Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Patient sexually assaulted and killed in her bed, six staff jailed including surgeon for sexually assaulting five colleagues and a culture of systemic bullying and harassment in Blackpool hospital but neither health secretary nor government blamed and BBC ignore it – imagine that had been in Inverness?

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You could be forgiven for thinking that NHS England’s worries were confined to maternity services and to NHS Nottingham with its criminal police investigation labelled perversely ‘Operation Perth.’ After decades of centre-right, cost-cutting, government and unprotected by a centre-left SNP government, protecting public services from the worst of austerity politics, all public services in England are struggling badly and to a greater extent than, as TuS reveals on a daily basis, their equivalents in Scotland. The above claim can be checked by searching here: Just type in ‘NHS’ or ‘waiting’ or ‘crime’ or…………… On 4 December 2025, we reported an … Continue reading Patient sexually assaulted and killed in her bed, six staff jailed including surgeon for sexually assaulting five colleagues and a culture of systemic bullying and harassment in Blackpool hospital but neither health secretary nor government blamed and BBC ignore it – imagine that had been in Inverness?

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Immigration crime crackdown was not ‘Scotland-wide’ with only 1%, only a tenth, per head, of the arrests

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Glasgow Live today, above joining the others with a dramatic headline and: Businesses across Scotland have been raided by police amid a country-wide crackdown on immigration crime, which “exploits vulnerable people by facilitating illegal entry into the UK”. and: Agencies interacted with 109 people, identifying 10 irregular migrants, Police Scotland said. 43 business compliance checks were carried out and Trading Standards identified four premises without a licence to sell alcohol or tobacco. https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/police-raid-nail-salons-vape-34227577 STV help us get things in persepctive. First, the headline – Four arrested in Scotland in major organised immigration crime crackdown Just four, ‘businesses across Scotland?’ Then, under a … Continue reading Immigration crime crackdown was not ‘Scotland-wide’ with only 1%, only a tenth, per head, of the arrests

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Extreme Right-Wing elements are almost three times more common in England & Wales than in Scotland

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With little sense of irony regarding the messages in advertising, The Times tries to make sure Scots don’t start thinking they’re better, ie not Nazis or fascists, like the ones all over the MSM apparently lining up next to Glasgow Cathedral: It’s an undeniably unsettling image which therefore clearly needs a bit of context. How many far-right extremists are there in Scotland and how does that compare with England & Wales? Membership details are not available but referrals to Prevent are the best proxy. Prevent is the UK government’s early-intervention programme designed to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting … Continue reading Extreme Right-Wing elements are almost three times more common in England & Wales than in Scotland

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If Andy Burnham and the Labour leadership truly believed that people should have control over their own lives, they would stop trying to block Scotland’s democratic right to choose its own future.

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From the SNP on the 30th June 2026: Two years ago, Labour stood on the steps of Downing Street promising a new era of “change”. Fast forward to today, and the reality for families across Scotland is ongoing chaos: a soaring cost of living, rising unemployment, and a broken Brexit Britain that looks indistinguishable from the Tory austerity that preceded it. Now, with a new Westminster leadership race underway, frontrunner Andy Burnham has taken to the stage to pitch yet another “radical restructuring” of the UK through his brand of “Manchester-ism”. But beneath the shiny rhetoric of a “Number 10 … Continue reading If Andy Burnham and the Labour leadership truly believed that people should have control over their own lives, they would stop trying to block Scotland’s democratic right to choose its own future.

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Scotland saw a 74% increase in the value of equity investment into smaller businesses in 2025, even as the overall UK market dipped by 4% – what it means, why it’s kind of good

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From the Scotsman today, above. What is equity investment, some of you and I ask? Equity investment means putting money into a company in exchange for ownership shares (equity) in that business.Simple Breakdown: You (the investor) give capital to a company. In return, the company gives you a percentage of ownership (shares or stock). You become a part-owner of the business. If the company grows or is sold for a higher value, your shares can increase in worth, and you may receive dividends (a share of profits). Unlike a loan (debt), you don’t get your money back with interest on … Continue reading Scotland saw a 74% increase in the value of equity investment into smaller businesses in 2025, even as the overall UK market dipped by 4% – what it means, why it’s kind of good

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Scotland sends exactly £91.4bn to London and gets back a wholly estimated amount based on 25 out 26 figures which are estimates

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A reader emailed to ask – I have seen various figures for the total sum of Tax raised in Scotland varying from £70Billion to £90Billion and remitted directly to Westminster. Is it possible to confirm the exact figure? In 2024-25, total public sector tax revenue attributed to Scotland was £91.4 billion. This is the latest figure from the Scottish Government’s Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) 2024-25 report, published 13 August 2025. It covers revenue raised in Scotland through both devolved taxes (controlled by the Scottish Parliament) and reserved taxes (collected and mostly retained by the UK Treasury/HMRC).1 This leads … Continue reading Scotland sends exactly £91.4bn to London and gets back a wholly estimated amount based on 25 out 26 figures which are estimates

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As NHS England ‘seems’ to be closing the A&E gap with Scotland remember how the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has exposed their fraudulent ‘facts’ before

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The most recent A&E data suggest there is only a 1% gap between NHS Scotland and NHS England in terms of the percentage seen in A&E within 4 hours. 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 … Continue reading As NHS England ‘seems’ to be closing the A&E gap with Scotland remember how the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has exposed their fraudulent ‘facts’ before

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The consequences of being a colony – the view from Norway

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Capella writes: I don’t know how or if it’s possible but reporting on the consequences of being a colony would be interesting. We have no power over vital aspects of development and decision making. Something the MSM fails to notice. Jeffrey Sachs pointed out that DR Congo gets criticised for not running the country properly while the long history of imperial exploitation is forgotten. “What’s wrong with your country?” At the world cup a fan stood up dressed as Patrice Lumumba to remind the world that Western intelligence murdered their first democratically elected leader. With power over our resources we … Continue reading The consequences of being a colony – the view from Norway

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What mayors like Burnham would bring to Scotland – acting beyond the law to give away public assets cheap to cronies and for little in return

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Talking-up Scotland follower, Scunnert, Grannies for Independence @Scunnert2 has asked us to investigate: Economic free zones, how they’re used by English mayors to hand public assets to private firms and are basically above the law. ‘Burnham’s neck deep in them.‘ The Herald and other MSM operating in Scotland are running with a report from Enlighten, Lord Jack McConnells ‘think tank’ arguing: Reform Scotland, the independent, non-partisan think tank, today calls on the incoming Scottish Government to endorse the creation of an elected mayoralty in every Scottish local authority. In its new report, ‘Local Heroes: Why Scotland Needs Directly-Elected Mayors’ (Download below), … Continue reading What mayors like Burnham would bring to Scotland – acting beyond the law to give away public assets cheap to cronies and for little in return