Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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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?

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Scottish Government agency having to rescue three unfinished ferries for island communities delayed in unstable Turkey will add millions in cost to taxpayer and years to complete making the development of domestic capacity on the Clyde a matter of national security for Scotland

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From the UK Defence Journal yesterday, indicating the kind of broader definition of national security, we hear more of today: Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited has taken ownership of the three remaining vessels under construction at the Cemre Shipyard in Turkey as a precautionary measure to support their completion and delivery, the publicly-owned ferry operator stated. The three ships, MV Loch Indaal, MV Lochmor and MV Claymore, are now assets owned by CMAL ahead of their formal handover. According to the organisation, the decision has been taken against the backdrop of what it described as exceptionally challenging economic circumstances affecting Cemre … Continue reading Scottish Government agency having to rescue three unfinished ferries for island communities delayed in unstable Turkey will add millions in cost to taxpayer and years to complete making the development of domestic capacity on the Clyde a matter of national security for Scotland

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Such is BBC bias they gave as much effort to reporting an SNP figure who embezzled party funds to buy 4 coffee machines as to a senior Unionist leader who carried out 18 sexual offences including the rape of an 8 year-old girl!

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Sir Jeffrey Donaldson former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, left, and Peter Murrell former CE of the SNP, right. Did you know Donaldson’s rape victim was a 7 or 8 year-old primary school pupil? That detail is being suppressed but the Telegraph, 5 days ago, did refer to it, if quietly: Would you expect these two, quite different cases, to get differing levels of media coverage? On the BBC, they did not. An AI search found that the Murrell case was kept in the limelight, often when there was nothing substantial to report, such that both have had around … Continue reading Such is BBC bias they gave as much effort to reporting an SNP figure who embezzled party funds to buy 4 coffee machines as to a senior Unionist leader who carried out 18 sexual offences including the rape of an 8 year-old girl!

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Will the Scottish Labour MPs protest the tax breaks for the ‘shameful’ Palantir NHS England contracts, meaning you and I pay at least three times the rate and which the SNP already rejected two years ago?

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From Open Democracy yesterday: Palantir is benefiting from millions of pounds of tax deductions that allow it to pay very little corporate tax in the United Kingdom despite soaring profits, an investigation by openDemocracy reveals. The controversial tech firm has won at least £670m in UK public contracts in recent years, which have helped to make the country its second-largest market by revenue after the United States, where it is headquartered. Yet despite accounting for 10% of the company’s global revenue last year, its tax payments in the UK amounted to less than 5% of its total global cash tax spend, according … Continue reading Will the Scottish Labour MPs protest the tax breaks for the ‘shameful’ Palantir NHS England contracts, meaning you and I pay at least three times the rate and which the SNP already rejected two years ago?

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Be Careful What You Sound Like

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By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 When we read through today’s article abovefrom The Daily Express, it appears to be little more than comedy gold worthy of Armando Iannucci. Read it in the context of Scottish history, however, and it becomes something rather more sinister. The debate is supposedly about authenticity. But authenticity measured by what? Policy? Integrity? Competence? No. Pronunciation. For centuries, the British state understood something that many modern commentators of the British experiment often overlook: language is power. Following Culloden, the assault upon Scotland did not end with disarmed clans and outlawing highland dress. It continued in classrooms, … Continue reading Be Careful What You Sound Like

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Scotland’s football decline attributed by researchers to loss of balance, rhythm, coordination, agility, and partner awareness in years after Scottish country dancing faded from school curriculum

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It’s been suggested by leading Ayrshire academic dancer, Gavin Ochiltree, that: ‘Scotland’s football went backwards when Scottish country/highland dancing was done away with in schools. Balance and fleetness of foot were what gave us the edge when we had decent Scottish football teams.’ Is there evidence to support this? Scottish country dancing involves precise footwork, quick changes of direction, balance, rhythm, coordination, agility, and partner awareness in a group setting. These overlap with football demands (dribbling, turning, stability, spatial awareness). Highland dancing emphasizes explosive power, balance, and control. Dance training (including ballet or similar) is used by some modern athletes … Continue reading Scotland’s football decline attributed by researchers to loss of balance, rhythm, coordination, agility, and partner awareness in years after Scottish country dancing faded from school curriculum

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Scotland’s ambulances between 2 and 3 tines faster thousands of times but Daily Record finds one case to report

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There are some minor problems in comparing the data for England and Scotland but you can be sure that were they to favour the former, they’d be widely reported. Here’s why they’re not: In January 2024, BBC UK made direct comparison possible: Via the BBC’s How long do patients wait for an ambulance? app, we can confirm that the average waiting time for a Scottish ambulance was 8 min and 46 secs: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59549800 Also, from BBC UK on 14 December 2023: Average response times of more than 38 minutes for category two emergency calls such as heart attacks and strokes – above the target time … Continue reading Scotland’s ambulances between 2 and 3 tines faster thousands of times but Daily Record finds one case to report

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Prison deaths fall by 20% but BBC Scotland headline that they ‘obtained previously unseen footage of a man who died’ in 2015

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There were 51 prison deaths in 2025, down 20% from 64 in the previous year. https://www.sps.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-05/DIC%202025%20(Quarter%204).xlsx The share of prison deaths due to aging (cancers, heart disease, circulatory issues, and respiratory conditions) has been increasing over time in both England & Wales and Scotland. This is driven by the steadily aging prison population. https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj.q198 Drug-related deaths in Scottish prisons have shown a general upward trend since the mid-2010s. They remain a significant but not dominant cause compared to natural/health conditions. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9qw2n3gzzzo Continue reading Prison deaths fall by 20% but BBC Scotland headline that they ‘obtained previously unseen footage of a man who died’ in 2015

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Affluent Canadian region hangs on to far older, unreliable and frankly pot ugly vessels – islanders leave saddened by lack of aesthetics

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CalMac‘s oldest ferry, the MV Isle of Cumbrae (above) is 50, launched in 1976. the MV Isle of Arran is 43 and there are another 4 built in 1986, so 40 years-old. In British Columbia‘s (Canada) archipelago ferry service – BC Ferries – which operates in an economy with twice the GDP of Scotland, with only a fraction of government subsidy to keep ticket prices down and in warmer, less stormy, more southerly, seas, they keep them going long after the MSM operating in Scotland would be calling for them to be replaced to stop islanders starving, missing medical appointments … Continue reading Affluent Canadian region hangs on to far older, unreliable and frankly pot ugly vessels – islanders leave saddened by lack of aesthetics

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Scotland need not be ashamed as colonialism explains world cup success

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Thanks to Kath for prompting this. There is a correlation between national football team success and countries with imperial/colonial pasts, especially those involved in the transatlantic slave trade and exploitation of West Africa. Recent research directly quantifies this. A University of Zurich AI study in 2026 simulated the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 1,500 times and found that colonial history continues to shape outcomes on the pitch. Former European colonial powers benefit significantly from players with family roots in former colonies, especially in Africa and in the Caribbean. If players with “colonial backgrounds” (e.g., Kylian Mbappé for France, or similar for … Continue reading Scotland need not be ashamed as colonialism explains world cup success