Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Prescription charges up to nearly £10 per item in England and Scottish Labour will not protect Scots from that

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By Professor John Robertson Thanks again to Dottie for alerting me to this. in the Manchester Evening News tonight, the above table and: Millions of NHS patients in England will face higher medicinal costs from next week. The cost of a single NHS prescription will go up to almost £10, following an increase of 25p this year to £9.90. This is an increase of around 2.5 per cent, which is below the rate of inflation, but the increase could still make life more difficult for people on low fixed incomes. https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/full-list-new-nhs-prescription-29064519 Never mind Labour will sort this out and protect the vulnerable … Continue reading Prescription charges up to nearly £10 per item in England and Scottish Labour will not protect Scots from that

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Janitor strikes can close schools in Scotland but not in England

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Thanks to Dottie again for alerting me to this, from the Observer today: Headteachers are being forced to mend desks and unblock toilets themselves after sacking school caretakers in the wake of budget cuts, the Guardian has been told. School leaders in England said they could not afford to employ caretakers, and were having to change lightbulbs and clear playgrounds of dead rats themselves. Amanda Richards, the headteacher of Sytchampton primary in Worcestershire, said her school “literally can’t afford” a permanent caretaker, leaving her and other staff to move heavy equipment and make emergency repairs to keep the school running. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/apr/28/headteachers-schools-england-caretakers-budget-cuts The … Continue reading Janitor strikes can close schools in Scotland but not in England

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Another Clyde fishing boat sunk but no MSM coverage

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Two days ago: AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after a fishing boat sank following a collision with a tanker in the Firth of Clyde. Three people were rescued by the coastguard after the crash, involving a tanker and a fishing vessel, between Ardrossan and Arran. The incident happened at around 3pm on Thursday, April 25. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), which investigates marine accidents involving UK vessels worldwide and all vessels in UK territorial water, confirmed on Friday that it had launched a probe into the collision. The MAIB also confirmed that the two ships involved were the Greek-registered crude oil tanker … Continue reading Another Clyde fishing boat sunk but no MSM coverage

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A Labour government in 1976 approved the dirty blood from US prisons that killed around 300 Scots and this man couldn’t stop it or did what he was told – want more of this treatment?

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The Right Honourable The Lord Ross of Marnock MBE PC Secretary of State for Scotland in the Labour Government of 1974 to 1979. By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian today: A commercial blood product at the centre of the biggest treatment scandal in the history of the NHS was approved for use after government officials were told convicts were among the paid donors and virus contamination “should be assumed”, corporate filings reveal. The product, given to ­haemophiliacs to enable their blood to clot, was injected into thousands of patients in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s, ­including young children, who were infected … Continue reading A Labour government in 1976 approved the dirty blood from US prisons that killed around 300 Scots and this man couldn’t stop it or did what he was told – want more of this treatment?

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Entitled affluent American spends months in Scotland before complaining about NHS here and the Herald gives her a platform

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So, after growing up in the USA with its advanced medicine if you can afford it, then according to Linkedin, a year in London for a Masters, 5 in back in Boston for a PhD, and 11 in England including 5 in Leeds where the local GP refused a full range of blood tests, Halabi arrived in Aberdeen in June 2023 and continued her search for a diagnosis. In Aberdeen: No other availability? That day perhaps? ‘Struggling?’ She went of in the huff and contacted a private GP because she can afford to? How do I know she can afford … Continue reading Entitled affluent American spends months in Scotland before complaining about NHS here and the Herald gives her a platform

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Labour-approved private GP increase – not so much a surge as a wee swelling that may well go away if we don’t scratch it

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By Professor John Robertson The Herald is headlining with – ‘People are voting with their feet’: Private GP clinics triple since pandemic And the numbers are – from 3 to 11. Wow, almost ‘quadrupling!’ Was that too big a word for a headline? Anything else we need to know? Em, er….oh yes, how many practices are the in Scotland and what percentage are private? 905, down from 995 in 2013, but with more patients across the sector these days, they’re bigger on average now, with, if my local is typical, a physio, mental health specialists, advanced nurses and several GPs. … Continue reading Labour-approved private GP increase – not so much a surge as a wee swelling that may well go away if we don’t scratch it

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More news they don’t want you to hear – Boosting housing supply to tackle homelessness

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Already building more affordable housing in Scotland to help fight poverty, this new initiative is important. From the Scottish Government yesterday and covered nowhere as far as I can see: Efforts to boost affordable housing supply by acquiring properties to bring into use for affordable housing and help reduce homelessness will be given an £80 million uplift over the next two years. The funding, announced by First Minister Humza Yousaf on a visit to Hillcrest Housing Association’s Derby Street development in Dundee, will increase the Affordable Housing Supply Programme budget to nearly £600 million in 2024-2025. Investment will help reduce … Continue reading More news they don’t want you to hear – Boosting housing supply to tackle homelessness

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Far better staffing ratio means teaching assistants in Scotland not replacing teachers but Herald and Glasgow Times happy to deceive you

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By Professor John Robertson Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this: In the Guardian today: Hundreds of thousands of pupils in England and Wales are being educated “on the cheap” by low-paid teaching assistants (TAs) covering lessons for teachers who are off sick or have quit, according to new research. A desperate teacher recruitment crisis, compounded by inadequate funding, means schools across the country are struggling to put a qualified teacher at the front of every class, unions say. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/apr/26/teaching-assistants-deployed-to-routinely-cover-lessons-in-england-and-wales Is this happening in Scotland too? A quick search gets this: Wow! It seems like its a thing here too. Wait, … Continue reading Far better staffing ratio means teaching assistants in Scotland not replacing teachers but Herald and Glasgow Times happy to deceive you

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Bottle recycling – The BBC and Scotland – the news distortion is not even subtle!

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By stewartb The BBC News website this morning (27 April) had the above prominently displayed on its Scotland ‘business’ page – it’s the lead article. Note the reference to ‘devolved administrations’. And especially note the juxtaposition to a reference to a delayed Scottish scheme. If scanning the headlines on the Scotland ‘business’ page this morning, what message does the casual reader get – ‘Oh dear, not that SNP government ….again!’? If one clicks on the headline ‘Cash-for-bottle …’ it takes the reader to another BBC News website article. The screenshot below reveals what one finds: Magically, the headline has changed! … Continue reading Bottle recycling – The BBC and Scotland – the news distortion is not even subtle!

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How the Scottish Labour Lords cannot bear to hear of the SNP government’s actions to reduce child poverty in Scotland

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By stewartb The House of Commons Library and the House of Lords Library amongst other things publish ‘briefings’ in advance of debates. The purpose is to provide MPs and peers respectively – particularly backbench members of both houses – with information and insight on upcoming topics. After all, backbenchers may not have sufficient tacit knowledge on all subjects to make judgements on the content of debates, nor have sufficient research resource to make good their knowledge limitations. The Libraries’ briefings are designed to ensure backbenchers are better informed. The House of Lords Library (HoLL) published this briefing on 23 April … Continue reading How the Scottish Labour Lords cannot bear to hear of the SNP government’s actions to reduce child poverty in Scotland