Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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There’s a far bigger ‘steelworks crisis’ – we have none but must pay for it in England and I feel sure ‘Flynn’ knows just what we should do about it – get out!

johnrobertson834

No doubt the Dalzell plant needs looking at but it’s a far less significant matter than this: Latest increase – Scots taxpayers to pay first £120 million instalment to keep old English steelworks in business and another £100m to save old English oil refinery so that it can replace Scottish oil refinery to refine oil almost entirely from Scottish waters Labour has been urged to lay out a credible plan for the future of British Steel, as the government spending watchdog warned of the “startling” costs of keeping the struggling manufacturer in business with no end in sight. British Steel … Continue reading There’s a far bigger ‘steelworks crisis’ – we have none but must pay for it in England and I feel sure ‘Flynn’ knows just what we should do about it – get out!

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Dreadful scenes but reduction in serious incidents, no injuries to firefighters and one ‘minor’ injury to police officer and ambulance staff

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From BBC Scotland today, the above and: Seven people were arrested and a police van was set alight during Bonfire Night violence in parts of Scotland. A police officer and an ambulance staff member also suffered minor injuries when they were attacked with fireworks while responding to a report of an injured man in Glasgow. The police vehicle was seriously damaged during the incident in Greenside Street, in the Provanmill area of the city, and a 16-year-old boy was arrested. Police and members of the public were also targeted with fireworks in several areas of Edinburgh. Fire service personnel also … Continue reading Dreadful scenes but reduction in serious incidents, no injuries to firefighters and one ‘minor’ injury to police officer and ambulance staff

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Herald’s Education Specialist lacks ordinary Primary 7 knowledge of simple arithmetical ratios

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In the Herald today, from the above Education Specialist, arrant nonsense he should ashamed of, but first what qualifications do you require to call yourself a ‘Specialist?’ None On his website: I was originally a high school English teacher on the Isle of Arran, after which I spent nine years as an English and Communication lecturer in a Glasgow further education college. Since 2015 I have combined full-time teaching work with freelance investigative journalism, analysis and commentary across a wide range of publications including The Herald, The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Ferret, The Daily Record, The Ecologist, OpenDemocracy and more. … Continue reading Herald’s Education Specialist lacks ordinary Primary 7 knowledge of simple arithmetical ratios

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Ayrshire has more GPs per head than the Scottish average and far more than England

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I’ll be quick. On a per-head-of-population basis, excluding trainees: Scotland: 84 GPs per 100,000 population England: 65 GPs per 100,000 Ayrshire & Arran: 87 per 100,000 Sources: https://www.snp.org/policies/how-is-the-snp-increasing-access-to-gps/ https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/media/psijuw5d/generalpracticeworkforcesurvey2026_final.html Continue reading Ayrshire has more GPs per head than the Scottish average and far more than England

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Experimenting on monkeys in Scotland is a reserved matter, Labour’s Home Secretary David Blunkett was responsible for agreeing to it and Donald Trump had shares in it

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The Ferret today has a piece on Nearly 500 monkeys have been transported more than 6000 miles to Scotland from Mauritius to be used in animal experiments since the start of 2025, The Ferret can reveal. The monkeys are used in tests at a research site in Tranent run by a company called Charles River Laboratories that buys, sells and experiments on animals. The US multinational – which specialises in gene and cell therapy, medical devices, and biotechnology – conducts research on dogs, monkeys, rats and mice to make medicines, fertilisers and weedkillers. https://www.theferret.scot/hundreds-monkeys-imported-scotland/?ref=story-alerts-newsletter Their report does refer to UK … Continue reading Experimenting on monkeys in Scotland is a reserved matter, Labour’s Home Secretary David Blunkett was responsible for agreeing to it and Donald Trump had shares in it

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Still hiding the UK Government’s responsibility for the three Stonehaven derailment deaths six years after James Cook tried to blame the Scottish Government

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improvements since the accident. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20y0922wg3o BBC Reporting Scotland last night carefully omit any details of Network Rail‘s responsibility to the UK and not the Scottish Government. In the 1 000 words plus online report, there is no attempt to inform readers that Network Rail, is responsible for the maintenance of all rail infrastructure across the UK, for national security reasons. They were responsible for the above-mentioned drain which triggered the landslip and the consequent deadly derailment. ScotRail is responsible for the train, staff and service, only BBC Scotland 26 January 2026, has: Stonehaven train derailment inquiry told of ‘lives ripped … Continue reading Still hiding the UK Government’s responsibility for the three Stonehaven derailment deaths six years after James Cook tried to blame the Scottish Government

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Herald readers, amid their latest ferry feeding frenzy with F-all facts, need a further good reminder how much the SNP has done for islanders also with grant subsidies

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Thanks to TuS reader Legerwood for reminding me that Herald readers, amid their latest ferry feeding frenzy with F-all facts, need a further good reminder how much the SNP has done for them especially with grant subsidies out of our budget The Scotsman 11 August 2026, quotes a Labour MSP saying ‘Our islands have been let down, time and again, by the SNP.’ Readers will know that CalMac is almost certainly the best – cheapest, most frequent, most reliable, safest – in the world. How reliable, currently, has CalMac been for, say Mull? In February 2026, latest figures, in a … Continue reading Herald readers, amid their latest ferry feeding frenzy with F-all facts, need a further good reminder how much the SNP has done for islanders also with grant subsidies

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Herald readers, amid their latest ferry feeding frenzy with F-all facts, need a good reminder how much the SNP has done for islanders especially with the Road Equivalent Tariff [RET]

johnrobertson834

Thanks to TuS reader Legerwood for reminding me that Herald readers, amid their latest ferry feeding frenzy with F-all facts, need a good reminder how much the SNP has done for them especially with the Road Equivalent Tariff [RET] on the Clyde and Hebridean Network Another ferry ‘fiasco report’ on 12 January 2026. The facts hidden every time they write this rancid garbage: There’s a very significant background story never told of just how much this SNP Government has done to transform life on the islands, funded by the rest of us living often in less pleasant places and with … Continue reading Herald readers, amid their latest ferry feeding frenzy with F-all facts, need a good reminder how much the SNP has done for islanders especially with the Road Equivalent Tariff [RET]

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Ayrshire alcohol death rate falls

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Above, the Daily Record misleading the folk of Ayrshire once more. Below, the facts from Alcohol-specific deaths 2025, published by the NRS on 27 October 2026 So, a few more deaths due to alcohol in Ayrshire between the 2000/2004 five-year-average with 419 per 100 000 population and the 2021/2025 equivalent of 436. I know each case is tragic but that’s a drop in the rate and the same as 44 per 10 000 or 4.4 cases per 1 000 population. Source: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/alcohol-specific-deaths-2025 Continue reading Ayrshire alcohol death rate falls