Tag: scotland

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How Scotland’s disability benefits system has been kinder, remains affordable but is not apparently worthy of proper media coverage

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Today, BBC Reporting Scotland Down has the above story on disability payments in Scotland. As always there’s no context so that the narrative can remain pure – critical of the Scottish Government. What is the most important recent historical fact in disability payments in the UK? This: A leading disability rights charity has described new suicide statistics as the “tragic face of systemic inequality”. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggested disabled people had the highest rate of dying by suicide compared to other groups. It found 48 disabled men per 100,000 people and 19 … Continue reading How Scotland’s disability benefits system has been kinder, remains affordable but is not apparently worthy of proper media coverage

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As Labour government cuts millions from funding for victims’ services, SNP increase it by 12% in one year

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today: The [UK] government has cut millions of pounds in funding for victims’ services, prompting warnings that “criminals will go unpunished” unless it urgently changes its position. The Victims’ Commissioner has written a letter to chancellor Rachel Reeves, shared exclusively with the Observer, saying a combination of funding reductions and the upcoming employers’ national insurance increase was creating an “existential crisis” for charities. The commissioner and charities in the sector are calling for an urgent funding increase in the next spending review, which concludes this spring. “These crucial services ensure victims have the … Continue reading As Labour government cuts millions from funding for victims’ services, SNP increase it by 12% in one year

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Scilly Season – 48 year old ailing, elderly, ferry replacement no longer due in 2026 despite journey times dearly doubling

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By Professor John Robertson OBE From BBC Cornwall, yesterday: Final preparations are under way for the Scillonian III ferry to start sailing to the Isles of Scilly next month on what could be her last season. The vessel came into service in 1977 and has made more than 10,000 trips to the islands. Senior managers at the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group (ISSG) have said the ferry was now 48 years old and it was now time to look forward. Her replacement, the Scillonian IV, and a new cargo vessel were both under construction in Vietnam and were scheduled to enter service … Continue reading Scilly Season – 48 year old ailing, elderly, ferry replacement no longer due in 2026 despite journey times dearly doubling

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The case for developing a shipbuilding industry on the Clyde – as four cheap-build island ‘lifeline’, Turkey-built ferries are delayed again and again despite cheap and dangerous practice

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The MV Isle of Islay, a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) vessel and the first of two vessels to serve the islands of Jura and Islay, taking to the water for the first time on Saturday at Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard in Yalova, Turkey. Picture: CMAL/PA Wire© (Photo: CMAL) By Professor John Robertson OBA From the Scotsman today: A fleet of ferries being built in Turkey have been hit by a further setback, with their completion date pushed back by at least another three months due to labour shortages. The Isle of Islay – the first of four vessels being built at the … Continue reading The case for developing a shipbuilding industry on the Clyde – as four cheap-build island ‘lifeline’, Turkey-built ferries are delayed again and again despite cheap and dangerous practice

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Massive seagrass project – Scottish Government provides core funding for this high profile project but you’d never know that from the reporting

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By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC UK had this story and it’s getting fairly wide UK media coverage. I see little ‘Scottish’ media coverage but maybe they’re not up yet. What’s it all about? Seagrass is a wonder plant, the only true flowering plant in the sea. The meadows it creates in shallow and intertidal waters are home to a bewildering array of wildlife and are often likened to rainforests because of the thousands of species they provide food and shelter for. Scottish seas are a special place for marine habitats like seagrass, with our coast stretching 18,000 km and … Continue reading Massive seagrass project – Scottish Government provides core funding for this high profile project but you’d never know that from the reporting

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LATEST – Two research groups praise unique SNP efforts to tackle child poverty in the interests of all of us

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By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS From Turning the tide What it will take to reduce child poverty in the UK published by the Resolution Foundation, two days ago, at: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/, the above revealing graph and: In 2017, the Scottish Government enshrined ambitious child poverty reduction targets into law. These targets require Scottish ministers to reduce relative child poverty in Scotland to below 10 per cent and absolute child poverty to below 5 per cent by 2030 (both measured after housing costs).50 Such ambition has led to Scotland enacting measures that directly boost the incomes of parents claiming … Continue reading LATEST – Two research groups praise unique SNP efforts to tackle child poverty in the interests of all of us

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The lowest crime, the safest campuses and now, with Glasgow Central at 1 458th in the table, the safest railway stations – I blame that SNP!

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Newton-on-Ayr Railway Station the most dangerous railway station in Scotland but only the 67th most dangerous in the UK. By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS  The ‘Scottish’ Sun true to form, has: The Daily Record, ever-useless as a reliable information source for its readers, has: They do go on to tell us: A recent analysis of UK-wide data identified the train stations across the nation with the highest crimes rates. Topping the list for Scotland is a small station near Ayr, ranking 67th out of all 2,580 terminals in the UK. but the damage is done by the headline. There … Continue reading The lowest crime, the safest campuses and now, with Glasgow Central at 1 458th in the table, the safest railway stations – I blame that SNP!

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Far more working-class students in medicine in Scotland

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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 the Guardian yesterday, the above shocking headline. You won’t be surprised to see the Guardian report is typically and lazily, Anglocentric when you see this from the original … Continue reading Far more working-class students in medicine in Scotland

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Crime continues to fall in Glasgow but corporate media cannot tell you the truth that it is falling fast and NOT the highest in Scotland or even near the several highest in England and Wales

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By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS  Glasgow Live yesterday, had: Glasgow named as most dangerous Scottish area with highest crime rate in government report – A new report from the Scottish Government has revealed Glasgow is the most dangerous area in the country, as crime in the city increases by four per cent in 2024.1 The ‘report‘ is actually Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2023-24, where in the attached tables, you can see the data for different parts of Scotland. No one has ‘named‘ Glasgow anything, other than two journalists. As for the above 4% increase, concentrate lads (!), … Continue reading Crime continues to fall in Glasgow but corporate media cannot tell you the truth that it is falling fast and NOT the highest in Scotland or even near the several highest in England and Wales

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Reform UK – Not the party to champion working-class communities like those in Shettleston?

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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 Liz S Former Tory Councillor , Thomas Kerr, who defected to Reform UK party tweeted this yesterday: “Swinney calling a press conference to discuss Reform is peak desperation. The Holyrood establishment is petrified and rightly so. … Continue reading Reform UK – Not the party to champion working-class communities like those in Shettleston?