Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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NHS Scotland busts 90% target for three straight years as 95% of nearly 4 000 drug abusers are seen within three weeks

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, for the quarter ending 30 June 2024, today: Nationally, the Standard was met for [3 700] referrals to community-based services across all substances: drugs (95.1%). BBC Scotland makes no mention of this ever and in August 2024, had only: Scotland’s drug deaths still worst in Europe Source: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/national-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-waiting-times/national-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-waiting-times-1-april-2024-to-30-june-2024/ The OBA – https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116 Continue reading NHS Scotland busts 90% target for three straight years as 95% of nearly 4 000 drug abusers are seen within three weeks

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Health authorities in England carefully hid MMR vaccine levels as deadly measles cases surged across country and into Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Today, from Public Health Scotland: 92.8% of children had the first dose of MMR vaccine by 24 months of age. This rose to 95.8% for children who had reached age five. Uptake of the second dose of MMR vaccine by 5 years was 89.4%, rising to 91.1% by age 6 years.1 There are several authorities, GOV.UK, NHS England, even the BMJ, reporting a ‘successful boost’ in the number of MMR vaccines administered to young children in 2024, (but not in London!) after the Measles surge earlier in the year. None seem prepared to tell what the … Continue reading Health authorities in England carefully hid MMR vaccine levels as deadly measles cases surged across country and into Scotland

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An area in Scotland’s Fast Reactor Centre so dangerous only a snake-like robot can explore it

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By Professor John Robertson OBA A BBC Report yesterday, has nothing to say about just why a robot snake is needed for work on the clear-up of the Dounreay facility in Caithness. We have: From BBC Scotland today: While it is always disturbing to hear of industrial conflict in a nuclear plant, these two-day strikes will, relatively speaking, make little difference to the decommissioning process. Why? Decommissioning began in 2019 and the plan envisages 50-60 years to complete but ‘complete’ doesn’t mean to the company, Magnox Ltd., what it means to most of us and the site will be under surveillance, … Continue reading An area in Scotland’s Fast Reactor Centre so dangerous only a snake-like robot can explore it

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Fact – Homelessness and affordable housing shortages are far less common in Scotland

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with families waiting months for suitable accommodation, new data is expected to reveal this morning. The Scottish Government and 12 councils have already declared a housing emergency, with the number of households in temporary accommodation or those waiting for social housing continuing to rise. The Housing Minister… By Professor John Robertson BBC Scotland is headlining this story ahead of data to be published today: They will not be providing any context, I’m sure. Here it is: To read in full with all sources, click on: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=homeless To read in full with all sources, click on: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=homeless To read in full with all sources, … Continue reading Fact – Homelessness and affordable housing shortages are far less common in Scotland

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SNP Minister’s second letter to Liz Kendall ignored by media

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Two days ago, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Shirley-Anne Somerville wrote again to the UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall: Dear Liz, I am writing to you to express further concerns, following the publication of the UK Government’s equality analysis on the impact of the introduction of a means-tested Winter Fuel Payments, which shows that across all assessed characteristics those affected by this change in policy will greatly outnumber those unaffected. The Scottish Government continues to support vulnerable households from fuel poverty through a range of actions within our limited devolved powers. This year alone, we are spending £134 … Continue reading SNP Minister’s second letter to Liz Kendall ignored by media

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Clear evidence that Labour cannot run a health service as even failed NHS England puts NHS Wales on life support

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today but not a mention from the ever-loyal BBC Wales: NHS patients in Wales will be allowed to travel to England to receive care for the first time ever under plans to be announced by the Welsh secretary on Monday. Jo Stevens will tell the Labour conference in Liverpool that she is drawing up proposals to allow patients to travel between England and Wales to receive outpatient or elective treatment. Stevens will say that the move will help reduce waiting lists on both sides of the border. But with NHS struggling in Wales even more than in England, experts … Continue reading Clear evidence that Labour cannot run a health service as even failed NHS England puts NHS Wales on life support

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Chained to a Zombie Nation with 50* times more of these

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BBC UK today have a surge in ‘Zombie‘ knife possession as their headline story, with the following evidence of a doubling in the last five years: BBC Scotland have found no such equivalent story. They could have mentioned this as new laws on the prohibition of such knives came into force in Scotland only last year: In 2023-24, there were 15 crimes of Possession of certain dangerous knives in a private place (6 of which were used in other criminal activity and 9 which were not). In the same period there were 230 crimes of Possession of prohibited offensive weapons … Continue reading Chained to a Zombie Nation with 50* times more of these

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Prisoner release in Scotland – far fewer than England and no quick re-offending unlike in England

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By Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald above today, typically insensitive, exploitative and ill informed. In England, last week: Similar in Scotland? Nope, despite our media rats sniffing everywhere. The facts? Anyone for facts? There are currently 8 348 prisoners in Scotland’s prisons.2 From Audit Scotland in December 2023: SPS has advised that as at November 2023 the extended operating capacity that the prison estate can accommodate is 8,475.3 So, 127 places still available for a population only one eleventh of the population of England and Wales. They should have at least 1 400 but have ‘less than 100’, only a fourteenth! Sources: … Continue reading Prisoner release in Scotland – far fewer than England and no quick re-offending unlike in England

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As US spy technology firm risks patient safety how the SNP Government protected you

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today: There are “serious safety risks” for patients in the rollout of electronic health records in hospitals across England, a charity has warned. Patient Safety Learning said incidents involving new systems were likely to be under-reported and must be flagged. It has urged the government to ensure adverse-incident reports are monitored more effectively. One trust reported more than 900 incidents, including potential patient harms after it rolled out new software. Might this be the reason for the above and the lack of a similar crisis in NHS Scotland? From the Guardian in November 2023: The NHS is to hand a key … Continue reading As US spy technology firm risks patient safety how the SNP Government protected you

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English newspaper looks 10 000 miles south to report opioid crisis in Australia but fails to notice a solution launched THIRTEEN years ago just 400 miles to the north

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By Professor John Robertson OBA The Guardian today has: Australian demand for overdose drug naloxone more than doubles after spike in synthetic opioid deaths but no mention of Scotland in the report. Why might it have? This: Scotland was the first country in the world [2011] to introduce a national naloxone programme, empowering individuals, families, friends and communities to reverse an opiate overdose. https://www.gov.scot/policies/alcohol-and-drugs/naloxone-provision/#:~:text=Scotland%20was%20the%20first%20country,years%20from%202011%20to%202016. From Public Health Scotland in August 2021: Since the establishment of the National Naloxone Programme in 2011/12:• 74,629 THN kits have been issued by services based in the community.• 8,793 THN kits have been issued by prisons … Continue reading English newspaper looks 10 000 miles south to report opioid crisis in Australia but fails to notice a solution launched THIRTEEN years ago just 400 miles to the north