How BBC Scotland tried to suggest CalMac ferries were unsafe 7 years ago but has failed to update on the safest ferry service in the world

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS This just popped up in a search for related ferry matters. In July 2017, before the ‘ferry fiasco’ narrative really got going, I thought, BBC Scotland had this: CalMac ferries lifejackets were … Continue reading How BBC Scotland tried to suggest CalMac ferries were unsafe 7 years ago but has failed to update on the safest ferry service in the world

Classic media bias to harm tourism and morale as CalMac non-weather-related ferry cancellations actually FALL by 20% in the last year and reliability hits nearly 97%

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS The Daily Mail today has Islanders ‘abandoned’ by the SNP as cancellations due to ferry repairs soar by a staggering 2,000pc in 13 years and other rags, including the Herald, are in … Continue reading Classic media bias to harm tourism and morale as CalMac non-weather-related ferry cancellations actually FALL by 20% in the last year and reliability hits nearly 97%

After 6 months of Labour, NHS England long wait A&E lists are 2 to 3 times as long as in Scotland

stewartb It’s worth adding the performance stats on long waits from TIME OF ARRIVAL in order to compare with NHS Scotland. NHS England statistics on waits in A&E departments over 12 hours from time of arrival are published monthly. However, the data have also been compiled for ease of reference in something called ‘Supplementary ECDS Analysis Time Series February 2023 Onwards (XLS, 41.9KB)’. Using this source it is possible to compare and contrast the number and percentage of A&E attendances spending 12 hours or more from time of arrival to admission, discharge or transfer. Set out below are snapshots of … Continue reading After 6 months of Labour, NHS England long wait A&E lists are 2 to 3 times as long as in Scotland

Contrary to the London-based IFS, the second homes tax is ‘One of Scotland’s best-conceived & rewarding policies’

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Herald today: Second homes tax is ‘Scotland’s most ill-conceived & damaging policy’ – What does Scotland’s tax system for purchases of second properties mean for taxpayers, landlords, tenants and the economy? That is one of the … Continue reading Contrary to the London-based IFS, the second homes tax is ‘One of Scotland’s best-conceived & rewarding policies’

Scotsman and STV fail to understand as cardiac deaths align with aging population and as England’s waiting list climbs to nearly twice as long as Scotland’s

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA The Scotsman, the Morning Star and STV all have misleading reports of cardiac deaths and waiting lists today along the lines of: Waits for heart appointments in Scotland soar to a record high and suggest that reductions … Continue reading Scotsman and STV fail to understand as cardiac deaths align with aging population and as England’s waiting list climbs to nearly twice as long as Scotland’s

RAAC! In Scotland only 1.6% of homes or schools have it, buyers should sue inspectors and mortgage advisers not beg from Scot Gov/us and it’ll last for decades if maintained

By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland’s wee insert today in BBC Breakfast, was jam packed with bad news linked to the Scottish Government – consultant vacancies, school violence, homelessness/housing crisis and RAAC. On RAAC, some facts which will not be mentioned much, if at all: Aberdeen home-owners buy property which requires maintenance just like any other, in a Thatcherite scheme, at a knock-down price, from a Tory or Labour council, after a professional survey, and the SNP Government has to do something? RAAC!! A classic media scare story as only between 0.3% and 1.6% of Scotland’s social housing has it. Leading … Continue reading RAAC! In Scotland only 1.6% of homes or schools have it, buyers should sue inspectors and mortgage advisers not beg from Scot Gov/us and it’ll last for decades if maintained

Increased demand but still NHS Scotland can do 97% of ops on time

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, today: During December 2024, there were 22,073 operations planned to take place across NHS Scotland. This is 7.4% higher than the number planned a year previously in December 2023 (20,558) Of all planned operations … Continue reading Increased demand but still NHS Scotland can do 97% of ops on time

West Midlands ‘Complex County Lines’ drug gang which used children to run ‘internal’ drugs into Scotland jailed for 35 year despite BBC Scotland’s Disclosure team’s failure to tackle them

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA English County Lines gang forces children to swallow or insert ‘elsewhere’ sealed bags of powerful drugs, then travel into Scotland with them and cause surging drug deaths and violence in Scotland’s towns and villages seems like a … Continue reading West Midlands ‘Complex County Lines’ drug gang which used children to run ‘internal’ drugs into Scotland jailed for 35 year despite BBC Scotland’s Disclosure team’s failure to tackle them

Think tank thinker’s thoughtless vowel-strangling analysis of NHS Scotland productivity is so wrong you wonder where they get them from

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA You really need to have a listen to David, above at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly93w1kr04o You might want to have your hands tied behind your back and/or any throwable objects safely away from you before you listen to his Pythonesque … Continue reading Think tank thinker’s thoughtless vowel-strangling analysis of NHS Scotland productivity is so wrong you wonder where they get them from

As BBC Reporting Scotland find someone else to moan about the A9 dualling, what they don’t want you to know – it’s much safer than it was and the dualled bits are no more safe

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA This is just another story fed directly to Reporting Scotland but not making it onto the BBC Scotland website, to keep an SNP-bad narrative alive. This time it’s about a letter, yes just the one, from one … Continue reading As BBC Reporting Scotland find someone else to moan about the A9 dualling, what they don’t want you to know – it’s much safer than it was and the dualled bits are no more safe