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Why are English media concerned about regional gaps in exam results but Scottish media prefer class-based differences? It’s about blaming the SNP

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA Today, the media across England and Wales are uniformly headlining concerns about regional gaps in school exam results, with for example, the North East of England far behind London and the South, but in Scotland: and from BBC Scotland: The attainment gap between Scotland’s richest and poorest school pupils increased last year, according to new figures. The Scottish government has said since 2015 that closing this gap – between the level of national qualifications obtained by children from the most … Continue reading Why are English media concerned about regional gaps in exam results but Scottish media prefer class-based differences? It’s about blaming the SNP

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Neither ‘Nic’ nor the SNP have ‘failed poor kids’ as attainment among them doubles

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA, for nearly 40 years a schoolteacher, a teacher education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance, research methods lecturer, PhD supervisor and Faculty Research Ethics Chair I don’t know what the former first minister has said about this exactly but the media exploitation of it stinks. I’m in danger, not for the first time, of being called a ‘heid-the-ba‘ after posting the details of my long experience in education above. You should just be relieved, I didn’t add my 6 postgraduate qualies! I worked hard … Continue reading Neither ‘Nic’ nor the SNP have ‘failed poor kids’ as attainment among them doubles

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‘How Scots villagers took the law into their own hands to expel [English] drug dealers’ – Scottish Daily Express reports in more intelligent and sophisticated manner than so-called ‘serious’ media to inform their readers

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Readers will know that the ‘serious’ or ‘elite’ media in Scotland – BBC Scotland, STV, the Herald and the Scotsman – have an aversion to reporting accurately on the plague of County Lines affecting almost every town and village in Scotland and caused by County Lines gangs from, entirely, English cities. The tabloids and some locals are more honest. Yesterday, the Express in Scotland had the above headline and the comments below on the prosecution of local ‘ringleaders’ of riots which developed in the East Ayrshire former mining village of Auchinleck and which I have already … Continue reading ‘How Scots villagers took the law into their own hands to expel [English] drug dealers’ – Scottish Daily Express reports in more intelligent and sophisticated manner than so-called ‘serious’ media to inform their readers

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On VJ Day, a reminder that Scotland’s WW1 army war dead was a greater sacrifice, 63% higher than the rest of the UK

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA With the UK media saturated with frankly disturbing jingoism based on myths about WWII, it seems like a good moment to repeat this attempt to resolve the alleged myth that Scots had given more in blood on the WWI battlefields. On 10th August 2014, with clear political intent, the Scotsman allowed Sir Hew Strachan to confirm it as a myth: Great War worst for Scots troops ‘a myth’ https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/great-war-worst-scots-troops-myth-1529401 In Patrick Watt’s Manpower, Myth and Memory: Analysing Scotland’s Military Contribution to the Great … Continue reading On VJ Day, a reminder that Scotland’s WW1 army war dead was a greater sacrifice, 63% higher than the rest of the UK

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Royal College of Emergency Medicine is much more negative and indeed, alarmist when reporting on Scotland

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or, if you prefer, a bank transfer, at sort code 089300 account 1421 7339 By stewartb There have now been two press statements issued during August by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) concerning A&E waits in Scotland. The headlines use extremely negative language, designed to alarm – ‘unacceptable and dangerous’, ‘ shocking and shameful’ and ‘dangerous’. These are in addition to a press statement in June – ‘deeply concerning and distressing’ in the headline, and one in July when new data on … Continue reading Royal College of Emergency Medicine is much more negative and indeed, alarmist when reporting on Scotland

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Will Jackie Baillie now retract her claim that hospital discharges caused unlawful care home Covid deaths?

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or, if you prefer, a bank transfer, at sort code 089300 account 1421 7339 Professor John Robertson OBA In May 2022, the above claims were being made repeatedly by Scottish Labour. Here is a typical example: Jackie Baillie has demanded Nicola Sturgeon faces up to the “unlawful, unreasonable and irrational” decisions her Government made by discharging patients from hospital to care homes at the height of the pandemic which cost lives. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar raised the issue at First Minister’s Questions this … Continue reading Will Jackie Baillie now retract her claim that hospital discharges caused unlawful care home Covid deaths?

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Another reason to make us believe in ourselves – Research reveals all Scottish building standards are more rigorous than those in England, to protect all of us

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/detailsor, if you prefer, a bank transfer, at sort code 089300 account 1421 7339 Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to JB for alerting me to this: In response to our previous report on why there will be no Grenfell here, JB shared with us: “Scottish Building Standards vs English Building Regulations” written by Gregory Barclay, Architectural Technologist Nov 12 2024. You may wish to read the full text at the link below but one or two conclusions stand out: Building codes and standards are set … Continue reading Another reason to make us believe in ourselves – Research reveals all Scottish building standards are more rigorous than those in England, to protect all of us

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Herald frontpages highest level nuclear leak incident but then avoids mentioning how it might ‘smash into your DNA’

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald today does get round to sharing with us details of the recent Ferret factfinder freedom of information release, on accidents at the nuclear base on the Clyde estuary, at Faslane in the Gare Loch, but do not investigate just what the resultant leaks might mean for those living nearby or those who swim in the Gare Loch or the Clyde estuary. Here is the fuller story and it gets very disturbing if you read on to the end. From BBC Scotland in August 2025: See that ‘leaked into loch‘, that should be leaked into loch. … Continue reading Herald frontpages highest level nuclear leak incident but then avoids mentioning how it might ‘smash into your DNA’

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Reporting Scotland use Daily Express front page on longer waits for elderly but neither mention that they are TWICE as long in NHS England

johnrobertson834

in an emergency department, data from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Over 51 000 over 60s waited more than 12 hours to be transferred, admitted or discharged in 2024. Doctors say the delays are unacceptable and unsafe. The Scottish Government says…… Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/detailsor, if you prefer, a bank transfer, at sort code 089300 account 1421 7339 Professor John Robertson OBA On the day that health unions in England, on BBC UK, suggest that Labour’s claimed reduction in waiting lists is more to do with ‘data … Continue reading Reporting Scotland use Daily Express front page on longer waits for elderly but neither mention that they are TWICE as long in NHS England

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Lib Dem Orkney Island council fails for the second time to run a proper ferry service

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/detailsor, if you prefer, a bank transfer, at sort code 089300 account 1421 7339 Professor John Robertson OBA Today, the Herald does have Orkney ferry workers to begin overtime ban amid industrial dispute makes little effort to remind that this not a CalMac story. Yahoo simply re-pastes the Herald story. FERRY services to Orkney will face disruption later this month, a union has warned after workers backed industrial action amid an escalating pay dispute. Unite the Union confirmed on Wednesday that its Orkney Ferries members will take part … Continue reading Lib Dem Orkney Island council fails for the second time to run a proper ferry service