Tag: scotland

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Poll suggests Scottish Socialists could win 17% and 16 regional MSP seats to support and nudge a pro-independence Scottish government toward the left

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By Professor of Media Politics, Dr John Robertson, SSP Member (2024), Research Ethics Chair, Faculty of Business and Media, University of the West of Scotland, 2016 (rtd) In the 2021 Holyrood Election, the Scottish Greens won 8.1% of the Regional vote and earned 8 MSPs. The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) which had 6 MSPs back in 2003 did not participate and the Alba Party did not exist at that point.1 Opinion Polls do not include the SSP and those which do include Alba, typically, have them at between 1 and 3%, o.64% in the latest Survation poll, too low to … Continue reading Poll suggests Scottish Socialists could win 17% and 16 regional MSP seats to support and nudge a pro-independence Scottish government toward the left

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Shock as Scotland trains 3 to 4 times as many nurses!

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By Professor John Robertson The Guardian today has: Numbers studying nursing down sharply in all parts of England, RCN says North-east the worst-affected region, recording 40% drop in acceptances on to pre-registration courses, union finds but for some reason never actually tells us how many have been accepted for places into English universities to do Nursing degrees. It’s: 13,870 students were accepted into nursing courses in England in 2024, down from 14,010 in 2023.1 And in Scotland? The figures show that the number of applicants for nursing courses in Scotland is down 8.3% compared to the same point last year. By … Continue reading Shock as Scotland trains 3 to 4 times as many nurses!

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Will Scottish Labour MPs challenge cuts to nuclear safety which will have ‘devastating consequences’ for their own constituents?

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian today, the above, and: Rachel Reeves has been urged not to carry out mooted funding cuts for nuclear sites including Sellafield amid safety concerns, as it emerged that the number of incidents where workers narrowly avoided harm had increased at the Cumbrian site. The GMB union has written to Reeves, the chancellor, before Wednesday’s budget to raise safety concerns after rumours emerged that the budget for the taxpayer-owned Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) could be reduced, which could result in cuts at nuclear sites including Sellafield and Dounreay in Scotland. In the letter to Reeves, seen … Continue reading Will Scottish Labour MPs challenge cuts to nuclear safety which will have ‘devastating consequences’ for their own constituents?

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Rape offences 2-3 times higher in England & Wales than in Scotland but they want you to think a different story about your country

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and September was almost 20% higher than in the same period last year. By Professor John Robertson BBC Reporting Scotland, in their own insert but also picked out as a special on life in Scotland for BBC Breakfast and extended on the BBC website, the above report of increased rape reporting to suggest Scotland is the rape capital of the UK to go along with the fake drug death capital story. No context whatsoever is reported to counter this shameful, exploitative narrative. Here is again: Rape offences 2-3 times higher in England & Wales than in Scotland The police in Scotland … Continue reading Rape offences 2-3 times higher in England & Wales than in Scotland but they want you to think a different story about your country

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8% of UKthe population but 16% of the meat exports – 8% of the UK population but 31% of total UK food and drink exports

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Many thanks to Cuckooshoe for alerting me to this, from Meatex on 16 October 2024, but of no interest to BBC Scotland: Scotland’s red meat and offal exports beyond the UK have experienced a significant rise, reaching a value of £137 million, according to the latest survey by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS). The report highlights a remarkable recovery in the sector, with a 26% increase in export value compared to previous years.1 From ADHB on 1 October 2024: The latest figures from HMRC show that from January to June 2024, total UK red meat exports were up 2% in volume … Continue reading 8% of UKthe population but 16% of the meat exports – 8% of the UK population but 31% of total UK food and drink exports

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Under cover vegetables production UP 400%! – Scotland’s agricultural economy – positive news ignored because it does not tell the correct story

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By Professor John Robertson: Search for ‘BBC Scotland’ agriculture and all they have is the above image and The village that a religious sect helped to found, yet released only days ago there is Results from the Scottish Agricultural Census: June 2024. Do they have a ferm correspondent at all at Pacific Quay? Anyhow, from this important release, it’s a mixed sack which I am not competent to fully evaluate because Scotland’s farmers have been producing less of somethings to keep Reporting Scotland happy and more of other things to force them to avert their eyes. I guess it’s complex – … Continue reading Under cover vegetables production UP 400%! – Scotland’s agricultural economy – positive news ignored because it does not tell the correct story

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NHS Scotland has 25% more nurses per head than the UK and more than almost everywhere in the world but a Scottish newspaper doesn’t want you thinking the SNP can cope with anything

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By Professor John Robertson: From the World Health Organisation in May 2024 but based on , nursing and midwifery personnel per 10 000 population with England and Scotland latest data inserted separately: There are another 20 or so countries with even fewer nurses per head than India at 17 nurses per 10 000 people but with a space programme to make up for that. But, from the Daily Record‘s Andrew Quinn, yesterday this sad cringing piece: The UK has fewer nurses per head than its European neighbours, according to SNP-commissioned analysis. The House of Commons library research showed the UK has lagged … Continue reading NHS Scotland has 25% more nurses per head than the UK and more than almost everywhere in the world but a Scottish newspaper doesn’t want you thinking the SNP can cope with anything

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Under Labour NHS Wales hospital waiting list soars to TWICE that per head in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson: From BBC Wales two days ago: Hospital waiting list tops 800,000 for first time 1 Scotland? From the doctors’ trade union, the BMA, in July 2024: As of March 2024, more than 690,000 people were on the NHS Scotland waiting list for inpatient and outpatient treatments, which is the highest number ever recorded.2 Shorter in Scotland than in Wales? Yes, but Scotland has a bigger population so the gap per head is even greater. With 5.44 million to Wales’ 3.16 million, Scotland’s population served by NHS Scotland is 1.7 times greater. So, for a fair, pro rate, … Continue reading Under Labour NHS Wales hospital waiting list soars to TWICE that per head in Scotland

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Latest research proves Scottish Government can tax divisive private education to pay for a Waspi women compensation scheme

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By Professor John Robertson: More private schools opening than closing in England despite Labour’s VAT proposals, tell you all you need to know. In Scotland two tiny religious schools which had already been on the verge of closing years before the VAT announcement, will now close but two sites have also been confirmed for new schools. There’s a simple conclusion here. These institutions which perpetuate inequality, divisiveness, unfair patronage and an archaic class system can easily survive taxation at the level Labour propose and so should be taxed more. If they were, then my proposal for compensation of the Waspi women … Continue reading Latest research proves Scottish Government can tax divisive private education to pay for a Waspi women compensation scheme

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Why did Question Time’s Fiona Bruce not have notes to correct fake claims on Scottish water?

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By Anonymous Well here is another major problem with the BBC. Statements from panel members on BBC QT that go unchallenged by the host. Yet she, Fiona Bruce, often has notes that she refers to in order to challenge politicians on their answers, as obviously she is aware of what Q’s will be asked and so what topics will be discussed. If she, Fiona Bruce, is unaware of the veracity of what is being said by a panel member then she should ask that person making the statement to provide proof via either providing stats or examples to verify their … Continue reading Why did Question Time’s Fiona Bruce not have notes to correct fake claims on Scottish water?