Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Scotland beware – Right-wing Reform leader Farage wants to replace the NHS with a USA style “insurance based model”

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By JB Right-wing Reform leader Farage wants to replace the NHS with a USA style “insurance based model”. One of the many companies the multi-millionaire Farage owns, which was set up in May 2024, is called ‘Action on World Health LLP’. As “Co-founder and Chairman” Farage wants to reform or replace the World Health Organisation. One of its directors is also a director of a consultancy which advises, among other sectors, health care firms – “particularly mental and behavioural health”.  According to the hypocritical Labour Government Health Secretary Wes Streeting “Farage has been pushing healthcare charges to his supporters in … Continue reading Scotland beware – Right-wing Reform leader Farage wants to replace the NHS with a USA style “insurance based model”

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90% of local authorities in England ‘failed to submit reliable data’ to their national ‘watchdog’ but it’s not covered by media – Imagine that happened in Scotland?

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By stewartb A notable statement has been published today from the National Audit Office. The NAO performs a similar role to Audit Scotland but has a quite different public profile: whereas BBC Scotland and others in the mainstream media crawl through every line of every report published by Audit Scotland searching for ‘juicy’ negatives, the NAO’s output gets little mainstream news coverage in England or UK-wide, even when reporting significant negative findings. Today’s NAO report is clearly a major ‘negative’ – and the first of its kind ever – but at the time of writing this comment, there is nothing about it … Continue reading 90% of local authorities in England ‘failed to submit reliable data’ to their national ‘watchdog’ but it’s not covered by media – Imagine that happened in Scotland?

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As the Herald attempts to lay the blame for Glasgow’s recent rough-sleeping problem at the door of John Swinney and the SNP, the actual national achievements they never tell you of

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Professor John Robertson OBA 1 Core Homelessness lowest in Scotland ‘Core homelessness’ – a concept which captures the most severe and immediate forms of homelessness – Rates of core homelessness were in the last comparable study (2019) substantially lower in Scotland (0.57% of households) than in England (0.94%) and Wales (0.66%).  https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/homelessness-knowledge-hub/homelessness-monitor/scotland/the-homelessness-monitor-scotland-2021/ 2 Homelessness applications were almost twice as high under Labour/Lib Dems in 2006 There were around 58 000 cases in 2006, the last year of the Labour Government in Scotland. https://www.gov.scot/publications/high-level-summary-statistics-key-trends-scotland-2006/pages/12/ 3 Child homelessness is 30% higher in England From BBC UK July 2023: The number of people living in temporary accommodation in England has hit a … Continue reading As the Herald attempts to lay the blame for Glasgow’s recent rough-sleeping problem at the door of John Swinney and the SNP, the actual national achievements they never tell you of

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Another keynote speech by the First Minister announcement ignored – this time due to pressure of space for ‘Monkey addicted to marshmallows’ story

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From Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland today, full of hospital ‘toxic’ culture, a road death, a dropped misogyny bill, hate speech in schools and the above monkey, were unable as always to find space to alert you to the First Minister’s keynote speech given to delegates of the Better Society Academy at The Social Hub in Glasgow today. You can hear it here: or read it here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/better-society-academy-first-ministers-speech/ Do the First Minister of Wales or the Prime Minister face such censorship when they plan to say things that voters might approve of? Continue reading Another keynote speech by the First Minister announcement ignored – this time due to pressure of space for ‘Monkey addicted to marshmallows’ story

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As Tory Lord Ashcroft’s Holyrood mag platforms Anas Sarwar to lie about children’s mental health treatment, nearly 30% better performing in Scotland, the facts

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Holyrood mag owned now by Tory Lord Ashcroft, yesterday: Scottish Labour leader @AnasSarwar says the SNP are “fiddling” the CAMHS figures, with some health boards “counting an initial assessment as treatment” and removing children with autism and ADHD. I can’t comment on the latter part of the claim but, from From Public Health Scotland on 4th March 2025, the above graph and: 90.6% of children and young people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral, which is an increase from 89.1% for the previous quarter and from 83.8% for the same quarter ending December 2023. The Scottish … Continue reading As Tory Lord Ashcroft’s Holyrood mag platforms Anas Sarwar to lie about children’s mental health treatment, nearly 30% better performing in Scotland, the facts

