Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Canadian ferry service is 44% more expensive without the kind of massive £173 MILLION subsidy given by SNP Government for islanders in Scotland

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson Washington State Ferries in the USA have just announced new prices for the popular 15 miles, 1 hour crossing of the sheltered Puget Sound, between Bremerton and Seattle – $54.35 or £43.30. https://mynorthwest.com/3959021/travel-alert-washington-ferry-prices-go-up-amid-waves-riders/ The popular 14.3 miles, 1 hour 20 minutes crossing of the, at times very stormy, Firth of Clyde, from Brodick, Arran to Ardrossan, is £30.20. How is this possible? In 2022/2023, the SNP Government ferry subsidy to keep prices down to affordable levels for hopefully grateful islanders, native or settler, was £173 MILLION! https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24276739.calmac-gets-63-real-terms-public-subsidy-rise-despite-drop/#:~:text=Then%20the%20grant%20to%20CalMac,space%20of%20just%20one%20year. There are many mainland villages in Scotland with far … Continue reading Canadian ferry service is 44% more expensive without the kind of massive £173 MILLION subsidy given by SNP Government for islanders in Scotland

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13 000 WASPI women in Ayrshire should know that Labour and Conservative candidates do not support their claim – the SNP does

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Ayrshire’s roughly 13 000 WASPI women who have been cheated out of their pension rights, forcing many to work on into older age, burned out, often caring for elderly and sick parents, denied time with grandchildren and becoming sick themselves, have for years now asked the UK Government to offer a little compensation for those losses. On 30th April 2024, in the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister, Humza Yousaf of the SNP, tabled a motion calling for the UK Government, which is responsible for pensions, to pay compensation in full. All of the 63 SNP and all of the Scottish … Continue reading 13 000 WASPI women in Ayrshire should know that Labour and Conservative candidates do not support their claim – the SNP does

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Scotland’s climate targets and achievements – beware of rhetoric’s negative influence

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By stewartb Back on 23 April this year, the BBC News website had the headline: ‘Scotland in ‘dangerous’ moment for climate goals’. Following an appearance before a Holyrood committee by Chris Stark, the outgoing CEO of the UK Climate Change Committee, the BBC reported Mr Stark’s remarks on Scottish Government targets: ‘THERE WAS NO POLICY PACKAGE THAT COULD DELIVER ANYTHING CLOSE TO THE NINE-FOLD INCREASE IN DECARBONISATION LEVELS NEEDED TO HIT THAT GOAL.’ (my emphasis) viz. reducing greenhouse gases by 75% by 2030. Within its process of annual reviews, when did the CCC first reach that conclusion – just recently? … Continue reading Scotland’s climate targets and achievements – beware of rhetoric’s negative influence

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Remember that big Holyrood vote against the SNP yesterday? WTF is it today BBC Scotland?

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There it is! See it? Not even getting its own wee box. By stewartb This is very odd. The BBC News website’s Scotland pages published an article on 30 April entitled: ‘Scottish government to face vote of no confidence’. Factual so to be expected – normal. This evening (at 2200 hours on 1 May) I can see no mention on the BBC News website of the result of the vote of no confidence in the Scottish Government that took place today. Anyone noticed coverage? Lack of coverage to be expected? Normal? Hardly – candidly very odd! A Labour defeat and an SNP … Continue reading Remember that big Holyrood vote against the SNP yesterday? WTF is it today BBC Scotland?

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BBC & ITV are orchestrating a pile on

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By NMRN So BBC Debate night has included Ash Regan and Lorna Slater on their panel….of course they have. Preston tonight has the Labour branch office manager Anas Sarwar as a guest…of course it does. BBC QT tomorrow in Cambridge has an SNP MP on it’s panel…of course they do. Both the BBC & ITV are orchestrating a pile on during what is a time of mega over promoted troubled times for the SNP by the media….while we also see one of them, ITV, laying out the red carpet for Sarwar to do what he does best……playing politics…..to try and … Continue reading BBC & ITV are orchestrating a pile on

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Factcheck – CalMac at 98% reliability for last 7 days with more than 500 sailings a day and 54 sailings just from Largs to Millport on time yesterday

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By Professor John Robertson In the last seven days, Calmac ran more than 500 sailings every day. Reliability was: 25th Apr 99%26 99.627 93.128 99.729 97.130 99.21st May 98.4Average 98% on time On 1st May, 4 of the 10 Arran and 4 of the 22 Portavadie to Tarbert sailings were cancelled. That’s all. The other 33 services were at 100%. On the same day, there were 54 sailings from Largs to Cumbrae (Millport) on a sunny Wednesday for tourists. If there were 4 hour delays for cars, why didn’t some of those just get the bus from the Cumbrae slip … Continue reading Factcheck – CalMac at 98% reliability for last 7 days with more than 500 sailings a day and 54 sailings just from Largs to Millport on time yesterday

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The SNP government’s survival did not depend on Green votes only on their refusal to vote with this unholy Blue alliance

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From BBC Scotland today: The SNP government’s survival depended on Green votes David Henderson BBC Scotland political correspondent The chamber of the Scottish Parliament is an impressive place. More so on a day like today. Noisy too. There was a full house of MSPs. Notable among them, former FM Nicola Sturgeon. The debate today – on Motion 13005 – was a matter of political life and death. A vote of no confidence, with the survival of this Scottish government at stake. So it was a bit odd to see Humza Yousaf as its principal defender. He’s already lost his job. … Continue reading The SNP government’s survival did not depend on Green votes only on their refusal to vote with this unholy Blue alliance

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Civilians in war 1941 and 2024

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Reading the above, making use of combatant accounts, I was shocked to find this: A few years later, the RAF and the USAF were to target German civilians in places like Hamburg and Dresden with many more deaths. Is war less brutal today, as Steven Pinker suggests, only 60 years later? There are at least two current wars where I dare not suggest comparison with the above but you can. Continue reading Civilians in war 1941 and 2024

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Under Labour-for-ever Welsh GPs far more likely to have excessive workloads putting patients at risk

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By Professor John Robertson Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. I wonder what BMA Scotland have to say on this issue? A BMA Scotland survey in August 2023 does not go so far as to suggest patient care risks but tells us that 28% of Scottish GPs say their workload is unmanageable. Unmanageable is dangerous, no? Labour have been in power for a hundred years in Wales, either with a UK Labour Government, ‘minding the shop’ for the Tories or since devolution. In every aspect, NHS Scotland under the SNP has far better results than NHS Wales. https://www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-centre/bma-scotland-gp-crisis-going-to-get-worse-as-wellbeing-among-profession-suffers Continue reading Under Labour-for-ever Welsh GPs far more likely to have excessive workloads putting patients at risk

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More than 500 sailings, 99.2% on time yesterday, 97.1% the day before, 100% for the main islands, yet the Herald and the Scotsman still find a ‘ferry fiasco’

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An extract from the CalMac reliability tables for 29 April when it dipped to 97.2%. Note that we’re only talking about a reduction in an already generous number of, much-subsidised by us mainlanders, sailings to locations with very limited traffic. No island was cut off and the much-maligned Arran service continues at 100%, day after day. Source: https://www.calmac.co.uk/calmac-performance-data-browser?date=29%2F04%2F2024 Continue reading More than 500 sailings, 99.2% on time yesterday, 97.1% the day before, 100% for the main islands, yet the Herald and the Scotsman still find a ‘ferry fiasco’