Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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BBC Scotland cannot bear to tell you Humza Yousaf has conquered all the council tax rebels!

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The Herald, with many anti-SNP elements, is not monolithic and must follow the money. So in the last 40 minutes, their Tom Gordon has to tells us: Humza Yousaf is set to deliver his promise of a Scotland-wide council tax freeze from April after the only two hold-out councils backed down. Labour-led Inverclyde and Tory-Liberal Democrat run Argyll & Bute today both signalled they were ready to revisit their respective rises of 8.2% and 10%. BBC Scotland, safe on a heap of your licences fee cash, are not going there, so offer this: May ditch plan? Aye right! The Express … Continue reading BBC Scotland cannot bear to tell you Humza Yousaf has conquered all the council tax rebels!

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Scottish Teacher numbers maintained to keep ratio at best by far in UK yet their union backs the party responsible for the worst

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The above from the Scottish Government today shows the pupil/teacher ratio in Scottish schools being maintained at 13.2 for the third year in a row despite around 6 000 more pupils in the system since 2019, with nearly 2 000 extra teachers. Pupil to teacher ratios in maintained schools were lowest in Scotland (13.2) and similar in Northern Ireland (17.4), England (18.0) and Wales (18.4): https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-and-training-statistics-for-the-uk These are big differences in the load faced by Scottish teachers compared with those elsewhere in the UK. Yet, their union leaders use this all-graduate profession to back the party responsible for the worst … Continue reading Scottish Teacher numbers maintained to keep ratio at best by far in UK yet their union backs the party responsible for the worst

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‘Only seven countries meet WHO air quality standard, research finds’….plus Scotland

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According to the Guardian today, Scotland is not a country and by implication falls with the UK into the failed group. The latest WHO level for the deadly PM2.5 particles is 5 micrograms per cubic metre. Though no Scottish average seems available, you can, I find, go to the IQAir site and find the level of PM2.5 where you live. How about Glasgow High Street? 3.1, well under the WHO level. https://www.iqair.com/gb/uk/scotland/glasgow/glasgow-high-street To my surprise the partly-pedestrianised Ayr High Street – 5.7, just over. Aberdeen Anderson Drive – 4.5 Edinburgh Tower Street – 1.5! Busy Queensferry Road – 1.9 Bainsford … Continue reading ‘Only seven countries meet WHO air quality standard, research finds’….plus Scotland

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Islay ferries – Massively subsidised by the rest of us and seriously under-used yet still not good enough – Go tell Shakespeare?

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STV today has this: Islanders say Scotland’s ferry service is stumbling from crisis to crisis due to a lack of resilience in the system. Breakdowns and cancellations are causing disruption to businesses as well as missed hospital appointments. A new ferry for the Islay route was launched in Turkey at the weekend. It is due to be in service by the end of this year, with another due next year. While a welcome addition, residents there claim they have been dealing with a second-rate service while they are built and are facing another summer of disruption. https://news.stv.tv/west-central/tough-summer-looms-for-islay-businesses-suffering-from-second-rate-service-despite-promise-of-new-calmac-ferries There’s more, much … Continue reading Islay ferries – Massively subsidised by the rest of us and seriously under-used yet still not good enough – Go tell Shakespeare?

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Why does only Scotland need to hear of national grid problems it does not actually have?

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Included in Reporting Scotland’s very short insert in BBC Breakfast and the main story on the BBC Scotland website (below), ‘The National Grid’ and its need for massive investment to make sure it can provide the flow of electricity to ‘homes and businesses’, makes no mention of the key fact that Scotland does not ‘need’ this at all; the rest of the UK does. Scotland is currently transferring 1.69TWh of electricity per month to England, more than 20TWh in 2023 and on some days (above graph) pushing 30TWh. https://news.duke-energy.com/releases/duke-energy-customers-surpass-1-terawatt-of-energy-savings-through-my-home-energy-report-program 1TWh would sell globally for about $120 000 per hour, so … Continue reading Why does only Scotland need to hear of national grid problems it does not actually have?

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How the Conservative Government allowed P&O to lay the ground for future ferry disasters

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Never mind the construction delays or the cancellations inconveniencing the comfortable island retirees – 193 dead – there’s a ferry fiasco for you. Above, the Herald of Free Enterprise, only a few minutes after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on the night of 6th March 1987, killing 193 people on board.  Ironically, the UK Government of the day and for 8 years until then was Conservative, big champions of de-regulated capitalism and full-throated free enterprise. According to research by Middlesex University: One root cause was the failure of the assistant boatswain to close the bow door before dropping moorings, … Continue reading How the Conservative Government allowed P&O to lay the ground for future ferry disasters

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Thanks to SNP policies Scots far less likely to have fallen behind on bill payments

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Media reports based on research by Debt Justice today have drawn attention to large numbers unable to keep up with debt payments after 14 years of Tory mismanagement of the economy, soaring costs and high taxation. The researchers kindly provided me with the breakdown across the 4 nations, not being covered in other media reporting. In South-east England, 21% had fallen behind or missed payments on any three months in the last year. In the North of England, it was 16% and in the Midlands, it was 14%. In sharp contrast, in Scotland the figure was 9%. These differences are … Continue reading Thanks to SNP policies Scots far less likely to have fallen behind on bill payments

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Hospitals are cynically burying evidence about poor care in a “cover-up culture” but UK Conservative Government not to blame apparently

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In the Guardian today but completely absent from BBC websites including amazingly BBC Health, the above shocking scandal: Hospitals are cynically burying evidence about poor care in a “cover-up culture” that leads to avoidable deaths, and families being denied the truth about their loved ones, the NHS ombudsman has warned. Ministers, NHS leaders and hospital boards are doing too little to end the health service’s deeply ingrained “cover-up culture” and victimisation of staff who turn whistleblower, he added. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/17/nhs-ombudsman-warns-hospitals-cynically-burying-evidence-poor-care Even the Guardian article names no government minister nor does it platform the Labour opposition to attack this very real health … Continue reading Hospitals are cynically burying evidence about poor care in a “cover-up culture” but UK Conservative Government not to blame apparently

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‘Police Scotland acts to protect young people from County Lines drug dealers’ – how long can BBC Scotland stem the tide of local media coverage?

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Even BBC Scotland’s ‘local’ website for the Midlothian area has nothing on the serious matter of County Lines drug gangs from large cities in England terrorising small town Scotland. To be fair they have covered the arrest of a ‘beer bike’ to stem the flow of that crime wave also terrorising small town Scotland. In my local area, you can’t cross the street for ‘beer bikes’ hurtling by. Back to the point. Why Midlothian? This: The lads at the Midlothian View Reporter are on the ball but perhaps we’re being unfair to that ancient defender, the Scotsman? Drug gangs from … Continue reading ‘Police Scotland acts to protect young people from County Lines drug dealers’ – how long can BBC Scotland stem the tide of local media coverage?

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Using Labour’s ‘Drunkford’ method Scotland’s A&E hits 86% seen in 4 hours

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‘A message from my mum – thanks for not doing a wealth tax.‘ Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ In 2022, Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said the A&E figures, obtained by the party through freedom of information requests, were “shocking” NHS Scotland, though always far better than the other 3 nation’s NHS system, has not met the 95% within 4 hours target since the early days of 2020: But yesterday, the Labour leader in Wales, who shares the … Continue reading Using Labour’s ‘Drunkford’ method Scotland’s A&E hits 86% seen in 4 hours