Author: johnrobertson834

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

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

johnrobertson834

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

2 Comments

As Sellafield staff proudly empty unknown radioactive material from places ‘designed never to be emptied’ Scots wonder where on earth they are going to put it now

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Frances McKie for alerting me to this. In a remarkable piece in the Cumberland News & Star, tow days ago we read: The Electrolux vacuum cleaner was found in Sellafield’s Pile Fuel Cladding Silo, which has been a locked vault since the 1970s. The household hoover is thought to have been used to clean up radioactive dust in the facility during the 1950s and 1960s. After decades of work to figure out how to take waste from a building designed never to be emptied, retrieval teams at Sellafield are now doing exactly that. So … Continue reading As Sellafield staff proudly empty unknown radioactive material from places ‘designed never to be emptied’ Scots wonder where on earth they are going to put it now

6 Comments

Anas Sarwar’s shameless opportunism exposed at STUC Conference

johnrobertson834

By Liz S  A delegate at the STUC Conference tells Anas Sarwar and Labour a few home truths on Grangemouth. The Morning Star also noted this in their headline: “Scottish Labour leader’s ‘shameless opportunism’ slammed” The delegate stated this: “As I stand here, workers at Grangemouth — my friends and my colleagues — will walk out for the last time as over a century of oil refining comes to an end,” ‘”It’s a private business, there’s nothing we can do, it’s a commercial decision’ — that’s what they’ve been telling us, and yet everything we called for has happened, just not at Grangemouth” (He, … Continue reading Anas Sarwar’s shameless opportunism exposed at STUC Conference

10 Comments

Optimism as alcohol deaths level-off for third year in a row after minimum unit pricing enters fourth year but media try to scare us with out-of-date figures before a fall anticipated this year

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Specially plucked out by the Reporting Scotland team and other MSM, not on their website, the above carefully selected statistic – an increase of jut ONE and not the trend they hope to imply. Looking at the other media reports we see they’re based on the 2023 data reported by the National Records of Scotland published in September 2024.1 We won’t have the 2024 data until September 2025. Here’s the trend: There were 1,277 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland in 2023, an increase of one death from 2022. This is the highest number of alcohol-specific deaths … Continue reading Optimism as alcohol deaths level-off for third year in a row after minimum unit pricing enters fourth year but media try to scare us with out-of-date figures before a fall anticipated this year

5 Comments

Labour’s pledge to hire 6,500 extra teachers in England will be a ‘challenge’ will only add 1.4% to the total and still not affect their nearly 40%, per head, higher teaching load than in Scotland

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today, the above and: A key government pledge to appoint 6,500 extra teachers in England by the end of this parliament will be difficult to achieve and is likely to fall short of demand, the UK’s public spending watchdog has warned. The education secretary Bridget Phillipson’s promise to recruit thousands of extra teachers in state schools, which has been funded by adding VAT to private school fees, forms one of the cornerstones of the government’s education policy. However, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO), published on Wednesday, warned that a projected increase in … Continue reading Labour’s pledge to hire 6,500 extra teachers in England will be a ‘challenge’ will only add 1.4% to the total and still not affect their nearly 40%, per head, higher teaching load than in Scotland

10 Comments

Where’s the real evidence that ‘islanders’ are really angry over ferries?

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Tiny unelected groups feature regularly on MSM, especially Herald, reports, like the one above, telling us that ‘islanders’, tens of thousands of them, are angry about the ferry service they get. Only 0.33% of the population of Arran and Ardrossan turned out for their protest. No professional survey has ever been done to back up these claims. Tellingly, none of the groups complaining have ever done one. Our, admittedly limited survey, found more than 90% felt they are well or very well-served by CalMac. More at: In addition to a proper reliable survey, the reporting and … Continue reading Where’s the real evidence that ‘islanders’ are really angry over ferries?

5 Comments

Unions representing 350 000+ health workers call on Australian government to drop nuclear plans casting further doubt on UK Labour’s plans for Scotland

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA From Medianet today: CANBERRA WEDNESDAY 30 April, 2025 – Organisations representing over 350,000 emergency services workers have today called on Peter Dutton and the Coalition to drop their nuclear energy plan. The letter, signed by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, Climate Action Nurses, Climate and Health Alliance, Doctors for the Environment Australia, and the United Firefighters Union of Australia  highlights the collective expertise of frontline responders in assessing the risks posed by nuclear energy, and declares that Australia’s current emergency services do not have the support or resources to respond to … Continue reading Unions representing 350 000+ health workers call on Australian government to drop nuclear plans casting further doubt on UK Labour’s plans for Scotland

1 Comment

Four times as many, per head, waiting for a social care assessment or package in England than in Scotland

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA From People requiring a social care assessment and care at home services published today by Public Health Scotland: The number of people estimated to be waiting on a social care assessment for a package of care to enable them to live independently at home or in the community was 6,461 on 7 April 2025. The estimated number of people assessed and waiting for a care at home package was 2,852 on 7 April 2025. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/people-requiring-a-social-care-assessment-and-care-at-home-services/people-requiring-a-social-care-assessment-and-care-at-home-services-29-april-2025/ That’s a total of 9 313 ‘waiting for an assessment of their needs or for help to begin.‘ All things being … Continue reading Four times as many, per head, waiting for a social care assessment or package in England than in Scotland

1 Comment

Thanks to Scottish Government’s world-leading opioid overdose reversal programme, drug-related hospital admissions plummet for third year

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA From Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly ​reportApril 2025 published today: Between December 2024 and February 2025, the number of drug-related attendances at emergency departments (888) was 9% lower than the previous quarter (977). This was 18% lower than the same period commencing in December 2022 (1,074) and 14% lower than in the same period commencing in December 2023 (1,035). Between October and December 2024, 1,795 drug-related hospital admissions were recorded. This was 19% lower than the previous quarter (2,204). Admissions were similar to the same period in 2022 (1,799) and 17% lower than … Continue reading Thanks to Scottish Government’s world-leading opioid overdose reversal programme, drug-related hospital admissions plummet for third year

Leave a comment

Suspected drug deaths – significant fall in early 2025 to confirming falling trend in early 2024 and 2023

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA From Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly ​reportApril 2025: There were 251 suspected drug deaths, 17% higher than in the previous 12-week period (215). This was 12% lower than the same period commencing in December 2022 (285) and 17% lower than in the same period commencing in December 2023 (304). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/rapid-action-drug-alerts-and-response-radar-quarterly-report/rapid-action-drug-alerts-and-response-radar-quarterly-report-april-2025/harm-indicators/suspected-drug-deaths/ The one-quarter variation is not significant but the trend is clearly down, with weekly lows hovering around 15 deaths per week since early 2024 as opposed to 20 before that. This positive trend is being limited by the recent flow of cheap, powerful, … Continue reading Suspected drug deaths – significant fall in early 2025 to confirming falling trend in early 2024 and 2023