Tag: scotland

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8 YouGov sub-polls suggest steadily strengthening SNP support and hitting 40%

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Pollster YouGov is no friend of Scottish Independence or of the SNP and, in full Scotland-only polls, uses sampling adjustments to consistently get No majorities and low SNP support, amidst other pollsters getting a run of Yes majorities and SNP strength. You can see this anomalous pattern in the last 9 months as other pollsters find quite large Yes leads in polls of 1 000 and more, their unerring ability, with to a lesser extent Survation, to pull out very different results So, when we come to the Scottish sub-polls, though the sample is small, it is not skewed by … Continue reading 8 YouGov sub-polls suggest steadily strengthening SNP support and hitting 40%

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How the SNP’s £1 purchase of Prestwick Airport could be the end of Heathrow’s domination of Scotland’s export trade to the World

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Professor John Robertson OBA This is conjecture and I will admit to only having an SCE Higher in Economics, C pass, 1969, but I sniff something good here. From BBC Glasgow & West Scotland, today, making it to the business page but not to the main page: Prestwick Airport has reported an increase in its financial performance as well as its cargo operations in the last year. The Scottish government-owned airport recorded a £3.5m operating profit for the year to 31 March 2025 – an increase of £300,000 from the previous year. The report said it has already achieved its … Continue reading How the SNP’s £1 purchase of Prestwick Airport could be the end of Heathrow’s domination of Scotland’s export trade to the World

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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, even in the National, above, 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 Government … 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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Police suspected drug deaths trend continues steady fall but under-educated Daily Record Labour hack prefers to attack FM with statistically meaningless one-year change

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Professor John Robertson OBA Any fool can see from the above line graph what the trend is and despite the ups and downs, Scotland’s suspected drugs deaths are falling. From nearly 1 500 per year at the end of 2020 to just over 1 000 in the last 12 months, a 33% fall in only 5 years. The bar chart also show the usual seasonal fall from a winter peak. From Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: July to September 2025 published yesterday: There were 898 suspected drug deaths, 8% (65) greater than during the same period of 2024 (833). Note … Continue reading Police suspected drug deaths trend continues steady fall but under-educated Daily Record Labour hack prefers to attack FM with statistically meaningless one-year change

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How we have paid tens of millions for fourteen years to transform the lives and the economies of islanders only to have a small entitled business elite platformed by media to hide it

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland, today, in their BBC Breakfast TV insert but not on their website so just another report feed to the Pacific Quay team of a no news-value story on supposed hardship for island businesses. What’s the problem with it? There’s a very significant background story never told of just how much this SNP Government has done to transform life on the islands, funded by the rest of us living often in less pleasant places and with never the suggestion of compensation because of limited public transport services. Here it is: The above chart from the Evaluation … Continue reading How we have paid tens of millions for fourteen years to transform the lives and the economies of islanders only to have a small entitled business elite platformed by media to hide it

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UK unemployment 35% higher, youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland

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in the three months to October it has increased to just over 5% according to official figures. BBC Breakfast had an extended piece this morning on the above concern for the UK (sic), the ‘highest level since 2021′ with a focus on young people BBC Scotland did not cover the issue even though it might have been informative for their audience. Why? First, UK Unemployment surges to massive 35% higher than in Scotland – will ‘SNP’ Government get the credit just as they would have been blamed if it was the other way round? These two headlines today and the … Continue reading UK unemployment 35% higher, youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland

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Respect? Why Scotland’s resident doctors delayed their ballot until after the deadly flu season’s predicted peak

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Professor John Robertson OBA At least four of the above stories, including the resident doctor strike news, in the midst of a flu epidemic, concern only NHS England. BBC Scotland have no apparent health worries for us. Why no reporting? The Scottish Resident Doctors vote does not close until 19 December 2025 with strike action unlikely until January. Why have they delayed until this point? Flu cases tend to decline in early January, year after year. Why would the NHS England resident doctors not have delayed? This: See that ‘still?’ This goes back to earlier experience of the doctors and … Continue reading Respect? Why Scotland’s resident doctors delayed their ballot until after the deadly flu season’s predicted peak

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A nuclear power station is ‘on the front line of an election battle?’ Says who? Just one Labour councillor? Thought control in a democracy exemplified

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Professor John Robertson OBA Headlining the BBC Scotland website this morning, the above and: The future of nuclear power in Scotland is shaping up to be a battleground at next year’s Holyrood election – and Torness, on the banks of the Forth, is on the frontline. The Labour government at Westminster has declared its intention to usher in a new “golden age” of nuclear. But the SNP government at Holyrood opposes new nuclear power stations and can use planning laws to prevent them being built – even though energy policy is reserved to the UK Parliament. No one seems to … Continue reading A nuclear power station is ‘on the front line of an election battle?’ Says who? Just one Labour councillor? Thought control in a democracy exemplified

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Ingrained cultural bias in Scottish media that disadvantages the independence movement

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Professor John Robertson OBA In my previous post, Grok AI, correctly I feel, suggested that the above reporting was not a hit job and agreed that it was mostly cultural within Scotland’s media. So, I asekd: I agree it’s not a ‘hit job’ but could it be an example of a culture of bias against the case for Scottish independence where that bias has become normalised and where reporters habitually report in ways that will please their supervisors, get things published and enhance their career prospects without being told by supervisors how to report? The answer: Exploring Normalized Bias in … Continue reading Ingrained cultural bias in Scottish media that disadvantages the independence movement

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Going, going, gone? Nope, still there

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By Liz S BBC headline Scottish pages : ‘Our kids are killing each other – we need to do something’ Meanwhile what was formerly and very recently the top article on the main Scottish page of the BBC website on the 5th December, that is now no longer there and it was also formerly the top article on the Scottish Politics page, but now it has descended to being the 6th article on the Scottish politics page. It was earlier today the 11th article on the Glasgow & West Scotland page but now it has gone from that page. (at 15.36pm). So it’s gonna be a case of that article ……Going , Going and then … Continue reading Going, going, gone? Nope, still there