Herald writer’s cringing ignorance of the best equipped ferry service in the world – ours

By Professor John Robertson, Rough Guide Best International Ferry Correspondent 2022, 2023 and 2024 In the Herald yesterday: MUCH has been said about Scotland’s ongoing ferry fiasco which has left the network with a large number of passengers but hardly any ships. It should be the gold standard of marine disasters, an exemplar to show the world how not to do things. An exemplar, eh, Simpson? Have you looked at any other ferry services in other parts which might be exemplars of how to do things? You haven’t? Thought so. Too tired? Here, I’ll do it. First, Calmac has 33 vessels in … Continue reading Herald writer’s cringing ignorance of the best equipped ferry service in the world – ours

As ‘Britain’ imports record amounts of electricity from Europe, England gets as much from Scotland as it buys from France

By Professor John Robertson OBA From the Telegraph, yesterday: Britain importing record amounts of electricity from Europe – The UK warned its growing dependence on imports leaves it at risk of outages. Britain importing record amounts of electricity from Europe. According to data published by the National Energy System Operator (Neso), net imports totalled 26.3 terawatt hours from January to September – a new record for the UK. That beat the previous high of 24.6 terawatt hours reached three years ago.1 From the UK Government in September 2024 – In 2008, the first year of SNP Government in Scotland, 8.7TWh were … Continue reading As ‘Britain’ imports record amounts of electricity from Europe, England gets as much from Scotland as it buys from France

If the Scottish Socialist Party can stand in all 8 regions, they can provide the overall pro-independence majority

The latest Norstat poll for the Times, post Budget, gives the SNP 51 MSPs, Labour 29, Tories 16, Reform 12, Lib Dems 11 and Greens 10 putting a pro-independence majority in doubt. Pollsters do not ask about the Scottish Socialists because they have not stood since they lost their 6 regional seats in 2007, after an internal split. However, things have changed as Labour head to the right, losing mass support, and the SNP drift toward the centre, creating a big gap on the left for voters who want democratic socialist policies including progressive taxation, council tax replacement, Waspi women … Continue reading If the Scottish Socialist Party can stand in all 8 regions, they can provide the overall pro-independence majority

Thanks to Paul Hutcheon I now know roughly how much is being made to all panellists as pundits in elections by TV channels

By Anonymous Here’s another joke, also not a HA HA one. Nicola Sturgeon apparently was paid £25k by ITV for punditry on GE night. Paul Hutcheon of the Daily Record told us that in a tweet where he included a picture of her , Ms Sturgeon, on a panel with ex Tory Chancellor George Osborne and also ex Labour MP Ed Balls , also now a ITV GMB part time presenter and he is also the husband of the current Labour Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Paul did however tell us that she , Ms Sturgeon, declared the cash which was why Paul then chose to reveal … Continue reading Thanks to Paul Hutcheon I now know roughly how much is being made to all panellists as pundits in elections by TV channels

Part of my tribute to Alex Salmond’s ‘uncringing spirit’ in Scotland’s 98 year-old paper-based, to your door, non-aligned, pro-Independence newspaper

In today’s Scots Independent, first published in November 1926, non-party aligned and posted to your door for £3.75 a month, https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ I have a media analysis column every month. They present the Oliver Brown Award (whisky decanter (empty!), for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect. The late Oliver Brown brought wit, scholarship, passion, ribaldry and the most uncringing spirit to the cause of Nationalism.https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=109 Sean Connery in 2012, Alex Salmond in 2014, me in 2022 (Imposter Syndrome attack) and Dr Philippa Whitford last year. More at: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116 Go on, go on, go on. Continue reading Part of my tribute to Alex Salmond’s ‘uncringing spirit’ in Scotland’s 98 year-old paper-based, to your door, non-aligned, pro-Independence newspaper

Raw sewage including floating turds found in Scottish Labour communications pipe as official stats prove 90% of England’s water is dirty and 90% of ours is clean

Chris Murray, new Labour MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (left – easy next to Ian Murray (?))eager to please, finds this maybe sewage (right) on the Portobello Beach: From the National, yesterday: NEW: A Labour MP has been told to ‘fact check first’ by members of the public after he falsely claimed there was a sewage leak in his constituency. Chris Murray had posted an image of what he believed to be a sewage leak at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh. https://x.com/ScotNational/status/1852341572257640502 Keir is desperate to balance out the raw sewage discharges between England and Scotland but it’s not easy. … Continue reading Raw sewage including floating turds found in Scottish Labour communications pipe as official stats prove 90% of England’s water is dirty and 90% of ours is clean

Susan Dalgety misses the three woman who have really saved lives from cancer in Scotland

By Professor John Robertson OBA Former Jack McConnell spad and regular Scotsman fake news provider, Susan Dalgety, is front page today with: How three women are saving lives from cancer. Straight off, I thought she must be talking of those three Scottish health secretaries, Nicola Sturgeon, Shona Robison and Jeanne Freeman. Turns out it’s not them, yet: Scotland’s dramatically better cancer waiting times September 20th 2024, BBC UK’s Nick Triggle has: The cancers with longest treatment waits revealed with the above graph for NHS England data. I’ve added, where possible, equivalent Scottish data. While skin and prostate/kidney waiting times do seem slightly longer … Continue reading Susan Dalgety misses the three woman who have really saved lives from cancer in Scotland

Premature and low birth weight babies surge in Scotland due to UK austerity – While poverty rates are ‘considerably higher’ in England thanks to SNP efforts, Labour risk making things worse again

By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today: The introduction of UK austerity policies has been associated with a striking increase in the number of babies in Scotland being born smaller or earlier than expected, data suggests. Researchers believe cuts to social security benefits and services are key to understanding these trends, which have hit families living in the poorest neighbourhoods the hardest. and further down: Given that post-austerity poverty rates are actually fairly considerably higher in England, the expectation is that we will have seen similar trends there. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/02/uk-austerity-policies-premature-low-birth-weight-babies-scotland The Labour government’s early actions on, for example, keeping the two-child benefit cap … Continue reading Premature and low birth weight babies surge in Scotland due to UK austerity – While poverty rates are ‘considerably higher’ in England thanks to SNP efforts, Labour risk making things worse again

The Cartunionist again with a Laboured joke

As Labour fake generosity toward Scotland in the wake of their attacks on the poor, the Herald cartoonist offers another of his anti-SNP ‘humorous’ takes. Here’s a reminder of his previous: The Herald’s Steven Camley’s interpretation of the SNP leader’s performance in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Like the English cartoonists, he attempts to conceal the fact that the SNP had a substantive, serious, motion, on one of their only 3 days, based on years of consistent support for the human rights of the Palestinian people, hijacked by a bullied Labour Party speaker and his pro-Israel leader, to prevent … Continue reading The Cartunionist again with a Laboured joke

Why is the British Labour Party failing to solve waiting lists/times issues in NHS Wales if the Party’s leadership in opposition in Scotland have the answers?

By stewartb Misrepresentation – with associated hypocrisy- from the British Labour Party politicians both at UK and Scotland levels is not new; it has become endemic; it may well have assisted Labour’s success in Scotland at the recent GE; and there is little or no sign of it being countered effectively at scale as we approach the REALLY crucial Holyrood election in 2026. Meanwhile in Wales where the British Labour Party has been in power since the establishment of devolved government … Senedd Research – the research and information service supporting the Welsh parliament – on 4 October, 2024 published … Continue reading Why is the British Labour Party failing to solve waiting lists/times issues in NHS Wales if the Party’s leadership in opposition in Scotland have the answers?