Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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A wildfire still burning after a month, now the size of a town and only 15 miles from 3 million in Manchester is not top story but one 60 miles from 300k in Aberdeen is because…

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Why is the Scottish wildfire a bigger deal in the media? Professional journalism standards would suggest the criterion of risk to the public has driven the decison? The Cairngorms fire is 30 miles from Inverness (47k)and 60 miles from Aberdeen (230k). The Tintwistle and Dovestone wildfire is only 15 miles from Greater Manchester (3 million). Back to the headline, ‘because….?’ Because the media in Scotland are still hoping they can get a local to blame the SNP for a helicopter or other shortage in the fire service. Continue reading A wildfire still burning after a month, now the size of a town and only 15 miles from 3 million in Manchester is not top story but one 60 miles from 300k in Aberdeen is because…

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BBC Scotland fear rain may help put out Cairngorms fire tomorrow and linger on images from 33 hours ago

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BBC Breakfast‘s weather forecast this morning shows rain clouds moving across Nethy Bridge in the Cairngorms and threatening to help put out the wildfire. The English presenter links the two events but BBC Scotland is pretending it doesn’t know. Still top story on their website and with the above dramatic images they so want to use though they’re now 33 hours old. In an extended, 1 675 words, report, the word ‘rain’ foes not appear and there’s no reference to the changing weather that will surely be on the minds of the firefighters. When it comes and when the firefighters … Continue reading BBC Scotland fear rain may help put out Cairngorms fire tomorrow and linger on images from 33 hours ago

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Burnham delivers ‘for Scotland’ two men close to Peter Mandelson

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From Liz S The Sunday Mail (falsely) headlined this last Sunday: “Burnham: I’ll deliver for Scotland”. So what has he, so far, “delivered” ? Well he has given a peerage and also a role in his UK government to someone who, as the (alleged) leader of Labour in Scotland, (badly) lost the Scottish election for Labour in Scotland in May of this year. He has also kept on the same SOS against Scotland even after revelations in June 2026 that this same individual, Douglas Alexander, was said to have “broken the ministerial code by not declaring a meeting with Peter Mandelson’s lobbying agency“ that is when he, Alexander, … Continue reading Burnham delivers ‘for Scotland’ two men close to Peter Mandelson

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Anas protests reduced access to the First Minister but seems OK with no access to the new PM

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Above, one of the very few media outlets reporting the no media access for the new PM yesterday and below one of the many reporting the moderated access for the FM, on 29 January 2026: By Liz S Talking of Anas and his U turns, as in his seemingly conflicting opinions , opinions that are dependent on who they can most damage and who they can most protect. In June of this year the BBC reported this on their website: “Holyrood restricts media access to politicians after FMQs” “A row has broken out at Holyrood after it was announced journalists will have restricted access … Continue reading Anas protests reduced access to the First Minister but seems OK with no access to the new PM

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Scots had 5.5 million litres of water each recently so the reserves should have coped with this recent dry weather

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BBC Scotland this morning has A prolonged period of dry weather has left some river flows in the east of Scotland among the lowest on record. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said it meant a number of sites across the Borders, Angus, Aberdeenshire and Fife were expected to move into “significant scarcity” in the next few days. It would allow them to introduce “targeted and temporary restrictions” on water abstractions to protect rivers and wildlife. How much fresh water does Scotland have? Scotland’s Loch Ness alone contains 7,452 million cubic meters of water, which is more than the combined … Continue reading Scots had 5.5 million litres of water each recently so the reserves should have coped with this recent dry weather

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Just like Andy, Anas U-turns all the way to the top to fulfil his dad’s dreams

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By a friend of Talking-up Scotland Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar MP was almost the first Lord Sarwar, having been proposed by PM Gordon Brown for a life peerage in May 2010. Significant objections, notably including HMRC, led to Brown’s nomination being blocked (ref 1). Other controversies included allegations of vote-rigging (not substantiated in Court) and running up almost £200,000 in MP expenses in 2008-2009. He also had the third highest MP expenses in 2003-2004 (a mere £157,262). These figures included interest payments on his mortgage for his £600,000 South London apartment from a UK branch of the Swiss-based Habib Bank AG Zurich (ref 2). Then … Continue reading Just like Andy, Anas U-turns all the way to the top to fulfil his dad’s dreams

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BBC Scotland’s Mark Daly incoherently tries to give Scotland its own ‘Wayne Couzens Moment’ on the way to hopefully blaming the SNP but STV and Sky don’t see it

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case in London are inevitable, and that is because the picture emerging is of an extremely violent sex offender, who targeted vulnerable women, who abused his power undetected for many years. In reporting the case of Alan Greer ‘a police officer who took his own life in May was a violent rapist who carried out attacks and attempted murders of women over at least 14 years, BBC Reporting Scotland reported last night that comparisons with the Met officer Wayne Couzens ,who raped and murdered Sarah Everard in in 2021, were ‘emerging‘ and were ‘inevitable.’ Neither Sky nor STV see the … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s Mark Daly incoherently tries to give Scotland its own ‘Wayne Couzens Moment’ on the way to hopefully blaming the SNP but STV and Sky don’t see it

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New Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scotland Office attacked her ‘local’ A&E in Fife, Scotland, despite it treating 3 000 patients per month more within the target time than her preferred local A&E in Croydon, England

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From the UK Governor of Scotland in the last few minutes. January 19th 2025 – on BBC Politics Scotland, from Westminster (see the backdrop), Melanie Ward, Scottish Labour MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy joined the horde of ‘Scottish’ Labour MPs serving up and humiliating their local communities in the service of the UK Labour Party. From the local Courier in May 2024: A Palestine medical charity boss based in London has been picked to stand for Labour in the Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy seat at the next election. Melanie Ward was chosen to replace disgraced candidate Wilma Brown, who was ditched … Continue reading New Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scotland Office attacked her ‘local’ A&E in Fife, Scotland, despite it treating 3 000 patients per month more within the target time than her preferred local A&E in Croydon, England

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Scottish Government’s more ambitious policies and tighter targets seem to have slashed hospital admissions for respiratory problems to a fraction of those in England

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In the Guardian today: Children living in the poorest areas across England are 40% more likely to be admitted to hospital for respiratory infections, an analysis of NHS England data shows, with experts raising the alarm on the impact of air pollution on young people’s health. The analysis, based on data obtained via freedom of information requests by the charity Impact on Urban Health, revealed 1,941 out of every 100,000 children living in the most deprived fifth of England were admitted to hospital for respiratory illnesses in 2024/25. Does this apply equally in Scotland? No. Respiratory infections from NHS England data: Most … Continue reading Scottish Government’s more ambitious policies and tighter targets seem to have slashed hospital admissions for respiratory problems to a fraction of those in England

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‘Loyalist’ Liverpool gangs still exploiting children to push drugs and community violence into Scotland keeping drug deaths high

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From Streamline today: In a massive display of force aimed at dismantling entrenched criminal networks, over 300 Merseyside Police officers executed dozens of synchronized dawn raids across the region on Thursday morning. The sweeping crackdown, codenamed Operation Vanguard, represents the third and largest iteration of Chief Constable Rob Carden’s relentless offensive against serious organised crime, county lines drug trafficking, and endemic community violence. In a massive display of force aimed at dismantling entrenched criminal networks, over 300 Merseyside Police officers executed dozens of synchronized dawn raids across the region on Thursday morning. The sweeping crackdown, codenamed Operation Vanguard, represents the … Continue reading ‘Loyalist’ Liverpool gangs still exploiting children to push drugs and community violence into Scotland keeping drug deaths high