Category: Uncategorized

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‘Don’t forget to use a photo of the minister which is as unflattering as possible’

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By stewartb It’s not hard to imagine a regular editorial meeting in Pacific Quay every weekday at c. 1600 hours with a single agenda item: to review the latest Scottish Government press releases (they appear each day at around this time). Might it go something like this? “We’re here to rank the latest SNP press releases for likely attractiveness to voters. For those attending this meeting for the first time, the most attractive are the ones we ignore – obviously.” “Next, let’s rank the latest releases for their potential for .. well I suppose for shorthand we can call it … Continue reading ‘Don’t forget to use a photo of the minister which is as unflattering as possible’

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BBC Scotland and newspapers hide official evidence that thousands more taxpayers have moved to Scotland from the rest of the UK.

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By Professor John Robertson In the National today: SCOTLAND’S annual net migration from the rest of the UK has continued to grow, with more people coming in to the country than leaving, figures show. The latest figures from National Records Scotland (NRS) show that since 2010, Scotland’s annual net migration from the rest of the UK increased from 2909 to 8914. In 2021, inflow from the rest of the UK was 14,400 higher (+34%) than the previous year, while 8900 more people moved to Scotland from the rest of the UK than left. https://www.thenational.scot/news/24006417.scotlands-net-migration-rest-uk-continues-grow/ Tonight, STV covered the story at some length, opening with: Thousands … Continue reading BBC Scotland and newspapers hide official evidence that thousands more taxpayers have moved to Scotland from the rest of the UK.

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More news you won’t hear – New £49 million, Scottish Government-funded terminal to enhance island life and economy

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By Professor John Robertson From the Scottish Government today and, of course, utterly ignored by ‘your’ media in Scotland: A Scottish Government-backed deep-water terminal which will support future renewable energy developments and cruise ship opportunities on the Western Isles has been officially handed over to operators by Deputy First Minister Shona Robison.  Ms Robison toured the new Stornoway deep-water terminal to mark the end of the construction phase. It has delivered a new terminal with a cruise ship berthing facility capable of accommodating vessels more than 1,000 feet long (330 metres) and a new deep-water dock for large cargo vessels, … Continue reading More news you won’t hear – New £49 million, Scottish Government-funded terminal to enhance island life and economy

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News you won’t hear – Scottish Government help with infant food insecurity

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No exploitative baby photos required, just facts: While BBC Scotland, uniquely among BBC England, Wales and Northern Ireland, concentrate on a Leeds University report on food insecurity, utterly blind to the facts about much lower child poverty in Scotland and SNP initiatives such as the world-leading Child Payment, from the Scottish Government today, but widely ignored: A toolkit for people working with families with infants at risk of food insecurity is promoting cash first responses to allow them to safely, responsively and appropriately feed their babies and helping towards reducing the need for food banks. Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “All children … Continue reading News you won’t hear – Scottish Government help with infant food insecurity

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Sunak’s childcare scheme struggles, Starmer refuses to pledge support and Scottish scheme reporting no problems

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By Professor John Robertson From the Guardian today, the above, and: The deployment of the government’s childcare scheme to tens of thousands more families is facing “significant uncertainties” and may struggle to meet its own targets, according to a report by Whitehall’s spending watchdog. The National Audit Office revealed the Department for Education (DfE) had assessed the likelihood of being able to deliver the funded childcare places it promised for September 2024 and 2025 as “amber/red problematic”. Even if the government managed to successfully navigate the multiple difficulties ahead, it was not clear whether the policy would achieve its primary aim of … Continue reading Sunak’s childcare scheme struggles, Starmer refuses to pledge support and Scottish scheme reporting no problems

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So I have a master plan – Instead of the BBC having to have a Verify Unit and BBC Corrections…..how about just employing people who can actually do the job?

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By NMRN Guess what I found in BBC Corrections & Clarifications page.. BBC Scotland Radio and online, 2 & 3 April 2024 “In BBC Scotland’s coverage of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, reference was made in some of our output to the Act making it a criminal offence in Scotland to make “derogatory comments” based on the protected characteristics of age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex. This was inaccurate and we should have referred to the Act creating a new crime where it is an offence if someone communicates material or behaves … Continue reading So I have a master plan – Instead of the BBC having to have a Verify Unit and BBC Corrections…..how about just employing people who can actually do the job?

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Food poverty – Only BBC Scotland reports Leeds University research and then distorts it for your harm

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By Professor John Robertson So, new research out from Leeds University on BBC Reporting Scotland, to tell us First, all about the struggles of the above North Ayrshire mother. Why North Ayrshire? This: According to a new study, North Ayrshire is the area of Scotland where people are most likely to need help to put food on the table. BBC analysis of research from Leeds University and the consumer group Which? looked at 363 councils across the UK, assessing neighbourhoods on measures such as distance to large supermarkets, the number of families on free school meals and households in food … Continue reading Food poverty – Only BBC Scotland reports Leeds University research and then distorts it for your harm

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Increased supply of SNP’s world-leading opioid overdose reversal kits saving lives and reducing hospital admissions

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By Professor John Robertson From Public Health Scotland today: During 2023/24 Quarter 2 (1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023): 8,176 Take-Home Naloxone (THN) kits were issued. Community THN supplies included 2,112 kits issued by non-drug treatment services. Of these, 67% (1,422) were supplied by Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD). 403 kits were issued by prisons in Scotland. 1,334 kits were supplied via prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacies. 137 THN kits were provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service. A total of 507 kits were supplied by peers (288 in the community and 219 in prisons). At the end … Continue reading Increased supply of SNP’s world-leading opioid overdose reversal kits saving lives and reducing hospital admissions

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New Zealand government has no plans to avert another terrifying incident when ageing ferry drifted towards rocks, endangering the lives of hundreds of passengers

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From Newsroom NZ today: In the 16 years since it was bought by the government for $690 million, KiwiRail has had several overhauls and turnaround plans worth billions of dollars. Its ambitions as a successful, profitable operator of tourism, freight and ferries have often been derailed by disasters from earthquakes to cyclones, mine explosions and the collapse of key industries like coal mining. Add to that the Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ bombshell decision not to pump another billion dollars into the Interislander mega ferries, sinking the project and leaving a question mark over KiwiRail’s future as a shipping operator. “I … Continue reading New Zealand government has no plans to avert another terrifying incident when ageing ferry drifted towards rocks, endangering the lives of hundreds of passengers

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SNP MP and former senior police officer accuses successive UK governments of corruption, collusion and the protection of terrorists

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By Professor John Robertson This fascinating but deeply disturbing story, in the form of draft speech, of what many of us suspect is only typical of the historical behaviour of the UK establishment and still present today in the chilling image of Sir Keir Starmer, was passed to me by Allan Dorans, a former Detective Inspector in the Metropolitan Police and now the Member of Parliament for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, with permission to publish and to share it widely. I hope that you too will share it even more widely. Good morning former colleagues and friends. It is wonderful … Continue reading SNP MP and former senior police officer accuses successive UK governments of corruption, collusion and the protection of terrorists