Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Scotland’s ambulances FOUR times faster!

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In the Guardian today, from Poly Toynbee, one always keen to suggest things are bad in Scotland under the SNP: Jammed 999 lines and not enough ambulances to go round: come see the sharp end of this NHS crisis There’s no mention of Scotland in the Guardian report. In January 2024, I wrote: Via the BBC’s How long do patients wait for an ambulance? app today, we can confirm that the average waiting time for a Scottish ambulance is 8 min and 46 secs: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59549800 Also, from BBC UK on 14 December 2023: Average response times of more than 38 minutes for category two emergency … Continue reading Scotland’s ambulances FOUR times faster!

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24 hours after Police Scotland reveal a massive drop in Hate Crime reporting, BBC Scotland repeat the Tory myth unchallenged

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By Professor John Robertson BBC Scotland this morning platforming the Scottish Conservatives twice and repeating the claim that the new Hate Crime law is overwhelming police staff. The above comes 24 hours after Police Scotland posted this: See that last line? Could that be news? To mention it alongside the Tory claim, might that be the kind of balance they love to claim they offer? Now I know the BBC Scotland staff saw the previous post last week, suggesting 7 152 reports, because they covered it at length. Will, they now claim they missed yesterday’s post from Police Scotland? Staffing … Continue reading 24 hours after Police Scotland reveal a massive drop in Hate Crime reporting, BBC Scotland repeat the Tory myth unchallenged

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Hate crime reports plummet 75% in one week to underwhelm Police Scotland’s staffing resource as anyone with half a brain knew they would

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By Professor John Robertson In the Telegraph last week: Hate crime reports in Scotland are on course to outnumber all other offences put together, figures show, as front-line officers warned they “can’t cope” with the surge. From Police Scotland today: The number of online hate reports being received by Police Scotland has dropped almost 75% in the second week since the introduction of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 on 1 April 2024. Management data released by Police Scotland shows there were 1832 online hate reports received between 8 and 14 April, 2024, down from 7152 the previous week. The vast … Continue reading Hate crime reports plummet 75% in one week to underwhelm Police Scotland’s staffing resource as anyone with half a brain knew they would

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Drug-related hospital admissions plummet for third year after Scottish Government Naloxone initiative but are not being reported by media

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By Professor John Robertson The above graph is from Public Health Scotland today, at: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/drug-related-hospital-statistics/drug-related-hospital-statistics-scotland-2022-to-2023/ After a pilot phase ending in 2018, the Scottish Government began to embed Naloxone opioid overdose reversal kits across NHS Scotland. Shortly after, the kits which can be administered by anyone, were adopted by Police Scotland, ambulances and prisons, and made available to libraries, community centres, taxi drivers and to the friends and relatives of users. Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce a national naloxone programme, empowering individuals, families, friends and communities to reverse an opiate overdose. Anyone in Scotland can … Continue reading Drug-related hospital admissions plummet for third year after Scottish Government Naloxone initiative but are not being reported by media

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How are drugs coming into Scotland and from whom and where?

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Why Liverpool? This: Liverpool drugs gangs still have their eye on Scotland: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-drugs-gangs-still-eye-25476347 By NMRN County lines Drug gangs is the missing part in all reports promoted by the media and politicians when in reference to drugs in Scotland…..yet one would have thought it was a hugely significant factor……a tactical omission ? Perhaps it is something the Justice secretary could seek to explore and have investigated as to the consequences it has upon Scotland and the problems with the drugs accessibility here……. where data could be published which would at least give the Scottish public a sense of how some drugs were coming into … Continue reading How are drugs coming into Scotland and from whom and where?

