Tag: writing

4 Comments

One tunnel designer accuses Scotland of falling behind on tunnels while another says they’d never pay for themselves – Who will the Herald quote?

johnrobertson834

In the Herald today the above. Who accuses? This guy, a ‘top’ tunnel designer. How strong is the case for replacing Scotland’s west coast ferries with tunnels? UK Treasury Green Book-style present-value calculations (with discounting) often make high-upfront tunnel capital look less favourable than ongoing ferry replacement and operating costs, even when undiscounted lifetime cash costs favour tunnels. Recent Shetland analyses illustrate this divergence. https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/news/could-much-criticised-treasury-guidance-on-public-spending-d-436409/ Low traffic volumes: On sparsely populated islands, pure financial payback via tolls or conventional CBA is difficult. One tunnelling expert [Martin Knights] publicly stated Shetland-style schemes “would never pay for itself” under standard cost-benefit analysis … Continue reading One tunnel designer accuses Scotland of falling behind on tunnels while another says they’d never pay for themselves – Who will the Herald quote?

6 Comments

STV on youth violence – Disgusting, shameful, exploitative, scare mongering and all wrong as murder by minors falls to a quarter of the level

johnrobertson834

STV tonight in a desperate attempt to win viewers, completely misrepresent the world you live in, with this report based on anecdotal evidence only, and ignore once more the facts, the facts that matter so much to all of us if we are to live a life based on what we can expect to experience. The facts: Murder by minors – Only a quarter of the level 20 years ago! The trend is clearly and definitively the other way in Scotland. Above, the official data reveal a steady, statistically significant, falling trend in the number of homicides by minors, over … Continue reading STV on youth violence – Disgusting, shameful, exploitative, scare mongering and all wrong as murder by minors falls to a quarter of the level

6 Comments

The Hammer Of The Scots – Can Scotland afford to remain part of the Union?

johnrobertson834

By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 Every August, a report drops like a hammer — GERS. The Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland report arrives with the same ritual timing, and the same ritual headlines. Scotland, we are told, is broke. Scotland, we are told, is subsidised. Scotland, we are told, cannot stand on its own two metaphorical feet. I must admit, it is an interesting annual event. But I really don’t want to talk about the methodology of GERS, or the fact that 25 of its 26 figures are more guesswork than estimates. Those arguments have been made many times before … Continue reading The Hammer Of The Scots – Can Scotland afford to remain part of the Union?

3 Comments

Sludge leaks, spills, and fails to be contained so build your super-hospital further away

johnrobertson834

Once more, deep thanks to our friend who shared this ‘sludge’ with us. From: Olden, R. (2016) Sludge. Cultural Geographies, 23(4), pp. 715719. (doi:10.1177/1474474016630966) We are standing over the inlet of Shieldhall Wastewater Treatment Works where the rush of stuff banished to an underworld of sewers and culverts spews from a protruding pipe to meet the light of day once again: the sewage and wastewater of half a million people….Here at Shieldhall, Scotland’s largest wastewater treatment works, the task is to separate water from waste. Wastewater runs a course which sees it filtered, settled, dredged and then metabolised by nitrifying … Continue reading Sludge leaks, spills, and fails to be contained so build your super-hospital further away

2 Comments

English drug baron’s county lines gang exploiting vulnerable women and children across Scotland from Inverness and Glasgow and onto Aberdeen

johnrobertson834

From the P&J yesterday, the above and: Viktor Kihu, 25, recruited people to his OCG which was called Harlem to use their properties in county lines drug operations. The Inverness Courier on the same day, revealed his wider empire: With the same text – This case follows another important development in the recognition of this plage: In the P&J today, the above. What has driven his demand? Police report a notable increase in drug offences in Inverness. Gangs target the region because of demand, less competition, and vulnerable people. Cases involve women and sometimes children being coerced into the networks. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy0xdxdl40o How widespread … Continue reading English drug baron’s county lines gang exploiting vulnerable women and children across Scotland from Inverness and Glasgow and onto Aberdeen

