Tag: history

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No cheap, sickly, unreliable catamaran ferries for Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA, Navel Architect From the Bournemouth Daily Echo, two days ago: The Condor Liberation has made its final passage through Poole Harbour and out to sea. The ferry made its final departure from Poole at around 10am on Friday morning, March 28,, escorted through the harbour by a flotilla of our Harbour Master’s team and other working vessels, paying tribute to her years of service.1 How many years of service? Originally named Austal 102, it was built Austal at its shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia as a speculative order. It was launched in January 2010 and was laid up at the shipyard … Continue reading No cheap, sickly, unreliable catamaran ferries for Scotland

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Welfare cuts – The British Labour Party in Scotland is in a sorry state – ‘red Tories’ indeed!

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By stewartb Recall that on March 27, 2025 the BBC News website had this headline: ‘Sarwar defends UK government welfare cuts’. ‘Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has defended the UK government’s controversial welfare reforms. Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed £5bn of cuts in the Spring Statement in a bid to meet self-imposed debt rules. The cuts have been condemned by charities, Holyrood ministers and some Scottish Labour politicians. Now by way of contrast, on March 28, the BBC News website has this headline in its Wales section: ‘First minister refuses to back welfare cuts’. ‘Wales’ first minister has refused to back … Continue reading Welfare cuts – The British Labour Party in Scotland is in a sorry state – ‘red Tories’ indeed!

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Infrastructure projects can stay in Scotland and take advantage of the speed of light

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By Liz S “Major infrastructure projects currently planned for Scotland being switched to other parts of the UK”. Is this another way of the BBC communicating (threatening) some people in Scotland would be better to STFU or else . I mean if we are talking “Energy” and “losing out” well the Labour Energy Secretary, Ed Milliband, tweeted this on 21 March 2025: “Great British Energy is coming to you. Our publicly-owned energy company is rolling out solar panels for schools and NHS sites across England. Cutting bills and saving money for frontline services”. “Coming to you” ? Like coming to the … Continue reading Infrastructure projects can stay in Scotland and take advantage of the speed of light

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Channel Islanders sickened as new Danish ferry service cancels sailings on very first day due to ‘technical issues’ only days after hearing there will be no Sunday service at all for more than a hundred thousand of them

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Professor John Robertson OBA, International Ferry Correspondent From ITV today: DFDS has cancelled its sailings between Jersey and St Malo for the first day it serves the island. The Danish firm, taking over from Condor, says the cancellations on Friday 28 March are due to “technical issues” with preparing one of their ferries, the Tarifa Jet, to run to and from Jersey. https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2025-03-27/dfds-cancels-sailing-between-jersey-and-france-on-opening-day Surely they checked the boat out a few days beforehand, to enable a professional start to the contract? Kind of makes you think they must be a rubbish company putting profits ahead of passengers? There were warnings. Only two … Continue reading Channel Islanders sickened as new Danish ferry service cancels sailings on very first day due to ‘technical issues’ only days after hearing there will be no Sunday service at all for more than a hundred thousand of them

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SNP Government to give free ferry passes to all under 22 year-old islanders in Shetland, Orkney and Hebrides

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Orcadian today but getting no mainstream media coverage: Orkney residents aged under 22 will soon be able to travel between islands free of charge, the Scottish Government has announced. The new scheme comes into force at the beginning of April, allowing young residents to travel for free as foot passengers on inter-island ferry services within Orkney by showing their Young Scot or National Entitlement Card. Residents in Shetland and the Outer Hebrides are being given the same government subsidy. https://orcadian.co.uk/under-22s-to-travel-free-on-inter-island-ferries/ Emma Roddick MSP (SNP) had already announced this to a similar media silence in … Continue reading SNP Government to give free ferry passes to all under 22 year-old islanders in Shetland, Orkney and Hebrides

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Why has there been a massive but unreported reduction in the number of children on the child protection register in Scotland and a widening gap with the other 3 nations?

