Tag: scotland

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Crime and police staffing in Scotland – Factcheck finds more officers than under Labour and only half the crime!

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are making them feel vulnerable and sometimes unsafe. The Inspectorate of Constabulary says resources are a major concern, as well as the state of police buildings and disruption to days off. From Reporting Scotland this morning, the above. Note the word ‘feel‘ twice. We then hear from the Chief Inspector of Constabulary: It is glowing white hot. It is massive in the growth of demand and it’s more than I’ve ever seen. Resourcing is a challenge. You’re reducing the officer numbers. You’re reducing the amount of people available to work on a shift. It will cause problems because it will … Continue reading Crime and police staffing in Scotland – Factcheck finds more officers than under Labour and only half the crime!

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National Parks England & Wales on Raptor protection – ‘The Westminster and Welsh Governments should follow Scotland’s lead’

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By Professor John Robertson Big in the Guardian today, completely ignored in other MSM, the above from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/09/national-parks-in-england-and-wales-failing-on-biodiversity-say-campaigners has nothing to say about Scotland. Why should it? This on page 77: In response to ongoing raptor persecution, the Scottish Government introduced vicarious liability offences in District National Park. The birdwatcher had spotted a short-eared owl and watched it through his scope as it gracefully quartered the moor. Suddenly, the bird’s body was lost in a cloud of feathers as a shot rang out across the moors. The eyewitness managed to record footage of the suspect and reported the incident to … Continue reading National Parks England & Wales on Raptor protection – ‘The Westminster and Welsh Governments should follow Scotland’s lead’

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Deaths on A9 plummet to disappoint Murdo Fraser and Scotland’s roads revealed to be safest in UK

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By Professor John Robertson In December 2023, Douglas Ross accused the SNP of showing contempt for communities ‘reliant on the A9.’ Conservative Home wrote: In a recent debate at Holyrood on the £3 billion dualling programme, Murdo expressed frustration that, with the exception of Fergus Ewing, there were no SNP MSPs from the areas that are impacted who voted to treat the long-delayed dualling project as an urgent priority.’ A recent Freedom of Information request, probably by the Scottish Conservatives, seeking details of the number of deaths on the A9 in 2023 will have sorely disappointed them and is notably … Continue reading Deaths on A9 plummet to disappoint Murdo Fraser and Scotland’s roads revealed to be safest in UK

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CalMac ferries are youngest in major survey!

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linked to the aging vessels it currently it currently has to use. By Professor John Robertson BBC Scotland today, opening with the ferries construction being ‘delayed and over budget‘, a ‘running sore‘, then ‘delayed and over budget‘ again, all in less than 60 seconds, in case you didn’t get that, before repeating the idea that the fleet is ‘aging.’ Well, we’re all aging, but CalMac ferries are, objectively, younger than average, for a ferry fleet. From a September 2022, Ernst and Young LLP survey for the Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland department, CalMac ferries are, on average, newer (22) than those … Continue reading CalMac ferries are youngest in major survey!

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Another step toward life ‘in the early days of a better nation’ – Human rights centred benefits approach for disabled children in Scotland that BBC Scotland is predicted to ignore

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By Professor John Robertson I’ve written many times now how the SNP in government, hamstrung by the limits of the devolution settlement, is working hard toward Alasdair Gray’s famous line – “Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation.” We see it clearly, as long as we don’t rely on Scotland’s self-hating media, in the compensation for the bedroom tax and two child benefit cap, in the free prescriptions, the bus passes for youngsters to get them to college or apprenticeships, the progressive taxation and the world-leading child benefit which even the IFS had to … Continue reading Another step toward life ‘in the early days of a better nation’ – Human rights centred benefits approach for disabled children in Scotland that BBC Scotland is predicted to ignore

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Elderly and frail TWICE as likely to wait more than 24 hours in A&E in England than in Scotland

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No pictures of old folk required here By Professor John Robertson From the Guardian today: More than 150,000 patients had to wait a day in A&E before getting a hospital bed last year, according to new data. Freedom of information data compiled by the Liberal Democrats from 73 hospital trusts – about half the total – found that the number of patients forced to wait more than 24 hours in A&E before a bed could be found for them has increased by tenfold since 2019. The majority of those forced to wait were elderly or frail, with two-thirds of the … Continue reading Elderly and frail TWICE as likely to wait more than 24 hours in A&E in England than in Scotland

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Elderly Canadian ferries major maintenance woes and climate change failures after severe government cuts to funding

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By Professor John Robertson After years of crew shortages and breakdowns in elderly ferries (average age 37 compared to 24 in Scotland) BC Ferries customers faced new disappointments at the end of 2023. From CTV News in August 2023: BC Ferries says it will be more than a month before its Coastal Renaissance ferry returns to service. The vessel has been docked for days now, after an issue with its motor took it out of service on Aug. 17. In an update Tuesday, the provincial ferry provider said the Coastal Renaissance will not be back in service until October. and … Continue reading Elderly Canadian ferries major maintenance woes and climate change failures after severe government cuts to funding

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Prison activity time – Lib Dumbs cannot count as trend is upward but assaults remain at half the level of England & Wales

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By Professor John Robertson Headlining on the Herald website today, another Lib Dem (5th biggest party) ‘investigation’: Overcrowding in Scotland’s prisons has led to a significant drop in the number of “purposeful activity” hours being offered to inmates, new figures have revealed. The Scottish Liberal Democrats have warned of a “vicious cycle” with prisoners reoffending because they have been deprived of education and training while inside that would help them rehabilitate. The evidence? This: So, once more, selective, inaccurate, use of stats from the Lib Dumbs. First the fall of 3, from 16 to 13 hours, is not 25%, but 18.75%. Did … Continue reading Prison activity time – Lib Dumbs cannot count as trend is upward but assaults remain at half the level of England & Wales

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Under Labour, NHS Wales has a waiting list 36% longer than England and 150% longer than Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson As the Guardian reports today a surge in waiting times in England, after a year of strikes, I thought I’d have a look at NHS Wales, led by the Labour Party, to see if that might offer us hope for better performance as the they take over in England next year. England has 18 times the population of Wales. Scotland has 1.7 times the population of Wales. According to the BMJ in March 2023, there were 734 000 on the NHS Wales waiting lists (presumably more now). https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/nhs-delivery-and-workforce/pressures/nhs-under-pressure-wales#:~:text=Waiting%20lists%20remain%20high&text=In%20March%202023%2C%20there%20were,it%20was%20in%20March%202020. All things being equal, you’d then expect England … Continue reading Under Labour, NHS Wales has a waiting list 36% longer than England and 150% longer than Scotland

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After more than 50 days of strikes and more than a million appointments cancelled NHS England’s waiting list swells to proportionally TWICE that in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson More than 50 days of NHS strikes in England, and counting, the Guardian today reports: Almost 10 million people across England could be waiting for an NHS appointment or treatment, 2 million more than previously estimated, according to a survey by the Office for National Statistics. The ONS survey of about 90,000 adults found that 21% of patients were waiting for a hospital appointment or to start receiving treatment on the NHS. When extrapolated, this equates to 9.7 million people. In January, the waiting list stood at 7.6 million, according to official NHS statistics. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/03/almost-10-million-people-in-england-could-be-on-nhs-waiting-list The Guardian report does … Continue reading After more than 50 days of strikes and more than a million appointments cancelled NHS England’s waiting list swells to proportionally TWICE that in Scotland