Tag: news

6 Comments

Labour attempts to scare Scots with fake news about the Shetland subsea cable cut in 2022 but fails to mention how many of the Royal Navy’s subs to defend us are currently stuck in dock

johnrobertson834

In a report reminiscent of George Robertson’s ‘dark forces’ that would circle an undefended independent Scotland after 2014, Luke Pollard ‘armed forces minister’ and MP for Devonport, son of a submariner: Scotland’s coastline has become a terrifying new front on the West’s conflict with Russia. Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard has warned Vladimir Putin is likely operating fleets of unmanned submarines designed to sabotage sub-sea internet cables which could cripple the UK. Military intelligence experts have said communications lines severed off the coast of Shetland two years ago was almost certainly the work of Russia, which has also been accused of operating “spy ships” … Continue reading Labour attempts to scare Scots with fake news about the Shetland subsea cable cut in 2022 but fails to mention how many of the Royal Navy’s subs to defend us are currently stuck in dock

Leave a comment

NHS Scotland’s better performance is preventing around 1 400 ‘unnecessary’ deaths every year

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian yesterday: Long NHS delays leading to thousands of unnecessary deaths, inquiry finds – Darzi’s scathing indictment of the Conservatives’ 14-year stewardship of the NHS says that A&E is in “an awful state”. He cites evidence he received from the body representing A&E doctors that “long waits are likely to be causing an additional 14,000 more deaths a year – more than double all British armed forces combat deaths since the health service was founded in 1948”. Improvements in survival from cancer “slowed substantially during the 2010s”. More than 7.6 million people were awaiting … Continue reading NHS Scotland’s better performance is preventing around 1 400 ‘unnecessary’ deaths every year

5 Comments

Views of a children’s charity whose boss is ‘angry, very angry’ but ‘unleashes fury’ towards just one government. 

johnrobertson834

By stewartb – a long read This considers the news and views of a major children’s charity in Scotland gleaned from its website. It offers insights into the charity’s relations with the Scottish Government. But why is this worth writing about it? On September 8, an interview with the charity’s CEO was published in The Herald under the headline: ‘Scottish charity boss unleashes fury over poverty under SNP rule’. Here we learn that the CEO of the “acclaimed” Aberlour Children’s Charity is ‘angry, She’s very angry’. (my emphasis) So something is seriously amiss with this charity’s relations with Scotland’s government … Continue reading Views of a children’s charity whose boss is ‘angry, very angry’ but ‘unleashes fury’ towards just one government. 

5 Comments

2 000 mental health deaths in Essex not linked to Tory government but 1 in Scotland connects to the SNP government twice and earns the minister an photo

johnrobertson834

In May 2024, BBC Scotland connected a single death in a mental health institution to the minister above and included in the report: The Scottish government said the commission’s recommendations would be “fully implemented” at the unit, which was anonymised in the report. (para 4) and at the end: The Scottish government’s Mental Wellbeing minister Maree Todd said she extended her “heartfelt sympathies” to the family of Mrs F. She added: “The relevant health and social care services have been issued with specific recommendations and learning points and we expect these to be fully implemented.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c25rgzl55edo Yesterday BBC Essex had: … Continue reading 2 000 mental health deaths in Essex not linked to Tory government but 1 in Scotland connects to the SNP government twice and earns the minister an photo

1 Comment

Scottish alcohol deaths stabilise, after years of Tory austerity and pandemic lockdowns, as Scottish Government treatment programmes repeatedly beat 95% target, just in time for Labour to drive folk to drink again

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland, typically thick in the junior ranks but sneaky at the top, have this today: Scottish alcohol deaths at 15-year high. The number of people in Scotland whose death was caused by alcohol remains at a high level, with the largest number of deaths in 15 years. The latest figures from National Records of Scotland, (NRS) show 1,277 people died from conditions caused by alcohol in 2023. This was one death more than the previous year, which was the highest number since 2008. As always, from BBC Scotland, a more meaningful look at longer trends … Continue reading Scottish alcohol deaths stabilise, after years of Tory austerity and pandemic lockdowns, as Scottish Government treatment programmes repeatedly beat 95% target, just in time for Labour to drive folk to drink again

