Tag: snp

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Third sub-poll reinforces notion that SNP is well ahead

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In today’s Find Out Now, Westminster poll of 2 659, we see: The Scottish subset of 223, has: Source: https://findoutnow.co.uk/blog/voting-intention-11th-dec-2024/ A sub poll of only 223, has clear limitations in terms of reliability but, this is the latest of 3 all telling the same story, of Cons, Lab and Reform all doing less well in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK. Only 4 days ago,  I noted: From Find Out Now on 4 December 2024, the UK figures put Labour in third place with 23%, behind Reform at 24% and the Cons at 26%. The Scottish sub-set of only 118, has SNPv39%, … Continue reading Third sub-poll reinforces notion that SNP is well ahead

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Childcare – BBC Scotland’s attempts to hide SNP achievements while praising Labour ambitions

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By Brenda Robb Some of you hardier souls might remember Radio Scotland’s focus on childcare a couple of weeks ago. They were asking why Scotland wasn’t offering the same as England, inviting parents to share how disappointed/let down/betrayed they felt and even organised a Better Call Kaye phone-in to amplify the above messaging. This was of course backed up by the following article on the BBC Scotland webpage  (www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr7nyxvy50ro) and we also had an attempt at a UK wide comparison of provision here (www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-62036045). The comparison article jumps between what England currently provides and what it hopes to do, nods to … Continue reading Childcare – BBC Scotland’s attempts to hide SNP achievements while praising Labour ambitions

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The Times and Top Poser Doctor on NHS Scotland ‘crisis’- shorter waits on every life-saving measure except the non-life-saving one that cost NHS England £3.5bn to clear on behalf of Tory election campaign

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks once more to AR for alerting me to this. The Times today has: Revealed: true extent of Scotland hospital waiting times scandal – Number of patients waiting more than 104 weeks for treatment in Scottish hospitals is almost 100 times higher than in England. As NHS bosses in England have focused on reducing long waits, numbers in Scotland have only grown. It’s true, for those waiting more than 2 years for, obviously, non-life-threatening procedures, the list in England has been slashed but has not in NHS Scotland. Dr Iain Kennedy, chairman of the British Medical … Continue reading The Times and Top Poser Doctor on NHS Scotland ‘crisis’- shorter waits on every life-saving measure except the non-life-saving one that cost NHS England £3.5bn to clear on behalf of Tory election campaign

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SHOCK as former head of research for Scottish Conservatives uses Latin wrongly

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Professor John Robertson OBA, former Associate Dean (Quality Assurance) Faculty of Education, UWS In researching the previous post on school absences and the probable lack of reliable data there are for any comment on them, I noticed ‘Why Educational Data Matters’ from Reform Scotland – Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale (Chair), Chris Deerin (Director) and Alison Payne (Research Director!). Now, I know there’s debate and, in some specialised scientific areas, it might be acceptable, but: The grammatically correct approach is ‘data are’, because the word ‘data’ is the plural of the latin word ‘datum’. https://digitalblog.ons.gov.uk/2016/12/08/data-is-versus-data-are/ Reform Scotland like to style themselves as a thinktank with expertise in education, … Continue reading SHOCK as former head of research for Scottish Conservatives uses Latin wrongly

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School Absences – Jack McConnell’s think tank does not think that well

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Professor John Robertson OBA, former Associate Dean (Quality Assurance) Faculty of Education, UWS BBC Scotland this morning is repeating a report of increased school absences in Scotland, from Reform Scotland – Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale (Chair), Chris Deerin (Director) and Alison Payne (Research Director!). I can’t see this year’s version in full yet but last year: That’s according to research for a think tank. The Commission on School Reform says ministers must work with councils to reverse the trend. The Scottish government says it’s looking at challenges that influence attendance…..the figures are based on Freedom of Information requests from the Scottish local … Continue reading School Absences – Jack McConnell’s think tank does not think that well

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Researchers find UK Government’s austerity policies ‘murders’ 335 000 across the UK and inadvertently reveal SNP mitigation saved more than 8 000 lives

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Professor John Robertson OBA I’ve already recommended the excellent, highly researched, ‘Social Murder? Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK’ by David Walsh and Gerry McCartney (U of Glasgow), Policy Press. In the opening pages, they justify the term ‘social murder‘ for the fatal consequences of economic violence against the disabled and the poor. They estimate the level of social murder by comparing the observed mortality rates in the UK from 2012-2019 with the rate that should have emerged in those years if the prior improving trend in life expectancy had continued, uninterrupted as it did in other parts of Europe not … Continue reading Researchers find UK Government’s austerity policies ‘murders’ 335 000 across the UK and inadvertently reveal SNP mitigation saved more than 8 000 lives

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Might the Sunday Times Holyrood/Independence poll result today have been even better had they not weighted the sample to match the 55/45 No/Yes ratio in the 2014 referendum vote?

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In 2014, voters aged 16-41 were more likely than not to vote Yes whereas voters above 41 were more likely to vote No. More than ten years later, half a million predominantly No voters have passed away leaving the electoral roll and a similar amount of predominantly Yes have joined it. Despite this many pollsters for Scottish elections tend to adjust, ‘weight’, their sample to match the 55/45 No/Yes ratio in 2014. Critics suggest this skews the results and point to the Yes leads and better SNP figures in those polls which do not do so. Norstat for the Sunday … Continue reading Might the Sunday Times Holyrood/Independence poll result today have been even better had they not weighted the sample to match the 55/45 No/Yes ratio in the 2014 referendum vote?

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As the fight for Scotland in May 2026 looms where are Wings Off Scotland and Scot Goes Poop?

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Back in 2014, the Wings Over Scotland and Scot Goes Pop blogs played a big part in the campaign that, in the end, pushed the Union to the brink. I often praised and shared their work. Only 10 years later, all seems lost. Wings today has a cartoon of John Swinney in a dress, some poll analysis more interested in Reform than anything else, two anxious wee pieces on what it means to be a woman and a swipe at Kezia Dugdale who, you may remember years ago, accused the author of homophobia. That’s quite a long grudge there though, … Continue reading As the fight for Scotland in May 2026 looms where are Wings Off Scotland and Scot Goes Poop?

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Two sub-polls in December now saying same thing – SNP pulling away from Labour with 18% and 15% leads

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Two days ago, I noted: From Find Out Now on 4 December 2024, the UK figures put Labour in third place with 23%, behind Reform at 24% and the Cons at 26%. The Scottish sub-set of only 118, has SNPv39%, Labour 21%, Cons 13%, Reform, Greens and Lib Dems at 8%. If repeated in May 2026, this could give SNP an overall majority. Early days I know but still good to get this kind of wee boost. https://findoutnow.co.uk/blog/voting-intention-4th-dec-2024/ The above 18% lead is much larger than previous sub-polls and, more so, than in ‘full’ Scottish polls. However, the latter, while having … Continue reading Two sub-polls in December now saying same thing – SNP pulling away from Labour with 18% and 15% leads

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Glenn Campbell and the ‘significant underperformance in key public services like the NHS’ that does not survive a collision with the evidence

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Professor John Robertson OBA Glenn Campbell’s opinion piece on the SNP, after its budget, is the lead story on its website today, titled: SNP rediscovers its political confidence with wily Budget Hah! We know what to expect and, within one line, we get: In the last couple of years its independence strategy has hit a brick wall, the party has tied itself in knots over gender reform, and it has fallen in and out of love with the Scottish Greens. There have been three first ministers during that period and one of those remains under police investigation as the Branchform … Continue reading Glenn Campbell and the ‘significant underperformance in key public services like the NHS’ that does not survive a collision with the evidence