Tag: history

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Since 2021, 14 deaths due to circumcision in England and Wales but none in more-tolerant and more-regulated Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC London yesterday: A coroner has warned that further babies could die unless the government introduces regulation of non-therapeutic male circumcision following the death of a six-month-old boy in west London. Non-therapeutic circumcision is the removal of the foreskin of male babies and young children for religious or cultural reasons, rather than medical reasons. Mohamed Abdisamad was circumcised on 12 February 2023, by a circumciser who had been recommended to his parents and requested by them to perform the procedure on their son, the West London Coroner’s report said. The baby began showing symptoms of … Continue reading Since 2021, 14 deaths due to circumcision in England and Wales but none in more-tolerant and more-regulated Scotland

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Which party has been responsible for the longest bin strike in history, almost no new affordable housing, fewer teachers and no free school meals – It’s Birmingham Labour but there’s a media silence on that

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Professor John Robertson OBA The bin strike in Birmingham is one-year long on January 6th 2026. A year?! It’s unheard of but it’s not the BBC headline today on the 3rd. Indeed, it hasn’t been reported on since the 18th December 2025. Which party run Birmingham? It’s Labour and has been for decades. The BBC reporting above does mention ‘Labour’ but Imagine this was in Scotland, say Glasgow, a whole year of ‘SNP bin strikes?’ There would not, of course, be a look back in history because, in Scotland, is mostly Labour history like this: The Glasgow binmen (refuse collectors) … Continue reading Which party has been responsible for the longest bin strike in history, almost no new affordable housing, fewer teachers and no free school meals – It’s Birmingham Labour but there’s a media silence on that

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BBC Scotland now hiding that all English Albanian drug gangs are based in English Cities

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Albanian Daily News nearly a year ago, but to this day never covered by BBC Scotland: Are these gangs based in Scotland? Nope: Albanian organized crime groups involved in cannabis cultivation and distribution, including those with operations in Fife, Scotland (such as a reported farm in St Andrews), are typically part of broader networks with key bases and leadership in England. Based on reports from police operations, investigations, and media coverage, these include: These England-based groups often recruit illegal immigrants via Channel crossings or lorries, forcing them into debt repayment through work on Scottish farms … Continue reading BBC Scotland now hiding that all English Albanian drug gangs are based in English Cities

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£80 million in illegal drugs trafficked into Scotland from English cities or grown here by Albanians but ssshhhh!!!! pretend it was us, our daft wee selves

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Last post of 2025 and it looks a bit of a downer but not if you now decide to double your efforts for a border – Best wishes for the new year everyone! John Professor John Robertson OBA In the Edinburgh Reporter today: Police seized almost £80million worth of drugs across the country in 2025 as officers continue to act to tackle organised crime. The report makes no reference to how these drugs got into Scotland other than to attribute the cannabis share (£`15m) to ‘farms’ in Fife. While the Edinburgh Reporter and presumably Police Scotland do not tell us, … Continue reading £80 million in illegal drugs trafficked into Scotland from English cities or grown here by Albanians but ssshhhh!!!! pretend it was us, our daft wee selves

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As UK Labour begin to claim falling knife crime in England & Wales, why their headlines and their figures are less reliable than those in Scotland which are – ‘being on firmer ground in terms of official trustworthiness’

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Mirror today, a deceitful headline suggesting a wider reduction in knife crime when the figures only relate to robberies where a knife was present. While applauding this, I suspect most readers were more interested to hear of a decline in violence where a knife was used. More generally, I’ve been wondering how reliable these new data are. You’ll remember, I hope, how various NHS England waiting time and drug death data have been exposed here. Lazily perhaps, I asked AI. Have a look a this and if you spot any weaknesses/flaws, let me know … Continue reading As UK Labour begin to claim falling knife crime in England & Wales, why their headlines and their figures are less reliable than those in Scotland which are – ‘being on firmer ground in terms of official trustworthiness’

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BBC Scotland considers that voters in Scotland don’t need to know of Labour’s actual track record in government in Cardiff and Westminster

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stewartb You may have noticed this rare occurrence: a positively-framed headline about NHS Scotland was published (December 23) on the Scotland page of the BBC News website: ‘A&E waiting times improve ahead of busy festive period’. On long waits, the BBC reported that during a week in mid-December: ’14% of patients waited over eight hours, compared to 16.9% the week before, and 6.9% had waits of more than 12 hours, down from 8.6% previously.’ The headline’s positivity was soon countered in the article by the BBC sharing with us the views of opposition politicians. Displaying the usual BBC blind spot over notions … Continue reading BBC Scotland considers that voters in Scotland don’t need to know of Labour’s actual track record in government in Cardiff and Westminster

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Foreign medics NOT shunning NHS Scotland because of anti-migrant rhetoric from London parties

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Guardian above has another of its ‘UK’ pieces with not a word on Scotland in it. There is, of course, no peer-reviewed research on this topic but, the MSM often tell us that they just report what is happening out there. So, comparing media reporting on this issue in Scotland and England’s media will give us a reasonable comparison. Given the background independence factor we can be very sure that if the Scottish media had any accounts of health workers leaving Scotland because of an anti-migrant rhetoric here, we’d know all about it. So: In … Continue reading Foreign medics NOT shunning NHS Scotland because of anti-migrant rhetoric from London parties

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UK Labour’s new ‘loose, spineless’ post-Grenfell laws reject Scotland’s twenty-years-old 100% safety measures and will not prevent towering infernos but only give your gran 15 minutes to get out

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC UK this morning: Government plans to turn post-Grenfell fire safety guidance into law have been strongly criticised by a leading voice in the construction industry. David Jones, president of the Institute of Construction Management, says the guidance for multi-storey residential buildings is “loose”, “spineless” and “open to interpretation”. He argues it permits too many “tolerable” risks – for example, allowing flammable materials in window systems and between floors to remain even if they could let fire spread. “It’s allowing developers to game the system,” the veteran of more than 50 years says, adding that … Continue reading UK Labour’s new ‘loose, spineless’ post-Grenfell laws reject Scotland’s twenty-years-old 100% safety measures and will not prevent towering infernos but only give your gran 15 minutes to get out

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CalMac, youngest ferries, best funding and most staff

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Scotsman today has – CalMac hit by ‘challenging’ year from increased severe weather and ageing fleet. The ‘ageing fleet‘ line is a well-worn suggestion that the SNP in government has not funded enough new ferry-building. It’s rubbish. The best comparisons are with Washington State Ferries and BC Ferries, on the North-West coast of North America. They each serve one big city as does CalMac – Seattle, Vancouver and Glasgow – and a large island archipelago of 30 to 50 destinations with 20 to 40 vessels. CalMac has the biggest fleet and largest set of destinations … Continue reading CalMac, youngest ferries, best funding and most staff

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One of Scotland’s useless, jaundiced, hacks is so little read he can’t drag himself out of the abyss

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Professor John Robertson OBA I’ve written more times about McKenna than I care to remember and had resolved to just ignore his ill-informed and petty tirades against the SNP, but for dog (sorry Kev) knows what reason, I feel the urge. At the heart of his stuff is what seems to be an evidence-free feeling of anti-Catholic discrimination still pervading live in Scotland. The Great Professor Tom Devine disagrees completely but Kev is not for thinking or reading any facts. Ironically given his faith, Kev the Doubter doesn’t seem to worry too much about the religious institution he belongs to. … Continue reading One of Scotland’s useless, jaundiced, hacks is so little read he can’t drag himself out of the abyss