How Scottish Government support for business dwarves that of UK Government by a factor of 60!

By stewartb From the Scottish Business section of the BBC News website (October 1): ‘Tech projects to receive share of government fund’. We’re told: ‘ScotlandIS’ Future Ready programme, which provides business support and learning resources for tech businesses across the country, and Game Space in Dundee, who support those working in the country’s gaming industry, are among the recipients of funding from the UK government’s Department of Science, Innovation and Technology’s (DSIT’s) Regional Tech programme.’ The BBC understands the two Scottish projects will each receive £30,000: the DSIT has told the BBC the money will support at least 30 businesses in Scotland. … Continue reading How Scottish Government support for business dwarves that of UK Government by a factor of 60!

Manchester synagogue attack – As Reporting Scotland try to include us in England’s violence, the important facts they won’t tell you

BBC Scotland tonight, headlining a concern with no basis in evidence. On September 8, 2025, we saw a similar attempt to include Scotland. Contrary to media hysteria, there was not one anti-semitic violent attack recorded in Scotland in 2024 By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS The most recent report on anti-semitic attacks in the UK, in 2024, from the CST, published 12 February 2025, prompted some excited media coverage at the time but today the hoisting, in Edinburgh, of a Palestine flag in sympathy for the genocide in Gaza and in line with the UN position on Palestine as … Continue reading Manchester synagogue attack – As Reporting Scotland try to include us in England’s violence, the important facts they won’t tell you

Justice secretary able to call for emergency prisoner release as released prisoners are now 27% less likely to re-offend than they were when Labour was in power

By Professor John Robertson, OBA From BBC Scotland today: Around 470 prisoners could be released early from Scottish prisons by the end of the year. Justice secretary Angela Constance has asked parliament to pass emergency legislation that would see short-term prisoners – within 180 days of their release date – to be freed in tranches in November and December. It is the third time early release has been used in this way in Scotland since last summer. Constance said the move was necessary to prevent overcrowding after the prison population “surged” in the last three months. In a statement to MSPs, … Continue reading Justice secretary able to call for emergency prisoner release as released prisoners are now 27% less likely to re-offend than they were when Labour was in power

After 18 years of building 40% more affordable homes than England and 70% more than Wales, SNP maintains level of starts at nearly TWICE that of last Labour government and exceeds 2032 target by a third

By Professor John Robertson, OBA The Herald today above. The facts: For 2025, the SNP Government has funded 5 313 new affordable home starts to a level down from a peak of 11 158 in 2021 but above the level before 2014 and still almost twice that of the last Labour government in Scotland, only 3 100. AND: According to the latest official statistics from the Scottish Government, as reported in the Quarterly Housing Statistics update to June 2025, Scotland has delivered a total of 140,346 affordable homes since 2007. This includes 100,064 homes for social rent, with the rest for … Continue reading After 18 years of building 40% more affordable homes than England and 70% more than Wales, SNP maintains level of starts at nearly TWICE that of last Labour government and exceeds 2032 target by a third

Number on child protection register in Scotland falls by 30% in last eight years to nearly 20% lower per head than in England, as public services are protected from the worst of ConLab austerity by 18 years of SNP government

By Professor John Robertson, OBA From Child protection statistics 2024: local authority benchmarking tool, published today, we can see that there were 5 653 children on the child protection register in Scotland, in 2017 but only 4 069 by 2024, a 28.6% reduction. https://www.gov.scot/publications/child-protection-statistics-2024-localauthority-benchmarking-tool/ All things being equal, you might expect the figure for England to be around 40 000 but was, in 2024 [latest data], 49 800 making the rate in Scotland 19.7% lower per head: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need/2024 This is one of the ‘canary in the coalmine’ statistics for any society, like the abortion or stillbirth rates and shoplifting which, in … Continue reading Number on child protection register in Scotland falls by 30% in last eight years to nearly 20% lower per head than in England, as public services are protected from the worst of ConLab austerity by 18 years of SNP government

Local community activists in a small US state remind us why we must oppose Labour’s nuclear plans for Scotland

