Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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People in working-class neighbourhoods across Scotland feel loathed by Labour and can see what the SNP has done for them

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy We’ve been here before with Kevin, perhaps the least convincing convert from Labour to some kind of nationalist. He writes a lot but clearly researches little. Is the above claim based on any substance like a poll? It doesn’t look like it. Two January 2026 polls had a class breakdown. In the YouGov poll, the SNP has exactly the same support 34% from Social groups ABC1 and C2DE. Only Reform UK are better supported in C2DE, by 22 to 17. Labour are notably better supported … Continue reading People in working-class neighbourhoods across Scotland feel loathed by Labour and can see what the SNP has done for them

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Scottish prison releases leading to only 5% re-offending, ten times lower than in England, thanks to more staff

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Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy From the Daily Record today: Criminals are set to be released from Scots jails automatically after serving just 30 per cent of their sentence in the latest desperate attempt to ease an overcrowding crisis. and of course: Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader, said: “Two decades of SNP government has left Scotland’s justice system at crisis point. “Prisons are dangerously overcrowded, hundreds of criminals have been set free early and now Angela Constance wants to cut sentences for more dangerous prisoners. “Violent criminals and drug dealers are … Continue reading Scottish prison releases leading to only 5% re-offending, ten times lower than in England, thanks to more staff

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The strange case of YouGov’s shrinking Glasgow samples confirms their polls to be purely propaganda

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy I’ve written before about YouGov‘s unerring and almost unique (Survation too) ability to pluck a No lead out of a trend dominated by Yes leads, found by various other pollsters. It’s been a long time since they found a Yes lead. They seem to prevent it by adjusting (weighting) their sample to have 55% No voters and 45% Yes voters as in 2014 and thus get the same result ten years later. James Kelly of Scot Goes Pop has already reported on this at: https://scotgoespop.blogspot.com/2026/02/why-is-yougov-under-representing-yes.html … Continue reading The strange case of YouGov’s shrinking Glasgow samples confirms their polls to be purely propaganda

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As unelected Lib Dem MSP imagines ferry disruption but what 1 064 real users actually think? 80% satisfaction and half-empty car decks

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy In the Ardrossan Herald two days ago: WEST Scotland Liberal Democrat [List] MSP Jamie Greene has hit out after it was revealed the cost of Arran’s newest ferry had now hit £197.5 million. It was confirmed last week that MV Glen Rosa, originally due to enter service in 2018, would now face an extra cost of £12.5 million. Nationalised [bad, to a newsrag owned by a corporation] shipyard Ferguson Marine confirmed last year that the vessel would not hit the waters until late 2026. That … Continue reading As unelected Lib Dem MSP imagines ferry disruption but what 1 064 real users actually think? 80% satisfaction and half-empty car decks

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German Minister of Environment rules that mini-reactors of kind proposed by Scottish Labour are ‘not an option’

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Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy Thanks to Dottie for alerting us tothis: From World Nuclear Industry Status Report 1 February 2026: Berlin (energate) – The gap between the hype and industrial reality surrounding nuclear energy is widening. This applies in particular to the smaller nuclear reactors, Small Modular Reactors (SMR). This is the conclusion of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, which was commissioned by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, among others. According to the … Continue reading German Minister of Environment rules that mini-reactors of kind proposed by Scottish Labour are ‘not an option’

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Short video – Crosshouse maternity unit inspection report requires no formal inquiry or police investigation, 16 trusts in England do, so BBC Scotland twist the inspection report to suggest ongoing worries though these were dealt with by Scottish Government 10 years ago

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Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Fuller report at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/02/04/maternity-unit-inspection-report-requires-no-formal-inquiry-or-police-investigation-sixteen-trusts-in-england-do-so-bbc-scotland-twist-the-inspection-report-to-suggest-ongoing-worries-though-these-w/ Continue reading Short video – Crosshouse maternity unit inspection report requires no formal inquiry or police investigation, 16 trusts in England do, so BBC Scotland twist the inspection report to suggest ongoing worries though these were dealt with by Scottish Government 10 years ago

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Maternity unit inspection report requires no formal inquiry or police investigation, SIXTEEN trusts in England do, so BBC Scotland twist the inspection report to suggest ongoing worries though these were dealt with by Scottish Government TEN years ago

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland -In this election year in Scotland, the 90% pro-Union media and their sponsors in the opposition parties will do everything they can to undermine the pro-independence parties. Thought vastly outnumbered, we will do our very best to counter their lies and get you, every day, the true stories and the sources of evidence to prove them. Help us if you can at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-get-the-facts-for-you From BBC Scotland today: A hospital in East Ayrshire has been ordered to improve the way it handles patient safety incidents in its maternity unit, almost 10 years after it was the centre of … Continue reading Maternity unit inspection report requires no formal inquiry or police investigation, SIXTEEN trusts in England do, so BBC Scotland twist the inspection report to suggest ongoing worries though these were dealt with by Scottish Government TEN years ago

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Long waits for treatment continue to plummet after Scottish Government’s extra £25 million pledge comes into effect

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Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy In early November 2025, BBC Scotland told us: The Scottish government has pledged £25.5m to help bring down NHS waiting times. First Minister John Swinney said the money would help deliver more hospital appointments. It is to be shared by nine health boards – Ayrshire and Arran, Fife, Grampian, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Highland, Lanarkshire, Lothian, Shetland and Tayside. The Scottish Conservatives said the £22.5m fund – out of a £22bn health and social care budget – would “barely touch the sides” of what was … Continue reading Long waits for treatment continue to plummet after Scottish Government’s extra £25 million pledge comes into effect

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Total crime down by third and violent crime down by a quarter since 2007 but still as many police officers after 19 years of SNP rule

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Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy From Police officer quarterly strength statistics: 31 December 2025, published yesterday: There were 16,416 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on 31 December 2025 This is an increase of 182 FTE police officers (+1.1%) from the 16,234 FTE police officers recorded at 31 March 2007 https://www.gov.scot/publications/police-officer-quarterly-strength-statistics-31-december-2025/ How important has it been to maintain police officer staffing at or just above that in 2007 when Labour was last in power in Scotland? See the graph above, non-sexual crimes of violence down by nearly a quarter … Continue reading Total crime down by third and violent crime down by a quarter since 2007 but still as many police officers after 19 years of SNP rule

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Everything is politicised in Scotland especially the NHS but never in England

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Support Talking-up Scotland to keep rebutting the lies almost every day of the year, at https://t.co/xFcIcegHTy By Liz “It is, in our view, a strong step on the way to achieving our shared ambition with the Scottish Government, of making Scotland the best place in the UK for doctors to train and work.“ Oh but apparently according to certain very hostile and opposing sources , aka anti SNP sources , it is the SNP, as the Scottish government, who are supposedly “destroying the Scottish NHS”. Meanwhile elsewhere in the UK other political parties who govern elsewhere within the UK fail to reach agreement with the doctors on their jobs and pay. The media within Scotland … Continue reading Everything is politicised in Scotland especially the NHS but never in England