Why the wind doesn’t need to blow all the time – breakthrough in new technology to blow all Scottish Labour arguments for nuclear ‘out of the water’

EBARGOED UNTIL 15 Dec 2025 00:01 Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland, three days ago: In East Lothian, council leader Norman Hampshire has asked UK ministers to draw up a “characterisation” of the Torness power station site in the hope that it could still be considered for a replacement. The Labour councillor says the closure of Torness without a replacement would be devastating to the community in Dunbar and across Scotland. “There’s a lot of jobs… and all of that feeds into the local economy. So, if Torness isn’t there it’s going to be a huge blow and there’s … Continue reading Why the wind doesn’t need to blow all the time – breakthrough in new technology to blow all Scottish Labour arguments for nuclear ‘out of the water’

Not even one one report of a flooded home – I wonder why? Surely not Scottish Government investment in flood defences?

Professor John Robertson OBA STV News, almost exactly 24 hours earlier, as I write: Scots homes ‘likely to be flooded’ as amber weather warning for ‘very heavy rain’ issued – The alert comes into effect from midnight on Sunday and remains in place until 11.59pm. The same hopeful claims were everywhere in Scotland’s media with the same optimism, on their part, we see when such NHS waiting times or drug deaths figures are anticipated. As of now (Sunday 14th December, 12:20), there are no confirmed reports of homes flooded in Scotland in the last 24 hours. There had been 6 … Continue reading Not even one one report of a flooded home – I wonder why? Surely not Scottish Government investment in flood defences?

Campus shootings – how Scotland’s campuses, safest in the UK, could not be reported to US Department of Education yet in every English university town you are significantly more likely to be a victim of violent crime than in any Scottish one.

Professor John Robertson OBA Yesterday’s tragic killings at Brown University in the USA are only the latest in a sequence of 43 such incidents. Ironically, in July this year Police Scotland answered a Freedom of Information request from the US Department of Education on crime data for Scotland’s Higher education campuses, in a surprisingly unhelpful way: I refer to your recent request for crime data, made in accordance with the Clery Act. Unfortunately, Police Scotland is unable to assist with your request. Having reviewed the ‘Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting’ from the US Department of Education, it is … Continue reading Campus shootings – how Scotland’s campuses, safest in the UK, could not be reported to US Department of Education yet in every English university town you are significantly more likely to be a victim of violent crime than in any Scottish one.

Domestic abuse shockingly far more common in England & Wales than in Scotland

Professor John Robertson OBA There were 30 227 cases of reported domestic abuse in Scotland in 2024-2025.1 All things being equal, you might expect the figure for England & Wales to be around 11 times greater, reflecting a population around 11 times greater – 330 000? In England & Wales in 2024-2025: The police flagged 797,530 offences as domestic abuse-related in YE June 2025, including 623,430 violence against the person offences.2 Based on these official statistics, domestic abuse seems to be more than twice as common in England & Wales. Sources: No doubt there are differences in recording which will … Continue reading Domestic abuse shockingly far more common in England & Wales than in Scotland

UK Labour Government to copy SNP policy on specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams from 2013, 16 years too late, in a culture where these offences are between twice and three times as common!

Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Politics today: All police forces to get specialist sexual offence teams, Mahmood pledges – Specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams will be introduced to every police force in England and Wales by 2029, the government has pledged. It is part of a long-delayed plan aimed at halving violence against women and girls within a decade. In Scotland: Police Scotland’s specialist sexual offence teams, including the divisional Rape Investigation Units and the National Rape Task Force, were established following the creation of Police Scotland on 1 April 2013.This came from the merger of Scotland’s … Continue reading UK Labour Government to copy SNP policy on specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams from 2013, 16 years too late, in a culture where these offences are between twice and three times as common!

It may be a different battle for the SNP in the West and South of Scotland in May 2026

Professor John Robertson OBA While Scotland-wide polls have Reform UK in second place pushing Labour down into third place and a major loss of list MPSs, this may conceal regional variations and exaggerate their threat in some parts. Only Paris-based, Ipsos, publish regional breakdowns with consistent scientific sampling that can be reasonably compared over time, though limited slightly by a Westminster context in one (18 June 2025) and Holyrood in the the other (10 December 2025). The results are above and suggest different tactics for SNP campaigns in the West and South of Scotland. Key points: Comments? Continue reading It may be a different battle for the SNP in the West and South of Scotland in May 2026

Will we win independence by our own hands or will events happen to us that matter more and ease our way?

Important – I offer this as a starter for comment. I’m not, as you may know, an expert in this geopolitical field in any way. Professor John Robertson OBA Fifty years ago, I had to write an essay about the extent to which Karl Marx believed that individuals or powerful forces determined historical outcomes. The above quote, I thought, was a good starting point. I got a low B pass. He seems to be saying that we can influence events but within the limits imposed on our freedom of movement by forces such as climate change, geography, pandemics, wars or … Continue reading Will we win independence by our own hands or will events happen to us that matter more and ease our way?

Marine economy sees major growth including massive 2 024% increase in turnover from offshore wind farms

Professor John Robertson OBA From Scotland’s Marine Economic Statistics 2023 published yesterday, the more positive extracts which may well be selectively ignored by MSM. Scotland’s marine economy includes activities dependent on the marine environment. They provide an important source of income and employment across Scotland. Some key points are: In 2023, the marine economy generated £5.6 billion in approximate Gross Value Added (aGVA), 3% of the overall Scottish economy. In 2023, the marine economy employed 75,900 people (headcount), 2.9% of the total Scottish employment. Between 2022 and 2023, the marine economy’s aGVA increased by 4%. In the longer term, from … Continue reading Marine economy sees major growth including massive 2 024% increase in turnover from offshore wind farms

US paediatrician repeats warning of the deadly dangers our children face living near nuclear waste sites like those Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour seem to have accepted as a price of their loyalty

Professor John Robertson OBA In the Salt Lake Tribune, two days ago, we see a local paediatrician warning his community of the dangers nuclear waste storage poses for children, in particular: This represents just another piece of evidence on top of the pile we already have, to expose Scottish Labour’s complacency: UK Labour‘s electricity-demanding creature Ed Milliband has clearly seen this: Roughly half of the SNP’s voters believe nuclear power should be part of Scotland’s mix of clean energy generation, a poll suggests, despite the party’s longstanding opposition to it. Polling for the campaign group Britain Remade, founded by a former energy and climate adviser to Boris Johnson, … Continue reading US paediatrician repeats warning of the deadly dangers our children face living near nuclear waste sites like those Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour seem to have accepted as a price of their loyalty

“National value destruction” – a “masterclass” in causing uncertainty, speculation and lack of investment! Successive UK governments’ track record over Scotland’s offshore oil & gas condemned by authoritative energy industry source.

By stewartb “Devastating” WoodMac damns governments approach to North Sea’: this was the headline published December 11 by the respected energy news website, Energy Voice.  It comes from its reporting of a new assessment of successive UK governments’ approach to the offshore oil & gas assets present on the UK Continental Shelf – assets of course mostly present offshore Scotland. The critique of Westminster/Whitehall governance comes from the respected provider of energy industry/market statistics and insight, namely Wood Mackenzie (aka WoodMac). It’s from an end of year review of key industry talking points internationally: among the top five issues, it … Continue reading “National value destruction” – a “masterclass” in causing uncertainty, speculation and lack of investment! Successive UK governments’ track record over Scotland’s offshore oil & gas condemned by authoritative energy industry source.