Under the online headline: NHS in Scotland could face £1.8bn ‘shortfall’ without reform, says watchdog, we read, and hear headlined on Reporting Scotland Down: Audit Scotland’s annual report said the NHS was “seriously struggling to become financially sustainable”. Auditor General Caroline Gardner said the integration of health and social care was too slow and staff were under intense pressure. and then: The pressures are getting more and more severe every year. That puts a lot of pressure on people working in the health service and it also damages confidence. I don’t doubt that the London-born, Wolverhampton Borough-trained accountant, has spotted … Continue reading Audit Scotland goes beyond its abilities and remit based on shoddy evidence to help BBC Scotland’s weaponizing of NHS Scotland

There is a danger that some folk watching Reporting Scotland and STV might believe the big balloon when he says: ‘Their lackadaisical government, the highest taxes anywhere in the UK, declining educational standards and inadequate healthcare!’ Both leave his astonishing rant unchallenged. No surprise there. If you know anything at all, it’s a statement of unparalleled inaccuracy. It’s all wrong. It’s stunningly galling for him to think he can say it. He has no evidence. Here is just some: Lackadaisical government: Three times more trust Scottish Government over UK Government to act in Scotland’s best interests. Public trust in the … Continue reading Reporting Scotland Down and Scot(ish)Television News let his outrageous lies about the SNP stand unchallenged

Callous heartless Tory? Is there another kind? In the Daily Record, on Tuesday 22nd October 2019, above and at Holyrood on the same day below: Click to access WA20191021.pdf Perhaps we might ask her what analysis her party has done on how staying in the Union might impact on levels of child poverty and on benefits? Does she have this kind of thing below in mind? Continue reading Callous heartless Tory pretends to care?

Finlay Carson helpfully asked on Monday how much the Scottish Government has been obliged to pay out to compensate for UK Government under-investment on superfast broadband, which is, of course, their reserved responsibility and got the answer: Click to access WA20191021.pdf No doubt he won’t be the last Tory to ask the same daft question. Are they competing with Scottish Labour for some kind of thicko award? Continue reading SNP Government forced to spend £400 million to make up for UK Parliament failure on superfast broadband

Ludo Thierry Good economic news on business insolvency front. It refers to a single quarter’s figures so doesn’t tell us too much. However, the guy from KPMG explains he interprets the figures as demonstrating some resilience operating within the Scottish economy. Lord knows we’ll need it if Johnson and Co. aren’t thwarted pretty sharpish and manage to drag Scotland further into their brexit mire. Link (Scottish Legal site) and snippets below: https://www.scottishlegal.com/article/number-of-scottish-business-insolvencies-falls-by-over-a-third The number of Scottish companies entering into administration, receivership or liquidation has decreased by almost 35 per cent in the last quarter, according to new analysis by KPMG. … Continue reading 35% reduction in Scottish business insolvencies to much lower level than in rUK

From anandprasa References to Scotland from ‘A report on the scale of wildlife crime in England and Wales’: ‘As a coalition we are concerned that levels of wildlife crime in England and Wales are not recorded or reported upon in the same manner as in Scotland.’ ‘In 2011, provisions of the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act amended the Wildlife and Countryside Act and placed a duty on Scottish ministers to produce an annual wildlife crime report.’ ‘The Sentencing Council for Scotland are, however, engaged in the process of producing a wildlife crime guideline. We will liaise with Scottish Environment … Continue reading Scotland is far from perfect on Raptor Crime but it is trying. England is doing the opposite.

Reporting Scotland Up‘s fearless Disclosure team have discovered a Freedom of Information request to Police Scotland on 15th October 2019, which suggests that Scotland is being threatened by so many supernatural phenomena that they cannot even keep record of them never mind fight them. Here it is: Professor Julian von Dracula of the University of Barking, says: ‘This can only mean one thing. There must be millions of these phenomena, so many, you think who can I call?’ Continue reading English academic says independent Scotland could not protect itself from ghosts and werewolves

BBC Scotland reported today, broadcast, online and presumably on radio (SMS): Racial harassment is a “common experience” for staff and students at Scottish universities, according to a new report. As always, the report by young McIvor is confused and misleading. It’s only when we read and hear (perhaps): Researchers heard from 571 staff and 845 students across the three nations. that, once more we know this is a tiny self-selecting sample that probably tells us little of value. There are around 430 000 staff at UK universities and 2 340 000 students so the response rates, even if it were … Continue reading Contrary to BBC Scotland scare story Scottish universities are the safest place for all of our children

Today, repeated throughout the day, nine times, we’ll hear, headlined and with a worried face: The number of times people needed compulsory mental health treatment in Scotland reached a record high last year. As always, the report opens with drama based on a single source and allows toward the end a brief response from the Scottish government as context. In the online version, it is only by the 23rd statement that we hear something that should turn the headline round: The low rates in some areas are a real concern for us and we hope that our data will be … Continue reading Only days after health professionals warn them Reporting Scotland Down ‘chase an ambulance’ on mental health issues

Ludo Thierry Here’s something to get the Better Together crowd gnashing their (not so) pearly whites. Yes – further stats showing the dramatic improvement in the state of Scotland’s children’s dental health continues under an SNP Scottish Govt and YES majority Scottish Parlt. (SNP just can’t help themselves – Bairns Not Bombs is part of the Indy political DNA). By the way – the story is being carried by beeb Scotland and beeb Health pages. Link and snippets below: (Note the continuing efforts to reduce the health ‘gap’ around family economic/social circumstances – SNP Scottish Govt showing just how public … Continue reading The number of children in Scotland with no obvious sign of tooth decay has hit a record high