As yet another Tufton Street, London-based think tank comes up to tell us our drug deaths are high, the English drug gangs keeping them high are ignored:
As Labour approaches second anniversary in power, their auditors say 50% of England’s schools are ‘unfit for purpose’ while SNP Government has built or refurbished 1 150 schools since 2007 to reach 92% fit for purpose
In the Guardian today: Half of headteachers say parts of their school are either out of use or unfit for purpose due to leaks, damp, mould, asbestos, ageing boilers and malfunctioning fire doors, according to a new survey by the National Association of Head Teachers(NAHT). Among those who say their schools are suffering, almost three-quarters (73%) say they have toilet blocks that are either closed (8%) or not fit for purpose (65%). https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/apr/28/ngland-schools-unfit-leaks-mould-unusable-toilets How are things in Scotland? According to the Scottish Government’s School Estate Statistics 2025, 92.0% of schools were rated in good or satisfactory condition (up slightly from … Continue reading As Labour approaches second anniversary in power, their auditors say 50% of England’s schools are ‘unfit for purpose’ while SNP Government has built or refurbished 1 150 schools since 2007 to reach 92% fit for purpose
Poverty – Given the Labour Party’s track record in government in Cardiff over decades, what credibility can it have now in Scotland?
By stewartb In its news report of the JRF’s statement on the election manifestos of political parties in Scotland regarding poverty, The National newspaper quotes the social justice spokesperson for the British Labour Party in Scotland. This demonstrates yet again the party’s political hypocrisy. On poverty reduction, Claire Baker states: “The SNP’s shameful lack of progress over the last two decades has made this all the more challenging and all the more urgent.” And: “Scottish Labour is determined to tackle poverty at its root, support the next generation and make life more affordable.” Fortunately we can assess the Labour Party’s … Continue reading Poverty – Given the Labour Party’s track record in government in Cardiff over decades, what credibility can it have now in Scotland?
Four years after top Swedish health officer praises hospital safety programme now 15 years in place NHS Scotland pays out less than one sixth of the amount per head in malpractice claims compared to NHS England
The Herald still desperately stoking the fires of supposed discontent with NHS Scotland which they hope might help save Anas Sarwar from a near extinction event on May 7/8. There is far bigger news on this issue. In 2023/2024 (latest) NHS Scotland payed out £47.3m for health-related complaints.1 All things being equal with ten times the population, you might expect the NHS England to be around £480m. It was £3.1bn! 2 More than 6 times as high, per head of population. Why such a difference? Scotland’s hospitals are safer. See this from 2022: Dr Pelle Gustafson, chief medical officer, of … Continue reading Four years after top Swedish health officer praises hospital safety programme now 15 years in place NHS Scotland pays out less than one sixth of the amount per head in malpractice claims compared to NHS England
UK Labour’s new Renters’ Rights nearly ten years behind SNP and still not as strong
From BBC England yesterday: Described as the biggest shake-up to renting in England for more than 30 years, a new law giving tenants more rights was formally approved at the end of October. The government has now confirmed that the main changes will come into force from 1 May 2026. The new rules will affect more than 11 million people. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqjwqp72y7ro No mention of Scotland is being made. Why should it be? The Renters’ Rights Act will bring the English private rented sector much closer to the system Scotland has had since 2017 under Private Residential Tenancies (PRTs), but some meaningful … Continue reading UK Labour’s new Renters’ Rights nearly ten years behind SNP and still not as strong
‘The BBC suffers from ideological conformity’ – Scotland’s ‘top media academic’ in the Herald on BBC Bias correctly explains as Chomsky might have
In the Herald today: Scotland’s top media academic: ‘BBC Scotland is biased branch office.’ Professor Catherine Happer leads Glasgow University’s acclaimed Media Group. She talks to our Writer at Large about why the national broadcaster is haemorrhaging public trust When I saw her explanation of how this comes about, I fully agree with what is essentially a version of Hermann & Chomsky’s in Manufacturing Consent, forty years ago and one which I have largely embraced since then. Many activists, I know, reject its subtlety and see, certainly in the reporting of the likes of Glen Campbell or Sarah Smith, a … Continue reading ‘The BBC suffers from ideological conformity’ – Scotland’s ‘top media academic’ in the Herald on BBC Bias correctly explains as Chomsky might have
‘Will party manifestos meet Scotland’s child poverty targets?’ Has this fragmented think tank left out the obvious factor, based on their track record in Scotland or in the other parts of the UK so far, is there much chance they will deliver anywhere near the level the SNP has achieved?
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation today asks: Will party manifestos meet Scotland’s child poverty targets? and opines straight-off: All parties have published their manifestos for the 7 May Holyrood elections, but they fall well short of the action needed to meet child poverty targets, leaving the next Scottish Government to match rhetoric with action. The researchers, above, base this largely on reading the manifestos and giving all the benefit of the doubt as to whether they might deliver them. This is hugely naive or predisposed to not consider what the SNP has done in Scotland with Labour in Wales and in … Continue reading ‘Will party manifestos meet Scotland’s child poverty targets?’ Has this fragmented think tank left out the obvious factor, based on their track record in Scotland or in the other parts of the UK so far, is there much chance they will deliver anywhere near the level the SNP has achieved?
Sky News reports on maternity ‘horror stories in this country’ but it’s not THIS country
Thanks to Dottie once more for alerting me to this. This Sky News special on maternity services, ‘in this country’, is of course about England. They go on quickly to relate their special to the report by Baroness Amos and remind us that it made ‘pretty horrific reading.’ I watched no further. Why? Baroness Amos looked only at England. Is the Sky News special likely to be informative on Scotland? No, because: Thousands of babies and mothers avoidably dead in maternity trusts, twelve trusts under investigation and two trusts face police investigations into potential corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter … Continue reading Sky News reports on maternity ‘horror stories in this country’ but it’s not THIS country
Replacing migrant care workers with better paid locals – Scottish Labour can only offer a review that might pay more in 2028 (!) while SNP has already delivered a 7% increase now!
In the Guardian today: Britain [sic] risks undermining the care workers it depends on. A new Fair Pay Agreement [FPA] is promised, with the government overseeing pioneering sector-wide negotiations aimed at improving the lot of these undervalued workers. The deal is intended to come into force from April 2028. Yet by singling out this group for the longest wait before they belong in the UK – with high-paid workers on a faster track – the Home Office seems to be validating the deprecation of this essential work that helps explain why it’s under-rewarded in the first place. The hope is that … Continue reading Replacing migrant care workers with better paid locals – Scottish Labour can only offer a review that might pay more in 2028 (!) while SNP has already delivered a 7% increase now!
Talking-up Scotland 