Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Hospital water supply infection – Utterly dishonest change in what expert actually said, to fake the news, by Lisa Summers

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By Professor John Robertson OBA I didn’t spot this at the time, three days ago, and am very grateful to cuckooshoe for alerting me to it. On 9th October, BBC Scotland’s Lisa Summers wrote: ‘No direct evidence‘ of hospital infection link, says medical chief. A senior medical director has told an inquiry there is no direct evidence that unusual infections in child cancer patients were linked to a Glasgow hospital building. Professor Alastair Leanord, the chief of medicine for diagnostics at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, was the lead infection control doctor in 2019. He did not say ‘no direct … Continue reading Hospital water supply infection – Utterly dishonest change in what expert actually said, to fake the news, by Lisa Summers

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Shameful – BBC Scotland’s zombie reporters use a financial fraud investigation to return to unfounded accusations of child death from water supplies

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Reporting on a police and NHS investigation only into financial fraud, BBC Scotland are delighted to add: The QEUH campus, which includes the Royal Hospital for Children, was hailed as a world-leading facility when it opened. However, a series of infection outbreaks and concerns around the water and ventilation systems emerged after it opened and a number of patients died, including 10-year-old cancer patient Milly Main. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gl49vvjgro This is shameful politicising of personal suffering, scaremongering of the million plus served by the hospital, and deliberate harm to the mental well-being of thousands of NHS staff, based on … Continue reading Shameful – BBC Scotland’s zombie reporters use a financial fraud investigation to return to unfounded accusations of child death from water supplies

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Teacher numbers row – Labour/Tory councils play politics with billions in usable reserves and risk the best pupil-teacher ratios in the UK

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BBC Scotland, still headlining and picturing the SNP Education Secretary to suggest it’s all about her actions and putting pupils’ education at risk, while ignoring the facts. First: Pupil to teacher ratios in maintained schools were lowest in Scotland (13.2) and similar in Northern Ireland (17.4), England (18.0) and Wales (18.4).1 That’s a huge percentage difference in 54 000 teachers, meaning several thousand more teachers per head of population in Scotland. It would take massive cuts, of the kind not in question, to change that significantly. Second, Scotland’s local authorities are sitting on massive usable reserves, kept for just this kind … Continue reading Teacher numbers row – Labour/Tory councils play politics with billions in usable reserves and risk the best pupil-teacher ratios in the UK

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The simple facts that reveal the extent to which the SNP Government better protected us against Covid deaths despite the delay in devolving responsibility and Johnson’s callous inertia – saving thousands

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By Professor John Robertson OBA I’m grateful to @amaccj for reminding me of this and for the link to the source. When the final assessment is made, we need to set the scene with these facts: Two years later, in February 2022, as the pandemic receded, the simple consequences in terms of mortality in different parts of the UK can be see in this table from the UK Covid 19 Inquiry report6: Other than the isolated South-west of England, Scotland had the lowest mortality rate of the 4 nations, even lower than Northern Ireland sheltered by its sea gap. 15% more … Continue reading The simple facts that reveal the extent to which the SNP Government better protected us against Covid deaths despite the delay in devolving responsibility and Johnson’s callous inertia – saving thousands

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Texas takes fight against massive federal Sellafield-like nuclear dump proposal to highest level – supreme court

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Texas Tribune, two days ago: The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up a yearslong dispute over a plan to ship highly radioactive nuclear waste to rural West Texas, a case that could have sweeping implications for how the nation deals with a growing stockpile of waste generated by nuclear power plants. A company called Interim Storage Partners has long pursued the plan to move “high-level” nuclear waste from power plants across the nation to an existing nuclear waste storage facility in Andrews County, on the Texas-New Mexico border. Last year, in a Texas-led lawsuit, a federal … Continue reading Texas takes fight against massive federal Sellafield-like nuclear dump proposal to highest level – supreme court

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So the Envoy will not attend the first collective meeting of those towards whom she will be the Envoy?

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By stewartb So the Envoy will not attend the first collective meeting of those towards whom she will be the Envoy! What a missed opportunity to forge relationships! This Council of Nations and Regions – which will have the Mayors of London and of England’s ‘combined authorities’ invited to attend – fails even in its own terms to be representative. The Institute for Government (IfG) on 24 June 2024 published this: ‘English devolution – What is the history of English devolution? How much of England has devolution? Which powers are devolved?’ It explains that there are currently 12 areas with mayoral … Continue reading So the Envoy will not attend the first collective meeting of those towards whom she will be the Envoy?

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What they don’t want you to know about in the ‘teacher numbers row’

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Headlining on BBC Scotland today: The Scottish government has withheld £145.5m in funding to councils because of a row over teacher numbers. It says the money has been earmarked to maintain teacher jobs, but local government body Cosla disagrees with the ringfencing. Most Scottish councils are looking at education cuts – including proposals to reduce learning hours, school buses, and classroom assistants – but only some, including Glasgow, have reduced teacher numbers. The important detail and context which BBC Scotland, the Herald and Scotsman never tell you: From 2017 to 2023, the number of pupils in … Continue reading What they don’t want you to know about in the ‘teacher numbers row’

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Drug gangs from Aylesbury and Liverpool exploiting children and vulnerable adults in Scotland plead guilty to Modern Day Slavery but our media concentrate on ‘Scotland’s Tony Soprano’

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From Merseyside Police yesterday: Three people who exploited children to sell drugs as part of a county lines network have been sentenced today (Thursday 10 October). James O’Keefe, 23, of no fixed address, Kerry Russell, 39, of Titherington Way, Liverpool and Ruby O’Keefe, 19, of Colby Close, Liverpool were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today (Thursday 10 October). Officers from Merseyside’s Project Medusa, the initiative to tackle county lines drug dealing and child criminal exploitation across the country, began an investigation into James O’Keefe in November 2023. Despite being in prison for previous offences, detectives established that James O’Keefe was … Continue reading Drug gangs from Aylesbury and Liverpool exploiting children and vulnerable adults in Scotland plead guilty to Modern Day Slavery but our media concentrate on ‘Scotland’s Tony Soprano’

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‘Prof’ Kezia Dugdale? You’re having me expletive deleted on!

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By Professor John Robertson OBA The host didn’t introduce Kezia Dugdale as ‘prof’ but the above appeared when she began to speak. After 30 years in HE, I got ‘prof’. To get it, I had to publish research in peer-reviewed journals, have a PhD myself and supervise PhD students. I spoke at conferences and chaired a Faculty research ethics committee. Long before I got ‘prof’ I taught research methods for years. Dugdale has a Masters degree and appeared on that get me out of the jungle show. 1 of 7 regional MSPs (not elected by constituents) for Lothian. Labour got only … Continue reading ‘Prof’ Kezia Dugdale? You’re having me expletive deleted on!

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Religious hate crime in England & Wales surges to the highest since 2012, TWICE that, per head, in Scotland where it falls to the lowest since 2004

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From the Guardian today: Religious hate crimes in England and Wales have soared by 25% to record levels, coinciding with the Israel-Hamas conflict, government statistics show. The increase, from 8,370 to 10,484 offences reported to police forces in the year to March, was driven by a rise in offences against Jewish people and to a lesser extent Muslims, the Home Office said. According to the statistical bulletin, the total of 10,484 anti-religious offences was the highest annual tally of these offences since hate crime records began in the year ending March 2012. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/10/religious-hate-crimes-at-record-levels-in-england-and-wales-official-figures-show In June 2024, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service … Continue reading Religious hate crime in England & Wales surges to the highest since 2012, TWICE that, per head, in Scotland where it falls to the lowest since 2004