Tag: history

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Fireworks Night a ‘damp squib’ as offences plummet except in Pacific Quay

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By Professor John Robertson OBA The BBC Scotland report on last night’s fireworks events is one of the simplest best examples of media bias and you could use it with 11 year-olds. It’s so naked and simple, you might force a wee ironic snigger. It opens with Firefighters attacked on Bonfire Night as crews take 1,000 calls and goes on with 32 (count them) paragraphs describing incidents, interspersed with images, including those of masked hooded youths with big fireworks. Then and only then from paragraphs 33 to 36, we hear: Overall, the force said the incidents of serious disorder had fallen this … Continue reading Fireworks Night a ‘damp squib’ as offences plummet except in Pacific Quay

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Scotland’s emergency departments at least 10% better than in NHS England in September 2024 and probably more than that if the latter’s trickery is exposed

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland today, 65.9% of those attending full Emergency Departments, in September 2024 were seen within 4 hours.1 From NHS England, the equivalent figure was 59.8%.2 NHS Scotland’s ED’s are thus 10.4% more efficient. Sources: The gap is probably greater: NHS Scotland performance likely to be even further ahead as five examples of cover-up and distortion by NHS England managers is revealed We already know that, based on trusting the current published NHS England data, NHS Scotland’s A&E service is around 3 times better on the crucial 12 hour waits1 and twice as effective on cancer … Continue reading Scotland’s emergency departments at least 10% better than in NHS England in September 2024 and probably more than that if the latter’s trickery is exposed

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As ‘Britain’ imports record amounts of electricity from Europe, England gets as much from Scotland as it buys from France

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From the Telegraph, yesterday: Britain importing record amounts of electricity from Europe – The UK warned its growing dependence on imports leaves it at risk of outages. Britain importing record amounts of electricity from Europe. According to data published by the National Energy System Operator (Neso), net imports totalled 26.3 terawatt hours from January to September – a new record for the UK. That beat the previous high of 24.6 terawatt hours reached three years ago.1 From the UK Government in September 2024 – In 2008, the first year of SNP Government in Scotland, 8.7TWh were … Continue reading As ‘Britain’ imports record amounts of electricity from Europe, England gets as much from Scotland as it buys from France

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Channel 4 News vaguely locates an organised crime plague entirely from England, in Glasgow and links it to Scottish Government responsibility

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. Channel 4 News tonight had a special on County Lines gangs. From Police Scotland in 2019: The charity Crime-stoppers is today 14th January 2019 launching a campaign to highlight the pain and suffering that criminals from English cities are inflicting on vulnerable people in Scotland’s rural and coastal towns. The campaign aims to raise awareness of County Lines, which is when criminals from major cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, London and Birmingham are expanding their drug networks to other areas, bringing with it serious criminal behaviour such as violence, exploitation and abuse. The … Continue reading Channel 4 News vaguely locates an organised crime plague entirely from England, in Glasgow and links it to Scottish Government responsibility

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Another ‘Union Jack’ chosen by Labour to serve you on the Scottish Affairs committee

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By stewartb Speaking of Tories …. With the membership of the Scottish Affairs Committee in the House of Commons now announced (albeit one vacant place still to be formally allocated), it’s worth a moment getting to know better one member, namely Jack Rankin MP. For contest, recall the remit of this Committee: ‘The Scottish Affairs Committee scrutinises the expenditure, administration and policies of the Scotland Office, and its associated bodies. ‘The Committee also examines the wider UK Government, to assess policies and legislation that lead to direct impacts on Scotland.’ Given this, it’s relevant firstly to note that Mr Rankin is … Continue reading Another ‘Union Jack’ chosen by Labour to serve you on the Scottish Affairs committee

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Labour deceit – England may be but Scotland is not, ‘one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world’

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today: Budget cuts mean farmers in England ‘must do more with less’ UK [sic] ‘among most nature-depleted countries in the world’ warns environment secretary’. Farmers and conservationists will have to “learn to do more with less” ahead of expected deep budget cuts to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the environment secretary has said. Steve Reed said that Labour would continue to prioritise the restoration of the nature in England, but acknowledged that the chancellor’s budget would be “difficult”. Typically conflating the UK and England, the claim, for Scotland, is wrong. … Continue reading Labour deceit – England may be but Scotland is not, ‘one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world’

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Steady fall in cardiac death rate over last 10 years

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, today, the above graph, and: The rate of hospital discharges of patients with a heart attack has decreased by 20% in the past 10 years. In 2023/24, 94% of people survived 30 days or more following their first heart attack, which is largely unchanged over the past decade. The rate at which new cases of coronary heart disease occur (the incidence) has fallen by 12% over the last 10 years. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scottish-cardiac-audit-programme-scap/scottish-cardiac-audit-programme-report-20232024/ Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/ The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s … Continue reading Steady fall in cardiac death rate over last 10 years

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Threat of complete tourism collapse as Channel Islands government dillies but one tender seems quite unsafe

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Owned by King Charles III and run by centrist/rightist governments, the Channel Island been suffering a terrible ferry fiasco for years now with locals often unable to meet important medical appointments and businesses run businesses, especially in tourism. From BBC South-West, today: Ferry firms and business groups have called for an “immediate” decision on which company will run ferry operations in the Channel Islands from March. Brittany Ferries, Condor Ferries, Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the Jersey Hospitality Association, said in a statement that the “prolonged impasse” on awarding the contract was “detrimental” to tourism. Christophe Mathieu, chief executive of … Continue reading Threat of complete tourism collapse as Channel Islands government dillies but one tender seems quite unsafe

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Under cover vegetables production UP 400%! – Scotland’s agricultural economy – positive news ignored because it does not tell the correct story

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By Professor John Robertson: Search for ‘BBC Scotland’ agriculture and all they have is the above image and The village that a religious sect helped to found, yet released only days ago there is Results from the Scottish Agricultural Census: June 2024. Do they have a ferm correspondent at all at Pacific Quay? Anyhow, from this important release, it’s a mixed sack which I am not competent to fully evaluate because Scotland’s farmers have been producing less of somethings to keep Reporting Scotland happy and more of other things to force them to avert their eyes. I guess it’s complex – … Continue reading Under cover vegetables production UP 400%! – Scotland’s agricultural economy – positive news ignored because it does not tell the correct story

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Under Labour NHS Wales hospital waiting list soars to TWICE that per head in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson: From BBC Wales two days ago: Hospital waiting list tops 800,000 for first time 1 Scotland? From the doctors’ trade union, the BMA, in July 2024: As of March 2024, more than 690,000 people were on the NHS Scotland waiting list for inpatient and outpatient treatments, which is the highest number ever recorded.2 Shorter in Scotland than in Wales? Yes, but Scotland has a bigger population so the gap per head is even greater. With 5.44 million to Wales’ 3.16 million, Scotland’s population served by NHS Scotland is 1.7 times greater. So, for a fair, pro rate, … Continue reading Under Labour NHS Wales hospital waiting list soars to TWICE that per head in Scotland