Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
Leave a comment

CalMac is whopping 18% more reliable than America’s biggest ferry fleet in affluent Washington State

johnrobertson834

Before Storm Isha struck today, Scotland’s CalMac ferry service was running at around 98 to 99% reliability and averaging 95.4% over the season. America’s biggest ferry service, in Washington State, around Seattle, is now at 84% reliability after years of bad labour relations, staff shortages due to poverty wages, $270 million in deferred maintenance and allowing its fleet to fall into decay. For more, see: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/time-for-a-full-account-of-wa-ferries-value/ British Columbia ferries? Lake Ontario ferries? NZ ferries? Channel islands ferries? Isle of Wight ferries? Little better than WSF. For endless evidence of how good CalMac is, search: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=ferr Sources: https://www.calmac.co.uk/calmac-performance-data-browser?date=16%2F01%2F2024 https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/time-for-a-full-account-of-wa-ferries-value/ Continue reading CalMac is whopping 18% more reliable than America’s biggest ferry fleet in affluent Washington State

16 Comments

Not one case of measles in Scotland for three years, 95% vaccination and the Herald’s health correspondent tries to suggest it’s like the West Midlands here too

johnrobertson834

I’m indebted to for As a genuine and scary surge in measles cases after plummeting vaccination rates among young children explodes in parts of England, especially London and the West Midlands, the Herald’s Helen McUrdle, yesterday, asks: Measles, MMR, vaccine hesitancy: How at risk is Scotland? and suggests: The West Midlands region of England is in the grip of its worst measles outbreak since the 1990s, while uptake of the MMR vaccine in Scotland is at it lowest level since records began in 2014. Her report is packed full of England’s data and a Roald Dahl story. There’s no sign … Continue reading Not one case of measles in Scotland for three years, 95% vaccination and the Herald’s health correspondent tries to suggest it’s like the West Midlands here too

116 Comments

After 60 years of nuclear power generation and unknown further decades to make the sites ‘safe’ Ayrshire does not need the new risk and contamination Scottish Labour offers it

johnrobertson834

The Labour candidate for Central Ayrshire, Alan Gemmell, is a ‘proud GMB member.’ The GMB union helped found [i] the Labour Party, funds it [ii] and is the union for nuclear industry workers. Gemmell is a certain recipient of that funding. The other two candidates, Irene Campbell for North Ayrshire where the Hunterston power station is located and Elaine Stewart for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, will be obliged to follow the UK Labour line supporting the building of new stations. Hunterston A was commissioned in 1964 and taken out of service in 1990 but full clearance of the site will … Continue reading After 60 years of nuclear power generation and unknown further decades to make the sites ‘safe’ Ayrshire does not need the new risk and contamination Scottish Labour offers it

2 Comments

More on MMR immunisation in Scotland – latest research

johnrobertson834

By stewartb Let me share some other positive insights on MMR immunisation, this time from a recent peer reviewed research paper: Source: McQuaid F, Mulholland R, Sangpang Rai Y, Agrawal U, Bedford H, Cameron JC, et al. (2022) Uptake of infant and preschool immunisations in Scotland and England during the COVID-19 pandemic: An observational study of routinely collected data. PLoS Med 19(2): e1003916. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003916 ‘We found that early uptake of infant and preschool immunisations (within 4 weeks of a child becoming eligible) ROSE SIGNIFICANTLY FOR THE DURATION OF THE FIRST LOCKDOWN PERIOD IN SCOTLAND, RESULTING IN THOUSANDS MORE CHILDREN RECEIVING THEIR … Continue reading More on MMR immunisation in Scotland – latest research

6 Comments

Measles outbreak – Surely the Herald would not cherry pick dates?

johnrobertson834

By stewartb The absence of news coverage of measles from a Scotland perspective in the relevant section of the BBC News website is worthy of note. After all, BBC Scotland supposedly provides a public service and arguably, issues of public health relevant to children merit greater attention. BBC Scotland COULD communicate the significance of Scotland’s relatively high rate of MMR vaccine take-up and provide evidence – for context and perspective – which would encourage even higher levels. It’s not as if BBC Scotland has always been ‘disinterested’! From its News website dated 25 June 2019 we find this headline: ‘MMR … Continue reading Measles outbreak – Surely the Herald would not cherry pick dates?

