Tag: politics

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NHS Scotland has the shortest waiting lists and 97% efficiency in progressing operations regardless of delays in building new units because of UK Government’s spending review

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland today has: More than £34m has been spent developing plans for five delayed NHS treatment centres which are meant to deal with a backlog of operations. then largely demolishing any value their report might have: … Continue reading NHS Scotland has the shortest waiting lists and 97% efficiency in progressing operations regardless of delays in building new units because of UK Government’s spending review

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Grenfell is to come down – A reminder of why a towering inferno will never happen in Scotland

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser closing on Friday, primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS Today [February 6th 2025] in the Guardian: Grenfell Tower is to be demolished, bereaved families are understood to have been told by Angela Rayner. Rayner, the deputy … Continue reading Grenfell is to come down – A reminder of why a towering inferno will never happen in Scotland

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Ayrshire Labour MPs could easily have voted against ‘plunging a rising number of children into poverty’ with no long term harm to their ‘careers’ or salaries but were too afraid to do so

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In Ayrshire Live on 24th July 2024: New Labour MPs vote to keep two-child benefit cap despite branding it ‘cruel’ previously During the election campaign Kilmarnock and Loudoun’s new MP previously called the two-child benefit cap “cruel”. All four of Ayrshire’s new Labour MPs have voted with the UK Government to keep the two-child benefit cap. Central Ayrshire MP Alan Gemmell, Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP Lillian Jones, Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock MP Elaine Stewart and North Ayrshire and Arran MP Irene Campbell all backed Prime Minister Keir Starmer. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/new-labour-mps-vote-keep-33314784 Today in the Guardian: Labour restores whip to three more MPs who opposed two-child benefit cap – Labour has restored … Continue reading Ayrshire Labour MPs could easily have voted against ‘plunging a rising number of children into poverty’ with no long term harm to their ‘careers’ or salaries but were too afraid to do so

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Latest of eight bias-free sub-polls has SNP 19 points ahead of Labour, Cons in deep trouble and Reform surging into second place, even in Scotland

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On January 14, 2025, I had the above, based on 7 Westminster sub-polls unaffected by bias, resulting from adjusting the sample to reflect the more than 10 years old 2014 referendum result, still used in all-Scotland polls and suggesting we’re still ‘even Stevens’ (not Flynn) on the yes/no vote while the SNP remain in the doldrums. Today, from YouGov: UK-wide Scottish Sub-poll (214) Regardless of the SNP support not back at full strength, though Op Branchform looks like withering soon, this suggests an SNP wipe-out other than in the LibDem seats. Transferred to Holyrood, I feel sure we can say … Continue reading Latest of eight bias-free sub-polls has SNP 19 points ahead of Labour, Cons in deep trouble and Reform surging into second place, even in Scotland

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RAAC! In Scotland only 1.6% of homes or schools have it, buyers should sue inspectors and mortgage advisers not beg from Scot Gov/us and it’ll last for decades if maintained

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By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland’s wee insert today in BBC Breakfast, was jam packed with bad news linked to the Scottish Government – consultant vacancies, school violence, homelessness/housing crisis and RAAC. On RAAC, some facts which will not be mentioned much, if at all: Aberdeen home-owners buy property which requires maintenance just like any other, in a Thatcherite scheme, at a knock-down price, from a Tory or Labour council, after a professional survey, and the SNP Government has to do something? RAAC!! A classic media scare story as only between 0.3% and 1.6% of Scotland’s social housing has it. Leading … Continue reading RAAC! In Scotland only 1.6% of homes or schools have it, buyers should sue inspectors and mortgage advisers not beg from Scot Gov/us and it’ll last for decades if maintained

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School violence in Scotland – Fact Check

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Such was the level of violence in Scottish schools last April that the same two boys had to travel the country to represent it visually. Kind of makes you wonder why, in the age of mobile phone cameras of awesome quality, why BBC Scotland and Wales only have the same Getty image of two lads play wrestling. Some facts, you won’t be hearing much today. School violence: A classic example of seeking to stoke moral panic All forms of bullying in decline and students feel safer than in other nations Youth violence plummets across society yet increases … Continue reading School violence in Scotland – Fact Check

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Homelessness in Scotland – the facts you won’t hear today from BBC Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland’s wee insert today in BBC Breakfast, was jam packed with bad news linked to the Scottish Government – consultant vacancies, school violence, RAAC and homelessness/housing crisis. On homelessness and the shortage of housing, some facts which will not be mentioned much, if at all: 1 Core Homelessness lowest in Scotland ‘Core homelessness’ – a concept which captures the most severe and immediate forms of homelessness – is estimated to have stood at 14,250 households on a given night in Scotland in 2019, having been relatively stable over the preceding seven years. Rates of core homelessness are substantially lower in Scotland (0.57% of households) than in England (0.94%) and … Continue reading Homelessness in Scotland – the facts you won’t hear today from BBC Scotland

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NHS Scotland’s consultant vacancies – some important facts the BMA and the media won’t be telling you

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA BMA Scotland is all over ‘Scottish’ media today with tales of ‘more than 1 000’ consultant vacancies, after deciding to adjust the published figure of 398 to include ‘posts being temporarily filled by locums, those not yet … Continue reading NHS Scotland’s consultant vacancies – some important facts the BMA and the media won’t be telling you

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A BBC Political Editor’s cri de coeur for the North in response to Labour’s investment focus on SE England contrasts with BBC Scotland’s response …..what was it, anyone?

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By stewartb The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s recent announcement of major infrastructure investments to catalyse UK growth seems to have received little attention from the mainstream media that supposedly ‘serves’ Scotland. However, what’s been lacking here is in contrast to commentary elsewhere, notably in the north of England. An article in Bella Caledonia (February 3) by Neil Blain reflects on the news coverage in Scotland of the Chancellor’s big speech, or rather its near absence from most of the mainstream media in Scotland: ‘Reactions to the Silicon Valley and Heathrow announcements were more evident in England than Scotland, in the … Continue reading A BBC Political Editor’s cri de coeur for the North in response to Labour’s investment focus on SE England contrasts with BBC Scotland’s response …..what was it, anyone?

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Police officer strength climbs for second year to 1.7% higher than when Labour left power in 2007 despite a 38% fall in crime

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA From – Police officer quarterly strength statistics: 31 December 2024, published today: Scotland’s Chief Statistician has published statistics on Police Officer Quarterly Strength, which gives the number of full-time equivalent police officers employed by Police Scotland. The … Continue reading Police officer strength climbs for second year to 1.7% higher than when Labour left power in 2007 despite a 38% fall in crime