Why is BBC Scotland not reporting latest crime figures? Because they’re down and murder has plummeted 17% in last 5 years?

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  From Recorded Crime in Scotland: year ending December 20241 published yesterday and from Homicide in Scotland 2020-2021: statistics2, published in October 2021, we can see: After peaking horribly in … Continue reading Why is BBC Scotland not reporting latest crime figures? Because they’re down and murder has plummeted 17% in last 5 years?

BBC Scotland and Prof Paterson shamefully misinterpret statistics to cast another cohort of Scottish students and staff as failures when they are not

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  From BBC Scotland today: The attainment gap between Scotland’s richest and poorest school pupils increased last year, according to new figures. The Scottish government has said since 2015 that … Continue reading BBC Scotland and Prof Paterson shamefully misinterpret statistics to cast another cohort of Scottish students and staff as failures when they are not

As energy prices loom thanks to Labour’s failure, how a Scottish Government call for closer energy links with Europe to cut bills was ignored by ‘Scottish’ media

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  Posted just after midnight, on January 29th 2025, and so in plenty of time for consideration and publication, but there was none, the Scottish Government has called for closer … Continue reading As energy prices loom thanks to Labour’s failure, how a Scottish Government call for closer energy links with Europe to cut bills was ignored by ‘Scottish’ media

As energy bills are set to rise again English financiers says ‘Scotland ‘subsidises’ London energy bills’ and it’s ‘better for Scots to pay over the odds than those living in the English capital’

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  From inkl in October 2024: Households in Scotland are paying higher energy bills than they ought to keep prices down south of the Border, according to experts at the … Continue reading As energy bills are set to rise again English financiers says ‘Scotland ‘subsidises’ London energy bills’ and it’s ‘better for Scots to pay over the odds than those living in the English capital’

UK Labour government to cut funds for safety at Sellafield – the “bottomless pit of hell, money and despair” just upwind and upstream of millions of Scots

By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS, former power station and dyeworks worker In the Guardian today, the above and this: Sellafield has said nearly £3bn in new funding is “not enough” and bosses are now examining swingeing cuts, prompting fears over jobs and safety at the vast nuclear waste dump. Sellafield’s chief executive, Euan Hutton, has told staff that the funding was “not enough” to carry out planned works, leaving bosses to make “difficult decisions” over spending, sources told the Guardian. The public spending watchdog has said the ultimate cost of cleaning up Sellafield is expected to rise … Continue reading UK Labour government to cut funds for safety at Sellafield – the “bottomless pit of hell, money and despair” just upwind and upstream of millions of Scots

Labour will trail even further if Sarwar keeps giving bad interviews with the media

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, finishing in 5 days, 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 Liz S Labour will trail even further if Sarwar keeps giving bad interviews with the media. BBC The Sunday Show, saw a clip online from this programme. Martin Geissler interviewing Anas Sarwar this morning. MG: “Here’s … Continue reading Labour will trail even further if Sarwar keeps giving bad interviews with the media

Why is ‘English drug dealer’ paying off ‘drug debt from England’ in Fraserburgh not connected to wider plague?

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, finishing in 4 days, 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 Thanks to reader Anonymous and Liz S (same?) for the above link and this today, not being covered by BBC North East nor by STV North East: More English drug dealers pitching up in the North East: … Continue reading Why is ‘English drug dealer’ paying off ‘drug debt from England’ in Fraserburgh not connected to wider plague?

Someone is disappointed as another £328 tax-payer cost FoI request reveals anti-social behaviour in decline in Elgin

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, finishing in 4 days, 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 From a Freedom of Information request to Police Scotland, published today, we see: A total of 1639 incidents of anti-social behaviour in Elgin in 2024, down from 1828 the … Continue reading Someone is disappointed as another £328 tax-payer cost FoI request reveals anti-social behaviour in decline in Elgin

Labour letting the Waspi women die in poverty is just business for my local Labour MP, the BBC and BBC Scotland, as they shield Sarwar

My folk and punk songs about the Waspi women above. In the Daily Mail today: Labour deny Waspi women pension payouts amid fury at ‘betrayal’… and it all seems very boring to Chancellor’s yawning righthand man. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15509015/Waspi-women-WONT-pension-payouts-ministers-say-latest-review-confirms-compensation-not-required.html What’s the case? Many WASPI woman are now looking after elderly relatives and grandchildren, in a way far less common among men of comparable age, as well as experiencing worsening health. Research from Age UK, found 26% of single older women live in poverty compared to 21% of single older men.The Mental Health Foundation reported that depression affects around 22% of men and 28% of women … Continue reading Labour letting the Waspi women die in poverty is just business for my local Labour MP, the BBC and BBC Scotland, as they shield Sarwar

Climate change targets in the country with 76% of the UK’s new tree planting – ‘Why don’t they do it as well as the Scots?’

By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS Severin Carroll in the Guardian today, with a worried John Swinney photo: Scotland is likely to miss its legally binding climate target by up to 20m tonnes, according to official data seen by the Guardian. The Scottish government set itself the world-leading target of reaching net zero – the point where any excess carbon emissions are soaked up by trees, peat or carbon capture – by 2045. Successive first ministers, including Nicola Sturgeon and the current first minister, John Swinney, have described Scotland repeatedly as a world leader on climate and stated their … Continue reading Climate change targets in the country with 76% of the UK’s new tree planting – ‘Why don’t they do it as well as the Scots?’