Tag: scotland

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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

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Why frailty among older people seems less common to GPs in Scotland – Stronger family cohesion and less family fragmentation

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian yesterday: GPs failing older people living with frailty, National Audit Office finds Did the national audit report blame the Labour Government for any of this? Did it note that England had far fewer GPs per head than Scotland. No and no. I asked AI: Are there reports of GPs failing older people living with frailty in Scotland? While there are no explicit reports mirroring the recent National Audit Office (NAO) findings in England—where GPs were found to be failing in assessing and supporting older people living with frailty, with only 16-18% receiving key … Continue reading Why frailty among older people seems less common to GPs in Scotland – Stronger family cohesion and less family fragmentation

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Any Scottish stand-up – “Honestly, at this rate the only thing Great British Energy is powering is my material for the next five years.”

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I’m using AI increasingly. I trust it more than most journalists or thinktanks to tell me the truth. Grok AI time after time reveals no agenda on Scottish independence. Professor John Robertson OBA Only BBC Scotland is going with this ridiculous line: Great British Energy (GBE) says its investments aim to support at least 10,000 jobs over the next five years, with a focus on areas historically dependent on oil and gas. See that ‘support’? I seem to remember the word ‘creation’ was in their aims only a few months ago. Let’s ask AI: Yes, job creation was explicitly one … Continue reading Any Scottish stand-up – “Honestly, at this rate the only thing Great British Energy is powering is my material for the next five years.”