There are NO places in Scotland where anything close to this horrific claim of ‘almost 100% of children live in poverty’ but there are 73, SEVENTY-THREE, in England
Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dottie for alerting us to this. In the Guardian yesterday, the above and: Almost 100% of children in 73 neighbourhoods in England are living in income-deprived families, according to new measures that factor in the impact of soaring rents. Changes to official measures reveal the neighbourhoods where in effect all children live in low-income households. Of these, 31 are in inner London boroughs with high housing costs such as Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Haringey and Westminster. The new indices of multiple deprivation confirm that attempts at levelling up have failed to shift stubbornly high levels of deprivation in so-called … Continue reading There are NO places in Scotland where anything close to this horrific claim of ‘almost 100% of children live in poverty’ but there are 73, SEVENTY-THREE, in England
Let’s be sure we learn this lesson from history as global uranium demand and Labour’s nuclear plans threaten the lives of the people of the Orkney Islands: Edited
Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Frances McKie for alerting us to this again, as she did in March 2025. In Investing.com, two days ago, the above graph and: When the U.S. government announced an $80 billion commitment to build new nuclear reactors, Cameco Corp (NYSE:CCJ) became the talk of Wall Street. The stock skyrocketed 20% in a single day, adding $9 billion to its value and reaching an all-time high of $106.91. Analysts gushed. Investors piled in. It was the obvious winner. But here’s what almost nobody noticed: America is about to need far more uranium than it can get, and the companies … Continue reading Let’s be sure we learn this lesson from history as global uranium demand and Labour’s nuclear plans threaten the lives of the people of the Orkney Islands: Edited
Long A&E waits for the over 90’s shocking 36% more common in NHS England than in NHS Scotland
Professor John Robertson OBA BBC UK’s Breakfast show is covering an Age UK report suggesting a corridor care crisis in ‘NHS’ hospitals and the Guardian, above, is reporting Nearly 150,000 aged 90 and above wait 12 hours in England’s A&Es each year increasing serious harm for them. NHS Scotland figures are not mentioned. Scotland’s media today are, of course, only front-paging Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Rachel Reeves. Age UK‘s report is nowhere on the BBC News websites. They are unlikely to get round to the long waits for over 90’s in Scottish hospitals for this simple reason. From a Freedom … Continue reading Long A&E waits for the over 90’s shocking 36% more common in NHS England than in NHS Scotland
Fireworks-related incidents – the falling trend and police confidence information being denied Reporting Scotland’s older, sensible viewers
Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland continues to give firework offences daily reporting in anticipation of serious problems, which last year’s huge decline and Police Scotland activity for this year, suggest that more reductions are likely. Some BBC Reporting Scotland reporting so far has deliberately ignored the lower 2024 data and even stated that the higher 2023 data was ‘last year!’ Here are the facts, from Police Scotland, that BBC Scotland chooses not to tell you. Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs, Gold Commander for Operation Moonbeam, said: “Last year, following Bonfire Night, I reflected on what was a successful policing … Continue reading Fireworks-related incidents – the falling trend and police confidence information being denied Reporting Scotland’s older, sensible viewers
Maternity care experience at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh – 90% felt it was very good or good
Professor John Robertson OBA I know, I know – small sample, self-selecting and open to abuse but, nevertheless, a useful counter to the media reporting even the inspection report, based on interviews in the unit over the space of only two days then reported with no measure of how many held different views or reported different experiences on the day. I make no great claims for this survey but I insist it is superior to the evidently very small-scale survey carried out by the inspectors over just two days and which has been used as the basis for high profile … Continue reading Maternity care experience at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh – 90% felt it was very good or good
Add 309 young male asylum seekers to 10 brutal drug gangs from Liverpool and London and watch Inverness struggle for its life
Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Highlands and Islands, 29 October 2025 A UK government minister says he recognises the “strength of feeling” about plans to use an Inverness barracks to house asylum seekers. Cameron Barracks is to provide accommodation for 309 men from next month, according to local Lib Dem MP Angus MacDonald. At Westminster, Mr MacDonald challenged Minister of State at the Home Office Alex Norris on the suitability of the site near Inverness city centre. Norris said any impact on communities would be “minimised” and the security of people living in surrounding areas was “paramount”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx27x1k2rkmo Two … Continue reading Add 309 young male asylum seekers to 10 brutal drug gangs from Liverpool and London and watch Inverness struggle for its life
Twitter poll – If you have had direct experience of maternity care at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh was it…
Please share widely and, only if applicable, respond by clicking on the above and then selecting one of the choices. Continue reading Twitter poll – If you have had direct experience of maternity care at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh was it…
The case for or against approval of Western Link 2 from Ayrshire to Wales and the West Midlands
Professor John Robertson OBA In the map above you can see the full range of networks transferring electricity from wind farms in Scottish waters, across the border into England & Wales. It’s a dramatic illustration of the UK’s increasing dependency on Scotland’s electricity generation. Just how much? From Energy Statistics for Scotland – Q2 2025 published today: In the second quarter of 2025, 8.1 TWh of renewable electricity was generated in Scotland. This is the most renewable electricity generated in the second quarter of any year in Scotland Scotland’s capacity for electricity generation from renewable sources has continued to increase and currently stands … Continue reading The case for or against approval of Western Link 2 from Ayrshire to Wales and the West Midlands
UK minister slapped down for his Trumpian fake news on Scotland’s water quality – BBC Scotland agenda meeting expected to deem it not in public interest
Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dottie for guiding this piece: In the Guardian today: Steve Reed, the housing secretary, has been slapped down by the UK Statistics Authority for falsely claiming that Scottish rivers and lakes are more polluted than those in England. Reed made these comments this summer when he was environment secretary in order to demonstrate that a nationalised water sector would not necessarily deliver cleaner waterways. Scotland’s water is nationalised; England’s isn’t. These claims were obviously false; Scotland has a much lower population density than England and many remote lakes and rivers which are not near … Continue reading UK minister slapped down for his Trumpian fake news on Scotland’s water quality – BBC Scotland agenda meeting expected to deem it not in public interest
There is no ‘care home crisis’ really as 14% of places are unfilled, just as in 2015, ten years ago
Professor John Robertson OBA The Scottish media is awash with reports of a care home crisis as ‘elderly people struggle to access care‘ based on feeds from opposition parties. Typical is this from the Scottish Lib Dems in The Democrat yesterday: The crisis in social care is spiralling under the SNP after new figures revealed almost one in five care homes for adults has closed over the past decade. Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Angus MacDonald has today revealed the new census figures for this section of the care sector. West Dunbartonshire Council refuse to reveal the local figures to readers … Continue reading There is no ‘care home crisis’ really as 14% of places are unfilled, just as in 2015, ten years ago
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 