UK Labour Health Minister seems unaware that US tech firm which supplies Israeli forces and which risks patient safety will not allow his scheme to make money out of patient data but has no presence in Scotland

Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dorothy for this. From the FT yesterday: The UK should “leverage” its new health data storage service for the “benefit of the Treasury coffers”, a health minister has said, as well as accelerating the discovery of new treatments for NHS patients.  Zubir Ahmed said in an interview that the government’s new Health Data Research Service (HDRS) will give researchers a single access point to national datasets for the first time and unlock “the power” of NHS data. “There is no shame in saying, we have world leading examples of high quality care and high … Continue reading UK Labour Health Minister seems unaware that US tech firm which supplies Israeli forces and which risks patient safety will not allow his scheme to make money out of patient data but has no presence in Scotland

As cancer doctors in England warn of postcode lottery NHS Scotland’s “person-centred access without geographical disparities” launched in 2022 has worked but Scottish media ‘play’ us

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Health today and broadcast on BBC Breakfast on repeat: Senior cancer doctors are warning that excessive red tape means some patients in England are struggling to access the latest cancer treatments. The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) says bureaucracy is “stifling innovation” and that applying for funding to pay for new treatments can be “cumbersome” for some cancer centres. It says the situation is leading to an unacceptable … Continue reading As cancer doctors in England warn of postcode lottery NHS Scotland’s “person-centred access without geographical disparities” launched in 2022 has worked but Scottish media ‘play’ us

As US tech firm which supplies Israeli forces and which risks patient safety is signed up by another Labour council in England how the SNP Government has protected you from them

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA Today, in the Guardian: Public sector workers have voiced “deep concern” after Coventry city council signed a £500,000-a-year artificial intelligence contract with the US data technology company Palantir. The deal is the first of its kind between a UK local authority and the Denver-based company, which supplies technology to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and to help Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. Palantir already has a number of public sector contracts in the UK, including providing AI to help tackle organised crime in Leicestershire and building the … Continue reading As US tech firm which supplies Israeli forces and which risks patient safety is signed up by another Labour council in England how the SNP Government has protected you from them

Another reason to make us believe in ourselves – Research reveals all Scottish building standards are more rigorous than those in England, to protect all of us

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/detailsor, if you prefer, a bank transfer, at sort code 089300 account 1421 7339 Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to JB for alerting me to this: In response to our previous report on why there will be no Grenfell here, JB shared with us: “Scottish Building Standards vs English Building Regulations” written by Gregory Barclay, Architectural Technologist Nov 12 2024. You may wish to read the full text at the link below but one or two conclusions stand out: Building codes and standards are set … Continue reading Another reason to make us believe in ourselves – Research reveals all Scottish building standards are more rigorous than those in England, to protect all of us

Independent Water Commission for England and Wales – providing a partial and flawed assessment of significance of ownership for performance outcomes?

By stewartb The ‘Independent Water Commission Final Report’ (aka the Cunliffe report) published on July 21 has a lengthy section examining any possible relationship between water company ownership and performance outcomes. British Labour Party politicians are at work with the mainstream media to allege poor performance of Scottish Water in order to convince the electorate that public ownership is ineffective and/or unnecessary. In this context, it’s worthwhile examining what the Commission’s report actually stated on this subject and worth assembling other relevant evidence to counter Labour’s talking down Scotland – again! From the Water Commission’s report From Para 693: ‘The … Continue reading Independent Water Commission for England and Wales – providing a partial and flawed assessment of significance of ownership for performance outcomes?

A closed breastfeeding support service and failed hospital disinfectants research but no mention that Scotland has the lowest stillbirth rate and the cleanest hospitals in the UK

By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS BBC Scotland today, headlining: A breastfeeding support service which has helped mums of newborn babies for a decade has closed down after funding was withdrawn. Breastfeeding Buddies was run by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) charity in five hospitals in Greater Glasgow and Lothian, offering peer support to mothers who wanted to breastfeed. The Scottish government had previously funded the scheme directly but this year it said it had allowed the health boards to decide how to meet local need. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian will no longer fund … Continue reading A closed breastfeeding support service and failed hospital disinfectants research but no mention that Scotland has the lowest stillbirth rate and the cleanest hospitals in the UK

Reporting Scotland Darkly – how research reveals only BBC Scotland’s editors select the nightmares to make you so anxious you fear big changes such as independence

Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland’s short inserts in BBC Breakfast would have you not leave the house today. In a quickfire, punchy sequence, the editor had chosen for you – a surge of uncontrolled paedophilia on social media; cuts in social care; the restraining and seclusion of pupils with additional needs and the Scottish Government supposedly failing to manage the NHS [the best in the UK] to tackle long waiting lists. Then quickly, before the weather might cheer you up, a funeral. BBC Wales, always shorter with fewer stories, only had worries over low credit scores; a group evicted … Continue reading Reporting Scotland Darkly – how research reveals only BBC Scotland’s editors select the nightmares to make you so anxious you fear big changes such as independence

The Netflix hit Adolescence is not a warning for Scotland and the Glasgow Lib Dems are irresponsibly wrong to suggest otherwise

Professor John Robertson OBA In the National today: AN increase in petty violence among Glasgow’s teenagers could lead to a rise in serious violent crime in the coming years if attitudes go unchecked, an expert has warned. The topic of youth violence has been in the headlines after the success of Netflix hit Adolescence, with creators Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne shining a light on the views and influences that can lead to serious violence. Research conducted by Glasgow LibDems revealed that 2790 violent incidents have taken place in schools within Glasgow in this academic year so far. Neither the film … Continue reading The Netflix hit Adolescence is not a warning for Scotland and the Glasgow Lib Dems are irresponsibly wrong to suggest otherwise

Don’t go in the water – Cancer and stroke inducing radioactive air and water emissions from Trident subs more than double in the Clyde as BBC staff look on quietly

By Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to cuckooshoe for alerting me to this: From CND on 6th November 2024, missed by me at the time and, of course, ignored by the staff at BBC Pacific Quay on those very same winds and waters. Radioactive air emissions have been increasing year-on-year at Coulport one of Britain’s nuclear submarine bases in Scotland. This development is of some concern as it would lead to increased health risks wherever the emissions were inhaled.  According to the Scottish Pollution Release Inventory, tritiated water vapour emissions at Coulport were 1.7 billion becquerels (units of radioactivity) in … Continue reading Don’t go in the water – Cancer and stroke inducing radioactive air and water emissions from Trident subs more than double in the Clyde as BBC staff look on quietly

Old ferries for travellers but luxury cars for ministers: A government’s blatant hypocrisy

By Professor John Robertson OBA From Malta Independent yesterday: Taxpayers’ money funds public services, yet the government’s priorities reveal a striking disparity between its investments in essential transport for Gozitans and its lavish spending on luxury vehicles for ministers and persons of trust. The Gozo Channel vessels, the lifeline for thousands of commuters, continue to age well past their optimal years of service. The government spares no expense in providing brand-new high-end cars for its officials while refusing to allocate funds for new ferries in the yearly budget estimates. Ministers travel in comfort in the latest BMWs, Mercedes, Toyotas, Volvos, … Continue reading Old ferries for travellers but luxury cars for ministers: A government’s blatant hypocrisy