Ayr Conservatives are living in the pre-Truss past and will be lucky to come in 3rd – Only the SNP can keep those monsters, Reform UK, out!
They did come close in 2021, but the Scottish Conservatives after Liz Truss, whom Sharon Dowey, above, supported enthusiastically, and now facing a near extinction event in May, are so far behind that their claim above is frankly laughable. Things have changed. Look at all the opinion polls since the beginning of 2026. At best, they’re coming in 4th, 25 points behind the SNP. In two of the polls, they’re even 5th, behind the Lib Dems or the Greens! Now I know there are local variations but in the Ipsos poll in 25 February, in the South Scotland region, they … Continue reading Ayr Conservatives are living in the pre-Truss past and will be lucky to come in 3rd – Only the SNP can keep those monsters, Reform UK, out!
Clydebank Hospital applauded for phenomenal 30% increase in knee and hip ops in just one year
From the NHS Jubilee today NHS Golden Jubilee has officially become the largest centre for hip and knee replacements in the United Kingdom, marking a major milestone in the delivery of orthopaedic care across NHS Scotland. In the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, NHS Golden Jubilee performed 4,308 hip and knee replacements, surpassing all other UK centres in Britain during that period, according to official data from the National Joint Registry (NJR). This represented a 29.6% increase in procedures compared to the previous year (3,323 in 2023/24), reflecting the hospital’s commitment to expanding capacity and reducing … Continue reading Clydebank Hospital applauded for phenomenal 30% increase in knee and hip ops in just one year
Despite training almost twice as many doctors per head as England, NHS Scotland still retains a higher percentage but BBC Scotland find one lost in Australia
BBC Scotland‘s insert in BBC Breakfast this morning had the above and online – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp854pn5meno The bad news was the suggestion that resident doctors in Scotland, despite having settled a pay and conditions deal, unique in the UK, are unhappy and planning to leave the country in numbers. You have to wonder where they got Mike, above, from, and who he is related to/connected to in Scottish Labour. Is there any basis for worrying about this in Scotland as opposed to in England? In Scotland, 22% of doctors reported considering moving to practice abroad, which is lower than the UK … Continue reading Despite training almost twice as many doctors per head as England, NHS Scotland still retains a higher percentage but BBC Scotland find one lost in Australia
BBC Radio 4 Today on school leaver destinations ignores Scotland’s 96% success rate and England’s 40% higher youth unemployment
Thanks to Frances McKie, once more for noting and researching this one. BBC Radio 4 Today this morning have been discussing today, the GOV.UK publication of: A major youth employment drive backed by £1 billion will help create 200,000 jobs for young people, alongside the biggest transformation of apprenticeships in a decade. It comes as apprenticeships starts amongst young people are down 40 percent in the last decade and almost one million young people are not earning or learning – a rise of 248,000 between 2021-2024. To be announced today (Monday) in a speech by Work and Pensions Secretary Pat … Continue reading BBC Radio 4 Today on school leaver destinations ignores Scotland’s 96% success rate and England’s 40% higher youth unemployment
You’ll need thirty quid. You’ve just bought a steelworks in Scunthorpe – 1 minute video
UK Government reserved powers mean Scottish taxpayer will pay £120 million to keep Scunthorpe steel furnaces open
In the Guardian today: Taxpayer bill for saving Scunthorpe steel furnaces could top £1.5bn by 2028, auditor says – National Audit Office highlights benefits of state rescue for jobs and orders but warns of continuing high cost. The cost of keeping the UK’s last remaining blast furnaces going at British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant could exceed £1.5bn by 2028 if it continues at its current rate, according to the government’s spending watchdog. Ministers took the plant into public control in April last year, after its Chinese owner – industrial firm Jingye – threatened to shut down the loss-making site. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/16/taxpayer-bill-for-saving-scunthorpe-steel-furnaces-could-top-15bn-by-2028-auditor-says Will Scots have … Continue reading UK Government reserved powers mean Scottish taxpayer will pay £120 million to keep Scunthorpe steel furnaces open
As two large English police forces still arrest women for ‘illegal’ abortions it is effectively de-criminalised in Scotland
In the Guardian today: Vulnerable women in England still being arrested over suspected illegal abortions – Nottinghamshire and Met police made arrests in past year, despite MPs voting to decriminalise in England and Wales. Vulnerable women in England still being arrested over suspected illegal abortions Nottinghamshire and Met police made arrests in past year, despite MPs voting to decriminalise in England and Wales. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/15/women-arrested-suspected-illegal-abortion-england-police Has any woman been arrested for taking part in an ‘illegal’ abortion in Scotland? No, there is no public record or reported case of a woman in Scotland being arrested for participating in or procuring an … Continue reading As two large English police forces still arrest women for ‘illegal’ abortions it is effectively de-criminalised in Scotland
Twice as many have NHS dental care in Scotland, hundreds queue for care in England but the Herald lets the British dentists’ trade union and the least trusted pollster YouGov tell us we have a problem as a failed dentist faces a near extinction event for his party
The Herald front-paging a survey paid for by the British Dental Association, the dentists’ trade union and carried out by YouGov, the pollster which can never find a Yes majority and proven most likely to downplay SNP leads. In the Guardian last week: Almost a third of people in England now use private dentistry, with a sharp rise in the number of poorer households forced to pay for fillings and extractions. The scarcity of NHS care means the proportion of people turning to private dental services jumped from 22% in 2023 to 32% late last year, the health service’s patient watchdog found. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/09/nhs-dental-crisis-private-dentist-patient-incease-england We’re hearing … Continue reading Twice as many have NHS dental care in Scotland, hundreds queue for care in England but the Herald lets the British dentists’ trade union and the least trusted pollster YouGov tell us we have a problem as a failed dentist faces a near extinction event for his party
Not Scottish Daily Mail campaigns for the 1% of council tax payers as average bill in Scotland remains 25% below England and Wales
The Daily Mail frontpage above. How many will pay more than £4 000? Less than 1% in most areas and 1-2% in a few Edinburgh and Glasgow areas, for a pile comparable to the above. How does the average compare across the UK? Average Band D Council Tax for 2026/2027 – These are approximate national averages for a Band D property (the most common comparator). Actual bills vary widely by local authority, property specifics, discounts (e.g., single occupancy), and exemptions. On average, Council Tax in Scotland, around 25% lower than in England or Wales. Sources at: https://x.com/i/grok?conversation=2033464876346012090 Continue reading Not Scottish Daily Mail campaigns for the 1% of council tax payers as average bill in Scotland remains 25% below England and Wales
As healthcare in England becomes a full-blown two-tier system with only 84% now in the NHS how health care in Scotland remains 96% within the NHS
Headlining on BBC Breakfast this morning, this claim from Health Watch UK: NHS Scotland is not part of the study: In 2023, 9% of those we polled had accessed private healthcare in the last year. By 2025, this figure nearly doubled to 16%. The use of private dental care increased from 22% to 32% over the same period. The poll of 2,593 people in England, aged 18 and above, was run by Savanta between 31 October and 7 November 2025. We asked about the public’s use of NHS and private health care, and their confidence in accessing timely NHS care. https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/news/2026-03-16/two-tier-healthcare-increases-confidence-timely-access-remains-low … Continue reading As healthcare in England becomes a full-blown two-tier system with only 84% now in the NHS how health care in Scotland remains 96% within the NHS
Talking-up Scotland 