NHS Scotland’s A&E waits of over 24 hours are still fewer than a fifth per capita of those in NHS England contrary to Anas Sarwar’s claims in 2024
Here’s what Anas Sarwar said in June 2024: Anas Sarwar has accused the SNP of “breaking” the NHS as he set out Labour’s plans for the health service, should the party win the general election. The Scottish Labour leader said a government led by Sir Keir Starmer would cut waiting times and increase access to GPs. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce99nlp03rqo We see today, above, from the BMJ, Sir Keir’s failure. https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj.s756 Comparisons with NHS Scotland can be very tricky, not least because NHS England restarts the clock after triage when the patient is allocated to a department whereas NHS Scotland counts from when … Continue reading NHS Scotland’s A&E waits of over 24 hours are still fewer than a fifth per capita of those in NHS England contrary to Anas Sarwar’s claims in 2024
England’s A&E ‘crisis’ as patients say “they’d rather die at home” but BBC UK don’t mention it
in England’s accident and emergency departments last year, according to the British Medical Journal. The figures also show almost half-a-million people spent more than 24 hours in A&E before being admitted to a hospital bed, transferred or discharged. Here’s what the BMJ actually said: A&E crisis: Data show 13 386 patients waited over three days in England’s emergency departments as patients say “they’d rather die at home” Might BBC Reporting Scotland have made more of that? You bed they would. ‘Crisis?’ ‘Rather die at home?’ Right up there and all day long. And this graph? The full report is at: https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj.s756 … Continue reading England’s A&E ‘crisis’ as patients say “they’d rather die at home” but BBC UK don’t mention it
74 year-old coal-fired 4 000 tons ferry, still sailing Lake Michigan is three times the age of an average CalMac ferry and twice the age of its oldest
From AOL today, above and: The historic Lake Michigan auto and passenger ferry SS Badger, the last coal-fired steamship operating on the Great Lakes, is set to open its season Friday, May 15. https://www.aol.com/news/ss-badger-season-opens-may-162253664.html The SS Badger, built in 1952, is still operating on the Great Lakes (USA). SS Badger came under fire from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and environmental groups in late 2008 because of her daily practice of dumping untreated coal ash from its boilers directly into the waters of Lake Michigan. Burning 55 short tons (49 long tons; 50 t) of coal a day produces 4 short tons (3.57 long tons; 3.63 t) of ash.[30] Coal ash is a … Continue reading 74 year-old coal-fired 4 000 tons ferry, still sailing Lake Michigan is three times the age of an average CalMac ferry and twice the age of its oldest
Cornwall ferry users ‘losing their minds cut off from civilisation’
The Torpoint Ferry is a car and pedestrian chain ferry connecting the A374 which crosses the Hamoaze, a stretch of water at the mouth of the River Tamar, between Devonport in Plymouth and Torpoint in Cornwall. The service was established in 1791 and chain ferry operations were introduced by James Meadows Rendel in 1832. The route is currently served by three ferries, built by Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd at Port Glasgow and named after three rivers in the area: Tamar II, Lynher II and Plym II. Each ferry carries 73 cars and operates using its own set of slipways and parallel chains, with a vehicle weight limit of 18 tonnes (20 tons). The ferries, along with the nearby Tamar Bridge, are operated by the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee, … Continue reading Cornwall ferry users ‘losing their minds cut off from civilisation’
Lib Dems confirm that they share Scottish Labour’s values – protecting the wealthy, punishing the disabled, bombing the innocent and increasing child cancers
By Liz S “Lib Dem leader signals party could back Sarwar as first minister”. ( “could” in that sentence is quite interesting, as one wonders if currently that is only a possibility as a scenario, then what would it take to definitely make the Lib Dems to then confirm that they “would back Sarwar as First Minister”) ? The BBC wrote that “Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has signalled that his party could back Labour’s Anas Sarwar in a vote to nominate a new first minister” He also “confirmed he would not support Conservative leader Russell Findlay or Reform chief Malcolm Offord in a … Continue reading Lib Dems confirm that they share Scottish Labour’s values – protecting the wealthy, punishing the disabled, bombing the innocent and increasing child cancers
