Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Where it counts, NHS Grampian is not ‘troubled’

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BBC Scotland, in their BBC Breakfast insert today, making much of NHS Grampian as ‘troubled‘, misses these key statistics below. The Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio is a reliable measure of the extent to which a hospital is operating normally and safely. The large Aberdeen Royal is only 0.04% above the Scottish average of 1. Smaller hospitals can have less predictable figures but, again Dr Gray’s is within the normal, safe, range shown below: From Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios January 2025 to December 2025 published today, the above chart and: No hospitals [including those of NHS Grampian] had a significantly higher standardised mortality ratio … Continue reading Where it counts, NHS Grampian is not ‘troubled’

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Corridor care still shocking 3 times more common in NHS England than in NHS Scotland almost two years into this Labour government

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BBC Breakfast had the above, this morning based on another RCEM survey, in NHS England. It seems to reinforce ITV’s own survey findings in March (below) and to remind us of the very different picture in NHS Scotland, a picture not being used by the media operating in Scotland. From ITV News at 6.30pm March 16th 2026, based on their own survey, the above graphic: A special report on the corridor care crisis in Wales where it appears to be more common than in anywhere else in the UK. 89 000 treated in corridors in one health trust. and on their website: … Continue reading Corridor care still shocking 3 times more common in NHS England than in NHS Scotland almost two years into this Labour government

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‘£38.6 million in party funding coming from unknown sources’

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By stewartb There are critical voices raised regarding the financing of politics in the UK but the issue seems to gain little immediate and certainly no sustained MSM attention. (A bit like wider electoral reform?) The Electoral Reform Society on February 19, 2026 published this: ‘Briefing on Political Finance’ (https://electoral-reform.org.uk/latest-news-and-research/parliamentary-briefings/briefing-on-political-finance/ ) It’s very revealing about political financing in the UK, and worrying for UK democracy especially in the context of Westminster’s FPTP voting system that can give so much power to a party achieving a minority of the popular vote, enabled by huge and often ‘dark’ donations and loans. Examples from the … Continue reading ‘£38.6 million in party funding coming from unknown sources’

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Something Wicked This Way Comes – Labour’s funding via hidden donation routes

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By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 Something Wicked This Way Comes Fraud within a political party is serious. Any organisation can suffer from a rogue individual abusing trust, and when that happens it should be investigated properly. But what should concern us more is not money disappearing from political party coffers through ordinary light-fingered theft, but money quietly entering through darker channels. There is a difference between a “dark element” of human nature and what is commonly referred to as “dark money”. The first is familiar. It arises through greed, dishonesty, or opportunism. The second is more corrosive. Put simply, it … Continue reading Something Wicked This Way Comes – Labour’s funding via hidden donation routes

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For seven years now – Aberdeen Police disrupt illegal drugs ‘from England causing misery in our communities’

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The P&J and in Aberdeen Live, this story: Two men have been arrested and charged after a county lines drug bust in Aberdeen. On Monday, June 8, officers from Police Scotland raided a high rise flat block in the Grandholm Court area of the city. Drugs with an estimated street value of £80,000 were recovered along with almost £4,000 in cash.Two men, aged 26 and 27, have since appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Tuesday, June 9 in connection with the recovery.Detective Constable Nick Bowyers said: “Working alongside other forces, we will continue to target and disrupt those involved in county lines drug supply from England to … Continue reading For seven years now – Aberdeen Police disrupt illegal drugs ‘from England causing misery in our communities’

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Latest figures show Scotland’s world-first opioid overdose reversal programme kits being issued in ever greater numbers to fight the effects of the plague of English drug gangs and to reduce the load in hospitals

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From National naloxone programme Scotland – Quarterly monitoring bulletin Quarterly monitoring bulletin October to December (Q3) 2025/26 published today, the above soaring graph and: This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents information on the number of take-home naloxone kits issued by the National Naloxone Programme (NNP) in Scotland (October to December 2025/26). Figures are presented separately for kits issued from community-based services (mainly specialist drug treatment and non-drug treatment services), kits issued in prisons at the point of liberation, kits dispensed via community prescription, and kits issued by Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS). Accidental overdose is a common cause of … Continue reading Latest figures show Scotland’s world-first opioid overdose reversal programme kits being issued in ever greater numbers to fight the effects of the plague of English drug gangs and to reduce the load in hospitals

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Scots human rights group winning UN recognition again reflects nearly two decades of SNP values in action but no credit given again

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Perhaps predictably, TFN (Third force News) uses an image of the UK human rights legislation rather than an example of one of the more ambitious Scottish Government initiatives to promote human rights here. They open with: Top grades have been endowed upon the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) by the United Nations. It is the fourth time the body has received the accreditation.   This award of A Status from the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights recognises the SHRC’s independence, authority, and broad statutory mandate … Continue reading Scots human rights group winning UN recognition again reflects nearly two decades of SNP values in action but no credit given again

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Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland because….

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The Scotsman today trying suggest terror referrals in Scotland are a serious problem just like in other parts of the UK. It’s not true. Even if we accept their claim of higher ‘preliminary’ figures up from 162 in 2024/2025 to 227 in 2025/2026, these remain tiny compared with those in other parts of the UK: So, quickly, 11 times the population, if Scotland was just as troubled by this as England & Wales, and they’d have 1 782 referrals but they had 8 778, MORE THAN FOUR times as many, 98% of the total. If we accept the Scotsman’s figure … Continue reading Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland because….

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Domestic abuse is twice as common in England & Wales but care should be taken in interpreting this

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From Domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland, 2024-25 published today: The police recorded 64,967 incidents of domestic abuse in 2024-25, an increase of 2% compared to the previous year. Despite increasing over the latest two years, this figure remains below the peak in 2020-21. https://www.gov.scot/news/domestic-abuse-recorded-by-the-police-in-scotland-2024-25/ The introduction of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 and greater recognition of coercive and controlling behaviour have likely improved identification and recording of some forms of abuse that previously might not have been recorded as such. The statistics show offences under that Act now make up a measurable share of recorded domestic-abuse-related … Continue reading Domestic abuse is twice as common in England & Wales but care should be taken in interpreting this