Tag: politics

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Jimmy Reid’s granddaughter is joined by Kemi Badenoch in darkly cynical campaign to smear Scotland with disgraceful suggestion SNP is ‘hiding something’ about grooming rape gangs here too

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Herald today, on the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch: Kemi Badenoch has described Police Scotland’s failure to investigate a grooming gang in Scotland as “utterly shameful”. The Tory leader also accused the Scottish Government of “blocking scrutiny” into the allegations and warned that its refusal to support a public inquiry would lead to questions about whether the SNP was “hiding something”. Labour’s Joani Reid has been ploughing this rancid furrow for some time now and the answer for Badenoch will be similar. First, is Badenoch guilty of the same opportunistic shifting hypocrisy as we saw with Reid when, under … Continue reading Jimmy Reid’s granddaughter is joined by Kemi Badenoch in darkly cynical campaign to smear Scotland with disgraceful suggestion SNP is ‘hiding something’ about grooming rape gangs here too

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BBC Scotland still hiding where the buck should have stopped for the three Stonehaven rail deaths five years ago

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From BBC Scotland today, the above and: The inquiry into a train derailment which killed three men in the north east of Scotland could now last under a fortnight, a hearing has been told. The Aberdeen to Glasgow train came off the rails at Carmont, in Aberdeenshire, on 12 August 2020 after it hit a landslide following heavy rain. Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the crash. Network Rail was later fined £6.7m after admitting a series of failings which led to the deaths. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c77z5538zeko What is Network Rail? Who are … Continue reading BBC Scotland still hiding where the buck should have stopped for the three Stonehaven rail deaths five years ago

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On Remembrance Sunday, peer-reviewed research proves that Scotland’s WW1 army war dead was a greater sacrifice, 63% higher than the rest of the UK

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Professor John Robertson OBA With the UK media again saturated with frankly disturbing jingoism based on myths about the two world, it seems like a good moment to repeat this attempt to resolve the alleged myth that Scots had given more in blood on the WWI battlefields. On 10th August 2014, with clear political intent, the Scotsman allowed Sir Hew Strachan to confirm it as a myth: Great War worst for Scots troops ‘a myth’ https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/great-war-worst-scots-troops-myth-1529401 In Patrick Watt’s Manpower, Myth and Memory: Analysing Scotland’s Military Contribution to the Great War in the Journal of Scottish Historical Studies, on 24th May 2019 based on extensive research, … Continue reading On Remembrance Sunday, peer-reviewed research proves that Scotland’s WW1 army war dead was a greater sacrifice, 63% higher than the rest of the UK

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‘Scottish’ Labour MP Joani Reid appears on right-wing media to try to drag Scotland into England’s grooming rape gangs shame

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Professor John Robertson OBA The ever-alert MSM Monitor spots the latest attempt by Jimmy Reid‘s granddaughter, Joani, to shame Scotland on behalf of UK Labour. The facts she cares nothing for: Don’t be fooled – this is not a ‘grooming’ gang like those in England – no children, no children’s homes, no thousands of victims They, Scottish Labour and the MSM, would just love it if Scotland had one of those grooming gangs like the ones they have in England. That’s why they’re using the term for a gang that has little in common with the English ones and which, … Continue reading ‘Scottish’ Labour MP Joani Reid appears on right-wing media to try to drag Scotland into England’s grooming rape gangs shame

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NHS England threaten longer waiting lists, already quarter of million longer than in Scotland and to ration care – Imagine that was in Ayrshire?

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waiting list and more than 10 000 of them have waited over a year. Professor John Robertson OBA UK Labour MP, Elaine Stewart, is outside her local hospital to shout about the length of the waiting list. There is no single “waiting list” for the entire board. Lists are made up of sub-lists from each department. I’m not able to comment. If you are a constituent, you might like to write and ask her. What I do know is: NHS England threaten longer waiting lists, already quarter of million longer than in Scotland and to ration care – Imagine that … Continue reading NHS England threaten longer waiting lists, already quarter of million longer than in Scotland and to ration care – Imagine that was in Ayrshire?

