Tag: scotland

3 Comments

John Swinney’s local schools close to delight BBC Reporting Scotland but why can janitor, cook and cleaner strikes close schools in Scotland but not in England?

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson BBC Reporting Scotland can barely contain themselves as they get a story of ‘staff’ on strike closing schools in John Swinney’s constituency, show him walking around a school, rather than the responsible local council chief and, in the online version, lead off with: All of the primary schools in Perth and Kinross are closed after non-teaching school staff began strike action in First Minister John Swinney’s constituency. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g4n09qm51o The Reporting Scotland broadcast is careful to drop that ‘non-teaching‘ bit so that you might think teachers are out too, against the FM! The directly responsible body, COSLA, is … Continue reading John Swinney’s local schools close to delight BBC Reporting Scotland but why can janitor, cook and cleaner strikes close schools in Scotland but not in England?

5 Comments

Scotland’s drug death toll explicitly linked to violent English gangs in documentary made for BBC Scotland but never covered by Reporting Scotland

johnrobertson834

Scotland as the ‘drug death capital of Europe‘ is a narrative that much excites MSM here. Despite some reductions, the level remains stubbornly high but a significant factor in that – increasing supply of stronger drugs into smaller towns – is not considered, because that supply flows explicitly from England. In a documentary made for BBC Scotland and BBC 2 by independent film makers, Firecrest, broadcast in September 2024, there’s an explicit linking of drug deaths in Inverness to the extreme violence (see weapons found) and supply of Class A drugs by explicitly ‘English’ county lines gangs from London. Here … Continue reading Scotland’s drug death toll explicitly linked to violent English gangs in documentary made for BBC Scotland but never covered by Reporting Scotland

6 Comments

West Midlands ‘complex county lines’ gang using children to sell drugs from ‘trap houses’ into and across Scotland

johnrobertson834

From The Express & Star, yesterday: Members of ‘complex’ County Lines gang who sent children to ‘trap houses’ to deal drugs are jailed. A drugs gang who recruited children to sell crack and heroin have been jailed for 30 years. After cornering the Wolverhampton and Stafford drugs market the gang opened up new drug lines in Corby, Northamptonshire and as far as Scotland. Brian Asante, 23, from Canberra Drive, Stafford, would threaten and bribe vulnerable children to sell drugs for him in “trap houses” [cuckooing] in towns, leaving them vulnerable to attack from rival drug dealers.1 How do these children … Continue reading West Midlands ‘complex county lines’ gang using children to sell drugs from ‘trap houses’ into and across Scotland

3 Comments

Free prescription costs NOT increasing in real terms, saving money for taxpayer and saved thousands in the pandemic

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson Parroting New Labour and revealing a complete ignorance of matters that the public should hear of – in the Sunday Post, surely not. I’ll deal with how the cost is not climbing, how universal benefits save money and how they saved lives in the pandemic. Scotland’s free prescription costs are static in line with inflation despite a 29% increase in those over 75, over 10 years From Public Health Scotland, yesterday: The total (net) cost for dispensing items and providing services in 2023/24 was £1.62 billion, increasing by 6.5% from £1.52 billion in 2022/23. This follows a period … Continue reading Free prescription costs NOT increasing in real terms, saving money for taxpayer and saved thousands in the pandemic

7 Comments

‘Will Scotland Ever Become Independent?’

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson In the highly influential finance magazine, Forbes, yesterday, there is a discussion of the above question which inevitably focuses on as, they put it ‘household finances‘: At the time of the referendum, there was great interest in the prospect of Scotland going it alone, and the way the Scots might dis-engage their economy from England was the focus of attention. In many respects the downfall of the independence side was that they became mired in an argument over the kind of currency arrangement Scotland might have, and the resulting impact that this could have on household … Continue reading ‘Will Scotland Ever Become Independent?’

