How much will the current doctor strikes and imminent nurse strikes further widen the already massive gap between Scotland’s NHS waiting list and that in England
Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian yesterday, the above and: NHS bosses and the British Medical Association are accusing each other of endangering patients during the ongoing resident doctors’ strike. Their war of words centres on “derogations”, local agreements under which doctors who have joined the strike can cross picket lines to provide clinical care in a hospital. The escalation of the resident doctors’ pay dispute comes as it emerged that nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have voted to reject their 3.6% pay award for this year. Scotland’s media are very quiet on this issue yet with the … Continue reading How much will the current doctor strikes and imminent nurse strikes further widen the already massive gap between Scotland’s NHS waiting list and that in England
Road deaths – A falling trend and the lowest level in the UK but ‘your’ media won’t tell you that
Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland reporting om a fatal crash on the A96 yesterday noted that this was the 3rd fatal crash in less than 2 weeks. Tragic, I agree but, dear public service broadcaster taxpayer-funded, what is the trend on this road and across Scotland?. Tabloid media coverage suggests a worsening situation and the above BBC comment seems to reinforce that impression. In the above report, they note: Last year, a 2011 commitment to upgrade 86 miles (138km) of the route by 2030 was abandoned by the Scottish government. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c776xmk47gzo The actual data for the rising death toll is … Continue reading Road deaths – A falling trend and the lowest level in the UK but ‘your’ media won’t tell you that
This has nothing to do with the minister – It’s just another case of the demonising of SNP politicians
Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald’s headline image and story above is just another in a long toxic trail of misinformation aimed at associating SNP ministers with controversies in which they have little or no influence, in order to undermine her and the SNP. The actual complaint from the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland opens with: The Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) has today urged a top UN body to intervene against the Scottish Civil Justice Council (SCJC) for breaching our right to public participation in environmental decision-making, which is enshrined in the Aarhus Convention. In October 2021, the governing institutions … Continue reading This has nothing to do with the minister – It’s just another case of the demonising of SNP politicians
UK youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland which has one of the lowest rates in Western Europe
Professor John Robertson OBA For some reason, the above 2022 survey does not include the recent data from the UK. For Scotland in 2023/2024: The estimated unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds was 10.4 per cent in October 2023 to September 2024. This was 0.7 percentage points (pp) higher than a year ago (9.7 per cent) 1 For the UK, in 2023: The unemployment rate for young people was 14.2%, up from 13.8% from the year before.2 These data would put Scotland in the second lowest category (8-12%) with Finland and the Baltic States, while the UK (England) would be … Continue reading UK youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland which has one of the lowest rates in Western Europe
Never mind lionesses, only Scotland protects kindly dog-adopters from infectious diseases and aggressive behaviour
From groaver: They want us to be part of “Great England”. It’s a shame that their nurses are planning to strike, their doctors already are and they let in foreign canines without licensing for rescue organizations as we do in Scotland: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpwq40vjw8lo Still, mustn’t grumble. We’ve won the European championship and we’ll let you know about it ad nauseum. In the above BBC England report today, This: Continue reading Never mind lionesses, only Scotland protects kindly dog-adopters from infectious diseases and aggressive behaviour
After ten years, robbery in England & Wales still FOUR times as common than in Scotland
Professor John Robertson OBA The above map is getting a lot of traffic in social media but critics will pounce on the fact that the UK data is from 2017, 8 years ago. I’ve quickly accessed the 2024/2025 data. In Scotland: Between 2023-24 and 2024-25, recorded crimes of Robbery decreased by 7% from 1,922 to 1,782 crimes.1 That works out at 33 per 100 000, slightly up on 2017. In England & Wales: Police recorded 78,804 robbery offences in year ending (YE) March 2025. 2 That works out at 131 cases per 100 000, essentially the same as in 2017, … Continue reading After ten years, robbery in England & Wales still FOUR times as common than in Scotland
In Day 4 of their Junior Doctor strike an NHS England nurse strike looms – How Scottish Government enabled higher pay deal for already better-paid Scottish nurses to once more prevent the loss of tens of thousands of appointments and to save thousands of lives
Professor John Robertson OBA Headlining on BBC Breakfast this morning and on their website, the above, and this: Nurses are expected to reject their pay award in England this week, raising the possibility of strikes later in the year, the BBC understands. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has been holding a consultative vote on their 3.6% pay rise, previously describing it as “grotesque” to award nurses a lower increase than doctors, teachers, prison officers and the armed forces. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ge4905eq7o The Scottish Government has already agreed a 4.25% deal for this year, for nurses and midwives. https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-staff-pay/ Scotland’s media will no doubt portray this … Continue reading In Day 4 of their Junior Doctor strike an NHS England nurse strike looms – How Scottish Government enabled higher pay deal for already better-paid Scottish nurses to once more prevent the loss of tens of thousands of appointments and to save thousands of lives
For those who still maintain it was a voluntary union – the suffocation of Scotland’s independence movement in 1746
Professor John Robertson OBA The suffocating, intense domination of Scotland’s communities by British Army forces after Culloden is often understated by historians but it’s hard to see the above as other than a brutal and thorough suppression of any surviving independence movement. Further, the myth developed after 1746 and perpetuated for the purposes of indoctrination as late as my own historical education in the 1960s, that the ‘Jacobite’ rebellions were entirely Monarchist and Catholic rebellions rather than a wider pro-independence struggle has been fully debunked by, for example, Murray Pittock of Glasgow University: The Myth of the Jacobite Clans was … Continue reading For those who still maintain it was a voluntary union – the suffocation of Scotland’s independence movement in 1746
Is YouGov sampling concealing the prospect of an SNP tidal wave that sweeps Jackie Baillie into the radioactive waters of the Clyde in May 2026?
Professor John Robertson OBA The above predictions are apparently based on the latest YouGov poll for Holyrood voting intentions giving this: The predictions are better than I’d expect given the relatively low SNP figure of 32%. Notably the YouGov poll sample is weighted to include 533 who voted No in 2014 and only 423 who voted Yes then, inevitably reducing the SNP figure. The 32% figure contrasts markedly with the figures of 40% and 41% for the SNP in the recent YouGov Westminster polls based on small samples for Scotland but, importantly, not weighted for the 2014 poll. Further casting … Continue reading Is YouGov sampling concealing the prospect of an SNP tidal wave that sweeps Jackie Baillie into the radioactive waters of the Clyde in May 2026?
What the Herald won’t tell you about the obscene pay of English water bosses
By stewartb For The Herald and its ilk that supposedly ‘serve’ Scotland, context and perspective MUST be kept from voters at all costs. The future of the Union depends on it! About the private company, Portsmouth Water, one of the smaller regional water supply/service companies in England: CEO’s remuneration: salary (for 2025) = £222,000; total remuneration (for 2025) including pension and bonuses = £754,000. Facts about Portsmouth Water: area supplied = 868 square kilometres; population supplied = 740,000. The ultimate parent company of Portsmouth Water Limited is Ancala Fornia Topco Pte Limited which is Singapore registered and resident in the UK for tax purposes. Source: https://www.portsmouthwater.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/PW_Annual_Reporting_Accounts_2025.pdf … Continue reading What the Herald won’t tell you about the obscene pay of English water bosses
Talking-up Scotland 