Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Scottish breast screening uptake increases again and there is no postcode lottery here

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From Public Health Scotland today: 711,189 women were invited, and 539,575 attended, a routine breast screening appointment. This equates to more than three in four women (75.9%) taking up their screening invitations. This is an increase on the previous three-year period (2019/22), when uptake was 74.5%, and pre-pandemic (2017/20), when uptake was 72.2%. All NHS boards individually met the acceptable uptake standard of 70% for the three-year period (2020/23): This is the second time this has happened since 2008/11, with the first time being the 2019/2022 period. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scottish-breast-screening-programme-statistics/scottish-breast-screening-programme-statistics-annual-update-to-31-march-2023/ Continue reading Scottish breast screening uptake increases again and there is no postcode lottery here

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Hate crime in Scotland plummets

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From the Scottish Government today: The police recorded 6,257 hate crimes in 2022-23. This is 10% (or 670) lower than in 2021-22 and the lowest number since 2014-15. https://www.gov.scot/publications/hate-crimes-recorded-by-the-police-in-scotland-2022-23/documents/ Hate crime based on race and religion has fallen most dramatically, by around 30% for race and around 25% for religion. Regrettably perhaps, though this may be due to greater confidence in coming forward, thus a good thing, hate crime based on sexual orientation has increased 50%, based on disability has doubled and based on transgender ID, has tripled. Continue reading Hate crime in Scotland plummets

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CalMac ferries run 862 sailings over the weekend with 100% on time

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On Saturday 11th May 2024 and Sunday 12th May, CalMac ran 862 sailings with 33 vessels to around 50 ports, and 100% were on time despite the media scare stories of delayed new builds and ferries in dock for repair. Facts is facts! Meanwhile P&O ferries admit paying vulnerable crew from South-East Asia, £4.87 per hour, an Isle of Wight ferry service sells off it’s only reserve ferry among major delays but keeps paying dividends to its shareholders and a New Zealand ferry service has all three ferries out after one nearly ends up on the rocks with 700 on … Continue reading CalMac ferries run 862 sailings over the weekend with 100% on time

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Conservative council’s nursery closures ‘punishment’ for choosing rural life

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From BBC Scotland South this morning: Nursery closures ‘punishment’ for choosing rural life – Parents in the Borders claim they are being punished for choosing country living after their local nurseries were earmarked for closure. Scottish Borders Council announced at Easter that early years centres in Westruther and Fountainhall would close this summer.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c99z08zx024o There’s not a mention of the Council being Conservative & Unionist nor of their Conservative & Unionist MP not their Conservative & Unionist MSP, fighting to keep the nursery open. There is, of course, no context, no news on the wider context of childcare in the … Continue reading Conservative council’s nursery closures ‘punishment’ for choosing rural life

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Extremists? Tories love them, are them!

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By NMRN RISHI Sunak has mentioned “Scottish Nationalists” in a major speech referring to the “extremist” threats facing the UK…..meanwhile we are all old enough to remember when the Tories, under Theresa May as PM, sought an agreement with the DUP. Where she made an “Extreme” kind of decision in giving one billion pounds, as a bribe to the DUP, in return for their support in the HOC to help her government win/pass votes in there………post the 2017 GE when she , as the new Tory leader, lost them their Tory majority that they, as a party, previously had before she called that 2017 … Continue reading Extremists? Tories love them, are them!

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‘UK’ Birth trauma report has evidence of a crisis only in England

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BY stewartb The report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in the UK Parliament on birth trauma published today does of course address a really important topic. It merits and has received a lot of attention from the mainstream media: BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning gave it a lot of attention. My interest – as in the main blog post – is in the nature of the APPG’s process – its research scope, its evidence base and the nature of its recommendations. After listening to media reports and skimming through the final report, the following observation seem worth … Continue reading ‘UK’ Birth trauma report has evidence of a crisis only in England

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Conservative minister apologises for birth trauma scandal in England

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From the Guardian today: Minister apologises to women affected by birth trauma after UK inquiry. Inquiry hears ‘harrowing’ testimonies and finds postcode lottery for quality of maternity care. A health minister has apologised to women affected by birth trauma after a parliamentary inquiry that heard “harrowing” testimonies from more than 1,300 women about giving birth found a “postcode lottery” for maternity care. The women’s health minister, Maria Caulfield, on Monday acknowledged ministers had got the approach to maternity services wrong for a long time. A UK inquiry but only the minister covering NHS England is asked and no mention of … Continue reading Conservative minister apologises for birth trauma scandal in England

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Industrial action to add days to 24 000 year clear-up of Scottish nuclear energy site and Scottish Labour want to extend that

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Proud GMB member and champion of nuclear energy, Labour candidate Alan Gemmell. From BBC Scotland today: More than 500 members of the Unite union at the Dounreay nuclear power complex have voted to strike in a dispute over pay. The workers, who will take action on Wednesday, have rejected the latest offer to resolve the matter. Meanwhile, the Prospect union said in a close ballot its members had voted to accept the deal, and the GMB union said the result of its vote was expected later but expected to back strike action. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq5nnl9vjzeo While it is always disturbing to hear … Continue reading Industrial action to add days to 24 000 year clear-up of Scottish nuclear energy site and Scottish Labour want to extend that

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New BBC Scotland tactic – ‘numbing the senses of the nation with trivia’

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By stewartb The contributions to life in Scotland by the public service broadcaster, BBC Scotland are well known to TuS readers. Most readily analysed is its output appearing daily on the BBC News website: context-free, perspective-free news on economic and political matters; politicisation of public service issues to a degree unknown in the output of BBC Wales; an evident preference for negativity – candidly, gaslighting; and to reinforce this, a practice of bias by omission. All the foregoing is consistent with exerting influence in support for the Union. However, today on the Corporation’s News website we may be seeing a … Continue reading New BBC Scotland tactic – ‘numbing the senses of the nation with trivia’

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How BBC Wales hides Labour Government from scrutiny

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In the Nation Cymru today but nowhere in the MSM of Wales: Wales deserves better than to have a dishonest politician as First Minister. That’s why it’s important that the Labour Party does what is necessary to remove Vaughan Gething from office. Since Nation.Cymru revealed four days ago that he had misled the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, statements he has made – and that another member of his Cabinet has made – have confirmed that he has been dishonest. Our original case against him was set out in an article we published last Tuesday morning, May 7. It’s worth repeating the crucial … Continue reading How BBC Wales hides Labour Government from scrutiny