Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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News you’re unlikely to hear – 81% waiting for psychological therapy see within target time and 50% within only 3 weeks

johnrobertson834

From Public Health Scotland today: 80.6% of people of all ages started their treatment within 18 weeks of referral, compared to 79.4% of people for the previous quarter, and 81.4% of people for the quarter ending December 2022. The Scottish Government standard states that 90% of people should start their treatment within 18 weeks of referral to psychological therapies. 50% of the people of all ages starting treatment started within 3 weeks of referral. Continue reading News you’re unlikely to hear – 81% waiting for psychological therapy see within target time and 50% within only 3 weeks

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What did the Labour First Minister know about racism and misogyny in Strathclyde Police in 2005?

johnrobertson834

The BBC Scotland reporting this morning has: The mother of Emma Caldwell is to meet the first minister on Tuesday to call for a public inquiry into the investigation of her daughter’s murder. Margaret Caldwell wants a judge to look into the failings by police in the case. Iain Packer was jailed for life on 28 February for the murder of Emma as well as 11 rapes and multiple sexual assaults against a total of 22 women. The Scottish government has said it will consider a public inquiry. After the verdict, Police Scotland apologised for how the original inquiry was … Continue reading What did the Labour First Minister know about racism and misogyny in Strathclyde Police in 2005?

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Why does this pollster find a bigger Alba and Labour

johnrobertson834

The above are Holyrood election polls since last August for the Regional or List Vote. In the Constituency vote, the polls do not include Alba and have never predicted a Labour lead. In the Regional vote, Alba get between 0 and 4% and Labour get a lead over the SNP in 7 out of 27 polls. There’s a pattern. Redfield and Wilton always record at least 2%, never 1% or zero, for Alba. They also found three of their five 3% predictions and their only 4%. Labour have 7 predicted leads and 4 of these are from Redfield & Wilton. … Continue reading Why does this pollster find a bigger Alba and Labour

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6% Missing council tax payments? Is that a lot? Yeh, but don’t mention it costs less here, OK?

johnrobertson834

Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to my favourite, nearly 100 year-old, paper-based, to your door, Scots Independent newspaper, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ tax payment last year – that’s according to Citizen’s Advice. A survey by the charity suggests around 6% of people missed a payment at least once in 2023. Reporting Scotland’s opening story, first thing to today, to get you off to a bad start in Scotland. Reporting Scotland editor: 270 000? Nice big number but don’t mention the percentage. Wait, they did. Who put that in? It’s too wee! FFS! Haven’t I told … Continue reading 6% Missing council tax payments? Is that a lot? Yeh, but don’t mention it costs less here, OK?

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Exclusively repetitive on a ferry story from the Herald

johnrobertson834

Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to my favourite, nearly 100 year-old, paper-based, to your door, Scots Independent newspaper, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ I’m saying nothing about knobs but from the Herald today: Nationalised Ferguson Marine have denied a breach of the ferry fiasco agreement after cutting the contracted size of the two lifeline ferries by 300 passengers. The Herald can confirm that a redesign of the two ferries, as a result of safety concerns, will cut its passenger carrying capacity below that specified when the contract was signed in October, 2015. The … Continue reading Exclusively repetitive on a ferry story from the Herald

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How little Labour did for the social housing market when in power in Scotland compared to the SNP

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By NMRN “This is not the first time Shelter has mounted a campaign of deliberately context-free misinformation against the Scottish Government” It is also amazing how in a GE year that the volume is being ramped up….against the Scottish government by certain organisations ……a surreptitious disguise that could be then assumed as another ‘Friends of Labour’ ….and thus (another)’Enemy of the SNP’ …..another critic (to join the many pro UK ranks)……. Given the media’s current #SNPBAD and then also their #GiveLabourAnotherChance badly cloaked and very much partisan political marketing within Scotland….to shore up more support for labour and less support … Continue reading How little Labour did for the social housing market when in power in Scotland compared to the SNP

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As homelessness falls only in Scotland – the irony of those claiming we’re being ‘gaslighted’ actually doing it

johnrobertson834

Today in the Herald: The head of one of Scotland’s most influential charities has launched a scathing attack on Humza Yousaf over the nation’s “housing emergency” claiming the First Minister is “gaslighting” the country. Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland – the leading housing and homelessness charity – spoke out as it emerged nearly 10,000 children are currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation, such as cheap hotels and B&Bs. First, some facts: The Guardian today has There has been a dramatic rise in the number of homeless young people in the UK since Christmas, charities have warned. The New Horizon Youth Centre in London said a record number of … Continue reading As homelessness falls only in Scotland – the irony of those claiming we’re being ‘gaslighted’ actually doing it

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England well ahead of Scotland on post Grenfell cladding remediation…..because only they actually need to be

johnrobertson834

This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ In the latest of the endlessly ill-informed coverage of flammable cladding on tower blocks being replaced, Scotland’s Insider has: Only two of the 105 buildings included in the Scottish Government’s cladding remediation programme have had work carried out. With a Holyrood committee scrutinising new legislation aimed at dealing with potentially flammable cladding on blocks of flats, MSPs said that “progress has been slow”. A report published by the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee said: “Of the 105 buildings within the Scottish Government’s cladding remediation programme, only … Continue reading England well ahead of Scotland on post Grenfell cladding remediation…..because only they actually need to be

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Note to Rishi on mob rule – public order offences in England and Wales fell last year and the Gaza protest arrest rate was lower than Glastonbury!

johnrobertson834

The number of people arrested for public order offences in England & Wales was down on the previous year and well down on 2015/2016. Many of the Gaza protests were in last year’s figures. The number of offences (some people are arrested more than once), is also in decline: The arrest rate at Gaza protests has been lower than at Glastonbury: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/palestine-gaza-protests-arrests-metropolitan-police-suella-braverman-glastonbury/ I’m aware of no riots this year. Yet, as they slide to defeat, the Tories scrabble for some scare story to save them: Continue reading Note to Rishi on mob rule – public order offences in England and Wales fell last year and the Gaza protest arrest rate was lower than Glastonbury!

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‘In a piece of self-aggrandisement BBC Scotland journalist Samantha Poling is implying that she solved the murder’

johnrobertson834

Image – Scottish Sun Alasdair Macdonald The media, with justification, are focussing on the failure to arrest the killer of Emma Caldwell in 2007. This was, indeed, a shocking failure of policing. This occurred during the period when police forces in Scotland were run locally and the force responsible here was Strathclyde Police. Police Scotland had not yet been created. It was Police Scotland which solved this crime. However, the media are not making much of that. As far as they are concerned the ‘police’ are responsible ergo Police Scotland is responsible and this enables them to blame the Scottish … Continue reading ‘In a piece of self-aggrandisement BBC Scotland journalist Samantha Poling is implying that she solved the murder’