7 Comments

Do you have to identify as British to only then be regarded as a racist and so only then are you seen as having this racist ‘problem’ ?

johnrobertson834

By Anonymous  “I think the Scottish are just as racist as the English, same goes for the Northern Irish and Welsh. It’s a British problem“: UK’s first professor of Black studies, Kehinde Andrews (University of Birmingham), on “what’s wrong with the conversation around racist riots”, August 8th 2024: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/far-right-riots-black-history-kehinde-andrews/ So , going by that above statement, do you then have to identify as to being British to only then be regarded as a racist and so only then are you seen as having this racist ‘problem’ ? Sweeping generalisations here by this Professor who I would suggest should perhaps “think” again to make such an observation … Continue reading Do you have to identify as British to only then be regarded as a racist and so only then are you seen as having this racist ‘problem’ ?

16 Comments

UK’s first professor of Black Studies seems just as happy to malign Scots, evidence-free, as any ancient Oxbridge English History don

johnrobertson834

In his otherwise useful piece Racist riots are nothing new – they’re part of the fabric of British society, Professor Kehinde Andrews, a bit ironically given his surname, offers these views: Some of our readers have commented in the past week that we’ve been calling these riots across the UK, when in fact they are a uniquely English thing, a uniquely English nationalism, not taking place in Scotland or Wales. What would you say to that? But, honestly, I would push back a bit. I think the Scottish are just as racist as the English, same goes for the Northern … Continue reading UK’s first professor of Black Studies seems just as happy to malign Scots, evidence-free, as any ancient Oxbridge English History don

9 Comments

Do the national branch offices of campaigning charities not understand devolution

johnrobertson834

By stewartb Do third sector organisations with missions that extend across the UK feel unable to make statements that (in terms) state the following truth and if so WHY? ‘The situation in (a UK nation with a government with only limited, devolved powers) may be bad but – based on statistical analysis – not nearly so bad as in England, the nation with a government with EVERY power to have avoided this bad in the first place and with EVERY power now to deliver the necessary solution. ‘It is the government of England in Westminster – the one with ALL … Continue reading Do the national branch offices of campaigning charities not understand devolution

11 Comments

Despite lowest reported anti-semitism, only Scotland must be warned about it

johnrobertson834

By Anonymous BBC Website On the Scottish Politics page 7th story “Big rise in antisemitic incidents in UK – charity” Click on story and it comes up as part of the ‘UK’ page. Go to UK page to see article and I cannot see this story as an article on there. Story also not on UK politics page Story also not on Welsh politics page. So if the headline is “Big rise in antisemitic incidents in UK – charity” then why is this story only currently showing as a main article on the Scottish politics page ? So I checked the content of this article to see where they noted these incidents were happening within the UK as … Continue reading Despite lowest reported anti-semitism, only Scotland must be warned about it

7 Comments

Will BBC Scotland start reporting ‘County Lines’ gangs after finding one ‘kind of’ Scottish guy involved?

johnrobertson834

Top row, second left, him! in the Northamptonshire Telegraph yesterday: Corby county lines drug gang member James Carroll convicted for part in crack cocaine and heroin trade in Corby and Kettering. A gang who ran drugs lines supplying heroin and cocaine have been convicted – with their ringleader being found guilty of exploiting children to operate his trade, helped by a man from Corby. James Carroll, aged 46, of Dumble Close, Corby was convicted of facilitating travel for a child for the purpose of exploitation. This is the AB drugs gang running drugs using child carriers as far north as … Continue reading Will BBC Scotland start reporting ‘County Lines’ gangs after finding one ‘kind of’ Scottish guy involved?