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Scotland has the lowest difference in excess mortality between summer and winter despite consistently seeing the coldest winters

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stewartb O/T Tho’ staying with the challenges of winter, a newly published research paper published by UK Parliament Post has noteworthy statistics on levels of winter mortality across the UK. It reports a statistic favourable to Scotland and therefore worthy of mention – after all, if not here, where? (We know that favourable statistics about life in Scotland are strong candidates for media bias by omission and if the same research had reported an unfavourable statistic, someone in BBC Scotland or their ilk would have noticed and amplified it.) Source: Hassan and Chapman (Sept 9, 2025) Winter mortality. UK Parliament Post. (https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/POST-PN-0752/POST-PN-0752.pdf ) Background: ’Winter mortality in … Continue reading Scotland has the lowest difference in excess mortality between summer and winter despite consistently seeing the coldest winters

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New radiation exposure limits ‘catastrophic’ for women and girls likely to be meekly accepted by Scottish Labour

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists yesterday: In a May executive order, aimed at ushering in what he described as an “American nuclear renaissance,” President Donald Trump declared moot the science underpinning decades-old radiation exposure standards set by the federal government. Executive Order 14300 directed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to conduct a “wholesale revision” of half-a-century of guidance and regulations. In doing so, it considers throwing out the foundational model used by the government to determine exposure limits, and investigates the possibility of loosening the standard on what is considered a “safe” level of radiation exposure for the general public. In … Continue reading New radiation exposure limits ‘catastrophic’ for women and girls likely to be meekly accepted by Scottish Labour

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Scotland’s flu season starts early but 18 years of SNP administration means we are more ready than Lisa Summers has managed to analyse with 30% more beds and 71% more nurses

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland‘s Lisa Summers, the above graph, and: There has been a sharp increase in flu cases detected in Scotland over the last week, official figures show. Data from Public Health Scotland (PHS) shows there were 431 new positive flu cases in the week ending 9 November, a 70% increase on the previous week when 253 cases were recorded. The number of patients admitted to hospital has also almost doubled, rising from 115 to 218. There are typically around 12 000 patients in hospital beds any day of the year in Scotland so that extra … Continue reading Scotland’s flu season starts early but 18 years of SNP administration means we are more ready than Lisa Summers has managed to analyse with 30% more beds and 71% more nurses

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In mid-November, as resident doctors in England actually begin strikes which caused 53 000 excess deaths last time BBC Scotland headline hopefully a ballot for action which may or may not begin ‘next year!’

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland‘s insert in BBC Breakfast this morning headlined the ballot which may or may not lead to action ‘next year’, as resident doctors do actually go on strike in England. Since when did trade union ballots become front page news? Not one newspaper in Scotland has front-paged it. BBC Scotland‘s website below also had a link to the story. This is an editorial decision. It’s not random. BBC Scotland does mention that strikes were avoided last year but did not tell viewers what had been achieved ie avoided, by the Scottish Government’s actions. Here it … Continue reading In mid-November, as resident doctors in England actually begin strikes which caused 53 000 excess deaths last time BBC Scotland headline hopefully a ballot for action which may or may not begin ‘next year!’

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BBC News Tees loses interest in trans doctor story in one day while BBC Scotland milks it for weeks and weeks – why might that be?

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By Liz S This story is now no longer on the main England page on the BBC website. It is also now the third article on the local news page for the area of Tees….yesterday it was the second article on that page. Still nothing about it on the main UK page or UK politics page. The front pages of today’s English editions of newspapers on what was the “closing submissions in this Tribunal case of these Darlington Nurses against the NHS Trust” The Telegraph – nothing on their front page on this story. The Independent – nothing on their front page on this story. The Guardian –nothing on their front page on this story. The Times – nothing on their front page on this story. The Daily Express – nothing on their front … Continue reading BBC News Tees loses interest in trans doctor story in one day while BBC Scotland milks it for weeks and weeks – why might that be?

