Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland on 26 August 2025 (latest figures): There was estimated to be 639,579 individuals on at least one new outpatient, inpatient or day case waiting list at 30 June 2025. This equates to 1 in 9 of Scotland’s population (mid-2024 population estimates Scotland).1 On the 27th May, from the same source, we heard: This equates to 1 in 9 of Scotland’s population. Why do I reveal the 27th May official figure? The next day, the Daily Record and Jackie Baillie told us: SNP promise to reduce NHS waiting lists rings hollow for 1 … Continue reading 300 000 patients should not be on Scottish Labour’s ‘1 in 6’ double or triple counted waiting list claim now exposed as fake news

Professor John Robertson OBA From Public health Scotland: As of the month ending 31 August 2025 (based on the most recent Public Health Scotland monthly data release on 28 October 2025, which includes historical figures up to August), the total number of ongoing waits for elective care in Scotland—encompassing new outpatient appointments, inpatient admissions, and day case treatments—stands at 717,974 clinical pathways.1 All things being equal, with 10 times the population, the NHS England figure should be around 7.2m but according to the Guardian2 today is 7.4m, 2.7% longer but that means 200 000 patients in England on the waiting … Continue reading Factcheck – 20 000 NOT ON NHS waiting list in Scotland because they DO live in Scotland and 200 000 ON NHS waiting list in England because they DO NOT live in Scotland

Professor John Robertson OBA The Telegraph, still loyal to the Cons, suggests 257 000 Brits fled the threat of higher Labour taxes , in 2024. Unionist politicians and media commentators have argue the same will happen to Scotland after SNP taxation changes. Has it so far? From the National Records of Scotland in August 2025: Main Points Source: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/migration-flows-mid-2024/ So net migration into Scotland was 56 000 and net migration out of the UK was 257 000? What might be the reasons for this difference? Continue reading People attracted to Scotland after 18 years but repulsed by England after just one year of Sir Keir and in fear of Nazty Nigel

Professor John Robertson OBA Today, BBC Scotland and the Scotsman, have the above, and: The UK government has said it will not offer financial support to keep the Exxon Mobil plant at Mossmorran open. Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday evening, Business Minister Chris McDonald said there was no realistic business plan to go with investment. He said ExxonMobil’s chairman Paul Greenwood had told him that the plant was inefficient and would need nearly £1bn of spending to make it profitable. The chairman told the minister? That’s the effort they put in to try to save it? There … Continue reading 1 of 6 UK oil refineries to close and 1 of 6 UK Ethylene plants to close – what do they have in common? It’s just the Scottish ones to close

Professor John Robertson OBA The above graph from Scottish Household Survey: Satisfaction with Schools, 2024, published today, shows a fall in the overall satisfaction satisfaction with Scottish schools by those adults who use them to 81%. https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-satisfaction-with-schools-2024/pages/satisfaction-with-schools/ There is no direct equivalent published in England but the figure for Wales for 2024/2025, after decades of Labour-rule, was 62%, down from 68% the previous year. https://www.gov.wales/national-survey-wales-headline-results-april-2024-march-2025-html Scotland’s 81% is 30.6% higher than 62% in Wales Why might this be? Continue reading Overall satisfaction with Scottish schools 31% higher than in Labour-run Wales

Professor John Robertson OBA There are, of course, serious constraints to the extent in which Scotland can move toward the more equal societies in Northern Europe and to enjoy their correlated benefits of longer healthier lives, extremely low crime, drug abuse, mental health diagnoses and so on but the SNP has made some progress with lower rents and council tax, more social and affordable housing, four times as many real living wage employers, more police officers, teachers, doctors and nurses, per capita, a range of universal benefits such as for prescriptions, and unique benefits such as the Child Payment, free … Continue reading Further evidence of Scotland’s reducing inequality as second homes plummet by half from Labour era