Tag: news

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Scottish Government’s earlier flu vaccine launch and wider free issue has resulted in 20% fewer cases as they continue to climb in NHS England

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report published today: Influenza activity in Scotland has steadied or decreased in many systems, returning to medium activity overall based on reporting of laboratory-confirmed cases. Cases decreased by 20% to 1918 from 2410, and activity level dropped to high (from very high) in the 1-4 and 5-14 age groups. There were 912 hospital admissions due to influenza in week 50, down from 1039 in week 49.1 In NHS England: NHS England has released its latest figures now, covering last week up to 14 December. It says hospitals in England … Continue reading Scottish Government’s earlier flu vaccine launch and wider free issue has resulted in 20% fewer cases as they continue to climb in NHS England

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UK Labour aim to halve violence against women in 10 years but to a level still far higher per head than in Scotland today – is that anywhere near good enough? Ask Anas!

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and girls in ten years. Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Breakfast above, today, has been discussing at length, the Labour Government’s new strategy promising to halve violence against women and girls in ten years. What is the current level? In the year-ending June 2025, there were 72 804 cases of rape and attempted rape, 211 225 sexual offences and 797 530 cases of domestic abuse, in England and Wales.1 In Scotland in the same period, the figures were 2 897, 5 124 and 2 573.2, 3 England & Wales have roughly 11 times the population, so all things being equal … Continue reading UK Labour aim to halve violence against women in 10 years but to a level still far higher per head than in Scotland today – is that anywhere near good enough? Ask Anas!

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8 YouGov sub-polls suggest steadily strengthening SNP support and hitting 40%

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Pollster YouGov is no friend of Scottish Independence or of the SNP and, in full Scotland-only polls, uses sampling adjustments to consistently get No majorities and low SNP support, amidst other pollsters getting a run of Yes majorities and SNP strength. You can see this anomalous pattern in the last 9 months as other pollsters find quite large Yes leads in polls of 1 000 and more, their unerring ability, with to a lesser extent Survation, to pull out very different results So, when we come to the Scottish sub-polls, though the sample is small, it is not skewed by … Continue reading 8 YouGov sub-polls suggest steadily strengthening SNP support and hitting 40%

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Social housing in Scotland factcheck – 40% more availability, no damaging right to buy, bigger grants and greater fire safety

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Professor John Robertson OBA Amongst all the current media frenzy about a one-year down-turn in new social media building, even in the National, above, these important, positive, contextual facts, published in a review by the Wheatley Group in May 2024, are getting no attention: Social housing is more prevalent in Scotland than England, comprising 23% of all Scottish housing stock (11% RSLs / 12% Local Authorities), compared to 16.4% in England (10.1% RPs / 6.3% Local Authorities). Scotland has similar rate of owner-occupation than England, 63.7% compared to 64.1%. Statistics based on March 2022 returns One of the most important powers devolved to the Scottish Government … Continue reading Social housing in Scotland factcheck – 40% more availability, no damaging right to buy, bigger grants and greater fire safety

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Police suspected drug deaths trend continues steady fall but under-educated Daily Record Labour hack prefers to attack FM with statistically meaningless one-year change

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Professor John Robertson OBA Any fool can see from the above line graph what the trend is and despite the ups and downs, Scotland’s suspected drugs deaths are falling. From nearly 1 500 per year at the end of 2020 to just over 1 000 in the last 12 months, a 33% fall in only 5 years. The bar chart also show the usual seasonal fall from a winter peak. From Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: July to September 2025 published yesterday: There were 898 suspected drug deaths, 8% (65) greater than during the same period of 2024 (833). Note … Continue reading Police suspected drug deaths trend continues steady fall but under-educated Daily Record Labour hack prefers to attack FM with statistically meaningless one-year change

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How we have paid tens of millions for fourteen years to transform the lives and the economies of islanders only to have a small entitled business elite platformed by media to hide it

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland, today, in their BBC Breakfast TV insert but not on their website so just another report feed to the Pacific Quay team of a no news-value story on supposed hardship for island businesses. What’s the problem with it? There’s a very significant background story never told of just how much this SNP Government has done to transform life on the islands, funded by the rest of us living often in less pleasant places and with never the suggestion of compensation because of limited public transport services. Here it is: The above chart from the Evaluation … Continue reading How we have paid tens of millions for fourteen years to transform the lives and the economies of islanders only to have a small entitled business elite platformed by media to hide it

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UK unemployment 35% higher, youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland

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in the three months to October it has increased to just over 5% according to official figures. BBC Breakfast had an extended piece this morning on the above concern for the UK (sic), the ‘highest level since 2021′ with a focus on young people BBC Scotland did not cover the issue even though it might have been informative for their audience. Why? First, UK Unemployment surges to massive 35% higher than in Scotland – will ‘SNP’ Government get the credit just as they would have been blamed if it was the other way round? These two headlines today and the … Continue reading UK unemployment 35% higher, youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland

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Respect? Why Scotland’s resident doctors delayed their ballot until after the deadly flu season’s predicted peak

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Professor John Robertson OBA At least four of the above stories, including the resident doctor strike news, in the midst of a flu epidemic, concern only NHS England. BBC Scotland have no apparent health worries for us. Why no reporting? The Scottish Resident Doctors vote does not close until 19 December 2025 with strike action unlikely until January. Why have they delayed until this point? Flu cases tend to decline in early January, year after year. Why would the NHS England resident doctors not have delayed? This: See that ‘still?’ This goes back to earlier experience of the doctors and … Continue reading Respect? Why Scotland’s resident doctors delayed their ballot until after the deadly flu season’s predicted peak

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UK Labour Government to copy SNP policy on specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams from 2013, 16 years too late, in a culture where these offences are between twice and three times as common!

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Politics today: All police forces to get specialist sexual offence teams, Mahmood pledges – Specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams will be introduced to every police force in England and Wales by 2029, the government has pledged. It is part of a long-delayed plan aimed at halving violence against women and girls within a decade. In Scotland: Police Scotland’s specialist sexual offence teams, including the divisional Rape Investigation Units and the National Rape Task Force, were established following the creation of Police Scotland on 1 April 2013.This came from the merger of Scotland’s … Continue reading UK Labour Government to copy SNP policy on specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams from 2013, 16 years too late, in a culture where these offences are between twice and three times as common!

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It may be a different battle for the SNP in the West and South of Scotland in May 2026

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Professor John Robertson OBA While Scotland-wide polls have Reform UK in second place pushing Labour down into third place and a major loss of list MPSs, this may conceal regional variations and exaggerate their threat in some parts. Only Paris-based, Ipsos, publish regional breakdowns with consistent scientific sampling that can be reasonably compared over time, though limited slightly by a Westminster context in one (18 June 2025) and Holyrood in the the other (10 December 2025). The results are above and suggest different tactics for SNP campaigns in the West and South of Scotland. Key points: Comments? Continue reading It may be a different battle for the SNP in the West and South of Scotland in May 2026