Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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England looks like ‘Fly-tipping capital of Europe’ with only half the level of inspection in Scotland and far fewer inspectors

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On BBC Breakfast this morning and reported across their regional websites, England’s fly-tipping crisis returns to MSM. As recently as August this year, we had this kind of thing: On further investigation of the issue across the EU, England stands out for the volume and granularity of reported small-scale incidents and the public/media attention they receive but higher reported figures in England partly reflect better detection and reporting rather than uniquely worse behaviour. You cannot miss the obvious parallels with drug death figures in Scotland, better recorded to suggest it is the ‘drug death capital of Europe.’ That claim is … Continue reading England looks like ‘Fly-tipping capital of Europe’ with only half the level of inspection in Scotland and far fewer inspectors

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‘Troubled’, not so ‘ageing’ Arran ferry’s ‘faults’ started when the contract to build it was awarded by Scottish Conservatives to an inexperienced English yard on its last legs in a ‘troubled’ Conservative constituency

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In the Scotsman, two days ago, the above and: A CalMac ferry which returned to service a year ago after 20 months of repairs that cost £11 million is to be retired, the operator has announced. Caledonian Isles, which sails on one of CalMac’s busiest routes, is due to end its 34-year career in February as part of the replacement of three of ageing large ferries with brand new vessels. The 1,000-passenger ship’s departure from the Ardrossan to Brodick in Arran service will follow 31-year-old Barra ferry Isle of Lewis’s retiral in December and that of 42-year-old spare vessel Isle … Continue reading ‘Troubled’, not so ‘ageing’ Arran ferry’s ‘faults’ started when the contract to build it was awarded by Scottish Conservatives to an inexperienced English yard on its last legs in a ‘troubled’ Conservative constituency

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Why does the Royal College of Emergency Medicine avoid comparisons with Scotland when they reveal England to be the ‘Capital of Deadly Long Waits?’

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By stewartb When reading across the press statements that the RCEM makes regularly on the waiting times performances of the NHS in England, the north of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, it is rare to find it refer directly to between nation comparisons. In particular, the longstanding better performance of NHS Scotland tends not to be acknowledged although clearly evident in time series graphs tucked away in the RCEM’s website. Rare but not never! One such occurrence in a recent RCEM press statement on NHS Scotland (see below) strikes me as rather ‘odd’ if not perverse! For context, from the RCEM … Continue reading Why does the Royal College of Emergency Medicine avoid comparisons with Scotland when they reveal England to be the ‘Capital of Deadly Long Waits?’

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As long waits triggering corridor care surge to twice the Scottish rate in England, One RCEM ‘leading emergency doctor’ in Scotland is ‘completely terrified’ but not for them

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From BBC Scotland today, based on the RCEM union convener in Scotland: A leading emergency doctor has said she is “completely terrified” about upcoming winter pressures on Scotland’s already-stretched NHS. Dr Fiona Hunter, vice chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, said A&E departments were providing “unsafe” levels of care, with some patients spending 72 hours on trolleys in hospital corridors. and: She said she wanted to remedy a lack of statistics kept around corridor care and to move towards a system where preparing for winter was a “year round” activity. BBC Scotloand have been working on this … Continue reading As long waits triggering corridor care surge to twice the Scottish rate in England, One RCEM ‘leading emergency doctor’ in Scotland is ‘completely terrified’ but not for them

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LATEST – England’s paedophile nursery crisis was averted in Scotland by Alex Salmond government nearly 20 years ago

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In the Guardian yesterday, the above and: A paedophile nursery worker was cleared by an investigation overseen by a local authority three years before he was arrested. In February, Vincent Chan was jailed after pleading guilty to 56 offences, including assault by penetration on three-year-old girls in his care at a Bright Horizons nursery on Finchley Road in north-west London. After his conviction, prosecutors described him as a “prolific sexual predator”. The Guardian can now reveal that Chan was the subject of an earlier safeguarding investigation, carried out by Bright Horizons, with the oversight of Camden council. It followed what … Continue reading LATEST – England’s paedophile nursery crisis was averted in Scotland by Alex Salmond government nearly 20 years ago

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SNP faces zero backlash when very few will even notice this ant-abortion group supported by at most only 4% of Scots

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In the National today, the above: SNP leaders are facing a backlash from their own members after allowing an anti-abortion group to host a fringe event at the party conference. Women for Independence (WFI) have organised a petition calling on the SNP leadership to step in to cancel the SPUC event. It is understood that, within two hours of launching, the WFI campaign had garnered support from more than 20 SNP branches, affiliates, and elected members. A petition? Is that what a ‘backlash’ looks like? Surely a petition about one conference fringe event is not much. Doesn’t the word ‘fringe’ … Continue reading SNP faces zero backlash when very few will even notice this ant-abortion group supported by at most only 4% of Scots

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NHS England’s waiting list edges ahead of Scotland as winter pressures loom

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There are “ominous signs” that winter pressures are already affecting the NHS in England, according to senior health leaders. The warning comes as new data reveals the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England rose for the second month in a row. An estimated 7.37 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of August, relating to 6.24 million patients.1 And in Scotland? At 31 August 2026, there were an estimated 588,073 individuals on at least one new outpatient, inpatient or day case waiting list.2  Per head of population, 10.5 times the population, if NHS England … Continue reading NHS England’s waiting list edges ahead of Scotland as winter pressures loom

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At last, a Labour MP sees how dangerous Labour’s nuclear energy policy is

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Well, I suppose it’s good to see this, even if a little later and on contrary tack at times to our earlier predictions. First, from the high-status Foreign Policy on January 20th 2025: Labour’s planned small modular reactors – inefficient, polluting and carcinogenic – will also be dependent on high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) from Putin’s Russia which has ‘complete monopoly’ to undermine our energy security For the United States—a country that, especially under incoming President-elect Donald Trump, aspires to be not only energy secure but energy dominant—one energy insecurity problem remains, which could dog the development of a key source … Continue reading At last, a Labour MP sees how dangerous Labour’s nuclear energy policy is

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Glenn Campbell’s Podcast dare not question the Conservative plans to strip Holyrood of powers

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By Liz S “Latest Tory proposal is to prevent the Scottish Parliament from pursuing its own vision, goals and objectives”! What Bowie stated in his speech, in that a future Tory government would overrule the Scottish government on Nuclear in Scotland , was of absolutely no interest to the BBC in Scotland on their website or in their news reports, as apparently that , as news, was not important. But wait what of BBC Scotland’s Scotcast ? Scotcast is supposedly a current affairs and news podcast produced by BBC Scotland that is on TV twice daily from Monday to Friday. … Continue reading Glenn Campbell’s Podcast dare not question the Conservative plans to strip Holyrood of powers

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Glasgow Labour did not just build a hospital near a huge source of deadly bacteria but also of cyanides, arsenic and cadmium

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Cadmium? One of the main effects of cadmium poisoning is weak and brittle bones. The bones become soft (osteomalacia), lose bone mineral density (osteoporosis), and become weaker. This results in joint and back pain, and increases the risk of fractures. Spinal and leg pain is common, and a waddling gait often develops due to bone deformities caused by the long-term cadmium exposure. The pain eventually becomes debilitating, with fractures becoming more common as the bone weakens. Permanent deformation in bones can occur. In extreme cases of cadmium poisoning, mere body weight can cause a fracture. The Times on 24 November … Continue reading Glasgow Labour did not just build a hospital near a huge source of deadly bacteria but also of cyanides, arsenic and cadmium