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Ayrshire Labour MP fails to understand that health board debt to the Scottish Government is not like English health trusts in debt to rapacious private corporations did she?

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is now in £130 million debt, the highest in Scotland. Professor John Robertson OBA How worrying is the above debt? Not at all. From Every Doctor, the above and: The NHS is haemorrhaging billions to private companies through Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts at a time when the health service desperately needs investment in staff and infrastructure. An EveryDoctor investigation has uncovered that 69 NHS trusts in England are locked into paying more than £21.1bn to private companies over the next two decades – money that could be spent on doctors, healthcare staff, patients, and critical repairs. The total spent on PFI debt … Continue reading Ayrshire Labour MP fails to understand that health board debt to the Scottish Government is not like English health trusts in debt to rapacious private corporations did she?

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99% of drug and alcohol patients seen in 3 weeks, 99% of children and adolescents with mental health problems seen on time and 98% of cancer patients begin treatment within 31 days but local Labour MP prefers you don’t know that

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being missed. Professor John Robertson OBA UK Labour’s Elaine Stewart outside her local hospital to shout about supposed failures, demoralising passing staff again and being carefully selective about what locals should know. There are two cancer treatment targets. The 62-day standard states that 95% of eligible patients should wait no longer than 62 days from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first cancer treatment.  Only one Scottish NHS board meets that target. This is the longer of the two targets presumably for good reason. The shorter target, the 31-day standard, states that 95% of eligible patients should wait no longer … Continue reading 99% of drug and alcohol patients seen in 3 weeks, 99% of children and adolescents with mental health problems seen on time and 98% of cancer patients begin treatment within 31 days but local Labour MP prefers you don’t know that

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Brian Leishman kisses the PM’s ring for early release in error and enjoys the whip again

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By Liz S “Whip restored to suspended Labour MP Leishman” As if that is news that was not expected at some point. He , Leishman, was said to be one of four Labour MP’s who have had their suspension lifted after a discussions with the chief whip Jonathan Reynolds on the previous Friday . So Brian Leishman , formerly a supposed Labour rebel with a cause, has now promised to become a good boy , so I assume he has also promised the Labour Chief Whip that he, Brian Leishman, will be a rebel no more ? On social media Leishman wrote: “People can rest assured that I will … Continue reading Brian Leishman kisses the PM’s ring for early release in error and enjoys the whip again

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Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland because….

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Professor John Robertson OBA Children being referred to Prevent, the anti-terror scheme, naturally interests journalists. The National headlines responsibly and informatively but the SDM (Short for SaDoMasichism?) finds something titillating for its readers. Here’s something informative, to help the vulnerable and anxious elderly (older than me of course): So, quickly, 11 times the population, if Scotland was just as troubled by this as England & Wales, and they’d have 1 782 referrals but they had 8 778, MORE THAN FOUR times as many, 98% of the total. Sources: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individuals-referred-to-prevent-to-march-2025 https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2025/august/25-2360-prevent-referrals-report-2024-25/ Why so few in Scotland? Some ideas I posted tentatively … Continue reading Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland because….

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Casual dishonesty about lower violent crime for all and lower taxation for most in Scotland goes uncorrected

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Professor John Robertson OBA I don’t think I’ve commented on BBC Scotland’s Debate Night before. I’m guessing it is not much watched. However, last night I was taken by the astonishing lies by the two Unionists, Pauline McNeill (Labour), Justice Committee Convenor (Remember that) and Brian Whittle (Con). First the Justice Committee Convenor’s simple comment in passing above – surely she has seen the figures? From Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2024-251 published in June 2025: There is, in these figures, a sharp decrease in non-sexual extreme violence and an apparent increase in sex offences but there is a great deal … Continue reading Casual dishonesty about lower violent crime for all and lower taxation for most in Scotland goes uncorrected