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Dodgy British ‘think tank’ with links to British Labour, British Tories, Russia, and support the Nuclear Energy industry fabricates dodgy Scottish poll

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By JB Dodgy British ‘think tank’ with links to British Labour, British Tories, Russia, and support the Nuclear Energy industry fabricates dodgy Scottish poll. Who are they? Britain Remade, the name itself says it all.  Their plan is to ‘get Britain building again’. They want to ‘make Britain energy secure by 2030’ They back ‘Great British Nuclear’ From their ‘plan’ ‘Britain’s nuclear delivery body Great British Nuclear must be given full backing to buy sites and de-risk development for new fleets of SMRs. Government can play a crucial active role in shaping the market for nuclear energy. Targeted earlystage investment, … Continue reading Dodgy British ‘think tank’ with links to British Labour, British Tories, Russia, and support the Nuclear Energy industry fabricates dodgy Scottish poll

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Boris Johnson’s former aide owns a company with no previous polling experience to claim SNP supporters support nuclear energy and a Yorkshire-based ‘Scotsman’ reports it for you – I’d really like to see the full report – I smell something

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Ed: I’d really like to see their data and methods but can’t see them anywhere. If you can find anything let me know. By Liz S The Scotsman published a story yesterday that stated “Majority of SNP’s voters believe nuclear power should be part of Scotland’s mix of clean energy generation” this has now been declared nowt more than a PR stunt . The Scotsman , which as a newspaper has kept it’s quaint name, I say quaint as a name , as clearly it supports anyone but a person of Scottish origin, and surely in it still retaining the name “The … Continue reading Boris Johnson’s former aide owns a company with no previous polling experience to claim SNP supporters support nuclear energy and a Yorkshire-based ‘Scotsman’ reports it for you – I’d really like to see the full report – I smell something

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Yes support and SNP lead in latest poll may be larger as dated 2014 weighting of the sample is still being used

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Professor John Robertson OBA A quick response to the latest Survation poll today giving the SNP a healthy 14% lead over Labour but still a No lead at 46% to 44% at a time when other polls have shown Yes leads, often big ones: https://diffleypartnership.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/April-2025-Voter-Intention-Poll-Diffley-Partnership-FOR-WEB-2.xlsb Why might the SNP lead be greater and the No lead false? This: The sample used in this 2025 poll has been adjusted to mirror the 2014 referendum result with Yes voters cut from 426 to 334 and No voters increased from 321 to 413. I’m no expert on polling so I may not fully … Continue reading Yes support and SNP lead in latest poll may be larger as dated 2014 weighting of the sample is still being used

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There is no evidence that ‘mothers and babies came to harm in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary’ but Reporting Scotland want you to think so despite NHS Scotland’s lower maternity death rate and better staffing

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland this morning claimed that mothers and babies came to harm in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary due to a toxic culture there, as they reported on an independent review. The review as reported by BBC Scotland on their website today, does not mention that claim at all: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj3x6vy3lkeo The claim comes from a December 2024 internal review by Lothian Health board which BBC Scotland reported as only having this evidence: But staff say they fear the risks to patients remain. “We are afraid we can’t provide safe patient care and that women and babies are being … Continue reading There is no evidence that ‘mothers and babies came to harm in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary’ but Reporting Scotland want you to think so despite NHS Scotland’s lower maternity death rate and better staffing

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Grangemouth oil refinery – to have “failed” to make a profit at a time of such high oil prices is unimaginable

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By George Caldow In what little coverage (I have given up on expecting proper analysis in Scottish or UK MSM) I have seen or read, it has been about points scoring by Politicians. The truth is not so easily constrained within a soundbite. Ineos’s management is poor. To have “failed” to make a profit at a time of such high oil prices is unimaginable however they state they have. We have had statements of intent regarding introducing new technologies yet they have failed to complete many of the projects announced to much fanfare. They received money from the Scottish Government … Continue reading Grangemouth oil refinery – to have “failed” to make a profit at a time of such high oil prices is unimaginable