Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Far fewer in Scotland have ‘serious’ or ‘very poor’ literacy problems than across the UK

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The appearance of Prof Lindsay Paterson on Reporting Scotland today is, once more, fraught with the kind of misunderstandings this statistician with zero experience of teaching regularly brings. Prompted by the numbers-obsessed prof’s strop on the fact that Scotland doesn’t take part in an international study of no use, like Pisa, to compare our adult illiteracy with theirs, they claim: The last Scottish government survey was in 2009 and put the number of people in Scotland who have problems with literacy at around 26%. As with drug deaths, they desperately hope they have found the only kind of whitabootery that … Continue reading Far fewer in Scotland have ‘serious’ or ‘very poor’ literacy problems than across the UK

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Crime and Policing – How Scotland’s media hide our successes

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On the Today programme, a BBC Radio 4 interviewer enthuses about the reduction in knife crime and homicide in Scotland over nearly two decades, as he interviews Will Linden Depute Head of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit You can hear the whole interview, around 53 mins in, at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001v3bj BBC R4’s interests comes against the background of high levels of knife-related deaths in England and, today, the actor Idris Elba’s call for a ban on sales which he says the Conservative Government has neglected: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67903124 BBC Scotland and the newspapers are not interested in this but, rather, focus on two … Continue reading Crime and Policing – How Scotland’s media hide our successes

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SNP not accused as real firearm offences grow to TWICE as high in England & Wales than in Scotland

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STV today have Scotland’s biggest firearm scare story: Police who were called out to investigate reports of a possible firearm in Glasgow discovered the item in question was a toy. https://news.stv.tv/west-central/police-scotland-called-out-to-reports-of-a-firearm-in-glasgow-find-toy That prompted me to check the facts. First in Scotland: In 2021-22, the police in Scotland recorded 273 offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been involved, a decrease of 23% from 2020-21 (353 offences) and down 20% from 2019-20 (341 offences), In England & Wales: The police recorded 6,645 offences involving firearms in the year ending June 2023, a 13% increase compared with the year ending June 2022 (5,860 … Continue reading SNP not accused as real firearm offences grow to TWICE as high in England & Wales than in Scotland

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As NHS England staggers into a ‘third world’ crisis, BBC England ignores yet BBC Scotland platforms Labour and Cons to make one up here

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BBC Scotland above and BBC England below: You’d be forgiven for thinking things were difficult in NHS Scotland but hunky dory in England, yet in the Guardian today: NHS chief warns trusts in England are ‘stretched to limit’ amid strikes. Several NHS trusts in England have already declared critical incidents during the walkout, which continues until Tuesday. Some have asked staff to return to work, citing patient safety. It means that Sunak’s key pledge on NHS waiting times risks going into reverse. Official data suggests that since the PM made his pledge a year ago, the waiting list has gone up by … Continue reading As NHS England staggers into a ‘third world’ crisis, BBC England ignores yet BBC Scotland platforms Labour and Cons to make one up here

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Sunday Sun reveals SNP policy spreading to England – Child Payment next?

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This was posted by Gordon Macdonald MSP (SNP) for Edinburgh Pentlands. Here’s the detail: The Sun report grudgingly mentions Scotland, just across the border and prioritises the influence of Finland, over 1 000 miles way and using a language very difficult for Northumbrians to read. 283 00 baby boxes have now been given out in Scotland. No accidental fires have been reported despite the story from that daft academic at the time and Labour MSP Mary McFee pompously demanding the SNP make sure they were safe: They even hand them out now in US fire stations: https://wibc.com/217972/baby-box-installed-for-newborn-safety-at-lawrence-fire-department/ However, there’s an … Continue reading Sunday Sun reveals SNP policy spreading to England – Child Payment next?

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Herald ignores polls to hide Yousaf recovery

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The Herald headlines: ‘Beleaguered Yousaf attempts to win back independence supporters ahead of election.’ Beleaguered? What are the facts on this in the polls rather in the minds of Herald editors? In the most recent full poll, by Ipsos MORI on 26 November 2023, support for the SNP was up at 41% from 34% in the previous poll by Redfield & Winton. 35% were satisfied with how he was doing his job. In the Redfield & Winton poll on 25 October, the figure was only 22%. 41%, even in that poll had him as the better next First Minister as … Continue reading Herald ignores polls to hide Yousaf recovery

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More admirals than warships but none good enough for new post so retired admirals asked to apply

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Thanks to Cap’n Dottie for alerting me to this: The MOD has said there 34 serving Admirals, Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals and 75 ships – but only 19 of these are operational warships. https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/royal-navy-now-more-admirals-2605063 From Navy Lookout, yesterday: Makes you wonder how Scotland might survive without the Royal Navy, don’t it, Master Bates? Footnote: from 10-14, I obsessively built Airfix models and to this day could recognise in silhouette, the Hood, the Prince of Wales and the Bismarck. What more does the Director of Submarines need? Continue reading More admirals than warships but none good enough for new post so retired admirals asked to apply

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BBC UK reveal that Matheson has been responsible for ambulances responding 4 TIMES faster on average than in England

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Thanks to an inadvertent slip by BBC UK via their 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 calls such as heart attacks and strokes – above the target time of 18 minutes https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-67714151 Yes, I know the English figures are only for Category 2 emergency calls such as heart attacks and strokes and we can’t see if the … Continue reading BBC UK reveal that Matheson has been responsible for ambulances responding 4 TIMES faster on average than in England

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Central Ayrshire Labour candidate shocked as local ambulance times plummet to just over a quarter of those in imminently Labour England

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From BBC UK’s How are your local NHS services coping this winter? app, today: In just one year, NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s ambulances have reduced their average response times by a potentially life-saving 2 minutes, by 17%, from just over 12 minutes to just under 10 minutes. In England: Average response times of more than 38 minutes for category two emergency calls such as heart attacks and strokes – above the target time of 18 minuteshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-67714151 Maybe Alan Gemmell’s GMB supporters will help? Ah, they work on behalf of the nuclear fuels industry and the risks of that, which could put even more pressure on … Continue reading Central Ayrshire Labour candidate shocked as local ambulance times plummet to just over a quarter of those in imminently Labour England

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Ayr Conservatives embarrassed as ambulance waiting times plummet to just over a quarter of those in Conservative-run England

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Our ambulances are far faster than in England and getting even faster? Can’t we do something about that? From BBC UK’s How are your local NHS services coping this winter? app, today: In just one year, NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s ambulances have reduced their average response times by a potentially life-saving 2 minutes, by 17%, from just over 12 minutes to just under 10 minutes. In England: Average response times of more than 38 minutes for category two emergency calls such as heart attacks and strokes – above the target time of 18 minutes https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-67714151 Continue reading Ayr Conservatives embarrassed as ambulance waiting times plummet to just over a quarter of those in Conservative-run England