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As Colin Smyth, Labour MSP comes to court should Anas Sarwar be asked what he thinks of having now at least six known child sex offenders in his ranks?

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Professor John Robertson OBA As he is filmed entering court, there’s not a word on Smyth’s long membership and representation of the Labour Party nor any suggestion that his leader Anas Sarwar might be asked how he feels about another sex offender in his ranks. How many Scottish Labour MSPs MPs or councillors have been accused of sex offences against children? Scottish Labour MSPs Scottish Labour Councillors Three distinct individuals were identified: Other cases (e.g., Ewan Dillon, Sean Morton) involved indecent images but were not explicitly tied to Scottish Labour in reports; they appear to have been independents or from … Continue reading As Colin Smyth, Labour MSP comes to court should Anas Sarwar be asked what he thinks of having now at least six known child sex offenders in his ranks?

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How ferries under Labour from 1997 to 2007 were never bad news and never politicised

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Professor John Robertson OBA Today, try searching for Scotland and ferries and you’ll be flooded, unlike the MV Glen Sannox‘s slightly damp steering gear, with a surge of reports, several directly ‘accusing’ or ‘shaming’, the SNP for the kind of minor repair that is often required in the teething stages of new ship. Try narrowing your search to the period from 1 January 1997 to 1 January 2007, Labour and the Lib Dem’s time in power, and you’ll find very little indeed. You will find one (only) story of delays, due to repairs lasting 6 months, on 22 April 2003, in the Herald, … Continue reading How ferries under Labour from 1997 to 2007 were never bad news and never politicised

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The false and immoral economy of cheap ferries from Communist Vietnam

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Professor John Robertson OBA The MV Alfred, leased to CalMac by Pentland Ferries, is back in Ayr dock today. Two years ago, she was tied up for gearbox problems in Ardrossan and was the cause of multiple cancellations on the Arran crossing. The MV Alfred was cheap. Only £14.5 million in 2019. It’s not clear what either the Communist Government subsidy, the wages rate or the death rate of workers in the Strategic Marine Shipyard was. It is also not clear just how much is lost to the Scottish economy by failing to build ferries here. On 5 July 2022, the Alfred grounded … Continue reading The false and immoral economy of cheap ferries from Communist Vietnam

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‘Devastating damage to vehicles’ aboard North Link’s Orkney ferry after ‘cargo shift’ in wind speeds that have never troubled CalMac

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dottie again for alerting us to this: Off Stromness, wind speeds this morning varied between 24.5 and 40.1 mph with gusts up to 42.4 mph1according to the Inverness Courier: ‘Devastating’ damage to vehicles aboard Scrabster ferry after ‘cargo shift’ – A “full review” is under way after vehicles were damaged while the ferry Hamnavoe was crossing the Pentland Firth [from Stromness] this morning. The ferry operator, Serco NorthLink Ferries, said there had been a “cargo shift” as the vessel was on its way from Stromness to Scrabster. No-one was injured. Managing director Stuart Garrett … Continue reading ‘Devastating damage to vehicles’ aboard North Link’s Orkney ferry after ‘cargo shift’ in wind speeds that have never troubled CalMac

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Around 600 County Lines in operation in Scotland, 200 children exploited and 75% violence

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the National Police Chiefs Council published yesterday: An annual review of the threat posed by County Lines to UK communities has today been published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC). Covering the period from April 2024 to March 2025, the latest County Lines Strategic Threat Assessment found that there are over 6,500 County Lines in operation across England, Scotland and Wales. However, the rise in internal lines (drug lines operating exclusively in one county) that was evident the previous year, has now stabilised, as has the number of County Lines … Continue reading Around 600 County Lines in operation in Scotland, 200 children exploited and 75% violence

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Three years after a Liverpool newspaper warned that Liverpool drug gangs are focusing on Scotland and causing high drug deaths, nothing has changed and BBC Scotland still will not inform you of what is happening in your own country

