Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Shouting theatre in a crowded fire – Scotland’s firefighters betrayed by their own union

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In the Guardian today, the above and this below: Wrack, the general secretary of the 34,000-strong Fire Brigades Union, said: “The debate on workers’ rights is a key issue for all unions as we approach a general election. As a policy, it is very popular with our members but it is popular with the voters as well. “We know Labour will come under pressure from business interests but there should be no backtracking and no weakening. Labour needs to deliver this as one of its top priorities. If there is a rolling back there will be significant anger.” Meanwhile in … Continue reading Shouting theatre in a crowded fire – Scotland’s firefighters betrayed by their own union

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No sign that Scottish farmer confidence is low in contrast with all of Europe thanks to SNP Government actions

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By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian today: Farmer confidence at lowest in England and Wales since survey began, NFU says. Union cites extreme wet weather and post-Brexit phasing-out of EU subsidies as main reasons for slump There’s no mention of Scotland in the survey. I had a look and can find no equivalent survey for Scottish farmers but did spot this from the Scottish Farmer in March : NFU Scotland has stepped back from the protest movement sweeping across Europe by the agriculture sector. President Martin Kennedy spoke out after more than 100 vehicles, many flying the Union flag and … Continue reading No sign that Scottish farmer confidence is low in contrast with all of Europe thanks to SNP Government actions

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Infected blood scandal key files were shredded by panicked Labour Government – just another reason why Scots can never trust Labour again

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In the Guardian today: Revealed: key files shredded as UK government panic grew over infected blood deaths lawsuit. Lost documents prevented victims from finding out the truth, official inquiry told. Several batches of files involving the work of a blood safety advisory committee were shredded as the government faced the threat of legal action, documents show. Patients who were given contaminated blood when they were children have also told the infected blood inquiry how their hospital medical files were destroyed or initially withheld. The scheme to import blood from US prisoners was approved in the UK in August 1976. The UK Government … Continue reading Infected blood scandal key files were shredded by panicked Labour Government – just another reason why Scots can never trust Labour again

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After only one response to their survey, Herald journalist says ‘It was like pulling teeth’ finding a Scot who had to pull their own teeth but even then it wasn’t very hard because they were already loose!

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No horrible photo of teeth! From Will Peakin and Helen McCurdle at the Herald today: The Herald launched it’s Reader Survey of dentistry in Scotland on 26 April, 10 days ago, and the above is clearly all they got. To be fair they only have a very small readership. Most Scots are now sick to the………… Didn’t Ian Murray say folk were going to B&Q to buy pliers for self-dentistry? Continue reading After only one response to their survey, Herald journalist says ‘It was like pulling teeth’ finding a Scot who had to pull their own teeth but even then it wasn’t very hard because they were already loose!

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Hello! A Royals-obsessed magazine journalist would walk more than 500 miles for a Scottish seat nobody else wants’ – Labour colonialism at its more pure

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By Professor John Robertson From the Dundee Courier, yesterday: Labour candidate in Angus is councillor for city over 500 miles away. A councillor from Canterbury in England has been selected as Labour’s candidate for Angus and Perthshire Glens, it can be revealed. Elizabeth Carr-Ellis is a Labour councillor for St Stephen’s in Canterbury – over 500 miles from Angus in the South East of England. But the party has given her its backing to standing for election in the newly formed Westminster constituency. Ms Carr-Ellis describes herself as a “Geordie journalist” who has lived around the UK and abroad. It is … Continue reading Hello! A Royals-obsessed magazine journalist would walk more than 500 miles for a Scottish seat nobody else wants’ – Labour colonialism at its more pure

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New pollster’s Labour lead over SNP does not convince

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There’s much excitement over the latest poll suggesting Labour are ahead of the SNP for Westminster and Holyrood. It’s from Norstat for the Sunday Times. Norstat used to be Panelbase which has a long tradition of reporting smaller SNP leads. See these below and look at the leads, on either side of the purple blob representing Panelbase: For more than a year now Panelbase, now Norstat, have been coming in well below the more established YouGov. They’re clearly sampling differently. Continue reading New pollster’s Labour lead over SNP does not convince

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Shameful Sunday Post misreporting of racism incidences as they fall under Yousaf and SNP

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By Professor John Robertson The Sunday post today has: The facts, from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), in the graph above and in the actual data, below, say otherwise: So, race-based hate crimes are down by almost exactly 1 000 from 2014 to 2020 and judging by the graph above have continued to fall under Humza Yousaf in 2023. Sources: https://www.gov.scot/publications/justice-analytical-services-jas-safer-communities-justice-statistics-monthly-data-report-february-2024-edition/documents https://www.gov.scot/publications/study-characteristics-police-recorded-hate-crime-scotland/documents Continue reading Shameful Sunday Post misreporting of racism incidences as they fall under Yousaf and SNP

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The SNP is a failed project? Plummeting income and a hidden membership suggests Common Weal is a better example

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Front page on the National in October 2023, Common Weal’s Robin McAlpine appears. Three days ago, he was telling us: The SNP is a failed project It is hard to express how dark my mood is today or how much pain I feel for the future of Scotland and independence. The SNP is unreformed and unreformable, and the rest of us are just onlookers There is a Karl Lagerfeld quote by which I live my life: “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat.” John Swinney is a sign of defeat. This is a sign of a party not only incapable of … Continue reading The SNP is a failed project? Plummeting income and a hidden membership suggests Common Weal is a better example

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Factcheck- 418 900 fewer staff in NHS England, ‘leading to patient deaths’, than if it were run by SNP Government!

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By Professor John Robertson In the Observer today, the above, and: Hospitals are being forced to cut medical staff, threatening their ability to care for patients, senior health leaders have warned. NHS trusts are reporting budget deficits after the chancellor Jeremy Hunt gave England’s health service £2.5bn extra funding, which only covers inflation and pay increases. The UK’s ageing population and the impact of having more than 6 million patients waiting for more than 7.5m treatments means that demand on the health service has increased substantially. https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/05/cuts-will-result-in-patient-deaths-hospitals-shed-medical-staff-after-being-told-to-balance-the-books Further staffing cuts in NHS England staffing will exacerbate an already worrying level of staffing. … Continue reading Factcheck- 418 900 fewer staff in NHS England, ‘leading to patient deaths’, than if it were run by SNP Government!

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ONS confirms Scotland as ‘sticky asset’ rich

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By stewartb There is merit in communicating the intrinsic – the ‘sticky’ – assets of Scotland. Demonstrating that Scotland has valuable assets in abundance is a necessary but not sufficient part of case making for independence – it’s also about giving confidence that such assets can be better sustained, used to better effect and renewed in future in an independent Scotland. I do still come across Unionists holding to the ‘too wee, too poor etc.’ nonsense! The UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) has in recent years been publishing accounts of ‘natural capital’ or ‘wealth’. It explains: ‘Natural wealth is reflected … Continue reading ONS confirms Scotland as ‘sticky asset’ rich