A more upbeat song for Scotland than the wilting flower?
Professor John Robertson OBA For decades, I’ve wanted to write the lyrics for songs but could never find a collaborator. Recently I’ve turned to AI for the tunes and the performance – what else can I do? I’ve written this song with a view to persuading reluctant Yes voters that independence is not exile. We’d still be good friends to the many good folk, not just their relatives and friends, when Scotland is free to run its own affairs. We’re not going away in any physical sense and if the going got tough, we’d still be there with them, barring … Continue reading A more upbeat song for Scotland than the wilting flower?
Scotsman lies barefaced about pandemic lockdown effects on developmental delays in toddlers and fails to ask if UK Government austerity was a major factor
Professor John Robertson OBA Above how BBC Scotland reported on developmental delays in toddlers during the pandemic. The Scotsman however, had: That’s a clear lie and it’s not qualified, and at that only very very slightly until the 7th paragraph when we see ‘associated with’ as opposed to ’caused: Unless the reporter is thick-as-a-brick, what is the Scotsman’s agenda here? To join the pile-on demonising of Nicola Sturgeon in the Covid inquiry process? Was it hard to understand the University of Edinburgh news release? Covid lockdown linked to child development issues – Lockdown and social distancing measures during the Covid-19 … Continue reading Scotsman lies barefaced about pandemic lockdown effects on developmental delays in toddlers and fails to ask if UK Government austerity was a major factor
Private rents in UK surge by twice as much as in Scotland on top of already being nearly 40% higher
Professor John Robertson OBA From Private Sector Rent Statistics, 2010 to 2025, published yesterday: The changes in average rents across Scotland in the latest year by different property size categories were: +4.0% or +£28 per month for 1-bedroom properties, reaching £738 per month +3.1% or +£28 per month for 2-bedroom properties, reaching £921 per month +1.6% or +£18 per month for 3-bedroom properties, reaching £1,154 per month -1.5% or -£26 per month for 4-bedroom properties, falling to £1,767 per month +5.5% or +£29 per month for 1-bedroom shared properties, reaching £560 per month https://www.gov.scot/news/private-sector-rent-statistics-2010-to-2025/ No overall average is quoted but … Continue reading Private rents in UK surge by twice as much as in Scotland on top of already being nearly 40% higher
As 1 in 7 English bathing spots is not recommended for swimming it’s only 1 in 30 in Scotland, 87% Excellent!
Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian today, the above and: One in seven (13%) of England’s bathing waters are rated as polluted, and one in 14 so polluted they are not recommended for swimming. Famous beaches including Bognor Regis, Scarborough’s South Bay and Littlehaven Beach in South Shields were all rated “poor” in the latest classifications from the Environment Agency, which means they are not recommended for swimming. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/25/one-in-seven-english-bathing-spots-rated-as-polluted-in-latest-testing From SEPA in November 2025: Record number of Excellent Bathing Waters in Scotland for 2025 – In 2025 the highest number of Scotland’s bathing waters on record will meet the best environmental … Continue reading As 1 in 7 English bathing spots is not recommended for swimming it’s only 1 in 30 in Scotland, 87% Excellent!
