Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Contrary to the Scottish media frenzy, NHS Grampian’s A&E is better than all but one of England’s health boards and 66% better (!!!) than in Thatcher’s, the last Health Secretary and these MP’s Lincolnshire

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Above, the eight MPs for Lincolnshire constituencies, Margaret Thatcher’s birthplace and now home to Reform’s Richard Tice and the Con Gammon’s Sir Edward Leith. Best of all, Victoria Atkins was Health Secretary under Sunak. Why am I interested in Lincolnshire? In October 2024, after 14 years of Tory government, NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board saw only 39.2% of full emergency department patients (Type 1) within the 4 hour target. NHS England as a whole managed only 58.1%.1 In NHS Grampian, the figure was 65%, 11.87% better than the English average and a shocking 65.8% better than the … Continue reading Contrary to the Scottish media frenzy, NHS Grampian’s A&E is better than all but one of England’s health boards and 66% better (!!!) than in Thatcher’s, the last Health Secretary and these MP’s Lincolnshire

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Scotland’s media ignore massive increase in criminal convictions including a 103% increase in rape convictions only two years after pandemic constraints end

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Criminal Proceedings in Scotland 2022-23, published yesterday, we can see that there were 68 067 people convicted of a criminal offence in Scotland in 2022/2023 (latest figures), 59.8% up from the 2020/2021 figure of 42 614. Reassuringly, for serious crimes dealt with in the High Court, the figure was 733, almost double the 2020/2021 figure of 375 and up from the previous high, in 2014 of 702. Also reassuring, there was a 29% increase on the 2014 figure for Sexual crimes including a 63% increase from 2014, in people proceeded against for rape and attempted rape … Continue reading Scotland’s media ignore massive increase in criminal convictions including a 103% increase in rape convictions only two years after pandemic constraints end

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Herald lies about new house building as Scotland builds more than twice as many, per head, as Labour Wales over decades

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By Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald, today, reads the above graph to say: Building of homes at lowest in decade amid crisis – Fears over affordable housing From Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply to end September 2024, published yesterday, new starts are at the lowest in a decade but completions, actual building, is still 25% up on the lowest level in 2013. Not, of course in the Herald report, though easily found in the same document, Scotland’s leading position in the UK and regularly building twice as many as in Labour-run Wales: As for … Continue reading Herald lies about new house building as Scotland builds more than twice as many, per head, as Labour Wales over decades

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July riots – After 17 years without Labour, only Police Scotland had the ‘formidable resources’ to be able to help other forces deal with ‘extreme nationalists’

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From BBC UK today: Police were unprepared for the scalebb of disorder that broke out in part of the UK following the Southport knife attacks, a police watchdog has found. Police intelligence did not predict the “rising tide of violent disorder well enough”, according to the review of their response to the worst UK unrest in more than a decade. Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke praised officers for their “immense bravery and personal sacrifice” while protecting the public. But he warned it was “clear” that police had missed opportunities to prepare for widespread disorder, and that earlier incidents involving … Continue reading July riots – After 17 years without Labour, only Police Scotland had the ‘formidable resources’ to be able to help other forces deal with ‘extreme nationalists’

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Labour letting the Waspi women die in poverty is just business for the BBC and, of course, BBC Scotland, as they shield Sarwar

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BBC Business, minutes ago has: Campaigners have reacted with fury to what it calls the government’s “unjustified” rejection of compensation for women hit by changes to the state pension age. They say 3.6 million women born in the 1950s were not properly informed of the rise in state pension age to bring them into line with men. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall apologised for a 28-month delay in sending letters, but has rejected any kind of financial payouts. Nine months ago, a parliamentary ombudsman recommended compensation of between £1,000 and £2,950 to each of those affected. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czr36842nd6o Many WASPI … Continue reading Labour letting the Waspi women die in poverty is just business for the BBC and, of course, BBC Scotland, as they shield Sarwar

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Cancer waiting times – NHS Scotland saving hundreds of lives with quicker treatment and NHS England risking thousands with delay

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Cancer waiting times 1 July to 30 September 2024, released today, the above graph and: 72.1% of patients started treatment within 62 days. 94.3% of patients started treatment within 31 days. The equivalent data for NHS England are 67.3% and 90.6%. On cancer waiting times Scotland is performing 7.4% and 4% better. Remember in a Scottish context, that means around 300 cancer patients per quarter seen on time and in England, around 3 000 not. Sources: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-waiting-times/cancer-waiting-times-1-july-to-30-september-2024/ https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/ Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/ The Oliver Brown Award for advancing … Continue reading Cancer waiting times – NHS Scotland saving hundreds of lives with quicker treatment and NHS England risking thousands with delay

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Unreported since – Drug treatment in Scotland target smashed for 14th time in a row as 94% of drug abusers wait three weeks or less for treatment

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From National drug and alcohol treatment waiting times 1 July 2024 to 30 September 2024, published today, you can see that the 90% target of referrals starting treatment for problematic use of drugs has been been met since June 2021 and has now surged to 95.6% of the 10 919 referrals in one quarter starting treatment for drug abuse within three weeks. Of these, 54.2% (4 042) started within only one week. BBC Scotland has not reported on this service since 2021, when they ignored the overall data and bemoaned: Nearly 60% of services did not give addicts … Continue reading Unreported since – Drug treatment in Scotland target smashed for 14th time in a row as 94% of drug abusers wait three weeks or less for treatment

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Alcohol related hospital admissions in Scotland fall by one third after Labour Government ousted and plummet after minimum unit pricing introduced

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Alcohol related hospital statistics, Scotland financial year 2023 to 2024, published today: In 2023/24, the European Age-sex standardised rate of alcohol-related hospital admissions to general acute hospitals was 548 per 100,000 population and was 3% higher than the rate in 2022/23 (532 per 100,000). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/alcohol-related-hospital-statistics/alcohol-related-hospital-statistics-scotland-financial-year-2023-to-2024/ The above rate peaked at 885.4 per 100 000 in 2007/2008, the last year of the New Labour Scottish Government and the trend since, with one-year fluctuations as is typical, such as last year, has been steadily downward from 885.4 to 548, then dramatically plummeting from 669.6 in 2017/2018, as minimum … Continue reading Alcohol related hospital admissions in Scotland fall by one third after Labour Government ousted and plummet after minimum unit pricing introduced

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After 14 years of Tory rule in England and 17 of SNP rule in Scotland, 22 times as many properties at risk of flooding….in England, of course

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Independent and others, today, a warning that 6.3 million homes and businesses in England are at serious risk of flooding. According to Sepa, the figure in Scotland is 284 000: https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/water/flooding/flood-risk-management-plans/#:~:text=Flood%20risk%20management%20plans%20are,as%20at%20risk%20of%20flooding. Crudely, 22.2 times as many, but with 10 times the population, all things being equal, you might expect there to be around 2.8 million homes and businesses at risk of flooding in England but it’s 6.3, on the way to three times as many. Why might this be? As far back as 2006, researchers at the English College of Estates Management, whose patron was … Continue reading After 14 years of Tory rule in England and 17 of SNP rule in Scotland, 22 times as many properties at risk of flooding….in England, of course

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Sewage dumping – Scotland’s water regulator is clean

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today, the above and this shocking statement: The government, its water regulator and the Environment Agency could all be taken to court over their failure to tackle sewage dumping in England after a watchdog found failures to comply with the law. An investigation by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) found Ofwat, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency (EA) all failed to stop water companies from discharging sewage into rivers and seas in England when it was not raining heavily. The OEP was set up in 2020 to replace the role … Continue reading Sewage dumping – Scotland’s water regulator is clean