Stürmer in 1916 and Starmer in 2026, Imperial Russia and Post-Imperial Britain’s weakest PMs both controlled by flawed visionaries in the last days
I’m reading Antony Beevor‘s Rasputin, only to discover one of Imperial Russia’s Prime Ministers, Boris Vladimirovich Stürmer was perhaps their least impressive and most feckless holder of the post. From Brittanica On Feb. 2, 1916, while Tsar Nicholas II was at the front with his troops, leaving the administration of the country to his wife, Alexandra, and to her personal advisor, the illiterate Siberian peasant and holy man, Rasputin, the little-known Sturmer was appointed prime minister because of his association with Alexandra and Rasputin. Sturmer did not establish his own policies while in office, had difficulty in grasping the subject of discussion at meetings, and relied heavily … Continue reading Stürmer in 1916 and Starmer in 2026, Imperial Russia and Post-Imperial Britain’s weakest PMs both controlled by flawed visionaries in the last days
In the UK today – “Things fall apart, the Centre cannot hold, mere anarchy rules”
By Alasdair Macdonald Comments. I think all of this shows the unionists are really fears that their ‘precious union’ might indeed be falling apart due to Starmer’s and his government’s lack of a narrative and a direction, the rise of Reform and collapse of the Tories, the DUP’s recognition that a united Ireland is coming accompanied by the mollifying words of the president of the Gaelic Games Association, the rise of the Green Party to the left of Labour (Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are more leftwing than Labour), the likely third party status of Labour in Wales and the … Continue reading In the UK today – “Things fall apart, the Centre cannot hold, mere anarchy rules”
Children’s social care workers in Scotland to get Living Wage, £1 200 more than in other parts of UK but it’s not being reported – wonder why?
From Children’s social care workers: minimum pay Last updated 21 April 2026: The minimum rate of pay for children’s social care workers in Scotland is £13.45 per hour. What to do if you are not receiving this. The minimum rate of pay for children’s social care workers delivering direct care in Scotland increased from £12.60 to £13.45 per hour from April 2026. This is in line with pay rates for adult social care workers and with the Real Living Wage rate announced by the Living Wage Foundation in October 2025. The Scottish Government provide funding to local authorities to ensure that both children and adult social care … Continue reading Children’s social care workers in Scotland to get Living Wage, £1 200 more than in other parts of UK but it’s not being reported – wonder why?
As Transform Scotland call for a large SUV ban in city centres, how they have surged to 30% of all cars and are 8 times more likely to kill a child
From GB News yesterday: Scotland could introduce new restrictions on larger vehicles in city centres following fresh calls from campaigners, who warned SUVs are becoming an “emerging problem”. A new report from sustainable transport group Transform Scotland has urged the next Scottish Government to consider bringing in limits on the biggest vehicles in urban areas. According to the report, SUVs made up almost half of all new cars sold in 2023, a dramatic rise from just one in 10 in 2020. Campaigners warned that this rapid growth is already having a visible impact on Scotland’s towns and cities. https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/scotland-suv-restrictions-parking-road-safety The … Continue reading As Transform Scotland call for a large SUV ban in city centres, how they have surged to 30% of all cars and are 8 times more likely to kill a child
Children living in temporary accommodation can be dangerous – THREE times as many per capita do in England as in Scotland
Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this in the Guardian today: Living in temporary accommodation has contributed to the deaths of 104 children in England in the past six years, 76 of whom were under the age of one, according to data. Statistics also show there were 64 stillbirths and 27 neonatal deaths involving mothers living in temporary accommodation (TA) in the UK in 2024. Experts say the housing crisis is pushing families into conditions that endanger their lives. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/22/temporary-accommodation-deaths-children-england I can find no directly comparable data for Scotland but this major difference is connected. From STV in February 2025: The number … Continue reading Children living in temporary accommodation can be dangerous – THREE times as many per capita do in England as in Scotland
Talking-up Scotland 