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Rape!!! Glasgow Herald works only to scare women with irresponsible, uninformative reporting – Reported rape and attempted rape is a staggering twice as common in England & Wales than it is in Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Herald, this morning, the above. Two things. One, can it be called just ‘rape’, at this stage unless of course your aim is only to shock as opposed to inform. Second, would a bit of context be useful for readers? This kind of thing? On 25 June 2025, I wrote: The media in Scotland are headlining the increase in recorded cases of rape and attempted rape in Scotland. Though the increase may in part be a consequence of a greater confidence by victims to come forward and report these crimes, the figures remain disturbing. … Continue reading Rape!!! Glasgow Herald works only to scare women with irresponsible, uninformative reporting – Reported rape and attempted rape is a staggering twice as common in England & Wales than it is in Scotland

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Nearly THREE times as many emergency patients per capita wait 12 hours or more in NHS England than in NHS Scotland

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By stewartb Campaign against austerity needed to push Westminster to support the NHS in England, NI and Wales even to match the A&E waiting times performance in Scotland – for the sake of all patients across the UK. The RCEM is an active campaigner in the cause of NHS staff and patients involved with NHS emergency services across the UK. It responds frequently to the release of official waiting times performance statistics by issuing press statements. The RCEM is especially ‘diligent’ and especially hard-hitting politically when responding to the situation in Scotland. Moreover, it seems to be accorded an especially … Continue reading Nearly THREE times as many emergency patients per capita wait 12 hours or more in NHS England than in NHS Scotland

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BBC Scotland still hiding where the buck should have stopped for the three Stonehaven rail deaths five years ago

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From BBC Scotland today, the above and: The inquiry into a train derailment which killed three men in the north east of Scotland could now last under a fortnight, a hearing has been told. The Aberdeen to Glasgow train came off the rails at Carmont, in Aberdeenshire, on 12 August 2020 after it hit a landslide following heavy rain. Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the crash. Network Rail was later fined £6.7m after admitting a series of failings which led to the deaths. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c77z5538zeko What is Network Rail? Who are … Continue reading BBC Scotland still hiding where the buck should have stopped for the three Stonehaven rail deaths five years ago

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On Remembrance Sunday, peer-reviewed research proves that Scotland’s WW1 army war dead was a greater sacrifice, 63% higher than the rest of the UK

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Professor John Robertson OBA With the UK media again saturated with frankly disturbing jingoism based on myths about the two world, it seems like a good moment to repeat this attempt to resolve the alleged myth that Scots had given more in blood on the WWI battlefields. On 10th August 2014, with clear political intent, the Scotsman allowed Sir Hew Strachan to confirm it as a myth: Great War worst for Scots troops ‘a myth’ https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/great-war-worst-scots-troops-myth-1529401 In Patrick Watt’s Manpower, Myth and Memory: Analysing Scotland’s Military Contribution to the Great War in the Journal of Scottish Historical Studies, on 24th May 2019 based on extensive research, … Continue reading On Remembrance Sunday, peer-reviewed research proves that Scotland’s WW1 army war dead was a greater sacrifice, 63% higher than the rest of the UK

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Ayrshire Labour MP fails to understand that health board debt to the Scottish Government is not like English health trusts in debt to rapacious private corporations did she?

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is now in £130 million debt, the highest in Scotland. Professor John Robertson OBA How worrying is the above debt? Not at all. From Every Doctor, the above and: The NHS is haemorrhaging billions to private companies through Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts at a time when the health service desperately needs investment in staff and infrastructure. An EveryDoctor investigation has uncovered that 69 NHS trusts in England are locked into paying more than £21.1bn to private companies over the next two decades – money that could be spent on doctors, healthcare staff, patients, and critical repairs. The total spent on PFI debt … Continue reading Ayrshire Labour MP fails to understand that health board debt to the Scottish Government is not like English health trusts in debt to rapacious private corporations did she?