3.5 MILLION children could be lifted out of poverty if the Labour Party in England and Wales copied the Scottish Child Payment unique in Europe and in the long-term really costing nothing
Professor John Robertson OBA From the Scottish Government yesterday: More than 300,000 children supported by Scottish Child Payment Social Security Scotland’s Scottish Child Payment is supporting 322,230 children across the country, newly published figures show. Launched in February 2021, the Scotland-only benefit gives families with low incomes crucial financial support to help with the cost of raising children. The weekly payment of £27.15 is paid every four weeks for every eligible child under the age of 16 within a household. https://www.gov.scot/news/more-than-300-000-children-supported-by-scottish-child-payment/ If Labour in England and Wales did the same, they’d lift around 3.5 million children out of poverty. Why … Continue reading 3.5 MILLION children could be lifted out of poverty if the Labour Party in England and Wales copied the Scottish Child Payment unique in Europe and in the long-term really costing nothing
SNP Government initiatives leading to plummeting waiting lists with overall list now 5% shorter than NHS England
Professor John Robertson OBA From NHS waiting times – stage of treatment published yesterday, the above impressive signs of progress. with increasing numbers treated yet plummeting longer waits. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-25-november-2025/ Important note – These latest statistics up to 31 October 2025 cover all patients waiting for a new outpatient appointment or treatment as an inpatient or day case, as well as those seen and removed from a waiting list covered by the national standards. Individual patients are counted more than once if they are waiting to attend more than one scheduled hospital appointment or admission, so the official statistics shown here … Continue reading SNP Government initiatives leading to plummeting waiting lists with overall list now 5% shorter than NHS England
Nearly three times as many more in England waiting for a social care assessment and care at home services than in Scotland
Professor John Robertson OBA From People requiring a social care assessment and care at home services, published yesterday: The number of people estimated to be waiting on a social care assessment for a package of care was 7,806 on 3 November 2025. This is an increase of 30% from the estimated number of people waiting this time last year (4 November 2024). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/people-requiring-a-social-care-assessment-and-care-at-home-services/people-requiring-a-social-care-assessment-and-care-at-home-services-25-november-2025/ All things being equal, you might expect the figure for England would be around 10 times as much or 78 000. It was 195 788: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/performance-tracker-2025/local-services/adult-social-care Continue reading Nearly three times as many more in England waiting for a social care assessment and care at home services than in Scotland
Scotland’s universal and generous IVF system costs nothing in the longer term, reduces psychological distress and increases child-wellbeing
Professor John Robertson OBA From IVF waiting times in Scotland Quarter ending 30 September 2025 published yesterday: During the quarter ending 30 September 2025, 362 patients were screened. The 90% standard was met, with all patients attending a screening appointment within 52 weeks of referral. All patients were screened within 26 weeks at the Aberdeen IVF Centre, and most patients at the Dundee and Glasgow IVF Centres also experienced a wait of this length (88.7% and 80.7% respectively). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/ivf-waiting-times-in-scotland/ivf-waiting-times-in-scotland-quarter-ending-30-september-2025/ How does IVF treatment in Scotland compare with that in England? Scotland has a nationally standardized policy, offering more generous and … Continue reading Scotland’s universal and generous IVF system costs nothing in the longer term, reduces psychological distress and increases child-wellbeing
NHS Scotland has 3 000 more beds, 30% more per head, than NHS England, to enable coping with winter surges
Professor John Robertson OBA From Acute hospital activity and NHS beds information (quarterly) Quarter ending 30 June 2025, published yesterday: There were on average 13,681 available staffed beds per day for all acute specialties in the quarter ending 30 June 2025 – a 0.3% decrease compared to the same quarter in the previous year. An available staffed bed is a bed which is resourced for inpatient or day case care. Of these, 9,720 (71%) were for medical specialties and 3,962 (29%) were for surgical specialties. For all acute specialties in the quarter ending 30 June 2025, the percentage occupancy was … Continue reading NHS Scotland has 3 000 more beds, 30% more per head, than NHS England, to enable coping with winter surges
Shocking contrast as nearly twice as many Scots have access to an NHS dentist as those in England
Professor John Robertson OBA The above table from Public Health Scotland today, reveals a very high level of access to free NHS dental treatment in Scotland – 90% of children and 97% of adults with 100% access for some age groups. Source: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-dental-data-monitoring-report/nhs-dental-data-monitoring-report-quarter-ending-september-2025/ When I searched for equivalent data for England, what I found shocked me. From the ONS in September 2024: Overall, 52.1% of adults reported having an NHS dentist, 34.2% have a private dentist, 13.5% did not have a dentist and 0.2% used a dental hospital. Females were more likely (54.1%) than males (50.0%) to have an NHS … Continue reading Shocking contrast as nearly twice as many Scots have access to an NHS dentist as those in England
Talking-up Scotland 