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Blood scandal – SNP inquiry in 2007, first in UK, led to better support system than in rest of UK

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By Professor John Robertson The broadcasts today don’t mention this and you have to read down to the bottom of this BBC Scotland report to find this: Scotland was the first part of the UK to commission a public inquiry into infected blood. It had been a key election pledge of the SNP government when it came to power in 2007, and was carried out by Scottish judge Lord Penrose. But the Penrose inquiry lacked the full statutory powers to compel witnesses from outside of Scotland to give evidence, and until 1999 health policy had been controlled by Westminster. Campaigner … Continue reading Blood scandal – SNP inquiry in 2007, first in UK, led to better support system than in rest of UK

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How BBC Wales hides Labour Government from scrutiny

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In the Nation Cymru today but nowhere in the MSM of Wales: Wales deserves better than to have a dishonest politician as First Minister. That’s why it’s important that the Labour Party does what is necessary to remove Vaughan Gething from office. Since Nation.Cymru revealed four days ago that he had misled the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, statements he has made – and that another member of his Cabinet has made – have confirmed that he has been dishonest. Our original case against him was set out in an article we published last Tuesday morning, May 7. It’s worth repeating the crucial … Continue reading How BBC Wales hides Labour Government from scrutiny

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Supposedly top policing journal is just a one rich man’s show with a pet editor and FA standards

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How did we get to “know nothing?” Why the search for progressive policing insights must not go down the old postmodern ‘rabbit hole.’ Professor John Robertson I submitted this to Policing Insight: : Global progressive policing last week. It was rejected. I complained. The dark but comic response is after the piece I wrote below: Some weeks ago, I saw in Policing Insight: Global progressive policing, a piece suggesting that the Scottish Government’s new gender recognition reforms posed a serious threat to ‘biological’ women’s safety and would also present a new and significant challenge to policing. The research methodology upon … Continue reading Supposedly top policing journal is just a one rich man’s show with a pet editor and FA standards

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New Zealand’s super-ferries will never be late, just never built and yet still cost millions

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By Professor John Robertson From the NZ Herald today: KiwiRail only terminated its mega ferry ship-building contract after receiving a letter from Finance Minister Nicola Willis and two months after the Government pulled the plug on the project. A scheme to replace the current ageing Interislander fleet with two larger ships was left dead in the water in December after costs for the overall project, including new terminals and wharf upgrades, ballooned to almost $3b and the new Government refused to fund the blowout. However, KiwiRail took until February 14 to announce it was terminating the $551m fixed-price contract with Hyundai Mipo Dockyard to build … Continue reading New Zealand’s super-ferries will never be late, just never built and yet still cost millions

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How the Conservative Government allowed P&O to lay the ground for future ferry disasters

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Never mind the construction delays or the cancellations inconveniencing the comfortable island retirees – 193 dead – there’s a ferry fiasco for you. Above, the Herald of Free Enterprise, only a few minutes after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on the night of 6th March 1987, killing 193 people on board.  Ironically, the UK Government of the day and for 8 years until then was Conservative, big champions of de-regulated capitalism and full-throated free enterprise. According to research by Middlesex University: One root cause was the failure of the assistant boatswain to close the bow door before dropping moorings, … Continue reading How the Conservative Government allowed P&O to lay the ground for future ferry disasters

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Using Labour’s ‘Drunkford’ method Scotland’s A&E hits 86% seen in 4 hours

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‘A message from my mum – thanks for not doing a wealth tax.‘ Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ In 2022, Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said the A&E figures, obtained by the party through freedom of information requests, were “shocking” NHS Scotland, though always far better than the other 3 nation’s NHS system, has not met the 95% within 4 hours target since the early days of 2020: But yesterday, the Labour leader in Wales, who shares the … Continue reading Using Labour’s ‘Drunkford’ method Scotland’s A&E hits 86% seen in 4 hours

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Labour candidate for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock could not support move to save one thousand seven hundred local children from poverty

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Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock Labour candidate, Elaine Stewart, must do what Sir Keir Starmer tells her to do. Any suggestion of disloyalty and she’d be dumped quickly. Last year End Child Poverty made clear the role of the Two Child Benefit Cap in pushing 1.5 million UK children into poverty. There are 1 710 of them in the Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency. What would Labour and a Scottish Labour MP do about this? Continue reading Labour candidate for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock could not support move to save one thousand seven hundred local children from poverty

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Urgent calls for a state of emergency to be declared for Washington State Ferries

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From KOMO News today: More than a dozen Washington state lawmakers are pushing Gov. Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency for Washington State Ferries (WSF). The end goal of the move is to make it possible for the state to get two new ferries within two years. “We have a state of emergency. The question is, do we have the political will to call it what it is,” said state representative Spencer Hutchins, (R) Gig Harbor. KOMO News has documented countless issues that WSF has and continues to face. WSF is working with fewer boats than it needs … Continue reading Urgent calls for a state of emergency to be declared for Washington State Ferries

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Only 9 out of 21 Washington State Ferries in good condition

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From the Courier-Herald, in Seattle, yesterday: There are so many problems with our ferry system. Constant delays, breakdowns, and staffing issues, our ferry fleet has become known around the region as one of the easiest ways to ruin your commute. While Washington currently has the largest ferry network in the nation, only nine ships of our 21 are considered in good condition1. This has resulted in some routes sporting a reliability rate as low as 75 percent. The effect on passengers is late arrivals to work, added hours to their commute, and increased frustration with a transportation network. If almost … Continue reading Only 9 out of 21 Washington State Ferries in good condition

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Horrifying video shows how seawater enters ferry – Imagine this happened in Scotland

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From Spark Chronicles yesterday: Ferries are one of the most efficient modes of transportation for transporting goods or people over short water distances. That doesn’t mean they’re protected from the elements. A video showing how seawater entered a ferry in Washington shocked social networks this week. In this 1 minute and 14 second video, you can see how water filled part of the boat called the M/V Issaquah due to strong waves, an incident that occurred in northeastern Washington state. The ferry was heading to Anacortes near the Strait of Juan de Fuca, according to Washington State Ferries, which clarified … Continue reading Horrifying video shows how seawater enters ferry – Imagine this happened in Scotland