Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Scotland has only half the TB rate due to lower poverty, more affordable housing and better GP access

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In the Guardian today: One person a week dies with undiagnosed and therefore untreated tuberculosis in England, a study has found. British-born, older men were among those most likely to have TB diagnosed only after death, researchers said, suggesting healthcare workers could be overlooking the possibility of the disease in these patients. Being diagnosed with TB postmortem should be considered a “never event” that prompts urgent investigations, they said, describing it as “the ultimate diagnostic delay”. Tuberculosis rates in England are at a 10-year high, with 9.4 cases per 100,000 people in 2024. The rate is only just below the World Health … Continue reading Scotland has only half the TB rate due to lower poverty, more affordable housing and better GP access

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The real news – The SNP era sees massive increases in attainment by looked after children with three times as many passing at National 5 and eight times as many at Higher

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In the Herald today, under a frankly creepy image: Scottish Labour has accused the SNP of “breaking The Promise” after new figures showed the attainment gap between looked-after children and their peers has widened in recent years. Looked-after children are young people in the care of their local authority, including those in foster care, residential care, kinship care or some children living at home under formal supervision. How many times have I pointed out that not one credible, peer-review published educational researcher, across the globe, cares about attainment gaps. They care about improvements within disadvantaged groups over time. They know that the middle … Continue reading The real news – The SNP era sees massive increases in attainment by looked after children with three times as many passing at National 5 and eight times as many at Higher

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Children used as drugs couriers by English ‘county lines’ gangs increase in record numbers

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In the Daily Record today: The numbers of children being ruthlessly exploited by ‘county lines‘ drugs gangs are at record levels, the Daily Record can reveal. County lines operate where criminals from major cities have expanded their trafficking operations into smaller towns often in rural areas. Organised crime groups have been known to use children as mules to transport the drugs long distances or to store or guard them. Shock figures released by Police Scotland under Freedom of Information (FOI) show a sharp rise in the numbers of children falling victim in the last six years. In the 12 month period from April 2020 to … Continue reading Children used as drugs couriers by English ‘county lines’ gangs increase in record numbers

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Children’s mental health referrals and waiting times soar in England to three and four times the levels in Scotland as child poverty, youth violence, youth unemployment and domestic violence fall steadily here

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In the Guardian today, the above graph and: More than 1 million children were referred to mental health services across England last year, with referrals up 10% from the year previous, according to a report by the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza. She said the country faced a “crisis” in young people’s mental health. The number of patients who had an active referral to children and young people’s mental health services across England surpassed 1 million for the first time in 2024-25. This was almost double the number recorded in 2018-19, and an almost 10% rise on the previous year. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/29/england-children-mental-health-crisis-million-referrals and … Continue reading Children’s mental health referrals and waiting times soar in England to three and four times the levels in Scotland as child poverty, youth violence, youth unemployment and domestic violence fall steadily here

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Sorry Monica, Scottish Labour collapsed because Anas was so unpopular not because Sir Keir was

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From BBC Scotland today, the above and: Scottish Labour’s Holyrood election result was a “disaster…made in Downing Street”, according to one of the party’s former MSPs. Monica Lennon, who lost her seat in May’s election, said voters could not get beyond the prime minister’s unpopularity, and therefore “Scottish Labour couldn’t get a hearing.” Mince. They’ve be working this line for years. Last September, 7 months out from Holyrood 26, they knew they were in trouble despite the July 2024 Labour ‘Change’ wave in the General Election, when we in the SNP got a chilling reminder of just how easily influenced … Continue reading Sorry Monica, Scottish Labour collapsed because Anas was so unpopular not because Sir Keir was

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‘I see tourists pee in front of my house?’ – the real campervan crisis was in 2021

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BBC Scotland this morning is going large on: ‘I see tourists pee in front of my house’: The campervan problem on the Isle of Skye. More than 30,000 trips by campervans and motorhomes are made to the Scottish Highlands every year – with many of them touring the Isle of Skye. For islanders, the tourists play an important part in the local economy. But some visitors bring significant challenges too – leaving litter and even toilet waste in the stunning landscape. Julia Dawber says people should be discreet when nature calls. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crlwj7z7481o As an aside, it is good to see … Continue reading ‘I see tourists pee in front of my house?’ – the real campervan crisis was in 2021

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Per capita Scotland’s international football team performs 8 times better than England’s even BEFORE looking at the massive effects of her colonisation within the UK and beyond

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Correlate population with international footballing results to show how countries like Scotland and England compare Analyses of FIFA rankings and population show a positive but moderate correlation (roughly Pearson r ≈ 0.5 between population rank and FIFA rank). Larger populations tend to produce better-ranked teams on average because they offer more potential players to select from. England vs Scotland: Direct Comparison Has England benefited even more from its colonial history? England’s larger base population (~10x Scotland’s) was amplified by post-WWII immigration from former colonies (Caribbean, Africa, South Asia). This expanded the talent pool: Has England benefited too from the colonisation … Continue reading Per capita Scotland’s international football team performs 8 times better than England’s even BEFORE looking at the massive effects of her colonisation within the UK and beyond

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All three of the first major hydropower projects in ‘Great Britain’ in 40 years due to be built in northern Scotland to double storage for Southern England

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From the Guardian today: Great Britain’s first new major hydropower projects in more than 40 years are expected to move ahead after the energy regulator gave a provisional green light to three proposals as part of a plan to reduce the country’s reliance on energy imports. All three of the new pumped storage hydroelectric power station projects are due to be built in northern Scotland, where the region’s lochs will act as natural reservoirs to serve the hydropower stations. The Loch Kemp project, developed by Statera Energy, plans to draw water from Loch Ness, and SSE’s Coire Glas project expects to draw from Loch Lochy … Continue reading All three of the first major hydropower projects in ‘Great Britain’ in 40 years due to be built in northern Scotland to double storage for Southern England

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Scotland’s Immigration Problem – Very well done by the Scotland Channel and very important in clearing up major misunderstandings

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Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgkuPZxeFxc According to YouGov only 26% of those who were born in England, Wales or Northern Ireland voted Yes, little more than half the equivalent figure (49%) amongst those born in Scotland. In contrast, the division of the vote amongst those who were born outside the UK (many of whom would have been Irish, Commonwealth or EU citizens) was much less distinctive, with 41% saying they voted Yes. Meanwhile, people’s sense of national identity was also reflected in how they voted. In Ipsos MORI’s two final polls, no less than 88% of those who said they were Scottish and … Continue reading Scotland’s Immigration Problem – Very well done by the Scotland Channel and very important in clearing up major misunderstandings

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8.1% of the population but only 3.9% of the defence spending – does this Aberdonian Scottish Labour leadership ‘dark horse’ even know that?

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Aberdeen-born, former Royal Marine Commando and MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, Al Carns, is being platformed as a ‘dark horse’ in the Labour leadership story. From BBC England today: Former defence minister Al Carns has said a major economics speech due to be given by Andy Burnham will help him decide whether to challenge the Labour leadership favourite. Carns resigned as Armed Forces Minister earlier this month due to concerns over the defence budget, a pressing issue for the next prime minister. The government is expected to reveal its Defence Investment Plan ahead of a Nato summit on 7 July, despite the … Continue reading 8.1% of the population but only 3.9% of the defence spending – does this Aberdonian Scottish Labour leadership ‘dark horse’ even know that?