6 Comments

‘There are no mandates to ensure GB Energy and foreign energy firms source from UK suppliers’

johnrobertson834

By Anonymous UK government Scotland tweet on 15 October 2024: “Yesterday the UK Government secured £63 billion of investment to provide almost 38,000 jobs. Scotland will benefit from the UK Government’s plans to drive growth. Some quickfire qs to Scottish Secretary @IanMurrayMP on why Scotland is the place to invest”. (Note how this tweet does not specify that the “38,000 jobs” will be in Scotland in fact they only mention Scotland as supposdley benefitting via the “UK government’s plans to drive growth” but then how will Scotland benefit from that , as surely it is more their whole UK , as in mainly one part of it- not Scotland- that will derive more benefits, to include majority of jobs and “growth“, which will also then include … Continue reading ‘There are no mandates to ensure GB Energy and foreign energy firms source from UK suppliers’

9 Comments

Breast cancer life extending drug – images BBC Scotland hope you’ve missed

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA On BBC Breakfast and on their website, an extended report on Enhertu, a drug which can give patients with a specific type of incurable breast cancer an extra six months to live on average. At the very bottom of the BBC UK report, this: Some told the BBC they were considering the idea of moving to Scotland, where they could get it on the NHS. Jeannie says that’s not an option for her family. “We shouldn’t be having to think of moving to Scotland or selling our houses,” she says. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7v6g9q6rjqo The extended website report does … Continue reading Breast cancer life extending drug – images BBC Scotland hope you’ve missed

7 Comments

NHS Scotland performance likely to be even further ahead as five examples of cover-up and distortion by NHS England managers is revealed

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson: We already know that, based on trusting the current published NHS England data, NHS Scotland’s A&E service is around 3 times better on the crucial 12 hour waits1 and twice as effective on cancer treatment waits.2 However, after decades of rampant managerialism, there have been a number of scandals where these managers, more concerned with image than truth, have introduced procedures to hide the facts. First, back in 2018, it became apparent that NHS England had the dubious practice of restarting the clock after A&E patients are admitted whereas in Scotland counting continues from first arrival.3 See … Continue reading NHS Scotland performance likely to be even further ahead as five examples of cover-up and distortion by NHS England managers is revealed

12 Comments

England facing the ‘Jaws of Death’ as water runs out in only 25 years and Scotland’s 30 000 freshwater lochs replace oil, gas and renewables in the struggle for independence

johnrobertson834

From @ArchbishopStua1 (Who could he be teasing there?) today, this: Without significant action, the National Audit Office (NAO) forecasts that the total water demand will start to exceed supply in England no later than 2034. Be under no illusion English Privatised Water Companies need access to the water in Scotland. https://x.com/ArchbishopStua1/status/1846584824129298790 and from the Guardian in June 2023: Drought is on the verge of becoming the next pandemic https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/jun/15/drought-is-on-the-verge-of-becoming-the-next-pandemic#:~:text=Without%20significant%20action%2C%20the%20National,England%20no%20later%20than%202034 In the above, there’s a link to this from March 2019: England could run short of water within 25 years https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/18/england-to-run-short-of-water-within-25-years-environment-agency There are no references to Scotland in the above and … Continue reading England facing the ‘Jaws of Death’ as water runs out in only 25 years and Scotland’s 30 000 freshwater lochs replace oil, gas and renewables in the struggle for independence

10 Comments

Scotland v Portugal – Guardian and BBC Scotland see two different games

johnrobertson834

Thanks to @Kokotxas1 for alerting me to this: The Guardian‘s Ewan Murray sees an even game (above) and reports: Scotland delivered a resolute defensive display to hold Portugal to a goalless draw and secure the first point of their Nations League A campaign. The Scots passed up a glorious chance in the opening minutes through Scott McTominay and were then starved of possession as the visitors searched for an opener. Scotland will take great heart from the small step made here. Not only did they scrap in a form which was successful prior to recent turmoil but had they a … Continue reading Scotland v Portugal – Guardian and BBC Scotland see two different games