Tag: scotland

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Rachel Reeves’ barefaced lie about NHS Scotland and the Daily Record’s campaign to make Anas Sarwar your First Minister

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As the Daily Record amplifies the British Labour Party Chancellor’s lie about NHS Scotland, how often will it leave readers misinformed in order to support the Party? By stewartb The campaigning strategy of the British Labour Party to win the 2026 Holyrood election is becoming clearer. The performance of NHS Scotland will figure prominently. Politicisation and negative messaging about healthcare in Scotland has been pursued relentlessly by the Labour leadership for years: meanwhile the greater woes of NHS Wales under a Labour government in Cardiff are never acknowledged by Labour politicians whether in Holyrood or Westminster. It remains important to … Continue reading Rachel Reeves’ barefaced lie about NHS Scotland and the Daily Record’s campaign to make Anas Sarwar your First Minister

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British Labour Party is well advanced in inserting its attack lines for the 2026 Holyrood election in public consciousness via our, sorry their, media

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By stewartb ‘Neither Dr Kennedy nor the Guardian writer wished to put their comments into perspective’. Context and perspective when it comes to matters concerning the Scottish Government/NHS Scotland are no go areas also for BBC Scotland, STV, The Herald, The Scotsman, the Daily Record, even Channel 4 News etc. and that’s before we look at the sources these media outlets rely on in the British Labour Party. the Tories and the Lib Dems in Holyrood. No context, no perspective, endless, repeated negativity and bias by omission – a rich and powerful brew! Amongst all this, the British Labour Party … Continue reading British Labour Party is well advanced in inserting its attack lines for the 2026 Holyrood election in public consciousness via our, sorry their, media

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Even with a 10% fare increase for the Arran crossing, the nearest equivalent crossing in England, to the Isle of Wight, is still 45% more, for half the journey, to pay shareholder dividends

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By Professor John Robertson, UK Ferry Correspondent From the Largs & Millport Weekly News, yesterday: COUNCILLORS are attempting to freeze fares on both the Arran and Cumbrae ferry routes and prevent a price hike. At tomorrow’s North Ayrshire Council meeting, a motion is being put forward by Councillor Cameron Inglis calling for the local authority to write to cabinet secretary for transport, Fiona Hyslop, opposing the current proposal. The latest move comes after the Scottish Government’s decision to impose a 10 per cent increase in ferry fares for 2025-26, which has been lambasted by West Scotland Labour MSP Katy Clark and her Conservative counterpart Jamie … Continue reading Even with a 10% fare increase for the Arran crossing, the nearest equivalent crossing in England, to the Isle of Wight, is still 45% more, for half the journey, to pay shareholder dividends

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Why is BMA Scotland silent when Labour is a threat to Highland and Island practices?

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to MSM Monitor for pointing this out. From BBC Highlands and Islands yesterday but conspicuously absent from BBC Reporting Scotland or Good Morning Scotland: Doctors in the Highlands fear increased National Insurance (NI) costs could close some practices, a senior Scottish figure in the British Medical Association (BMA) has said. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her Budget last week payments from employers – including medical practices – would go up next April. Dr Al Miles, deputy chairman of the BMA‘s Scottish GPs committee, said Highland doctors had contacted him worried about thousands of pounds of increased costs. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6l91prnqeo … Continue reading Why is BMA Scotland silent when Labour is a threat to Highland and Island practices?

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Fireworks Night a ‘damp squib’ as offences plummet except in Pacific Quay

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By Professor John Robertson OBA The BBC Scotland report on last night’s fireworks events is one of the simplest best examples of media bias and you could use it with 11 year-olds. It’s so naked and simple, you might force a wee ironic snigger. It opens with Firefighters attacked on Bonfire Night as crews take 1,000 calls and goes on with 32 (count them) paragraphs describing incidents, interspersed with images, including those of masked hooded youths with big fireworks. Then and only then from paragraphs 33 to 36, we hear: Overall, the force said the incidents of serious disorder had fallen this … Continue reading Fireworks Night a ‘damp squib’ as offences plummet except in Pacific Quay

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The Scotch Whisky Association is really, really unhappy with the British Labour government – how did BBC Scotland report its budget response?