17 Comments

Deleted WhatsApp messages – ‘Don’t swallow the state-sponsored propaganda spin of half truths and innuendo!!’

johnrobertson834

Thanks to Morag Giblin for sharing this with me and to Lorraine from Blackburn, West Lothian. Lorraine writes in Facebook: Don’t swallow the state sponsored propaganda spin of half truths and innuendo!!! – Yes ‘Whatsapp’ messages were deleted, but that is only half the story, spun to make it look as sinister in Scotland as it was in England. THERE IS NO COMPARISON! The First minister has already stated previously that the Scottish Government do not habitually use that or any other non-approved app. They follow the traditional rule of thumb (it works) – those who are in a habit … Continue reading Deleted WhatsApp messages – ‘Don’t swallow the state-sponsored propaganda spin of half truths and innuendo!!’

4 Comments

SHOCK as England is gonorrhoea capital of Europe!

johnrobertson834

In the Guardian today: The gonorrhoea diagnosis rate for England had risen from 80.6 per 100,000 people in 2017 to 146.1 per 100,000 people in 2022. The EU average is only 13.7 but that conceals Denmark at 48.3, Luxembourg at 65.7 and the Netherland’s suspicious absence from the survey. Scotland? 103. Yes, I know, second-worst in Europe but England is 40% higher! Surely that’s a story like….you know….those drug deaths. Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/20/gonorrhoea-found-to-be-on-rise-in-nearly-every-council-area-in-england-and-wales https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/gonorrhoea-annual-epidemiological-report-2021#:~:text=In%202021%2C%2027%20EU%2FEEA,considerably%20across%20the%20EU%2FEEA. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/gonorrhoea-infection-in-scotland/gonorrhoea-infection-in-scotland/#:~:text=Main%20points,diagnoses%20in%20women%20(1%2C822). Continue reading SHOCK as England is gonorrhoea capital of Europe!

8 Comments

Scotland’s ‘safest in UK’ measles vaccination rates not worth comparing in the media unlike drug deaths

johnrobertson834

The Guardian today has: UK measles outbreaks: why are cases rising and vaccination rates falling? BBC London has: Mum urges vaccine push and shares how son died after catching measles The UK Mail has: UK GRIPPED BY MEASLES CRISIS The Mail in Scotland has only WhatsApp cover-ups and BBC Scotland focus on the same plus catching up on Michelle Mone. What is the actual situation in Scotland with regard to measles vaccination rates compared to rUK figures? Well it’s pretty newsworthy you’d think. Typically in the West Midlands, they’d see no cases but in the last month they’ve had 50! … Continue reading Scotland’s ‘safest in UK’ measles vaccination rates not worth comparing in the media unlike drug deaths

7 Comments

Reasons to be cheerful – how things overall are improving

johnrobertson834

It wasn’t the above Bob who wrote Don’t Worry, Be Happy. It was Bobby McFerrin in 1988. The now very popular statistician Hans Rosling might have disagreed back then but it makes a bit more sense today. I’ve kind of been aware of the self-described ‘possibilist’ not ‘optimist’, Rosling, but have only just read the book: In it, there are these, counter-intuitive, for many even today six years later, graphs: How about some bad things decreasing in Scotland? Crime Road traffic accidents Drug deaths, even! Good things increasing in Scotland? Affordable housing. Woodland creation. I could go on. Continue reading Reasons to be cheerful – how things overall are improving

12 Comments

The Campaign to blame the SNP for Covid deaths contrary to the facts is underway

johnrobertson834

When the otherwise excellent Open Democracy seems to have swallowed the myth, much loved by Anas Sarwar, that Covid 19 deaths in care homes were the result of hospital discharges of untested patients into them, you know the campaign to turn around the story of Scotland’s better pandemic performance, is well on the way. Yesterday, they had: Care home deaths soared as Holyrood took two months to introduce testing for outgoing hospital patients, inquiry hears. Donald Macaskill, the chief executive of Scottish Care, which represents the country’s independent social care sector, said he warned the then-secretary for health and sport, … Continue reading The Campaign to blame the SNP for Covid deaths contrary to the facts is underway