Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Early release scheme in Scotland a fantastic success as re-offending rate plummets

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The media is full of headlines like: On in ten prisoners released early back behind bars and Dozens of early release prisoners are back in jail 10% reconviction rate eh? What’s the usual rate? From the Scottish Government in July 2024, the most recent data suggest the reconviction rate is 26.9%, pushing three times higher. Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/reconviction-rates-scotland-2020-21-offender-cohort/pages/4/ Continue reading Early release scheme in Scotland a fantastic success as re-offending rate plummets

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On impact of Westminster on Wales and Scotland, why do views of British Labour Party leaders in Wales differ so greatly from Party bosses in Scotland?

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By stewartb – a long read In December 2023, the British Labour Party’s government for Wales published its ‘Draft Budget 2024-24’. It provides the Party’s explanation for the present state of public services in Wales and the financial constraints on the government in Cardiff in its (less than successful) efforts to date to deliver much needed improvements. (Source: https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2023-12/2024-2025-draft-budget-narrative.pdf ) Candidly, the explanation it provides would be dismissed in a Scotland context by British Labour Party politicians. It’s an explanation that in Scotland would be ignored by BBC Scotland, STV and most of the mainstream news media supposedly ‘serving’ our … Continue reading On impact of Westminster on Wales and Scotland, why do views of British Labour Party leaders in Wales differ so greatly from Party bosses in Scotland?

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Tragedy as UK [sic] infant mortality surges to 14% higher than in Scotland after 17 years of SNP rule

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this: The Guardian today: The UK [sic] currently ranks 10th out of 38 OECD countries for infant mortality (deaths in children under the age of one), with four deaths recorded per 1,000 live births. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/oct/02/targeted-support-could-reduce-infant-mortality-gap-across-england-study-finds The facts for Scotland: Infant deaths down from 3.9 to 3.5 and neonatal down from 2.8 to 2.2: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/general-publications/vital-events-reference-tables/2022 4% is 14% highwer than 3.5%. Under Scottish Labour until 2007 – 4.7 and 3.3. Causes? SNP policies? More midwifes, more nurses, more home visitors etc. Continue reading Tragedy as UK [sic] infant mortality surges to 14% higher than in Scotland after 17 years of SNP rule

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RAAC!! A classic media scare story as only between 0.3% and 1.6% of Scotland’s social housing has it.

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From the Scottish Government’s Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC): Cross Sector Working Group minutes – May 2024, published today: Given the number of social housing properties across Scotland (c625,000) the number found to contain RAAC was considered to be low 1 How many RAAC properties? As of March 29, 2024, there are 1,994 homes in Scotland that have been confirmed to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). 8,311 homes are currently under investigation. 2 So, between 0.32% and 1.6% of Scotland’s social housing has RAAC in it. Sources: Continue reading RAAC!! A classic media scare story as only between 0.3% and 1.6% of Scotland’s social housing has it.

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BBC Scotland’s ‘lead infection control doctor’ contradicts the research she led but which did not support her scaremongering and unscientific current position on the inquiry

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By Professor John Robertson: I’m grateful to cuckooshoe for alerting me to NHS Scotland Assure Research Q&A Cupriavidus” Dr Theresa Inkster. Research Q&A: Prevalence and concentration of Cupriavidus and other opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens (OPPPs) in healthcare water systems across Scotland and England published in In an astonishing reversal of the findings from the above which she led, Inkster, today tells us: A senior doctor has told an inquiry she was “appalled” at the state of child cancer wards when a new £870m hospital opened in Glasgow in 2015. In evidence presented to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, infection control doctor … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s ‘lead infection control doctor’ contradicts the research she led but which did not support her scaremongering and unscientific current position on the inquiry

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Year after year, Scotland builds far more, 370 000 per head, affordable (really) housing than England

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By Professor John Robertson 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 English builds are, but I’ll park that for now. The first two rows are self-explanatory. The third row suggests how many Scotland might have built if it had England’s population, 10 times greater. The fourth gives the surplus Scotland built, per head of population, as many 40 751 more in 2022/2023. Note that the smallest surplus … Continue reading Year after year, Scotland builds far more, 370 000 per head, affordable (really) housing than England

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New Zealand harbourmaster ‘bullied’ into accepting bigger ferries, unpiloted through narrows, despite four incidents of drifting out of control, running aground and hitting harbour walls in less than two years!

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In July 2024, The Post (New Zealand), reported: One mistakenly pressed button sent the 17,816-tonne Aratere ferry off-course – but crew on the bridge couldn’t wrestle back control from autopilot before running aground was inevitable, a leaked internal safety bulletin shows. It is understood that a key part of the investigation into the Interislander ferry’s grounding in the Marlborough Sounds on June 21 will be whether the bridge crew knew how to disengage the autopilot when using a recently-installed steering system. Sources have confirmed the investigation into the grounding will, in part, look into claims nobody in the bridge crew knew that … Continue reading New Zealand harbourmaster ‘bullied’ into accepting bigger ferries, unpiloted through narrows, despite four incidents of drifting out of control, running aground and hitting harbour walls in less than two years!

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Children’s Cancer Wards Inquiry – Relying on a doctor who resigned before the supposed ‘spike’, repeating the lie that there was a ‘spike’ in infections and ignoring fact that QEUH’s child cancer wards had the same infection rate as other hospitals

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Today, BBC Scotland tells us: A senior doctor has told an inquiry she was “appalled” at the state of child cancer wards when a new £870m hospital opened in Glasgow in 2015. In evidence presented to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, infection control doctor Teresa Inkster said she felt “something had gone horribly wrong”. Dr Inkster was the lead infection control doctor for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde from April 2016 to September 2019. During that time the children’s cancer wards were forced to close because of a spike in unusual infections. Note the use of the word ‘felt’ … Continue reading Children’s Cancer Wards Inquiry – Relying on a doctor who resigned before the supposed ‘spike’, repeating the lie that there was a ‘spike’ in infections and ignoring fact that QEUH’s child cancer wards had the same infection rate as other hospitals

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Scottish Emergency departments holding steady despite demand increasing by 21% and performing 5% better than NHS England yet seeing 25% more patients per head

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, today, we see that 65.8% of all admissions to full emergency departments (ED) were treated within 4 hours in August 2024, down roughly 10% on January 2020 but now at the same level since January 2023. In the same period, demand increased from 110 742 to 133 454, up 20.9%. In NHS England: From NHS England, we see that 62.5% of all admissions to full emergency departments (Type 1) were treated within 4 hours in August 2024, similar to January 2020 and at roughly the same level since January then. In the … Continue reading Scottish Emergency departments holding steady despite demand increasing by 21% and performing 5% better than NHS England yet seeing 25% more patients per head

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NHS Scotland’s stunning 98% completion rate as operations return steadily to pre-pandemic levels

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, the above graph illustrating the long-term trends in increasing numbers of planned operations being carried (bold black dotted line) out on time (24 000 per month), and only around 2% having to be cancelled (thin grey solid line) due to ‘non clinical / capacity reasons’, meaning unexpected staff illnesses or overload on operating theatres caused by, for example, industrial or road traffic accidents or infection outbreaks in larger institutions with large numbers of unexpected patients at serious risk. That 98% of thousands of planned operations in an organisation as large and complex … Continue reading NHS Scotland’s stunning 98% completion rate as operations return steadily to pre-pandemic levels