Professor John Robertson OBA Watching BBC ‘s ‘Have I Got News for You’, last night, there was panel unanimity that, as Ian Hislop put it – ‘AI is strawndnry unreliable.‘ Readers will know that I’ve begun to use it more as a short-cut to finding evidence but that I do worry about the absence of media studies in the core curriculum in schools, to prepare younger, less-experienced, less sceptical minds, to understand the commonly market-oriented, pro-USA, pro-NATO and times pro-Christian ideological underpinning in the algorithms directing answers, to ask good questions and to push for better answers at times. Earlier … Continue reading As with Google and now AI, did Victorians suspect that encyclopaedias would lead to fake news and affect children?

Professor John Robertson OBA Today the Scottish Government announces: Almost £1 million is being allocated to help reduce pressures on A&E departments and improve patient flow over the winter months. The Scottish Ambulance Service will receive £995,000 to increase staffing for a clinical hub model, which uses GPs to triage patients as calls come in to prevent unnecessary ambulance dispatches and ensure everyone gets the treatment they need. The system was trialled successfully over a weekend in September this year and it is estimated that it could save 12,000 ambulance journeys over winter as well as safely preventing an additional … Continue reading Scottish Government launches major initiative to improve winter care and only STV with a few online-only agencies report

Professor John Robertson OBA In the National 24 January 2025: Mark Drakeford: Tories’ ‘suspicion of the Scots’ hindered UK in Covid THERE was an “inherent suspicion” in the way the UK government dealt with its devolved counterparts during the Covid pandemic because they were “worried about the Scots,” the former first minister of Wales has said. The above table is summarised by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on page 101 of UK Poverty 2023 published on 26 January 2023, as: Scotland has the lowest mortality rate per 100,000 people for every degree of deprivation across the UK [p100] https://www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2023-the-essential-guide-to-understanding-poverty-in-the-uk That the above variation was due … Continue reading The evidence that UK Government ‘suspicion of the Scots’ led to inferior Covid-19 pandemic measures and the unnecessary deaths of thousands in England and Wales

Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to https://x.com/G4ilM for reminding me of this: From STV, the above and: A special envoy to the World Health Organisation has said he is impressed with how Scotland is handling the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr David Nabarro said Nicola Sturgeon’s prudent approach to easing lockdown restrictions was a good policy. He said he admired the approach by the Scottish Government and the public health authorities. Nabarro, the World Health Organisation’s special envoy for Covid-19, told the BBC: “Comparing Scotland with other parts of Europe, other parts of the world, I’d say you’re doing good because you are tackling … Continue reading Why has STV forgotten their own report – ‘World Health Organisation tells Scotland ‘you are doing well’’ as the Covid inquiry and try to blame Scotland’s FM?

Professor John Robertson OBA Lucy Dunn, above – I’m getting that artist to do me a lovely caricature of me for the blog. A Reform surge in Scotland? In January 2025, between 9% and 13% in the last 10 Holyrood polls but between 22% and 25% in the last 10 Westminster polls. At best, only half as popular in Scotland. Today, between 14% and 22% in the last 10 Holyrood polls, currently 17 points behind SNP but between 26% and 33% in the last 10 Westminster polls, currently 14 points ahead of Labour. At best, only two thirds as popular … Continue reading How good is STV’s new former Spectator writer, Westminster Correspondent? Well she’ll need to learn to read Scottish opinion polls