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News you won’t hear – SNP legislation slashes second home ownership and empty properties in just one year

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Minister for Housing correspondence and empty homes statistics: FOI release published today, we can see that in 2024, there were 65 144 empty second homes, down 7 % from 70 278 in 2023 and 43 538 properties empty for 6 months, down 7% from 46 217 in 2023. This change is largely due to: Powers enabling Councils in Scotland to apply either, a 50% Council Tax discount, the standard rate, or an up to 100% council tax premium (double the rate) on second homes came into force in April 2024. 30 local authorities have introduced the premium in … Continue reading News you won’t hear – SNP legislation slashes second home ownership and empty properties in just one year

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News you won’t hear – Threats and Extortion crimes plummet by 28% in 2024

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Threats and Extortion recorded crime statistics: FOI release, published today, we see that crimes of ‘threats and extortion’ have fallen dramatically in Scotland, from 2 612 in the year ending September 2023, to 1 869 in the year ending September 2024, a 28.4% fall in only one year. Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202400442643/ Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/ The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116 About Oliver Brown, the first Scottish National Party candidate to save his deposit in a Parliamentary … Continue reading News you won’t hear – Threats and Extortion crimes plummet by 28% in 2024

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Will Starmer now launch an investigation into why Scotland’s ferry service does much better than that ‘serving’ the Isle of Wight?

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From the Island Echo yesterday: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said in the House of Commons this lunchtime (Wednesday) that ferry services to and from the Isle of Wight have ‘not been good enough’, and promises that the Maritime Minister will hold further meetings with Wightlink, Red Funnel and Hovertravel. Joe Robertson, MP for Isle of Wight East, stood up during today’s Prime Minister’s Questions to ask whether or not the Government agrees that the anomaly surrounding Isle of Wight cross-Solent travel must come to an end. In his address, Mr Robertson said: “My constituents on the Isle of Wight … Continue reading Will Starmer now launch an investigation into why Scotland’s ferry service does much better than that ‘serving’ the Isle of Wight?

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There is no evidence of ‘regular’ care in extra beds and corridors in Scotland as BBC Scotland make up the numbers from a survey where less than 1% bothered to respond across the UK

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Professor John Robertson OBA In a 457 page report, On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis, from the RCN UK, the word ‘Scotland’ appears only twice in the text and, other than that, as the page header of a section where there are anonymised statements from an unspecified number of respondents. I am not, of course, saying that events do not happen in corridors and that care never takes place there, in Scotland but I am saying that this report does not provide evidence of it happening regularly as BBC Scotland claims today. The report only suggests ‘more than 5 … Continue reading There is no evidence of ‘regular’ care in extra beds and corridors in Scotland as BBC Scotland make up the numbers from a survey where less than 1% bothered to respond across the UK

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NHS Scotland staffed and resourced to carry out 98% of nearly 25 000 operations in November 2024, up 40% on the level at the end of the pandemic, to complete media silence

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, yesterday, we see that NHS Scotland had in place the staff and resources to carry out 98% of the 24 764 operations planned for November 2024 and 40% up from the around 18 000 planned at the end of the Covid-19 emergency measures in early 2022. In the event, around 6% were cancelled at the last minute, either by the patient themselves or by the medical staff, but nevertheless, NHS Scotland after 17 years of SNP rule, was ready for that 6% too. This is remarkable efficiency and government support in a … Continue reading NHS Scotland staffed and resourced to carry out 98% of nearly 25 000 operations in November 2024, up 40% on the level at the end of the pandemic, to complete media silence

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SNP Government programme to protect the health of children and mothers leads to significant increases in all groups

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From Infant Feeding Statistics Scotland Financial Year 2023/24 An Accredited official statistics release for Scotland published on 12 November 2024, we can see that breastfeeding has almost doubled since 2007/2008 for the least deprived group but has increased significantly for all groups. The rationale for this scheme is clear: Breastfeeding provides the best nutrition for babies and young children and supports children’s health both in the short and longer term(1,2). There is strong evidence that breastfeeding reduces children’s risk of gut, chest, and ear infections and leads to a small but significant improvement in brain development and IQ(3,4). Growing evidence … Continue reading SNP Government programme to protect the health of children and mothers leads to significant increases in all groups

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90% of Scots feel fair to very good about their general health and so may not be listening to Jackie Baillie at all

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In a survey of 4 392 Scots 16 and over, published in the Scottish Health Survey 2022: supplementary tables today, we see how they report their assessment of their general health. While I’m well aware of the John Wayne factor perhaps most clearly demonstrated in the 47% of men aged 16-24 reporting ‘very good health‘, I was still surprised by the overall positivity of the above results. Spending a lot of time reading and listening to news media, I may have developed a more negative view of reality than that shared by most of the population – 90% reporting feeling … Continue reading 90% of Scots feel fair to very good about their general health and so may not be listening to Jackie Baillie at all

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Ferries? The A9? NHS backlogs? Nope, it’s the economy stupid….and health too….but that’s essentially it

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From the Scottish Government’s Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker – data tables, based on fieldwork on 3rd to 6th October 2024, with a sample of 1 067 weighted to represent the population in terms of gender, age and social grade, we can draw the following conclusions to inform political campaigning for the 2026 Scottish election. Only two areas really matter, really seem to concern a significant percentage of the population of all categories and so might influence voting patterns significantly – personal finances and the economy (78%) and within that, the cost of living (55%), … Continue reading Ferries? The A9? NHS backlogs? Nope, it’s the economy stupid….and health too….but that’s essentially it

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Labour MP for Bathgate and Linlithgow’s hypocritical and inaccurate statement on access to NHS dentistry, 95% and 21% higher in Scotland, and available in her own town, just to please Sir Keir at PMQs

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks again AR: Kirsteen Sullivan Labour MP for Bathgate and Linlithgow, has just asked PM Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs about a shortage of dentists in Scotland which then allowed Starmer to attack the SNP. We see, above, Sullivan’s supposed commitment to honesty in public life. However, on the availability of NHS dentistry in Scotland, she doesn’t want you to know the honest truth, this: From Public Health Scotland, May 28, 2024: 5,182,993 people were registered with an NHS dentist as at 31 March 2024 (94.6% of the Scottish population). 732,618 extensive clinical examinations were paid in … Continue reading Labour MP for Bathgate and Linlithgow’s hypocritical and inaccurate statement on access to NHS dentistry, 95% and 21% higher in Scotland, and available in her own town, just to please Sir Keir at PMQs

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Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances wait for far less time than in an English hospital

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By Professor John Robertson OBA and Ayr resident From Ayrshire Live in the Daily Record, yesterday: Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances forced to wait up to 16 hours Not in their report: In the most up-to-date figures, NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s full (Type ED) emergency departments saw 59.6% of admissions, in the week-ending 5 January 2025, within the 4 hour target and up from 54% in the week between Xmas and New Year.1 Remember, the triage system ensures that those at serious risk are seen more quickly. The equivalent average figures for Scotland as-a-whole, were 58.7% and 58.2%.1 NHS … Continue reading Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances wait for far less time than in an English hospital