Tag: politics

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NHS Scotland’s emergency stroke treatment saving thousands but the service remains in crisis in England after a year of Labour

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Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to Brenda Robb for both alerting me to this and for research assistance. In the Guardian today, the above, and: The NHS has repeatedly failed in its diagnosis and care of stroke patients, England’s health ombudsman has said. According to the World Stroke Association, more than 12 million people worldwide will have their first stroke this year and 6.5 million will die as a result. Strokes are one of the UK’s biggest killers, causing about 34,000 deaths a year, and the single biggest cause of severe disability. The NHS Fast campaign aims to raise awareness of the most common symptoms of … Continue reading NHS Scotland’s emergency stroke treatment saving thousands but the service remains in crisis in England after a year of Labour

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Scottish newspaper is suppressing fair and informative debate on new nuclear power in Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald in recent weeks has had a heavy presence of reports pushing for new nuclear power stations to be be built in Scotland along with a few token oppositional reports such as one on the cracks in the ageing Torness reactor. The overwhelming message [Try searching for ‘Herald nuclear‘ to see for yourself.) has been that the SNP is betraying Scotland’s industrial, employment and energy prospects and completely ignoring the plethora of reports here revealing the weakness of, and the risks in, the case for new nuclear energy in Scotland. To read these, click on: … Continue reading Scottish newspaper is suppressing fair and informative debate on new nuclear power in Scotland

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John Swinney does the decent thing

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By Liz S John Swinney does a decent thing. He apologised for something that others did. (this is now an expected act that other political parties expect from the SNP as do the media). He did this in his capacity as the current FM of the Scottish government. For that he should be commended as sometimes for those who are wronged in the past all they really want is recognition of that fact and then someone to apologise to them on behalf of others. Some may argue and question why he did this. Well his apology as the current FM … Continue reading John Swinney does the decent thing

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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, 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 … 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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The BMA UK – a more serious, objective trade union than its lead in Scotland, Dr Kennedy?

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By stewartb The BMA may be a more serious, objective trade union than its lead in Scotland – based on his highly politicised statements using language designed for use in headlines by mainstream media opposed to the present Scottish Government – makes it appear! Below are some of its analysis and insights on the state of NHS England. Not a positive picture but even. so I can’t find a BMA spokesperson claiming that NHS England is ‘dying’ – and for the avoidance of doubt, England has long had a substantial number of people using private healthcare, a number which is … Continue reading The BMA UK – a more serious, objective trade union than its lead in Scotland, Dr Kennedy?

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NHS Scotland caring for 8% of the population but with not one of the five major maternity crises and a system that is ‘equitable’

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Health today: Health Secretary Wes Streeting, has said “we must act now” as he announced a national investigation into maternity care in England. The announcement comes after a series of critical reports into maternity care over the past decade. Dr Clea Harmer, chief executive of the baby loss charity Sands, said the national investigation was “much-needed and long-overdue”. The ‘Scottish’ media are quiet. If they had something, they’d be all over it like nappy rash. I searched for ‘Scotland maternity inspections substandard‘ – only English ‘hits’. I searched the Healthcare Improvement Scotland site – … Continue reading NHS Scotland caring for 8% of the population but with not one of the five major maternity crises and a system that is ‘equitable’

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Families in England even more worried over lack of speech therapists and lagging behind Scotland, as the waiting list there is 17% longer than in Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland today, the above case study and: Families [well two] worried over lack of specialist speech therapists – A new report seen by BBC Scotland News shows that demand for speech and language therapists (SLT) is increasing in Scotland but that the numbers of therapists is falling behind the rest of the UK. The report, by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), says Scotland needs to increase its full-time equivalent SLT therapists by 370, from a current total of 530. It also says that Scotland is lagging behind England in terms … Continue reading Families in England even more worried over lack of speech therapists and lagging behind Scotland, as the waiting list there is 17% longer than in Scotland

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What’s the legacy of the British Labour Party after 27 continuous years governing in Cardiff? Think about it before voting Labour in Scotland in 2026!

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By stewartb – a long read British Labour Party MSPs and MPs are ramping up the negative rhetoric about Scotland in advance of the 2026 Holyrood election. And the mainstream media for the most part are playing their part in communicating Labour’s campaign messages – with little challenge, without context, without perspective, and without cross-UK comparative analysis. Moreover, British Labour Party MPs, elected to represent Scottish constituencies, have been standing up every week at PMQs to put a ‘question’ designed ONLY to denigrate the Scottish Government and Scotland’s (devolved) public services. All to entertain their colleagues from English constituencies and … Continue reading What’s the legacy of the British Labour Party after 27 continuous years governing in Cardiff? Think about it before voting Labour in Scotland in 2026!

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NHS Wales slipping into crisis after 27 years of Labour mis-rule

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By stewartb Another question for Dame Jackie Baillie and her ilk! How can this (below) be happening in a nation that has been governed by the British Labour Party for 26 or 27 years? From the Wales page of the BBC News website today (June 19): ‘Treatment wait times up despite extra NHS funding’. This is what we learn about NHS Wales today: The health think tank, the Nuffield Trust now offers users of its website access to an AI powered search facility. It invites them to pose their own questions. To the question ‘What is the state of NHS Wales?’, this is … Continue reading NHS Wales slipping into crisis after 27 years of Labour mis-rule

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Politicising education in Scotland in a way that’s very rare in England or Wales despite the real crisis there

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By stewartb The BBC Scotland Education Correspondent’s article (June 18) on the BBC News website headlined: ‘Will new school rules help cut violence in the classroom?’ has a number of additional characteristics typical of BBC Scotland’s output. It politicised a topic in ways not replicated in BBC articles on the same topic concerning England and Wales. It was devoid of context, devoid of perspective and of course, without comparative analysis. It devoted more space to critics, most notably a Tory Party MSP, than it did to informing readers on the actual content of the new guidance and importantly, how – informed … Continue reading Politicising education in Scotland in a way that’s very rare in England or Wales despite the real crisis there