Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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How a ‘Scotland Edition’ is completely off-track and failing to tell you that Scotrail is 96% on time

johnrobertson834

Today’s iWeekend title page, clearly completely ignorant and unconcerned, to provide Scots with the truth. What is the truth? ScotRail has been named as one of the most reliable train companies in the UK in a new study. Analysis of official figures for the UK’s 24 major train operators, focusing on the percentage of train journeys either cancelled or delayed by 15 minutes or more, showed ScotRail with the fourth best performance. The study said on average 3.61 per cent of ScotRail journeys between January 2021 and September 2023 were seriously late or cancelled. The study was carried out by travel … Continue reading How a ‘Scotland Edition’ is completely off-track and failing to tell you that Scotrail is 96% on time

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3 years after SNP end all hospital parking charges, hospital staff in England pay more that £50 per week

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Frankly, I’m shocked to hear today, the BBC report that one English hospital has just announced free Christmas parking, only days after a Brighton hospital essential worker reported paying more than £50 per week. Yesterday, I parked free at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank, never thinking for a minute than anyone paid to park for a hospital visit, these days. The SNP scrapped the charges in 2008. Surely Gordon Brown while PM then would have scrapped them in England too, as he ‘led’ the UK into the 2010 General Election, if he had any gumption, never mind compassion. He … Continue reading 3 years after SNP end all hospital parking charges, hospital staff in England pay more that £50 per week

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Too positive to be newsworthy? Scotland’s train cancellations found to be lowest of any country or region in Great Britain.

johnrobertson834

By stewartb ‘Worst major train stations for cancellations named’ is the headline of a BBC News website article today (December 20). Despite being Great Britain wide in scope, the story features in the site’s news for England. The same story featured prominently in Radio 4’s Today programme (also on December 20), both in news bulletins and in interviews, including with a Westminster government minister. Although a Today presenter challenged the Labour minister about the benefit of rail run by the public sector in a part of England given its relatively high level of cancellations, the programme made no mention of … Continue reading Too positive to be newsworthy? Scotland’s train cancellations found to be lowest of any country or region in Great Britain.

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Listen to Australian Labor Party’s academic expert as she warns nuclear energy proposal causes ‘cancer, strokes and heart attacks’

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Labour Party in Scotland fully backs the UK Government plans to build new nuclear power stations in Scotland, regardless of widespread opposition to the idea among the population and UK research linking these installations to a range of cancers, but especially breast cancer, thyroid cancer and child leukaemia, in surrounding areas.1 Meanwhile, in Australia, the Labor Party is campaigning against plans there using research by the former GP now Melbourne University lecturer, Dr Margaret Beavis, who argues: “There are definite increases in cancer, strokes and heart attacks with nuclear power. With renewable energy we have … Continue reading Listen to Australian Labor Party’s academic expert as she warns nuclear energy proposal causes ‘cancer, strokes and heart attacks’

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‘Scots flooding across border to snap up cut price alcohol’ – How the media are the real hazard for public health in Scotland and not the Scottish Government

johnrobertson834

Anonymous Last Sunday this was the headlines on The Sunday Post’s front page. “Scots flooding across border to snap up cut price alcohol” Where apparently alcohol was being bought in “bulk” by Scots when in England. Apparently this was during trips to England, so people are not specifically going to England just to buy alcohol in bulk then ? As in the same alcohol that if bought in bulk and then consumed excessively it then has a detrimental impact on your health as it can be deadly. According to the Sunday Post “soaring alcohol prices in Scotland” are then “driving shoppers online and over the border into England in search of bargains”. But wait what is happening in England with alcohol consumption ? Well today it was reported on the BBC website in their UK & Health sections … Continue reading ‘Scots flooding across border to snap up cut price alcohol’ – How the media are the real hazard for public health in Scotland and not the Scottish Government

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Hospital admissions – why are flu intensive care cases not ‘notably increased’ in Scotland but ‘risk overwhelming hospitals’ in England?

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA To set the scene for this report, do listen to John Grady MP for Glasgow East, corporate lawyer and holder of a typical Edinburgh University accent, above. If you can, then read on. From the Guardian yesterday: Surge in flu cases risks overwhelming hospitals in England, says NHS chief – Health service concerned that early ‘flood’ of infections will be made worse by family gatherings at Christmas…Last week 125 people were so seriously ill with flu they were being treated in critical care, almost double the 66 who were receiving life-or-death care because of the virus the week … Continue reading Hospital admissions – why are flu intensive care cases not ‘notably increased’ in Scotland but ‘risk overwhelming hospitals’ in England?

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Covid care home deaths – the thousands saved and lost in Scotland and in England

johnrobertson834

On 22 January 2021, BBC UK had a special report on the anxiety in English and Welsh care homes that they were being left behind in the vaccine rollout. Days earlier, in response to a question by Philippa Whitford, Matt Hancock confirmed that only 24% of care home residents in England had been vaccinated. On the same day, the First Minister of Scotland indicated that 80% of care home residents and staff had now been vaccinated. Some councils, Inverclyde and North Ayrshire claimed 100%. Whitford then explained: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation was very clear that those who … Continue reading Covid care home deaths – the thousands saved and lost in Scotland and in England

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Why building CalMac ferries, quicker and cheaper in Turkey might not have been such a good idea after all

johnrobertson834

From STV on 28th March 2024, as a media frenzy risked the future of commercial shipbuilding in the Clyde, just to attack the SNP Government, in support of the 2024 General Election Labour campaign: All four Calmac ferries being built in Turkey ‘are on time and on budget’ By August 2024, the Herald told us: Four ferries being built in Turkey for CalMac will be delayed, with the first having been due to be delivered this month. MV Isle of Islay was due to be delivered by mid-October, but it was announced in August that it would not be delivered … Continue reading Why building CalMac ferries, quicker and cheaper in Turkey might not have been such a good idea after all

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Scotland’s electricity transfers to England worth more than £3 BILLION

johnrobertson834

From Energy Statistics for Scotland – Q3 2024, published today: Scotland is a net exporter of electricity. In 2023, the equivalent of 33.8% of electricity generated in Scotland was exported: 13.9 TWh to England and Wales, and 2.0 TWh to Northern Ireland. Scotland has seen a steady rise in the proportion of electricity generated from low-carbon sources from 49.4% in 2004 to 89.6% in 2023.1 According to EDF, 1 KWh is currently worth around 24p2. One TWh is 1 000 000 000 KWh So 1 TWh is worth around 1 000 000 000 times 24p or £240m. 13.9 TWh is … Continue reading Scotland’s electricity transfers to England worth more than £3 BILLION

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Labor Party warns nuclear energy proposal causes ‘cancer, strokes and heart attacks’

johnrobertson834

The Labour Party in Scotland fully backs the UK Government plans to build new nuclear power stations in Scotland, regardless of widespread opposition to the idea among the population and UK research linking these installations to a range of cancers, but especially breast cancer, thyroid cancer and child leukaemia, in surrounding areas.1 Meanwhile, in Australia, the Labor Party is campaigning against plans there using research by the former GP now Melbourne University lecturer, Dr Margaret Beavis, who argues: “There are definite increases in cancer, strokes and heart attacks with nuclear power. With renewable energy we have much safer alternatives,” she … Continue reading Labor Party warns nuclear energy proposal causes ‘cancer, strokes and heart attacks’