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School suspensions fall again to only one-tenth of the level in England and a quarter of that under Scottish Labour as SNP policies embed

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On BBC UK’s Breakfast show this morning, a piece on the shocking increase and overall level of temporary suspension’s and permanent exclusions in England’s schools. There were 10 900 permanent exclusions! They didn’t mention other parts of the UK and BBC Scotland did not cover the issue despite having had frequent reports on various supposed crises in Scottish schools based on supposed evidence from the opposition parties. This may be why they’re not going there: Last year in Scotland’s schools there were 10 647 temporary exclusions, down from 11 672 the previous year and nearly 40 000 (39 553) when … Continue reading School suspensions fall again to only one-tenth of the level in England and a quarter of that under Scottish Labour as SNP policies embed

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Short video – Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK? Don’t be daft. Don’t do it. They’re not your friends. Unless you are already rich, this report proves that they will only make your life and your family’s lives worse

johnrobertson834

Please share with anyone you know who prefers a wee video instead of reading. Continue reading Short video – Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK? Don’t be daft. Don’t do it. They’re not your friends. Unless you are already rich, this report proves that they will only make your life and your family’s lives worse

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Scotland’s Union nuclear legacy – among the very highest cancer incidence and death rates in Europe

johnrobertson834

Above, BBC Scotland’s headline yesterday and then another that they were never going to write but should if they really believed in informing us like their mission statement claims. The above from ECIS – European Cancer Information System for 2024, shows the cancer incidence (longer bars) and mortality rates (shorter darker bars) per 100 000.1 It’d be embarrassing, were we still in the EU, and presented on that chart. BBC Scotland yesterday had: Risk of dying from cancer in Scotland at lowest rate on record but, of course, wasn’t going to be comparing. Why? Scotland incidence is 656 per 100 … Continue reading Scotland’s Union nuclear legacy – among the very highest cancer incidence and death rates in Europe

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Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK? Don’t be daft. Don’t do it. They’re not your friends. Unless you are already rich, this report proves that they will only make your life and your family’s lives worse

johnrobertson834

From the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) yesterday: Reform UK have announced plans for cuts to income tax in Scotland if they were to win the Scottish Parliament elections in May. They say they would start by realigning Scotland’s tax rates and bands with those in the rest of the UK and then cut all rates by 1 percentage point. They would aim to further cut rates so that by the end of the upcoming parliamentary term in 2031, rates would be 3 percentage points below those in the rest of the UK. Reform UK have costed the first two … Continue reading Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK? Don’t be daft. Don’t do it. They’re not your friends. Unless you are already rich, this report proves that they will only make your life and your family’s lives worse

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Why Labour’s plans for nuclear in Scotland are both stupid and risk the lives of children and mature women

johnrobertson834

BBC Reporting Scotland last night offered a one-sided piece on nuclear power restarting in Scotland and, in particular – the new small modular reactors or SMRs. The piece opened and was dominated by, supporters of the idea with a token Scottish Government comment at the end but none of the real concerns. The stupid first, then the horrific risks Labour will accept on your behalf just in the hope of winning votes. All of these comments can be backed up by hard evidence at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=SMR https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=gas https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=electricity https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=cancer The stupid: We produce four times the natural gas we consume and … Continue reading Why Labour’s plans for nuclear in Scotland are both stupid and risk the lives of children and mature women

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SNP policy HALVES alcohol-related hospital admission as 93% of abusers treated within three weeks

johnrobertson834

From Alcohol related hospital statistics Scotland financial year 2024 to 2025 published today: Alcohol-related hospital admissions in Scotland, above, peaked in 2007/2008 at 43 038, after decades of Labour power in Scotland. After the first SNP government in 2007/2008, they began to fall then after 2018 when the SNP minimum unit-pricing policy was implemented, they began to fall even more steeply, to 27 126 last year. This, almost a halving of demand, is a major benefit for the NHS in Scotland, attributable to a policy developed by the SNP in government, these last 19 years. What other factor may have … Continue reading SNP policy HALVES alcohol-related hospital admission as 93% of abusers treated within three weeks

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Three quarters of a million children in poverty, in England or Wales would not be in poverty if they lived under a government following SNP policies like the Child Payment

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From UK Poverty 2026, published today: Child poverty rates in Scotland (23%) remain much lower than those in England (31%) and Wales (31%), similar to levels in Northern Ireland (24%). This is likely to be due, at least in part, to the Scottish Child Payment (SCP). This highlights the effect benefits can have in reducing poverty. Another driver of lower child poverty rates in Scotland and Northern Ireland are lower housing costs. https://www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2026-the-essential-guide-to-understanding-poverty-in-the-uk 23% of children in poverty in Scotland is, of course, not good enough and campaigners should keep calling for its eradication but, equally, they should be careful … Continue reading Three quarters of a million children in poverty, in England or Wales would not be in poverty if they lived under a government following SNP policies like the Child Payment

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‘Only seven ‘countries’ meet World Health Organisation air quality standard, research finds’….plus Scotland of course

johnrobertson834

In the Guardian today: Air pollution kills thousands a year in the UK and abroad – why isn’t there a bigger uproar? by Prof Devi Sridhar who though based in Edinburgh makes no mention of Scotland. Why should she: ‘Only seven countries meet WHO air quality standard, research finds’….plus Scotland According to the Guardian in March 2024, Scotland is not a country and by implication falls with the UK into the failed group. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/19/air-pollution-health-report The latest WHO level for the deadly PM2.5 particles is 5 micrograms per cubic metre. Though no Scottish average seems available, you can, I find, go to … Continue reading ‘Only seven ‘countries’ meet World Health Organisation air quality standard, research finds’….plus Scotland of course