Tag: scotland

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BBC Scotland’s Lisa Summers exposes the sham – and the trap – of devolution

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By stewartb Lisa Summers’ ‘Analysis’ of the Scottish Nurses 8% pay deal: The gamble here is that it doesn’t know what deal will be offered to NHS staff elsewhere in the UK as negotiations are ongoing. However, the UK government has so far said it would recommend a 2.8% increase, a move described as “offensive” by unions. If the pay deal is significantly higher for Scotland, the government will have to find the money to pay for it with no additional money coming from Westminster … Ms Summers exposes the sham – and the trap – of devolution. The NHS is the responsibility of the … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s Lisa Summers exposes the sham – and the trap – of devolution

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Lisa Summers reporting NHS Scotland down as Unison talks it up

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Brenda Robb for alerting me tot his. In Nursing Times yesterday: The latest NHS pay offer in Scotland “sends a really powerful message” to other UK countries about what can be achieved through direct pay negotiations, Unison Scotland’s co-lead for health has said. Speaking with Nursing Times, Matt McLaughlin said other UK countries were “hiding behind bureaucracy” when it comes to NHS pay and it was “no good” for the health service. “In the other parts of the UK, it seems that people are hiding behind bureaucracy” Matt McLaughlin Scotland is the first UK … Continue reading Lisa Summers reporting NHS Scotland down as Unison talks it up

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Revealing how BBC Scotland skewed the response of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to a Scottish Fiscal Commission report: – but why, is there a legitimate, public service reason?

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By stewartb The Scottish Fiscal Commission published April 8 a report entitled ‘Fiscal Sustainability Report – April 2025’. An article in the Scotland section of the BBC News website covered this under the headline: ‘Significant challenges’ for health funding, warns report.’ (See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgxyegeelyo ) As will become apparent, two things about the BBC article are significant: (See https://ifs.org.uk/articles/scottish-fiscal-sustainability-report-immediate-response) By avoiding any mention of the UK or of Westminster, the BBC misses important context- and perspective-giving references prominent in the IFS’ commentary. The IFS response states right up front: ‘Today’s Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) report highlights the fiscal challenges facing the … Continue reading Revealing how BBC Scotland skewed the response of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to a Scottish Fiscal Commission report: – but why, is there a legitimate, public service reason?

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Five years of threats, violence and death in Perth as English County Lines drugs gangs seize homes in towns and villages across rural Scotland but BBC Scotland will not report it

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Professor John Robertson OBA Today, the Courier reports the above. Notice that word in the last line? Yes, it’s another County Lines drug from an English city (there is no other type) gang bringing ‘threats, violence and death‘ to parts of Scotland which were formerly less familiar with such trauma. The County Lines business model provides new more powerful and cheaper drugs in small towns and villages, based on children acting as mules to bring the supply in on buses and trains, backed up by heavies from the cities to suppress any local opposition. Neither BBC Scotland nor BBC Scotland … Continue reading Five years of threats, violence and death in Perth as English County Lines drugs gangs seize homes in towns and villages across rural Scotland but BBC Scotland will not report it

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How death due to a cancer screening error in Scotland is different from one in England

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Leicestershire today has the above and: The family of a mother who died from cervical cancer after twice being wrongly told she had negative results have been awarded undisclosed damages. The misreporting of Louise Gleadell’s cervical screening results was admitted by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust following her death aged 38 in March 2018. An internal review in 2017 found the samples, taken four years apart, were not good enough to produce reliable results but neither Ms Gleadell – a mum to three boys – nor her relatives were told about the “inadequate” samples … Continue reading How death due to a cancer screening error in Scotland is different from one in England

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How ‘two 13-year-olds charged after Scottish primary hit by ‘sectarian arson attacks’ tells us to calm down

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the National today and no doubt all over the Scottish media with dramatic headlines, two 13 year-olds are charged with vandalism in the form of ‘anti-Catholic‘ graffiti on the wall of a primary school. I do feel for the staff, parents and the children. It will have been unsettling and it is unacceptable. I was pleased that the FM will visit the school to show support but let’s keep things in perspective. This is not evidence of surging or worsening hate crimes against Catholics. Hate crime based on religion, including against Muslims, Jews, Sikhs and … Continue reading How ‘two 13-year-olds charged after Scottish primary hit by ‘sectarian arson attacks’ tells us to calm down

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Labour , the union which supports them and ‘their’ media have all damaged the reputation of this shipyard

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By Liz S Gary Cook of the GMB at Ferguson Marine, and others like him, needs to get their stories straight and adopt a consistent narrative. So with a workers Union and a media supporting a Political party (Labour) targeting , as in making political attacks, upon this company, as in their shipyard, that then prompts a lack of confidence in the company’s shipyard, but then their , Labour’s, real target (the SNP) must somehow be in the thick of this story , as they were the ones who nationalised it so this must end up, like all things Scottish, … Continue reading Labour , the union which supports them and ‘their’ media have all damaged the reputation of this shipyard

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Water bills in Labour Wales to increase by TWO to THREE times more than in Jackie Baillie’s taps

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By stewartb Wales Correspondent I missed this on April Fools’ Day. The Daily Record published an article below the headline: ‘Water bills in Scotland to soar today – find out how you are affected’. Perhaps it was a ‘slow’ day in the office. After all, the BBC News website and others had covered the rise in charges introduced by Scottish Water way back in January. On January 28, the BBC News website published a detailed, informative piece headlined: ‘Scottish Water bills set to rise 9.9% in April’. The article gave lots of factual information. Perhaps the Record’s motivation for regurgitating old news becomes … Continue reading Water bills in Labour Wales to increase by TWO to THREE times more than in Jackie Baillie’s taps

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SNP plans even fairer taxation with new council tax band

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Telegraph, above, plotting the downfall of the SNP with the politics of meanness. The Scottish Government is consulting with local councils on introducing a new council tax band for the most expensive homes. Expect a hysterical reaction as Anas Sarwar and his mum both rage against their houses being included. Most of us, I’m sure recognise another progressive initiative from the SNP in Government to gradually work away at the inequality which so damages life for everyone, including the rich. We had to defend Scotland’s modest attempts in this regard, earlier this year: We’ve recently … Continue reading SNP plans even fairer taxation with new council tax band

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Herald’s Martin Williams reports others taking ‘pot shots at the SNP’ using the ferries for ammo! What? That’s his job isn’t it? He’s trusted for it!

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Professor John Robertson OBA, BA Journalism Research Methods Module Co-ordinator (really I was) One of these moments, eh? The Herald‘s main ferry correspondent, daily rubbishing the SNP Government for their oversight of the CalMac ferry service (best in the world, really), writes today: So much to say. So much to snigger at. Is that headline suggesting the PM not the FM is to blame for not getting new contracts and letting them go to Poland? The headline is a bit different at the full page: More confusion – Is Starmer now to blame for those ‘pot shots’, aimed at the … Continue reading Herald’s Martin Williams reports others taking ‘pot shots at the SNP’ using the ferries for ammo! What? That’s his job isn’t it? He’s trusted for it!