Tag: news

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They get the feast we get the crumbs, again – Labour’s GB energy projects ‘across the country….of England

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By Liz S “Miliband said, “I’m not going to take a decision that is going to raise prices in some parts of the country. That is not what I’m going to do” Really ? Yet when he was interviewed by ITV in March of this year, where they reported that he said this (and he did , because he also tweeted this himself). ‘It’s going to make a difference to so many pupils and so many patients’ Ed Miliband says schools and hospitals will get ‘tens of thousands of pounds’ off their energy bills as they get new solar panels The plans … Continue reading They get the feast we get the crumbs, again – Labour’s GB energy projects ‘across the country….of England

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‘They didn’t know their backyard creek carried nuclear waste. Now, they’re dying of cancer’ – new evidence from the USA of how similar Sellafield waste and Scotland’s higher cancer deaths are likely to be connected

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Professor John Robertson OBA From CBS News and other US media yesterday: When Linda Morice and her family first moved to St. Louis in 1957, they had no idea they had anything to fear. Then, people started getting sick. “It was a slow, insidious process,” Morice said. After the death of Morice’s mother, her physician uncle took her aside and gave her a stark warning: “Linda, I don’t believe St. Louis is a very healthy place to live. Everyone on this street has a tumor.” Their neighborhood was bordered by Coldwater Creek, a 19-mile tributary of the Missouri River. It … Continue reading ‘They didn’t know their backyard creek carried nuclear waste. Now, they’re dying of cancer’ – new evidence from the USA of how similar Sellafield waste and Scotland’s higher cancer deaths are likely to be connected

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Starmer’s celebratory video for his (real) country’s patron saint, that is England

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By Liz S Well here we are again , another St George’s day and another yearly ‘special’ celebratory video from the now, checks notes, UK PM , Sir Keir Starmer. Prior to him becoming the new UK PM, as in when he was merely the official opposition UK leader , Keir used to also do a ‘special’ celebratory video for his (real) country’s Patron saint, that is England. Scotland & Wales are not given the same ‘special’ celebratory video from Sir Keir the UK PM as that job is delegated to the minions (understudies) in the respective two English colonies, i.e. Scotland & Wales via the respective Labour branch office managers. … Continue reading Starmer’s celebratory video for his (real) country’s patron saint, that is England

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As UK Labour plan big cuts and more face-to-face assessments of the kind which increased suicide rates, SNP introduces new humanely-assessed benefit for elderly and disabled to media silence

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Professor John Robertson OBA Getting little media coverage today – the National, the Record, the Mirror, some locals, but not BBC Scotland or STV: ‘Milestone’ as SNP launch new disability benefit across Scotland That’s the Ardrossan Herald, above, recognising the headline-worthy, you’d think, nature of this announcement. From Econostratum today: A new benefit has been introduced for older people in Scotland, offering monthly payments of up to £441 for individuals with disabilities or long-term health conditions. The Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) is designed to replace Attendance Allowance for new claimants, starting on April 22, 2025. This measure aims to enhance financial … Continue reading As UK Labour plan big cuts and more face-to-face assessments of the kind which increased suicide rates, SNP introduces new humanely-assessed benefit for elderly and disabled to media silence

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A life-extending prostate cancer drug being available for two years in Scotland but not yet in England is not the kind of thing Jackie Baillie wants you to know of

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The drug, abiraterone, has been available in Scotland and Wales for two years for high-risk patients whose cancer has not yet spread, but not in England and Northern Ireland. Liz S Jackie Baillie recent tweets: “A warm welcome from party members in Stornoway. If you want improved public services in our rural and island communities, we need a new direction with @scottishlabour“ “Thought-provoking conversation with the local community in Barra who are struggling to access healthcare. Next stop, Eriskay”. “The SNP’s stealth cuts have created a sinkhole under social care. It’s time for a new direction” “Our heroic ambulance workers are being failed. Scottish Labour will make fixing the NHS our number one priority” Then … Continue reading A life-extending prostate cancer drug being available for two years in Scotland but not yet in England is not the kind of thing Jackie Baillie wants you to know of

