Author: johnrobertson834
Retired Professor of Media Politics
Not-for-profit independent political analysis
Latest – In final statement Glasgow hospital correctly and based on repeated research denies evidence of definite link between the hospital environment and specific individual cases of infection
From BBC Scotland in the last few minutes, the above puzzling choice of headline and buried in their report: NHSGGC offers an unreserved apology for the distress and trauma experienced by patients and families during this time. But while the health board acknowledged a casual [sic] connection to increased infections, he stressed that there was no definite link between the hospital environment and specific individual cases of infection. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgkz2e5nr5o The above assertion is the key outcome of today’s session. To be clear, the health board is not accepting responsibility for any of the high profile cases, including that of Millie … Continue reading Latest – In final statement Glasgow hospital correctly and based on repeated research denies evidence of definite link between the hospital environment and specific individual cases of infection
SNP Government’s world-first opioid overdose reversal programme increases reach to 84% and its protection of hospitals as it fights the effects of the English County Lines drug gangs plague in Scotland
From the National naloxone programme Scotland – Quarterly monitoring bulletin Quarterly Monitoring Bulletin April to June (Q1) 2025/26 published today: The overall aim of Scotland’s NNP is to prevent fatal opioid overdoses. Administration of naloxone provides time for emergency services to arrive and for further treatment to be given. Following suitable training, THN kits are issued to people at risk of opioid overdose, their friends and family and service workers in order to help prevent overdose deaths. Drug-related hospital admissions plummet for third year in a row after Scottish Government’s ‘world-first’ opioid overdose reversal Naloxone initiative but are not being … Continue reading SNP Government’s world-first opioid overdose reversal programme increases reach to 84% and its protection of hospitals as it fights the effects of the English County Lines drug gangs plague in Scotland
Abortion rate shocking 28% higher in England than in Scotland is one more sign of what has been achieved these 19 years
From Public Health Scotland – Scottish pregnancy, births and neonatal data dashboardA new home for maternity and neonatal data visualisations, published today: In 2024 there was a slowing of the rate of increase in the number of terminations undertaken in Scotland. There were 3% more terminations undertaken: 18,710 compared to 18,242 in 2023. This compares to a 10% increase in demand on services in 2023.1 The termination rate is 17.9 per 1 000 women. The rate in England & Wales will shock. 20324 data has been delayed but in 2023 it was 23 per 1 000, up from 21.1 the … Continue reading Abortion rate shocking 28% higher in England than in Scotland is one more sign of what has been achieved these 19 years
Alex Cole Hamilton and Daily Record conceal massive 10 000 reduction in 12-hour A&E waits this year with infantile sums
The Daily Record, still campaigning for Labour has this from the Lib Dem’s Alex Cole Hamilton, today: The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E in the country has soared by more than 7000 per cent in a decade, the party said, with waits over four, eight and 12 hours the second worst since records began. Since 2016, waits longer than 12 hours increased by 7354 per cent – from 988 cases to 74,393 – according to its analysis of Public Health Scotland figures. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scotland-ae-waits-over-12-36569946 Why have they done these utterly daft percentages based on just adding up over 9 years … Continue reading Alex Cole Hamilton and Daily Record conceal massive 10 000 reduction in 12-hour A&E waits this year with infantile sums
Unemployment rate in UK now nearly 40% higher than in Scotland means hundreds of thousands more Brits would be in work with SNP competence in government
In the Guardian today, not being covered by Scottish media so far: The number of employed people in the UK has fallen, particularly in shops, restaurants, bars and hotels, reflecting weak hiring, while private sector wages grew at the slowest rate in five years, official figures show. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the number of employees on payrolls fell by 43,000 in December from the previous month, to 30.2 million – the biggest monthly drop since November 2020. The rate of unemployment remained at a four-year high of 5.1% in the three months to the end of November, … Continue reading Unemployment rate in UK now nearly 40% higher than in Scotland means hundreds of thousands more Brits would be in work with SNP competence in government
US authorities seize shrimp with lethal radioactivity level only a fifth of that found on a Scottish beach upstream from Sellafield nuclear plant in North-West England
From the Washington-based The Hill, two days ago, the above and: The specter of radioactivity in food just reared its head again, with another shipment of imported shrimp recalled for possible Cesium-137 contamination. The MAHA Commission 2025 report unfotunately ignored radioactivity as a possible cause of rising cancer and chronic illness. But even leaving aside nuclear accidents, studies show living near nuclear plants elevates cancer risk. Nuclear reactors generate radioactive waste and ionizing radiation, which get into the environment, contaminating air, water, soil and food. Harmful isotopes like Cesium-137 aren’t natural; they’re made only in reactors, but persist in the environment and food for centuries. Decades after Chernobyl, for instance, researchers found Cesium-137 in meat from domestic … Continue reading US authorities seize shrimp with lethal radioactivity level only a fifth of that found on a Scottish beach upstream from Sellafield nuclear plant in North-West England
Why is this Glasgow think-tank now, for the first time, trying to cast doubt on the SNP’s balanced budgeting in the months just before an election?
By stewartb I’d like to draw attention to an interesting line of argument being promoted by the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) in its ‘Scotland’s Budget Report 2026-27’ (January 9, 2026). In Chapter 1 on ‘Fiscal Outlook’, the FAI goes to great lengths in seeking to undermine the claim that the Scottish government balances its budget. It states: ‘.. an interested observer will be surprised to hear that the apparent definition used by the Scottish Government of a balanced budget includes borrowed funds. When the Budget Bill is set out and in outturn, the Scottish Government’s expenditure plans are “funded” and fit within the limits … Continue reading Why is this Glasgow think-tank now, for the first time, trying to cast doubt on the SNP’s balanced budgeting in the months just before an election?
Scotland’s schools narrow attainment gaps across the board and ‘most deprived’ 14/15 year-olds make major strides in literacy
From Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels, 2024-25 published on 9 December 2025: The statistics also provide information on the gap in attainment between pupils from the most and least deprived areas of Scotland: For literacy, there was an increase in the proportions of primary pupils (P1, P4, P7 combined) that achieved the expected level, from both the least deprived and most deprived areas with a larger increase in the most deprived areas. As a result, the gap reached its narrowest ever level of 19.4 percentage points. For primary numeracy, the gap narrowed to 16.6 percentage points, which was … Continue reading Scotland’s schools narrow attainment gaps across the board and ‘most deprived’ 14/15 year-olds make major strides in literacy
Good news about Scotland’s babies ‘our’ media missed
Thanks to Bernadette for alerting me to this: From SMA UK 5 September 2025: We are absolutely delighted to hear the news that NHS Scotland will be adding SMA to their newborn screening programme in an evaluative and research capacity with the aim of the first baby being tested in early 2026. External funding will be used to help purchase specialist testing equipment for the Scottish Newborn Screening Laboratory in Glasgow, and with only one testing site in the country, this means that every baby born will be screened for SMA, approximately 45,000 each year (45,763 live births in 2024). With … Continue reading Good news about Scotland’s babies ‘our’ media missed
Talking-up Scotland 