Tag: politics

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Thanks to mutual respect and constant effort by SNP health secretaries Scotland still has seen not one health service strike, 150 000 procedures and unknown thousands of lives have been saved

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Less than one month ago, BBC Scotland’s Lisa Summers announced gleefully: Scotland’s resident doctors are to go on strike in a dispute over pay – the first time a national walkout has been staged by NHS workers. Their union BMA Scotland had accused the government of reneging on a commitment to restore pay to 2008 levels. With 92% of those who turned out voting in favour, strike dates have been set for 07:00 on Tuesday 13 January to 07:00 on Saturday 17 January 2026. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjdrp9205vro Yesterday, Health Correspondent Lisa was clearly not available (stress?) and Phil Sim (Who?) had to … Continue reading Thanks to mutual respect and constant effort by SNP health secretaries Scotland still has seen not one health service strike, 150 000 procedures and unknown thousands of lives have been saved

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Scottish Government provides better support for business

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introduced in England by the UK Government. BBC Scotland today, with a story to suggest something is worse in Scotland than in England. There’s a debate in the Scottish Parliament tomorrow on business rates which they’ve managed to find someone to stand in a shopping street and try to present as a crisis that only exists in Scotland. The facts? Based on an AI search of 87 sources, Scotland’s system is often seen as more coordinated and interventionist. Summary Table Aspect Scotland England Better for SMEs? Rates Relief (Core Small Biz) Very generous (combined RV up to £35k+, 100% bands) … Continue reading Scottish Government provides better support for business

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Scotland’s Auditor General fails to audit the most important thing in the NHS and England’s doesn’t even try when he really should do

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Thanks to cuckooshoe for alerting us to this: Scotland’s high-profile media auditor, Stephen Boyle, has been all over with his latest claim of delayed discharges costs damaging NHS Scotland.1 From the Institute for Government report – Performance Tracker 2025: Hospitals – published on 14 November 2025: There was no month in 2024/25 in which general and acute bed occupancy was below 91.4%, well above the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s recommendation that trusts should have an upper ceiling of 85% for bed occupancy.2 The auditor general for England has not audited this in living memory and certainly never bothers to … Continue reading Scotland’s Auditor General fails to audit the most important thing in the NHS and England’s doesn’t even try when he really should do

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London-born, entirely England-educated, nephrologist with no understanding of Scotland’s 500 years plus history of universal free-education thinks he can tell us what to do

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Sir Peter William Mathieson, above, born in Colchester, educated entirely in England with only a medical science degree, and principal of the university where anti-working class Scots bias is the norm1, is on BBC Scotland today to tell us: Edinburgh University’s principal says Scottish students should be asked to pay towards their tuition, as the sector is in “danger” under the current system. Prof Sir Peter Mathieson said that Scotland – where undergraduate tuition is free for most students – could adopt a “graduate repayment scheme” based upon salary. Mathieson insisted Scotland’s funding model was “not sustainable”, but said he … Continue reading London-born, entirely England-educated, nephrologist with no understanding of Scotland’s 500 years plus history of universal free-education thinks he can tell us what to do

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As Trump takes Venezuela and talks of Cuba and Greenland; as Putin will not let Ukraine go and as China threatens Taiwan, is a different world emerging, with new lessons for Scotland?

johnrobertson834

Amongst other things I’m not a renowned global politics theorist or historian so here’s a, for me, fascinating AI-produced and sourced essay. I look forward to your thoughts: The geopolitical landscape in early 2026 indeed appears to be shifting toward a more assertive era of great-power competition, where major actors like the United States, Russia, and China are pursuing territorial or influence-based ambitions with less regard for traditional norms of sovereignty and international law. This could signal the emergence of a “different world”—one reminiscent of 19th- or early 20th-century spheres of influence, where smaller entities face heightened risks of coercion, … Continue reading As Trump takes Venezuela and talks of Cuba and Greenland; as Putin will not let Ukraine go and as China threatens Taiwan, is a different world emerging, with new lessons for Scotland?

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After 14 years of the SNP lower drink-drive limit Scotland has by far the safest roads and drivers in the UK

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From the Guardian today: Tougher rules on drink-driving, eye tests for older motorists and automatic emergency braking in new cars will be mandated by the government in an attempt to significantly reduce casualties on Britain’s roads. The first road safety strategy in more than a decade aims to save thousands of lives with a range of measures, from training and technology to stiffer penalties for offenders. The proposals, to be announced on Wednesday, seek to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035. The number of deaths has declined since the 1970s but that improvement slowed … Continue reading After 14 years of the SNP lower drink-drive limit Scotland has by far the safest roads and drivers in the UK

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Private rents 40% higher in England and significantly stronger safety nets through generous Discretionary Housing Payment funding in Scotland

johnrobertson834

With another of their sickly, tasteless images today, the Herald has: Scotland’s housing costs safety net is failing with tens of thousands of families in need locked out of homes as support fails to cover soaring private rents, ministers have been warned. Explosive [sic] new analysis which lays bare the reality for those most in need, shows that just eight per cent of private rental homes are affordable for those relying on state support, deepening a national housing emergency declared by Holyrood nearly two years ago. What’s missing? Cost of rent? Source – https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/privaterentandhousepricesuk/december2025 Support for Housing? In summary, while the baseline … Continue reading Private rents 40% higher in England and significantly stronger safety nets through generous Discretionary Housing Payment funding in Scotland

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Would this Ayrshire Labour MP prefer her local hospital to have corridor care at the appalling level in England – more than TWICE as high?

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA In the Herald today, undeterred by their embarrassing failure in Research Methods 101, yesterday, is repeating the same claims about corridor care in Scotland but this time, allowing one Labour MP to misrepresent their local hospital. They open with: “Decisive action” is needed at an Ayrshire hospital following revelations that its A&E department exceeded capacity by 50% in December, a local MP has said. Data published by The Herald has revealed that staff at University Hospital Crosshouse in Kilmarnock was forced to care for patients in corridors after running out of A&E beds. So, it’s the same answer as yesterday: There are no 100% … Continue reading Would this Ayrshire Labour MP prefer her local hospital to have corridor care at the appalling level in England – more than TWICE as high?

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Labour’s favourite union and funder, the GMB, where bullying, misogyny, cronyism, and sexism is rife but BBC Scotland still don’t want you to hear of it

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Above, Gary Smith, 5 years ago, then just the GMB Scotland chief , blaming the Scottish Government for the failures of private care home owners to prepare and equip their staff for the Covid pandemic. BBC Scotland just loved him then and had him on frequently. More recently they’ve been less keen to platform him as his union sinks in a mire of misogyny and bullying. In the Guardian yesterday: The GMB trade union is facing fresh turmoil over claims made by two of its female senior leadership team, as it heads towards a crucial general … Continue reading Labour’s favourite union and funder, the GMB, where bullying, misogyny, cronyism, and sexism is rife but BBC Scotland still don’t want you to hear of it

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Corridor care in NHS England more than TWICE as common as in NHS Scotland as Herald fluffs research methods again and NHS England’s fake figures are exposed again

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald today is headlining ‘Intolerable’ level of corridor care in Scotland’s hospitals’ with the above explanation of their method. They asked every Scottish health board for the design capacity of its A&E departments and for the actual number of beds occupied on the 1st of every month. There are no reliable data on corridor care, anywhere in the UK, and the Herald’s methods aren’t the worst I’ve seen but, based on the front page, only one of the 14 health boards – Ayrshire & Arran – is being used and for only 12 days in … Continue reading Corridor care in NHS England more than TWICE as common as in NHS Scotland as Herald fluffs research methods again and NHS England’s fake figures are exposed again