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By stewartb The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) usually has little trouble in having its press statements amplified by BBC Scotland. And the SWA typically has something to say about the budgets of Westminster governments. Anyone seen references to the SWA’s response to the Labour Party government’s budget in a BBC news item: any analysis yet from a BBC business and economy editor? As far as I can see there is still nothing in the Scotland sections of the BBC News website days after the budget. Wonder why? Now it’s a struggle to avoid displaying a little schadenfreude when it comes … Continue reading The Scotch Whisky Association is really, really unhappy with the British Labour government – how did BBC Scotland report its budget response?

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Just a complaint, no charges but Alex Salmond has been the top story on the Politics page of BBC Scotland website since 3 November while the Labour council leader actually charges fades within hours

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By Anonymous Another BBC ‘Blink and you miss it’ headline at the top of their Scottish pages of their website when it is considered to be too #BAD a story connected to another political party who are in opposition to the SNP. While many headlines concocted by the BBC and so promoted as being connected to, as in linked to a #SNPBAD story, well as articles they stay (high) up on the BBC website for days on end, sometimes with different versions of the same story via a variety of articles in the Scottish pages of their BBC website. For example on their Scottish Politics page the top story is still a story connected to a … Continue reading Just a complaint, no charges but Alex Salmond has been the top story on the Politics page of BBC Scotland website since 3 November while the Labour council leader actually charges fades within hours

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Scotland’s emergency departments at least 10% better than in NHS England in September 2024 and probably more than that if the latter’s trickery is exposed

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland today, 65.9% of those attending full Emergency Departments, in September 2024 were seen within 4 hours.1 From NHS England, the equivalent figure was 59.8%.2 NHS Scotland’s ED’s are thus 10.4% more efficient. Sources: The gap is probably greater: NHS Scotland performance likely to be even further ahead as five examples of cover-up and distortion by NHS England managers is revealed 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 … Continue reading Scotland’s emergency departments at least 10% better than in NHS England in September 2024 and probably more than that if the latter’s trickery is exposed

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UK gender pay gap is more than THREE times greater than in Scotland – Herald ignores true facts of Scotland’s tiny and plummeting gender pay gap and headlines an unreliable non-transparent trade union figure

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Annual survey of hours and earnings: 2024, published only 6 days ago by the Scottish Government statisticians: The gender pay gap in Scotland has been narrower than in the UK since 2003. In 2024, the gender pay gap for full-time employees in Scotland widened from 1.4 per cent in 2023 to 2.2 per cent in 2024. This is due to men’s hourly earnings (excluding overtime) increasing at a faster rate than women’s hourly earnings (excluding overtime). In 2024, the gender pay gap for full-time employees in Scotland was 2.2 per cent and in the UK was 7.0 … Continue reading UK gender pay gap is more than THREE times greater than in Scotland – Herald ignores true facts of Scotland’s tiny and plummeting gender pay gap and headlines an unreliable non-transparent trade union figure

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44% more homeless children in England than in Scotland and increasing at THREE times the rate

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No exploitative, insensitive images here. By Professor John Robertson OBA From Shelter Scotland: As of March 2024, 10,110 children were living in temporary accommodation in Scotland, which is the highest number ever recorded. This is a 5% increase from March 2023, when 9,595 children were in temporary accommodation. https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/housing_policy/homelessness_in_scotland#:~:text=Key&text=In%202023/24%20there%20were,we%20plan%20to%20achieve%20this. So, unless the SNP Government is doing a better job in fighting poverty, England might be expected to have around 101 000. Does it? From Shelter England: As of April 30, 2024, 145,800 children are homeless and living in temporary accommodation in England, which is the highest number on record. This is a 15% increase from the previous … Continue reading 44% more homeless children in England than in Scotland and increasing at THREE times the rate