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Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair This caught me off-guard today. I was astonished to read this and to see that it is not a major news item for ‘our’ media. From the Scottish Government, yesterday: On 31 July 2024, 2,129 children were on the child protection register, representing a 3% increase on 2023 (2,077) and a 26% decrease on 2014 (2,877). During the year, 3,167 children were registered onto the child protection register, representing a 2% decrease on 2022-23 (3,234) and a 31% decrease on 2013-14 (4,622). https://www.gov.scot/publications/childrens-social-work-statistics-child-protection-2023-24/ These are massive reductions in only 10 years … Continue reading Why has there been a massive but unreported reduction in the number of children on the child protection register in Scotland and a widening gap with the other 3 nations?

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Disappearing the Celts

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Professor John Robertson OBA Back in 1990, I did research into history teaching across the UK and Europe. You’ll not be surprised to know that the history curriculum in Croatia then was a bit blood and soil but across eastern and central Europe it was still pretty ethnic nationalist, uncritically lauding their own heroes and damning their neighbours. Only Germany looked to be really shaking off these darker aspects as they fought to recover from the horrors of World War II. In Britain including in Scotland, the victories against Napoleon, the Kaiser and Hitler were still dominant topics. While there … Continue reading Disappearing the Celts

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New Zealand government’s incompetence on new ferry builds, to avert further repeated collisions, near things with rocks and running aground, already costs $300 million in cancellation costs and the need is now urgent to get new ferries built before any more failures occur

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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, Global Ferry Correspondent From RNZ 24 March 2025: New documents reveal the coalition has set aside $300 million to cover broken infrastructure contracts and a break-fee with Hyundai, after the government ended a contract with the Korean company to build two new Interislander ferries. The contract, known as iRex, was cancelled with Hyundai shortly after the Coalition came to power [2024], citing a $3 billion cost blowout associated with the ferries and the required port upgrades. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/543699/government-s-irex-ferry-cancellation-costed-at-300-million-for-now Just how bad … Continue reading New Zealand government’s incompetence on new ferry builds, to avert further repeated collisions, near things with rocks and running aground, already costs $300 million in cancellation costs and the need is now urgent to get new ferries built before any more failures occur

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It’s not a scare story, it’s fact – essential PPE supplies during Covid were prioritised by UK Government for England and denied to care homes in Scotland yet, later, we helped them out

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks once again to AR for alerting me to this. Ignored, of course, by BBC Scotland and somewhat downplayed by STV in ‘Scotland didn’t have a Covid PPE VIP lane and we didn’t need one’ at https://news.stv.tv/politics/scotland-didnt-have-a-covid-ppe-vip-lane-and-we-didnt-need-one, this is a shocking revelation of how, when the going got tough, Scotland did not benefit from the Union but, rather, was actively harmed by it. The above short video is a must watch and share for any who doubt the true nature of Scotland’s position in the UK. Nearly 5 years ago we knew this but the ‘Scottish’ … Continue reading It’s not a scare story, it’s fact – essential PPE supplies during Covid were prioritised by UK Government for England and denied to care homes in Scotland yet, later, we helped them out

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A Professor, 11 years after BBC Scotland told Deacon Blue his research was ‘poor quality’, supposed CalMac supporters say his work is ‘not to be taken seriously’ but when challenged cannot offer any evidence

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Professor John Robertson OBA, former teacher, education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance and Faculty Research Ethics Chair – why the F would I lie about anything when I don’t need to? First They Ignore You, Then They Laugh at You, Then They Attack You, Then….. In 2014, BBC Scotland accused me of bringing my employer, the University of the West of Scotland, AND the BBC, into disrepute. They copied in my boss, the Principal and vice Chancellor. For two weeks I feared for my job and if I’d worked in an ‘ancient’ university, might well have been reprimanded, even … Continue reading A Professor, 11 years after BBC Scotland told Deacon Blue his research was ‘poor quality’, supposed CalMac supporters say his work is ‘not to be taken seriously’ but when challenged cannot offer any evidence