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LATEST – The Bursary that Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Students get in Scotland, unmatched and, of course unreported

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the Scottish Government News site today but finding no place among the reports on what is a woman and what is a ferry? More detail at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/support-paramedic-nursing-midwifery-students-scotland-academic-year-2025-2026/pages/4/ Students in Scotland also pay no tuition fees. What happens in England? Students taking Healthcare degree courses including Nursing, Midwifery or Paramedic Science apply to Student Finance England for Tuition Fee Loans, Maintenance Loans and Grants for Dependants. https://www2.worc.ac.uk/moneyadvice/nursing-and-midwifery.html#:~:text=Students%20taking%20Healthcare%20degree%20courses%20including%20Nursing%2C%20Midwifery,%22Full-time%20Undergraduate%20Financial%20Support%22%20page%20on%20this%20website. So, Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Students in Scotland pay no tuition fees and get a free bursary. What happens in Wales? From AY 17/18 the availability of income assessed healthcare bursaries … Continue reading LATEST – The Bursary that Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Students get in Scotland, unmatched and, of course unreported

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Now conveniently forgotten about by media and settlers – How the Scottish Government transformed the economies of Scotland’s island communities

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Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to Legerwood for reminding us of this The above chart from the Evaluation of Road Equivalent Tariff [RET] on the Clyde and Hebridean Network Prepared for Transport Scotland March 2020 reveals a massive increase in ferry usage to the islands with a consequent economic boost, but increasing costs for the taxpayer in lost revenue. The comparison is based on ticket sales only and takes no account of retail revenue, which is likely to have increased as a result of the increased numbers of passengers. What is the RET? In October 2008, Transport Scotland introduced … Continue reading Now conveniently forgotten about by media and settlers – How the Scottish Government transformed the economies of Scotland’s island communities

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The deep irony of BBC Scotland talking about ‘hidden’ waiting lists when they routinely hide target-beating and lists much shorter than elsewhere in the UK

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland today, based on a feed from one psychiatrist and no actual figures, the above tasteless image and unsubstantiated headline. Let me be clear, as always, I’m not doubting the opinion of the medic here, but challenging the politicising of the unconfirmed data by BBC Scotland with a view to, always, implying failure by the Scottish, SNP, Government. In this report, BBC Scotland do credit the meeting of targets for children and adolescent’s mental heath care last month but when the data were first published on 4 March 2025, were quick to move on … Continue reading The deep irony of BBC Scotland talking about ‘hidden’ waiting lists when they routinely hide target-beating and lists much shorter than elsewhere in the UK

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Westminster MP report and BBC UK suggests ‘unprepared police’ and summer riots ‘across the country’, hiding the Scottish data and why they are different

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC UK today: Police forces were in several cases unprepared for the level of violence that broke out in riots after the murder of three children in Southport last summer, a report by MPs has found. Acknowledging this was the worst disorder the country had seen since 2011, MPs said police forces should have “better anticipated the risk of disorder in general” following an initial instance of disorder in Southport. Officers across the country worked “tirelessly”, the report said, but forces being unable to act proactively left them exposed. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20zrjr5n4ro In the full House of … Continue reading Westminster MP report and BBC UK suggests ‘unprepared police’ and summer riots ‘across the country’, hiding the Scottish data and why they are different

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SNP 1 and 2? A bold and bald campaign

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Professor John Robertson OBA How and why did we manage to get an overall majority in 2011? How might we shape future campaigns to recreate this result? Some ideas for debate: The campaign Research by the London School of Economics (LSE), in 2011, concluded that this was ‘an extraordinary result in an ‘ordinary’ election.’ By this, they mean that the data from 4 000 eligible voters in the Scottish Election Study did not reflect a surge in support for independence but, rather a desire to reward the SNP for effective government from 2007 to 2011. This is echoed today in … Continue reading SNP 1 and 2? A bold and bald campaign