5 Comments

The real purpose behind this so-called House of Lord’s ‘inquiry’ into Peter Murrell

johnrobertson834

By Liz S According to the not so ‘Scottish’ Daily Mail “The Peter Murrell scandal is set to be investigated by peers in the House of Lords, the Mail can reveal”. That’s an investigation by Peers who are not members of the SNP party, who are all mostly non Scottish Peers or House Jocks and so are, by a majority , pro UK Peers and so then they all are (except the 2 Green Peers) anti Scottish independence unelected bureaucrats within the HOL’s. So what or rather who prompted this ? Well Jack McConnell had initially called for a joint inquiry between a Scottish Parliament committee and its counterpart in Westminster. So I suspect that he is (heavily) involved in … Continue reading The real purpose behind this so-called House of Lord’s ‘inquiry’ into Peter Murrell

5 Comments

An unholy trinity dedicated to lying about Scottish education to please Westminster is the full panel for BBC Scotland’s lack of balance today

johnrobertson834

MSM Monitor today, fast and forensic as ever, circles another rabid dissembler on schools in Scotland for the panel in BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show today. Perhaps MSM Monitor only wanted to point to the worst but, when I saw the list, I was frankly gobsmacked by the BBC Scotland editor’s bloody nerve in selecting all three of those assassins, James McAneny, Lindsay Paterson AND Carole Ford. Regulars will have seen our responses to the under-educated nonsense they regularly share, to help Scottish Labour MPs fawn to their leader in Westmnister. We have umpteen reports but one each of our previous … Continue reading An unholy trinity dedicated to lying about Scottish education to please Westminster is the full panel for BBC Scotland’s lack of balance today

Leave a comment

CalMac’s future lies in restoring and growing the Clyde shipyards again

johnrobertson834

Perhaps thinking that any bad news on CalMac ferries serves the same purpose, to damage the reputation of the SNP Government, the Scotsman serves ours well – to make a case for the Cyde. From BBC Scotland 1 July 2026: CalMac’s newest ship – the Turkish-built MV Isle of Islay – is to be withdrawn from service for repairs later this month, just 15 weeks after carrying its first passengers. The roll-on roll-off ferry entered service on 31 March, but six weeks later a hinge problem with its bow doors meant it has had to operate “single ended” ever since. The issue … Continue reading CalMac’s future lies in restoring and growing the Clyde shipyards again

9 Comments

Bias by the omission of really good news for Scotland – Record university places for Scots students and acceptances for most deprived young people at new high which also understates the true numbers

johnrobertson834

With the barest of mentions in the above report, now about to drop off the page after less than 24 hours and not a word in the press front pages, this highly significant news is being omitted because it tells the wrong story for those who cannot see Scotland thrive. From the Scottish Government, popping into the inboxes of every journalist in the country yesterday at 11am yesterday, ignored then and now, this: The total number of 18-year-olds in Scotland who have secured a place at university this year has increased to 17,920 – a record high for Scottish students … Continue reading Bias by the omission of really good news for Scotland – Record university places for Scots students and acceptances for most deprived young people at new high which also understates the true numbers

2 Comments

Unregistered children’s homes in England & Wales creating a ‘perfect storm’ for criminals exploiting young people are prevented in Scotland because of Nicola Sturgeon’s ‘promise’ in 2016

johnrobertson834

Yesterday from Policing Insight, the above and: New research by Anglia Ruskin University into the risks of child exploitation in unregistered children’s homes in England and Wales highlights that with youngsters often “institutionally invisible” in such settings, many are easy targets for organised crime gangs, county lines drug networks and sexual abusers, as the location of such homes and the lack of monitoring create a “perfect storm” of exposure for vulnerable children, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons. https://policinginsight.com/feature/unregistered-childrens-homes-create-a-perfect-storm-for-criminals-exploiting-young-people/ We explained why and how this does not happen in Scotland in June 2026: Before anyone accuses me of being duped, read … Continue reading Unregistered children’s homes in England & Wales creating a ‘perfect storm’ for criminals exploiting young people are prevented in Scotland because of Nicola Sturgeon’s ‘promise’ in 2016