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks, once more to Graham for alerting us to this. The above from the P&J, is just the latest in a trail of reports of English County Lines drug gangs bringing a plague of drug abuse, deaths and extreme violence, based on Police Scotland estimates, to around 50 locations in Scotland. In just one day in April 2025, Aberdeen’s P&J had two reports of English drug gangs occupying homes in the city to sell new more powerful low cost drugs and, in so doing keep drug deaths high, despite the efforts of the SNP Government which has oversight … Continue reading Three years after a Liverpool newspaper warned that Liverpool drug gangs are focusing on Scotland and causing high drug deaths, nothing has changed and BBC Scotland still will not inform you of what is happening in your own country

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As number of schools in England facing structural building failure surges, 92% in Scotland are safe – rated good or satisfactory – after inspection, up from only 62% under Labour

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By stewartb Evidence of Westminster governments allowing England’s deterioration, this time its school buildings. What follows comes in a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) published today, 21 October: ‘Departmental overview: Department for Education 2024-25’ (See https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Department-for-Education-Overview-2024-25.pdf ) It reports, in the ‘matter of fact style’ that is characteristic of the NAO, that: ‘DfE has reported the risk of school building failure resulting from structural safety issues as one of its top risks since 2021-22. Our 2025 report ‘Maintaining public service facilities’ identified a £13.8 billion maintenance backlog in schools – 28% of the government backlog. Cabinet Office estimated that deferring work to … Continue reading As number of schools in England facing structural building failure surges, 92% in Scotland are safe – rated good or satisfactory – after inspection, up from only 62% under Labour

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Lib Dem councillor uses her own daughter to try to undermine Scotland’s 95% plus target busting cancer care

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Professor John Robertson OBA I’m reminded of Alex Cole Hamilton rushing to the media after saving his daughter’s life with a Heimlich Manouevre and John Selwyn Gummer, Tory minister, making his daughter eat a burger for the cameras during the ‘Mad Cow Disease‘ scare back in the 80s. When politicians use their weans to defend their policies or attack the policies of other, I reach for my gun, well just the antacid then. We’re probably meant to know who that woman is. I don’t but what matters is this: NHS Scotland In Q2 2025 (April-June), 95.3% of 7 461 patients started treatment … Continue reading Lib Dem councillor uses her own daughter to try to undermine Scotland’s 95% plus target busting cancer care

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Ferry sailings between Arran AND THE MAINLAND have NOT been cancelled – This is a disgraceful and damaging lie by the Daily Record

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Daily Record today has the above and: Ferry sailings between Arran and the mainland have been cancelled after an engine issue was discovered with a recently repaired vessel. A “technical issue” with the MV Caledonian Isles main starboard engine has forced operator CalMac to cancel services between Brodick and Ardrossan today, Tuesday, October 21, and tomorrow, Wednesday, October 22, while the issue is investigated. The headline is deliberately misleading and will confuse travellers and tourists but is not strictly inaccurate. The opening sentence is wholly inaccurate and can only have been deliberately designed to perpetuate the ferry fiasco narrative. Are all … Continue reading Ferry sailings between Arran AND THE MAINLAND have NOT been cancelled – This is a disgraceful and damaging lie by the Daily Record

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SNP/Greens bottle return scheme was effectively sabotaged by the UK Government for political reasons

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return scheme has claimed it was offered ‘unequivocal’ assurances that the plan would go ahead. Biffa Waste Services is seeking more than £166 million of reparations over the decision to delay the recycling initiative in 2023. Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland’s Reporting Scotland episode tonight, had the above. So, who was to blame for the delay? BBC Scotland‘s choice of the word ‘botched’ makes it clear what their view, predictably, is. While there may be legitimate criticisms that the Greens rushed the implementation and that large corporate business interests resisted a scheme little different to those they were already … Continue reading SNP/Greens bottle return scheme was effectively sabotaged by the UK Government for political reasons