Tag: writing

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While BBC UK reported Starmer claiming the meeting of more appointments than in a period with 23 days of strikes, so probably fewer, BBC Scotland completely ignores Swinney actually exceeding his promise

johnrobertson834

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing in 8 days, 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 Professor John Robertson OBA On February 17th 2025, BBC Health and BBC 1 reported: The government has met a key election pledge to deliver two million extra NHS appointments in England in its first year, the prime minister has said. The target … Continue reading While BBC UK reported Starmer claiming the meeting of more appointments than in a period with 23 days of strikes, so probably fewer, BBC Scotland completely ignores Swinney actually exceeding his promise

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No evidence that majority of Scotland’s ethnic minority doctors witness racism

johnrobertson834

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing in 8 days, 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 Professor John Robertson OBA The BMA in Scotland have a terrible track record of totally useless surveys that are, nevertheless sucked up by the media. Today, the Herald claims Majority of Scotland’s ethnic minority doctors witness racism Needless … Continue reading No evidence that majority of Scotland’s ethnic minority doctors witness racism

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NHS Scotland saving hundreds of lives with better cancer care performance

johnrobertson834

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 BBC Health is headlining today problems and delays in cancer care in England & Wales. BBC Scotland has nothing similar. Here’s why: In the Guardian on 3 February 2025: More than half a million people in England have had to … Continue reading NHS Scotland saving hundreds of lives with better cancer care performance

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Should Jackie Baillie not be asking why A&E 12 hour waits are far less common in Scotland than in England or Wales?

johnrobertson834

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing on 28 February, 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 Thanks to AR for alerting me to this. The Scottish Labour Branch health spokesperson, Jackie Baillie has already asked the above question. Given that her party now runs the NHS … Continue reading Should Jackie Baillie not be asking why A&E 12 hour waits are far less common in Scotland than in England or Wales?

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CalMac predicted to see boom in one-way Arran to Troon or Ardrossan ticket sales?

johnrobertson834

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing on 28 February, 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 Based on the 2011 census results (above), around a quarter of Arran’s 4 600 population – 1 200 – were born in England. In the south-east of the island as … Continue reading CalMac predicted to see boom in one-way Arran to Troon or Ardrossan ticket sales?

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Imagine Calmac risked your life for corporate profit?

johnrobertson834

People injured after P&O cruise ship involved in ‘weather-related incident’ in Mallorca As CalMac cancels sailings today, It’s worth remembering incidents like the above in 2023. Leaving aside weather cancellations for winds above 45knots, how does CalMac do, while keeping everyone safe? Take the much talked-about Arran service? 97% on time: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://assets.calmac.co.uk/media/lbwmmqfn/arran-oct-24.pdf With the weather cancellations included, still 85%. I’ll leave you to check the others at: https://www.calmac.co.uk/en-gb/service-status/#/service-status How does the comparable BC Ferries in wealthy Canada do? There have been several deaths associated with BC Ferries, including the drowning of a worker in 2020 and the sinking of the MV … Continue reading Imagine Calmac risked your life for corporate profit?

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Why building CalMac ferries, quicker and cheaper in Turkey might not have been such a good idea after all

johnrobertson834

From STV on 28th March 2024, as a media frenzy risked the future of commercial shipbuilding in the Clyde, just to attack the SNP Government, in support of the 2024 General Election Labour campaign: All four Calmac ferries being built in Turkey ‘are on time and on budget’ By August 2024, the Herald told us: Four ferries being built in Turkey for CalMac will be delayed, with the first having been due to be delivered this month. MV Isle of Islay was due to be delivered by mid-October, but it was announced in August that it would not be delivered … Continue reading Why building CalMac ferries, quicker and cheaper in Turkey might not have been such a good idea after all

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Labour voters’ support for the two-child benefit cap is wrong

johnrobertson834

Feed all my children? On my wife’s income from my mother’s poverty pay business, I can afford to pay school fees as well. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Thanks to JR for alerting me to this. From the Spectator, yesterday: A Norstat poll for The Sunday Times revealed that 34 per cent of Labour voters in Scotland oppose John Swinney’s move to abolish the two-child cap, while only 31 per cent support its reversal. Despite the Scottish Greens blasting the Conservative policy as ‘morally bankrupt’, the party’s voters were the biggest proponents of the policy with only a quarter of the … Continue reading Labour voters’ support for the two-child benefit cap is wrong

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Supposedly top policing journal allows attempt to mislead on Scottish road deaths for political agenda

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA In Policing Insight on 6 December 2024: Inspectorate urges Police Scotland to commit more resources to roads policing amid rising fatalities by Sarah Gibbons, former Communication Manager for the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales.  Under the post, my comment: This is an irresponsibly inaccurate headline. Road fatalities in Scotland are not rising at all but falling. According to the latest statistics from Transport Scotland (29 May 2024), they fell by 10% and specifically cyclist deaths fell by 16%, from 2022 to 2023. All read deaths have plummeted year on year from a peak of 892 in … Continue reading Supposedly top policing journal allows attempt to mislead on Scottish road deaths for political agenda

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10% of the population but 65% more doctors in training

johnrobertson834

From Undergraduate medicine degree admissions at Scottish universities: FOI release, published yesterday, we see 1 240 entrants to ‘Pre Clinical’ medicine for 2022-23, the latest HESA data available (245 from rUK).1 From NHS England’s NHS England update on medical school training places, 28 February letter to Royal College of Physicians, published in February 2024: We are currently ahead of plan on our initial milestone to increase medical training places from an intake of 7,500 in September 2023 to 8,200 places by September 2025, as set out on p129 of the LTWP. In September 2023, a total of 7,571 medical school … Continue reading 10% of the population but 65% more doctors in training