Tag: politics

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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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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

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Supposed Labour ‘rebel’ MP knows that his party betrayed his constituents in Grangemouth

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By Liz S Alloa & Grangemouth Labour MP Brian Leishman is a Fraud ! This supposed Labour ‘rebel’ MP knows, and indeed has even said as much, that his party betrayed and lied to his constituents in Grangemouth , yet still today he campaigns on their , Labour’s , behalf. 5 Days ago on 7 April Brian Leishman tweeted this: “Both the Tory and SNP governments knew about the planned refinery closure 5 years ago. Both the Tory and SNP governments did nothing to save the refinery in that time. Both the Tory and SNP governments let Scotland down by choosing to do … Continue reading Supposed Labour ‘rebel’ MP knows that his party betrayed his constituents in Grangemouth

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BBC Scotland’s Lisa Summers exposes the sham – and the trap – of devolution

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By stewartb Lisa Summers’ ‘Analysis’ of the Scottish Nurses 8% pay deal: The gamble here is that it doesn’t know what deal will be offered to NHS staff elsewhere in the UK as negotiations are ongoing. However, the UK government has so far said it would recommend a 2.8% increase, a move described as “offensive” by unions. If the pay deal is significantly higher for Scotland, the government will have to find the money to pay for it with no additional money coming from Westminster … Ms Summers exposes the sham – and the trap – of devolution. The NHS is the responsibility of the … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s Lisa Summers exposes the sham – and the trap – of devolution

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Lisa Summers reporting NHS Scotland down as Unison talks it up

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Brenda Robb for alerting me tot his. In Nursing Times yesterday: The latest NHS pay offer in Scotland “sends a really powerful message” to other UK countries about what can be achieved through direct pay negotiations, Unison Scotland’s co-lead for health has said. Speaking with Nursing Times, Matt McLaughlin said other UK countries were “hiding behind bureaucracy” when it comes to NHS pay and it was “no good” for the health service. “In the other parts of the UK, it seems that people are hiding behind bureaucracy” Matt McLaughlin Scotland is the first UK … Continue reading Lisa Summers reporting NHS Scotland down as Unison talks it up

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Revealing how BBC Scotland skewed the response of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to a Scottish Fiscal Commission report: – but why, is there a legitimate, public service reason?

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By stewartb The Scottish Fiscal Commission published April 8 a report entitled ‘Fiscal Sustainability Report – April 2025’. An article in the Scotland section of the BBC News website covered this under the headline: ‘Significant challenges’ for health funding, warns report.’ (See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgxyegeelyo ) As will become apparent, two things about the BBC article are significant: (See https://ifs.org.uk/articles/scottish-fiscal-sustainability-report-immediate-response) By avoiding any mention of the UK or of Westminster, the BBC misses important context- and perspective-giving references prominent in the IFS’ commentary. The IFS response states right up front: ‘Today’s Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) report highlights the fiscal challenges facing the … Continue reading Revealing how BBC Scotland skewed the response of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to a Scottish Fiscal Commission report: – but why, is there a legitimate, public service reason?

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Sickening hypocrisy – Will the Browns now condemn Starmer as their research project proves that poverty risks the development of babies as much as premature birth?

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Professor John Robertson OBA Only 18 paragraphs down in this headlining story, after much detail on the loss of a baby to former PM Gordon Brown and his wife, do we see this key finding mentioned: Prof James Boardman, from the University of Edinburgh, is the cohort’s chief investigator. His team uses a series of brain scans and psychological studies at various ages. He says one of the key findings so far is that poverty has an impact on brain development. “It would be fair to say that a baby born at full term to a more deprived couple has … Continue reading Sickening hypocrisy – Will the Browns now condemn Starmer as their research project proves that poverty risks the development of babies as much as premature birth?