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BBC Scotland’s Eva was ‘inoperable’ because of ‘nursing shortages’ caused by the demands of the private hospitals Scottish Labour must now support

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By Professor John Robertson BBC Scotland milking another sick child story again. I’m amazed Anas Sarwar is not bedside cuddling her. BBC Scotland, last year and today, pin the blame on the SNP in government with: Mr Adams had previously claimed that nursing shortages at the Edinburgh children’s hospital were contributing to some young patients waiting up to three times longer for spinal surgery than they were pre-pandemic. First, there’s no mention in their report that Scotland has far more nurses and doctors per head of population than England. In 2023, Under the SNP government, we have over 28,000 more … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s Eva was ‘inoperable’ because of ‘nursing shortages’ caused by the demands of the private hospitals Scottish Labour must now support

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Disbelief spreading as Government is reportedly considering a Wellington mega tunnel after axing Cook Strait mega ferry project 

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New Zealand media is alive with From News Fahara today: Disbelief is spreading as the Government is reportedly considering a Wellington mega tunnel after axing the Cook Strait mega ferry project. The proposed tunnel, which would run underneath the capital city, has raised eyebrows due to its potential multi-billion dollar price tag. The decision comes on the heels of the Government’s refusal to fund the ferry project, which had seen significant cost overruns. https://news.faharas.net/en/disbelief-government-considering-wellington-mega/ And from the NZ Herald, also today: There’s disbelief the Government is considering a mega tunnel underneath Wellington, that will cost several billion dollars, after axing the … Continue reading Disbelief spreading as Government is reportedly considering a Wellington mega tunnel after axing Cook Strait mega ferry project 

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Measles cases surge from 0 in Scotland all ‘linked’ to travel….and County Lines drug gangs?

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From Public Health Scotland today (well tomorrow, it seems): Public Health Scotland is aware of five cases of laboratory confirmed measles in Scotland since October 2023, all of which have been linked to travel. The latest two cases were confirmed today, 16 February 2024. https://publichealthscotland.scot/news/2024/february/update-on-measles-in-scotland/#:~:text=Public%20Health%20Scotland%20is%20aware,and%20Rubella%20(MMR)%20vaccine. Why is five a surge? It’s up from zero, each year, since 2020. See graph above with 2020 mistakenly labelled 2000. Where might these cases have travelled from? From the Times two days ago: Measles outbreak fear as London overtakes Midlands in cases. Pockets of unvaccinated people in the capital create ‘perfect conditions’ for disease … Continue reading Measles cases surge from 0 in Scotland all ‘linked’ to travel….and County Lines drug gangs?

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Never mind Sir Keir, will Anas Sarwar’s mum let him transfer wealth to workers?

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By Professor John Robertson I fear Labour in Scotland are going to campaign as if they’re kind of leftist. The media are going to cover the tracks between them and their London HQ and some voters are going to swallow it. I don’t think I’ve seen words so detached from reality, so ‘down a rabbit hole‘, since I last read Lewis Carroll (1959?). What’s this go to do with his mum? Just this, from last year: ANAS Sarwar has been branded a hypocrite after it was revealed his family’s wholesale business still does not pay staff the living wage. Sarwar … Continue reading Never mind Sir Keir, will Anas Sarwar’s mum let him transfer wealth to workers?

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Canadian airline has planes older than the oldest CalMac ferry and an average age 22% higher

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Thanks to one of our Anonymous readers for suggesting this. CalMac’s oldest large ferry, the MV Isle of Arran is 41 this year. The average age of a CalMac ferry is 24 years. From Airline Ratings in December 2023: Boasting one of the oldest passenger aircraft is Canadian Air Inuit with four 737-200’s averaging an age of 44 years. The airline also has a 737-300 aged 32 years and 15 Dash-8’s at an average age of 29 years. Three 737-800s aged just 11 years held bring the average fleet age for the airline down to 29.4 years. https://www.airlineratings.com/news/passenger-news/oldest-commercial-aircraft-still-flying/#:~:text=Inuit%20Air%2C%20Iran%20Air%20and,well%20over%2040%20years%20old.&text=Boasting%20one%20of%20the%20oldest,an%20age%20of%2044%20years I don’t … Continue reading Canadian airline has planes older than the oldest CalMac ferry and an average age 22% higher