ‘integration for health, as … Continue reading Leading health think tank praises new framework for population health co-created by Scottish Government and COSLA

5 Comments

Scotland’s economy has recently been outperforming the rest of the UK

johnrobertson834

By Liz S Labour are failing in what they promoted as being their main mission as the new UK government. Number one focus for them being “Growth” in the UK economy. On July 11th it was reported that: “Chancellor Rachel Reeves has called the economy’s recent performance “disappointing” after figures showed it shrank unexpectedly in May” Also………. “The economy contracted by 0.1%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, after also shrinking in April” Ian Murray, Labour’s so called ‘Scottish’ Secretary, declared in 2024 that Labour’s first budget as the new UK government would herald an era of “Growth” for Scotland. Yet his Labour party are … Continue reading Scotland’s economy has recently been outperforming the rest of the UK

7 Comments

For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Throughout much of 2024, the Herald worked with opposition politicians in a campaign aimed at undermining CalMac and, by association, the SNP’s competence in government. We, at TuS found several reports of the unsuitability of catamarans across the globe, even in milder conditions than off the West coast of Scotland and today we have used the X AI platform Grok to finally answer the question – Are mono hull or catamaran ferries better for the West Coast of Scotland island routes? The findings were unequivocal in favour of the mono-hulls: Choosing between mono hull and catamaran … Continue reading For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight

10 Comments

In just 72 words, your perfect response to questions on the SNP’s use of the Scottish budget allocation from Westminster and the need for ‘full fiscal autonomy’

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA From First Minister correspondence including phrase “full fiscal autonomy”: FOI release published today: For the period 8th May 2024 – date, please provide all correspondence sent by, or to, John Swinney (or his private office) which includes the phrase “full fiscal autonomy”. The National (Scotland) 12 Budget is a reminder of who really controls our funding We could use Scotland’s vast renewable energy resources to lower costs and become a green energy leader. The UK is one of the worst-performing economies in Europe, so why should Scotland remain tied to it? With full fiscal autonomy, Scotland could … Continue reading In just 72 words, your perfect response to questions on the SNP’s use of the Scottish budget allocation from Westminster and the need for ‘full fiscal autonomy’

5 Comments

SNP Government and councils praised for increasing essential road repairs despite lower traffic volumes

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA In a typically perverse piece of BBC Scotland reporting, Andrew Pickens opens with: Complaining about the amount of roadworks is something of a national pursuit – but it is one that appears to increasingly be justified. The number of recorded roadworks in Scotland is now 28% higher than it was before the Covid pandemic. The end result, a fixed pothole or faster broadband connection, is welcome – but roadworks can mean increased congestion which affects motorists, cyclists and bus users. before noting: In 2019/20 the watchdog got 129,713 notices of work starting before hitting a record … Continue reading SNP Government and councils praised for increasing essential road repairs despite lower traffic volumes

6 Comments

Scottish Conservatives cost the taxpayer more than £300 on a failed attempt to ‘reveal’ that an increase of only 0.05% is ‘skyrocketing’

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Today, the Herald has a one-year increase from 48 to 79 cases of police callouts for assaults and threats at bus stations, based on the latest opposition party freedom of information request response, presented as a ‘skyrocketing’ crisis, amid a ‘rise in youth violence‘, for John Swinney. Leaving aside the obvious limitations in a one-year change to identify a trend, the report does not mention that the percentage of 16-24 year-olds reporting having experienced violence has actually fallen from 12% in 2008 to 7.5% in 2024.1 Most important, we do not see that there were 59 … Continue reading Scottish Conservatives cost the taxpayer more than £300 on a failed attempt to ‘reveal’ that an increase of only 0.05% is ‘skyrocketing’

3 Comments

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on existing UK nuclear sites: ‘all land dedesignated or reused’ by 2380 – but sooner at Dounreay, by 2334!

johnrobertson834

By stewartb It’s clear from statements made, if Anglo-British political parties gain power in Holyrood after the 2026 election, Scotland in Union will see a new generation of nuclear power plants (large ‘conventional’ and/or small modular reactors) built here. Ian Murray MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, July 4, 2025 stated: “In other parts of the UK, the UK Government is driving forward nuclear power, as are countries across Europe and indeed the world. But in Scotland the Scottish Government clings to its ideological objection to new nuclear sites. That means that Scotland is being left behind, missing out on … Continue reading The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on existing UK nuclear sites: ‘all land dedesignated or reused’ by 2380 – but sooner at Dounreay, by 2334!

9 Comments

Hell springs to mind as an apt description of that unwelcome scenario….but I believe the ball is in the court of voters in Scotland

johnrobertson834

By Liz S I am hopeful that somehow Reform UK will never emulate the same level of success in Scotland next year that they, as a (pretend) party, seem to have achieved in England. (and also via polls are anticipated as having even more success in the future via some subsequent UK elections). However they will, I am sure , gain some seats next year in the Scottish elections which I think will be both a disgrace and also very much a huge badge of shame for Scotland as a nation. Open Democracy wrote an article in June 2025 which … Continue reading Hell springs to mind as an apt description of that unwelcome scenario….but I believe the ball is in the court of voters in Scotland

1 Comment

Local press reveals scale of ‘English drug dealers’ presence in NE Scotland but BBC Scotland maintain a suspicious silence for six years now

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Graham for these three alerts below and this comment: So that’s THREE more cases from the P&J over a couple of days, on top of the Scouse Jack case. July 11, two days ago and the Aberdeen-based P&J has the above explicit linking of the local drugs supply to England. Two days before that and the supply is clearly identified as being from large English cities. Does anyone believe the flow is going the other way? On the same day, the P&J illustrates how vulnerable locals are being ‘cuckooed’ and the judge clearly knows … Continue reading Local press reveals scale of ‘English drug dealers’ presence in NE Scotland but BBC Scotland maintain a suspicious silence for six years now