Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Not in Education Employment or Training is far less common in Scotland with youth employment amongst lowest in Europe

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The Skattish Daily Express today, has the above. We have the truth: BBC Breakfast 18 June 2026 had the above headline story of 1 012 000 16 to 24 year-olds not in employment, education and training. All things being equal, with 8% of the population, you’d expect the figure in Scotland to be around 81 000. Scotland does not publish a single official NEET figure for the full 16–24 age group using the same definition as the UK-wide Labour Force Survey (LFS). Instead, it focuses on a more comprehensive Annual Participation Measure (APM) for ages 16–19 and the figure for … Continue reading Not in Education Employment or Training is far less common in Scotland with youth employment amongst lowest in Europe

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The invisible Scottish girls kidnapped by English drug gangs

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In the Telegraph today, the above and: Lucy* was just 17 when she was kidnapped by a member of a rival county lines gang. “I was hit over the head with a crowbar,” she recalls. “I was tied up and put in the back of a rental car and driven around and then taken to the house of another drug user.” It is an experience almost incomprehensible for someone of that age, when most teenagers’ biggest worry is passing their exams. But this is the brutal reality for thousands of girls who are under the control of criminal gangs. and: … Continue reading The invisible Scottish girls kidnapped by English drug gangs

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Police Scotland trusted by 74%, 42% more than UK average

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From Scottish Household Survey 2025 findings: Trust in Public Institutions published today, the above and: Trust was highest in the Health System and the Police – In 2025, adults in Scotland were most likely to express trust in the Health System and the Police (both 74%). https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-2025-findings-trust-in-public-institutions/ The OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions (2025 data), published 2026, has support for the police across the UK at only 52%. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-survey-on-drivers-of-trust-in-public-institutions-2026-results_9eb63fec-en/full-report.html NHS England trust? 72%. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/keeping-data-safe-and-benefitting-the-public/public-attitudes-to-data-in-the-nhs-and-social-care The Scottish Government trusted by only 46% looks bad but that compares with only 25% for the UK Government. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-survey-on-drivers-of-trust-in-public-institutions-2026-results_9eb63fec-en/full-report.html Continue reading Police Scotland trusted by 74%, 42% more than UK average

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Glasgow City Region ‘already far more advanced in regional working than is often reflected in public commentary’ and ‘already operates as a mature regional delivery platform’ –

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The Glasgow City Region is ‘already far more advanced in regional working than is often reflected in public commentary’ and ‘already operates as a mature regional delivery platform’ – GCR’s Director of Regional Economic Growth. By stewartb Notwithstanding the current political focus across the UK on devolution to city regions, there is a dearth of evidence-based reporting by the MSM and (of course) by the public service broadcaster we’re stuck with, BBC Scotland on what local authorities together with business, universities and others in the third sector already do and achieve in partnership in Scotland’s city regions. Arguably, the absence … Continue reading Glasgow City Region ‘already far more advanced in regional working than is often reflected in public commentary’ and ‘already operates as a mature regional delivery platform’ –

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Scotland’s media cynically grooming a single child abuse victim to find a Scottish ‘Rotherham’ which Police Scotland and all the evidence say is not here

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Notice a pattern? Find a personal trauma then milk it for political purposes. In the above report from BBC Scotland today, in nearly 2 000 words on one victim’s experience, there’s no place for this: In Rotherham alone, at least 1,400 children estimated to have been sexually exploited by predominantly Pakistani-heritage men (Jay Inquiry). Later NCA work identified over 1,100 victims in related investigations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal They will not give up. They smell blood and tears and will try to make sure enough Scots think we have rape grooming gangs too and so are no different. Why do they want this? … Continue reading Scotland’s media cynically grooming a single child abuse victim to find a Scottish ‘Rotherham’ which Police Scotland and all the evidence say is not here

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As Birmingham drug gangs now compete with Liverpool in Highland Region, the region’s 270% violent crime surge in just 5 years, more than 20 times Scotland’s average, could worsen

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in possession of two large suitcases. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0033vn4/highland-cops-series-4-2-siege-in-the-highlands Inverness and the Highlands are a world away from BBC Scotland in Glasgow in terms of their coverage the illegal drug trade. Highland Cops commissioned by BBC 2 and BBC Scotland and produced by Firecrest Films is in its fourth series of frankly fascinating documentary style episodes on crime in the Scottish Highlands, with ravishing background, often foreground, scenery shots and increasingly impressive and likeable police officer characters. The production seems to have wriggled out from under the oppressive editorial control in Glasgow where the suggestion the the street-level, illegal drug trade with … Continue reading As Birmingham drug gangs now compete with Liverpool in Highland Region, the region’s 270% violent crime surge in just 5 years, more than 20 times Scotland’s average, could worsen

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The Herald on CalMac – More balanced framing would likely improve both the journalism and its durability with readers.

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In Scotland the Herald newspaper has mounted repeated attacks on Scottish CalMac ferries, always without any context in the form of the higher costs and other failures of other ferry companies in England and in North America. Given their high frequency and constant unvarying dramatic negativity is it likely that readers may tire of these reports and that they may come to be counter-productive for the newspaper as a business? Yes, it is plausible that the high volume and consistently dramatic negativity could eventually tire some readers and prove counter-productive for The Herald as a business. These problems are real … Continue reading The Herald on CalMac – More balanced framing would likely improve both the journalism and its durability with readers.

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Why we have no A&E crisis but England does

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In the Herald today, this: Here’s why we have no crisis but NHS England does From stewartb 5 March 2026 on NHS England manipulating stats again, researched by stewartb and just framed by me. RCEM press release (march 4): ‘NHS England corridor care definition interesting but meaningful change must follow’ ‘Dr Ian Higginson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said: “.. we can already measure long waits and overcrowding. It remains to be seen whether trying to measure corridor care on top of this will prove more effective. “We have two main concerns about the complex definition. Firstly, … Continue reading Why we have no A&E crisis but England does

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Major improvement in average NHS Scotland discharge delays offers reduced harm and strain for families

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From Delayed discharges in NHS Scotland monthly Figures for September 2026 published today: The average (median) length of delay for people delayed at the September 2026 census was 29 days. This is less than as at the census point in August 2026 (33 days), the same as July 2026 (29 days) and less than June 2026 (30 days). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/delayed-discharges-in-nhs-scotland-monthly/delayed-discharges-in-nhs-scotland-monthly-figures-for-september-2026/main-points/ This is a 12% imrpovement. How important is this statistic? Impacts on family and carers Families often remain involved in daily visiting, advocacy, and coordination with health and social care teams while the patient is delayed. This can involve repeated travel, … Continue reading Major improvement in average NHS Scotland discharge delays offers reduced harm and strain for families

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Residential bed capacity for drug and alcohol rehabilitation in Scotland is up 46% in only 5 years as it plummets in England

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From Residential rehabilitation bed capacity in Scotland, August 2026 today: The survey received responses from 30 residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities with bed capacity that meet the Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group’s definition of residential rehabilitation. This is two more facilities than were identified in October 2025 (28 facilities). The 2026 survey found a total maximum residential rehabilitation capacity of 619 beds in Scotland. This was an increase of 45 beds (8%) compared to the October 2025 figure of 574 beds. Table 1 shows maximum reported residential rehabilitation bed capacity by facility in 2025 and 2026. https://www.gov.scot/publications/residential-rehabilitation-bed-capacity-in-scotland-august-2026/pages/findings/ The longer-term … Continue reading Residential bed capacity for drug and alcohol rehabilitation in Scotland is up 46% in only 5 years as it plummets in England