By Professor John Robertson, OBA Yesterday, in a report from the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, a grassroots environmentalist group with 7 000 members, in the US state of Iowa alone: Sierra Club Iowa Chapter urges legislators and the public to oppose the restart of the Duane Arnold nuclear plant and to support Iowa’s transition to safe, clean, and renewable energy sources. On September 29, 2025, the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club hosted a press conference to address NextEra Energy’s proposal to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear plant, which has been in decommissioning since 2020. Experts in nuclear energy, public health, … Continue reading Local community activists in a small US state remind us why we must oppose Labour’s nuclear plans for Scotland

‘Scotland has lost no protected natural land in the last 5 years’ as ‘UK’ loses equivalent of 1 680 football pitches

By Professor John Robertson, OBA In an all-too-typical Guardian report today, even four authors are unable to find or mention anything about Scotland, it seems, for their ‘UK’ report. So, I asked Grok AI: In summary, Scotland has lost no designated land area (0 hectares net) in the last 5 years, but ~13% of protected features have declined in condition, affecting the ecological value of up to 700,000 hectares. This underscores the need for intensified restoration to meet 2030 goals. For the latest data, check NatureScot’s 2025 update expected later this year. Did the four authors try that quick starter? Then, … Continue reading ‘Scotland has lost no protected natural land in the last 5 years’ as ‘UK’ loses equivalent of 1 680 football pitches

As Reporting Scotland go looking for a ferry fiasco on Arran, nearly 80% are satisfied, dangerous weather is to blame for 96% of cancellations and the car deck was less than half full, to once again expose the media stories as whopping fibs

By Professor John Robertson, OBA BBC Reporting Scotland tonight claiming the folk of Arran have been without a reliable regular ferry service for the past year when, in reality they only had to travel to Troon instead of Ardrossan. You have to wonder why they report no actual evidence of unhappiness with the service. Perhaps this is why? Regular large-scale surveys of CalMac ferry performance, published but ignored by MSM, as they pursue a different agenda regardless of the facts, are fully transparent. Any journalist can scrutinise these surveys, demand all information, and report on any debates within them. Notably none … Continue reading As Reporting Scotland go looking for a ferry fiasco on Arran, nearly 80% are satisfied, dangerous weather is to blame for 96% of cancellations and the car deck was less than half full, to once again expose the media stories as whopping fibs

Arran ferry’s ‘faults’ started when the contract to build it was awarded by Scottish Conservatives to an inexperienced English yard on its last legs in a Conservative constituency

have been without a reliable regular ferry service for the past year. By Professor John Robertson, OBA As BBC Reporting Scotland celebrate the return of the MV Caledonian Isles to the Arran service, they do not, of course, tell you why it has been a troubled vessel. Readers will already know that the MV Caledonian Isles had been in dock for repairs following botched work by Cammell Laird in Liverpool. Readers will also be aware of the regular and longstanding Scottish media reports describing the vessel as ‘troubled’ and ‘fault prone.’ While such accounts have been often exaggerated and ill-informed, it … Continue reading Arran ferry’s ‘faults’ started when the contract to build it was awarded by Scottish Conservatives to an inexperienced English yard on its last legs in a Conservative constituency

As the authorities approve supposed reduced risk how many childhood cancers were caused by refuelling at this Ayrshire nuclear power station?

As the authorities approve [15 September 2025] the progress in reducing hazard at the Hunterston B nuclear site in North Ayrshire, I’m deeply suspicious and reminded of the harm that was done over 45 years. By Professor John Robertson, OBA Thanks to JB for researching this. Hunterston B Nuclear power station, in North Ayrshire, Scotland, was in operation for nearly 45 years, from February 1976 until November 2021.1 In that time, there will have been around 30 re-fuelling instances2 and up to 300 inspections.3 During these events, there are spikes of radioactive emissions. Researchers in Germany, published this in 2011: According to the International … Continue reading As the authorities approve supposed reduced risk how many childhood cancers were caused by refuelling at this Ayrshire nuclear power station?