Tag: history

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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

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Canada buys two catamaran ferries from Romania which take another two years to make ready then quickly prove unsuitable for the conditions

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Professor John Robertson OBA From CBC Canada today: The Wolfe Islander IV (WI4) was off its regular course when it’s believed to have struck bottom, tearing a roughly 30-centimetre gash in its hull and causing the ferry to take on water, according to documents obtained by CBC. The collision happened just before noon on Dec. 4, when the long-awaited boat had only been carrying passengers for about three months. Now, after limping to dry dock in Hamilton with the help of tugboats, the ferry been out of commission for the same length of time. Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has yet to provide any information about what … Continue reading Canada buys two catamaran ferries from Romania which take another two years to make ready then quickly prove unsuitable for the conditions

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From the ‘Murder Capital’ of Europe to the safest place in the UK in less than 20 years but clearly too quickly for journalists, writers or comedians to adapt to

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That should read ‘treat’. How an otherwise excellent comedian continued to get laughs out an outdated image of the country with the lowest domestic violence levels in the UK. Professor John Robertson OBA This was first published in Scots Independent in February 2025 In 2005, only 20 years ago, according to the United Nations, Glasgow had the highest murder rate in the UK, higher than in Albania or Romania and was referred to in the media as the ‘Murder Capital of Europe.’ Scotland had a murder rate three times higher than in other parts of the UK. In sharp contrast … Continue reading From the ‘Murder Capital’ of Europe to the safest place in the UK in less than 20 years but clearly too quickly for journalists, writers or comedians to adapt to

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Drug deaths – this is not whataboutery but the means of calling out political hypocrisy and media bias

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By stewartb It could be deemed ‘unseemly’ to make btl comment on something as tragic as drug deaths. Of course the real topic – the real motivation – is political and mainstream media practices amongst those opposed to the Scottish Government. Fundamentally, this is not whataboutery but the means of calling out political hypocrisy and media bias! Many parts of the UK are experiencing, to a worrying degree, the harms and worse of drug misuse. Trend data strongly suggest that present UK drugs policy and associated interventions are proving inadequate. At least in Scotland the mortality rate, whilst still far too … Continue reading Drug deaths – this is not whataboutery but the means of calling out political hypocrisy and media bias

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Kaye Adams the latest BBC Scotland presenter to deliberately mislead the public by conflating the Dundee University ‘Wendy’ jobs scandal with SNP free tuition

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By Liz S Saw this online via a Blue Sky account: “Kaye Adams is the latest BBC Scotland presenter to deliberately mislead the public by conflating the Dundee University scandal with free tuition. The Dundee University funding issue was caused by financial mismanagement. It has nothing to do with free tuition. More BBC propaganda” Strangely enough I also heard this via the new additional BBC propaganda programme, which is now a part of the BBC in Scotland , as in the podcast called Scotcast,. As they were also debating this yesterday prompted by the Dundee University funding issue, but with … Continue reading Kaye Adams the latest BBC Scotland presenter to deliberately mislead the public by conflating the Dundee University ‘Wendy’ jobs scandal with SNP free tuition

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So, in other parts of the developed world, a ferry passenger pushed to his death by the crew, fishermen killed by crew who don’t speak English, car decks flooded, one ferry runs aground because the only man on the bridge pressed the button wrongly, really old ferries, high prices, endless cancellations but in Scotland a one-day delay to fix a wee weld crack is an ‘SNP ferry fiasco?’

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Professor John Robertson OBA The discovery of a small crack in the hull of the MV Glen Sannox, a common event in new ships, and the 24 hour period out of service, has triggered an unholy, slavering media feeding frenzy, wholly out of proportion to the event. These objectively far more serious incidents in other parts of the developed world, have attracted far less attention and virtually no blaming of political parties or governments. On March 9th 2025, Red Funnel [should be Red Face] ferries on the Isle of Wight cancel sailings and disrupt travel because they spend too much on shareholder dividends … Continue reading So, in other parts of the developed world, a ferry passenger pushed to his death by the crew, fishermen killed by crew who don’t speak English, car decks flooded, one ferry runs aground because the only man on the bridge pressed the button wrongly, really old ferries, high prices, endless cancellations but in Scotland a one-day delay to fix a wee weld crack is an ‘SNP ferry fiasco?’