Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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After only one response to their survey, Herald journalist says ‘It was like pulling teeth’ finding a Scot who had to pull their own teeth but even then it wasn’t very hard because they were already loose!

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No horrible photo of teeth! From Will Peakin and Helen McCurdle at the Herald today: The Herald launched it’s Reader Survey of dentistry in Scotland on 26 April, 10 days ago, and the above is clearly all they got. To be fair they only have a very small readership. Most Scots are now sick to the………… Didn’t Ian Murray say folk were going to B&Q to buy pliers for self-dentistry? Continue reading After only one response to their survey, Herald journalist says ‘It was like pulling teeth’ finding a Scot who had to pull their own teeth but even then it wasn’t very hard because they were already loose!

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Hello! A Royals-obsessed magazine journalist would walk more than 500 miles for a Scottish seat nobody else wants’ – Labour colonialism at its more pure

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By Professor John Robertson From the Dundee Courier, yesterday: Labour candidate in Angus is councillor for city over 500 miles away. A councillor from Canterbury in England has been selected as Labour’s candidate for Angus and Perthshire Glens, it can be revealed. Elizabeth Carr-Ellis is a Labour councillor for St Stephen’s in Canterbury – over 500 miles from Angus in the South East of England. But the party has given her its backing to standing for election in the newly formed Westminster constituency. Ms Carr-Ellis describes herself as a “Geordie journalist” who has lived around the UK and abroad. It is … Continue reading Hello! A Royals-obsessed magazine journalist would walk more than 500 miles for a Scottish seat nobody else wants’ – Labour colonialism at its more pure

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New pollster’s Labour lead over SNP does not convince

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There’s much excitement over the latest poll suggesting Labour are ahead of the SNP for Westminster and Holyrood. It’s from Norstat for the Sunday Times. Norstat used to be Panelbase which has a long tradition of reporting smaller SNP leads. See these below and look at the leads, on either side of the purple blob representing Panelbase: For more than a year now Panelbase, now Norstat, have been coming in well below the more established YouGov. They’re clearly sampling differently. Continue reading New pollster’s Labour lead over SNP does not convince

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Shameful Sunday Post misreporting of racism incidences as they fall under Yousaf and SNP

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By Professor John Robertson The Sunday post today has: The facts, from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), in the graph above and in the actual data, below, say otherwise: So, race-based hate crimes are down by almost exactly 1 000 from 2014 to 2020 and judging by the graph above have continued to fall under Humza Yousaf in 2023. Sources: https://www.gov.scot/publications/justice-analytical-services-jas-safer-communities-justice-statistics-monthly-data-report-february-2024-edition/documents https://www.gov.scot/publications/study-characteristics-police-recorded-hate-crime-scotland/documents Continue reading Shameful Sunday Post misreporting of racism incidences as they fall under Yousaf and SNP

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The SNP is a failed project? Plummeting income and a hidden membership suggests Common Weal is a better example

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Front page on the National in October 2023, Common Weal’s Robin McAlpine appears. Three days ago, he was telling us: The SNP is a failed project It is hard to express how dark my mood is today or how much pain I feel for the future of Scotland and independence. The SNP is unreformed and unreformable, and the rest of us are just onlookers There is a Karl Lagerfeld quote by which I live my life: “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat.” John Swinney is a sign of defeat. This is a sign of a party not only incapable of … Continue reading The SNP is a failed project? Plummeting income and a hidden membership suggests Common Weal is a better example

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Factcheck- 418 900 fewer staff in NHS England, ‘leading to patient deaths’, than if it were run by SNP Government!

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By Professor John Robertson In the Observer today, the above, and: Hospitals are being forced to cut medical staff, threatening their ability to care for patients, senior health leaders have warned. NHS trusts are reporting budget deficits after the chancellor Jeremy Hunt gave England’s health service £2.5bn extra funding, which only covers inflation and pay increases. The UK’s ageing population and the impact of having more than 6 million patients waiting for more than 7.5m treatments means that demand on the health service has increased substantially. https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/05/cuts-will-result-in-patient-deaths-hospitals-shed-medical-staff-after-being-told-to-balance-the-books Further staffing cuts in NHS England staffing will exacerbate an already worrying level of staffing. … Continue reading Factcheck- 418 900 fewer staff in NHS England, ‘leading to patient deaths’, than if it were run by SNP Government!

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ONS confirms Scotland as ‘sticky asset’ rich

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By stewartb There is merit in communicating the intrinsic – the ‘sticky’ – assets of Scotland. Demonstrating that Scotland has valuable assets in abundance is a necessary but not sufficient part of case making for independence – it’s also about giving confidence that such assets can be better sustained, used to better effect and renewed in future in an independent Scotland. I do still come across Unionists holding to the ‘too wee, too poor etc.’ nonsense! The UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) has in recent years been publishing accounts of ‘natural capital’ or ‘wealth’. It explains: ‘Natural wealth is reflected … Continue reading ONS confirms Scotland as ‘sticky asset’ rich

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BBC Scotland Hate Crime Law coverage complaint rejected because facts ‘may depend on which parties choose to comment on specific issues and news events’

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More than two weeks ago, I sent this complaint to BBC Complaints: Their answer: We have and continue to provide comprehensive coverage of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021. Throughout that morning our coverage correctly attributed the claims, that the hate crime legislation should be scrapped, to the Scottish Conservatives. We also provided the Scottish Government response, that ministers acknowledged communication could have been better but the law was required to protect the most vulnerable form those who stir up hatred. This followed our coverage the previous day (16 April) in which we reported a reduction in … Continue reading BBC Scotland Hate Crime Law coverage complaint rejected because facts ‘may depend on which parties choose to comment on specific issues and news events’

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Scotland to power millions of homes in England, for no return, for the moment

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From the Yorkshire Post in February 2024: Landowners in East Yorkshire have complained of feeling “pressurised” over an undersea electricity “superhighway” from Scotland to England which will cross their land. The £2.1bn link between Peterhead in north east Scotland and Drax in north Yorkshire, is expected to provide enough “green” electricity from Scottish offshore wind farms to power 2m homes in England. England. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/the-yorkshire-beach-where-ps21bn-cable-carrying-electricity-from-scottish-windfarms-will-come-onshore-4039515?s=03 Bloody Scots, comin’ down ere, powering our homes and blighting our landscapes with their pylons? 2 million homes eh? Based on average electricity bills, around £2 billion in revenue, taxed by the UK Treasury and kept there for … Continue reading Scotland to power millions of homes in England, for no return, for the moment

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Scotland 17 years later and getting more different from the UK – better support for young carers

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By Professor John Robertson I don’t need to keep on reminding you, I’m sure, of the lower income tax most pay and the range of other indirect benefits of living in Scotland – lower council tax, free tuition, bus passes for the young, the Child Payment, Bedroom Tax compensation, massively subsidised thus cheap ferry travel….. The steady influx of settlers from elsewhere in the UK reinforces the evidence. Today, another Scottish (SNP) Government initiative, within the limits of the devolution settlement: Thousands more unpaid carers in Scotland will be eligible for a new benefit, if regulations laid this week in … Continue reading Scotland 17 years later and getting more different from the UK – better support for young carers