Tag: history

10 Comments

Scotland pays same share of revenue as England to confirm viability as an independent nation

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA Here is how the IFS presented the data in a report titled Scotland relies increasingly on fiscal transfers – like other regions outside South East England, published two days ago: Revenues per person as a share of UK revenues per person Last week, the Scottish Government published its latest Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report for 2024–25. It estimates total government revenue raised in Scotland, total public spending benefiting Scotland (including a per-capita share of UK-wide spending on things such as debt interest, … Continue reading Scotland pays same share of revenue as England to confirm viability as an independent nation

1 Comment

Will Jackie Baillie suggest that West Streeting order NHS England and NHS Wales to copy NHS Scotland and get 12 hour emergency waits down to its level?

johnrobertson834

By stewartb Reporting an example of poor performance by a big, complex institution is linked to dodgy trend analysis by an agenda-driven newspaper – another mainstream news outlet in Scotland typically averse to the provision of context, perspective and comparative analysis. It achieves the objective for the British Labour Party and Unionist cause. in Scotland. It amplifies the false messaging that ‘NHS Scotland is crap’ and ‘it’s all that SNP’s fault’ towards voters in advance of the 2026 Holyrood election. After a gap of a couple of months, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has issued (August 14) a … Continue reading Will Jackie Baillie suggest that West Streeting order NHS England and NHS Wales to copy NHS Scotland and get 12 hour emergency waits down to its level?

3 Comments

Major study by respected Nuffield Foundation finds higher educational achievement across the board in Scotland

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA, for nearly 40 years a schoolteacher, a teacher education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance, research methods lecturer, PhD supervisor and Faculty Research Ethics Chair From Comparing inequality and outcomes across post-16 education in the UK, published in the last few days: Since the formal introduction of devolution in the late 1990s, post-16 education and training (E&T)has looked increasingly different across the four nations of the UK, particularly as policyapproaches have diverged. With such differences in post-16 E&T across the UK, there are clearopportunities … Continue reading Major study by respected Nuffield Foundation finds higher educational achievement across the board in Scotland

2 Comments

As British Labour Party politicians persist in gaslighting Scotland, is Labour’s disturbing legacy of 26 years of devolved government in Wales fair game for examination?

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details By stewartb “To put it bluntly, educational outcomes are a source of major concern in Wales” (Education Policy Institute, July 2025). When the BBC News website published an article headlined ‘Pass rates up for Scottish pupils in latest exam results’ on August 5, it reported (but did not headline) that there had been a reduction in the attainment gap: ‘The SQA said the attainment gap – between the level of qualifications achieved by children from the most affluent and the least affluent areas – … Continue reading As British Labour Party politicians persist in gaslighting Scotland, is Labour’s disturbing legacy of 26 years of devolved government in Wales fair game for examination?

3 Comments

Contrast in treatment by politicians and media of 2024-25 examination results in Scotland and in the rest of the UK was stark

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details By stewartb The contrast in treatment by politicians and the mainstream media of the 2024-25 examination results in Scotland and in the rest of the UK was stark. I listened to extensive news coverage by the BBC of the results for England, NI and Wales. Journalists, politicians and various ‘stakeholders’ commented on the nature, persistence and intractability of the attainment gap in England. Candidly, the coverage was informative: contributions were made in a ‘grown-up’ kind of way. Partisan politicking was at most minor. Meanwhile … Continue reading Contrast in treatment by politicians and media of 2024-25 examination results in Scotland and in the rest of the UK was stark

2 Comments

A million more tourists in one year, outperforming the UK, as people head north away from the burning to make Scotland the new Monaco, but BBC Scotland miss this real trend too

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA From the Observer, yesterday: It may not offer a reliable tan, but Scotland has become the place to be this summer – midges and all. The most recent figures on Scottish tourism are from 2023, when almost 4 million international visitors set a new record. And Jill Walker, director of marketing and digital at VisitScotland, says early 2024 figures surpassed this by almost half a million, with anecdotal reports from this summer suggesting no slowdown. https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/manic-in-the-glen-why-the-world-has-gone-wild-for-scotland-this-year From Daily Business in October 2024: There were 1,975,000 … Continue reading A million more tourists in one year, outperforming the UK, as people head north away from the burning to make Scotland the new Monaco, but BBC Scotland miss this real trend too

3 Comments

No supporters resorted to the more ‘divisive’, the more extreme and inflammatory rhetoric to try to convince voters to stay in the UK

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details By stewartb “Lots of us were persuadable, but if the knee jerk response to common sense questions is ‘you’re a unionist traitor, a scaremonger and no true Scot’, don’t be surprised if the questioner becomes sceptical about the inclusive, egalitarian, welcoming utopia independence activists swore we’d be living in once they were in charge” At one level I’m bored by the likes of this from Ms Rowling and want to move on. But this wishing to occupy some sort of moral high ground grinds … Continue reading No supporters resorted to the more ‘divisive’, the more extreme and inflammatory rhetoric to try to convince voters to stay in the UK

6 Comments

Water shortages – Scotland lazily added to the picture as England faces the ‘jaws of death’

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Maybe I/we should just ignore this kind of thing as once more a nice, young, liberal, educated Guardian writer, yesterday, revealed the underlying Anglocentrism of their mindset. There’s not a mention of Scotland despite its inclusion as also dry and cracking in the illustration. Even I know that with only a word or two your AI illustrator could have made the map just England if you have no intention of mentioning the other three parts of the Union. Why might she have … Continue reading Water shortages – Scotland lazily added to the picture as England faces the ‘jaws of death’

16 Comments

Is there a hidden flood of English students moving to Scotland to avoid tuition fee debt of now £53 000?

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA, former Head of Department and Associate Dean, UWS While there is only, as yet, anecdotal evidence of people moving from England to Scotland with the specific intention of applying to attend Higher Education tuition fee-free, there are two reasons to suspect the trend may be underway in some measure. First, we see an increasing number of media articles advising how it can be done and it is definitely more than possible given the autonomy of each HE institution to decide … Continue reading Is there a hidden flood of English students moving to Scotland to avoid tuition fee debt of now £53 000?

8 Comments

Another offensive act that references ‘sacrifices made in wars’

johnrobertson834

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details By Liz S Another offensive act that references ‘sacrifices made in wars’ is one where the current UK PM, Keir Starmer, pumps out his annual St George’s day video message on his Twitter ‘X’ account. A message that is meant to both celebrate and highlight only all things ‘English’ that he, as an Englishman first and foremost, wants the whole UK to recognise and so acknowledge. But it is where he , Starmer , the obvious non neutral and clearly English biased supposed UK PM , always mentions in his annual St George’s Day video message….all of those who ‘fought … Continue reading Another offensive act that references ‘sacrifices made in wars’