As his English bosses cut billions from the care budget upsetting even Tory councillors there, Miles Briggs, once more, polishes his brass neck and challenges the Scottish Government to do more on the very same thing: Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to tackle the concerns regarding hospital discharge that were raised in the British Red Cross report, Life beyond the ward, Recommendations for improving hospital discharge in Scotland, and what steps it is taking to implement the recommendation that it should (a) shift the focus of care … Continue reading One Scottish Tory forgets which party he is in as Boris refuses to spaff taxpayers’ money up an old folk’s home wall

In Holyrood on Tuesday, Jackie Baillie (Scots for Nuclear Weapons) asked provocatively: To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the economic impact on Scotland of the current oil price being $60 a barrel, and how this compares with the price of $140 in 2014. Derek Mackay was ready with the figures, if not the full mastery of grammar, to show that we can do fine without the oil revenues as income from it reduces as a percentage of our economy even while that is constrained by Westminster’s mismanagement and Eton rules on taxation (see below): The global … Continue reading Scotland strong without the oil as Treasury ‘spaffs revenues up wall’

Readers may remember Reporting Scotland Down’s confident claim, in August, that: ‘Scotland has the highest level of distracted drivers in the UK!’ TuS, statistical officer, Minnie Robertson (14) said at the time: ‘Another schoolgirl error by our so-called Scottish journalists. There were more arrests of mobile phone users while driving in Scotland because Police Scotland officers are paying more attention, as they should, to the offence. Duuuh! Does Scotland have the most distracted journalists in the UK?’ Minnie’s grandad, of Letterkenny, Donegal, was heard to mutter: ‘Ah, she has a sharp tongue in her hayad.’ So, RSU feels obliged to add a … Continue reading Are Scots drivers slowing down?

What a load of bullocks says bull on left! Ludo Thierry A couple of weeks ago Fergus Ewing SNP Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture announced increased loans of 95% (up from previous 90% level) of Basic Payment Scheme payments to Scottish farmers. (https://news.gov.scot/news/cap-loans-underway : Investment released to help mitigate impacts of Brexit.Loans providing financial support to farmers in advance of Brexit will arrive in bank accounts from 4 October.Under the National Basic Payment Support Scheme, more than 13,450 eligible farmers will receive up to 95% of their Basic Payment Scheme 2019 payments – an increase of 5% on previous years – totalling … Continue reading Scottish Government help for farmers up and production up

According to Freedom of Information figures obtained from police forces in England and Wales there were 6 263 disability hate crimes in 2018-2019 up 12% in one year: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49975697 According to the Scottish Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service, in 2018-19: 289 charges were reported with an aggravation of prejudice relating to disability, three more than in 2017-18 when 286 charges were reported (an increase of 1%). This is the highest number of charges reported since the legislation creating this aggravation came into force in 2010. There is a broad consensus however that this type of crime continues to be … Continue reading Disability hate crime TWICE as common in England & Wales?

From NHS Scotland Information Services Division yesterday: In 2018/19, there were 52,436 deaths in Scotland excluding those where an external cause of death was recorded (including falls). For these individuals, 88.1% of their last six months of life was spent either at home or in a community setting, with the remaining 11.9% spent in hospital. This is equivalent to an average of 22 days in hospital in the six months prior to death. Over the past nine years, the percentage of time spent at home or in a community setting has gradually increased from 85.3% in 2010/11 to 88.1% in … Continue reading Last days being spent more and more at home

Alexander Burnett (SCAUP) kindly asked the Scottish Government on Monday ‘whether it continues to support the expansion of pumped storage hydro capacity at Cruachan as part of its Energy Strategy commitment to promote storage and flexibility.’ This allowed the following to be shared: The Scottish Government believes strongly in the strategic, system and economic value of pumped storage hydro capacity. Scotland already has around 30 GWh of pumped storage hydro capability, with more in the pipeline. Alongside the proposed expansion of Cruachan, we have recently consented Glenmuchlock, in Buccleuch Estate, and Coire Glas, near Fort William. We believe that investment … Continue reading Scotland’s pumped storage hydro capacity ready for export to rump UK

© https://www.ukboardingschools.com From University College London’s bit of a mouthful, ‘Structurally unsound Exploring Inequalities: Igniting research to better inform UK policy’ published yesterday: The importance of family background in perpetuating inequalities and constraining opportunity can also be evidenced in the UK labour market. Individuals in England whose parents worked in professional jobs are 80 per cent more likely to get into a professional job than their less privileged peers, with figures dipping slightly (sic) to 70 per cent in Scotland. Furthermore, evidence concerning which policies are effective in tackling educational inequalities is often only available many years after implementation, due … Continue reading Perpetuated inequality less prevalent in Scotland?

From Ludo Thierry Meanwhile beeb Scotland routinely ignore/downplay the genuine threat that no deal/rotten deal/all deals bar Norway-style arrangements pose to Scotland’s public services (NHS Scotland and Health+Care Partnerships in the vanguard) and to Scotland’s economy. Fortunately the SNP Scottish Govt are taking every opportunity to push hard on the in-migration issue and will continue to do so in the face of Westminster intransigence. Link and snippets below): (I heard on beeb Scotland this morning that senior figures at Whitehall have been flagging up concerns regarding the UK Govt reluctance to recognise the public demos in favour of Indyref and … Continue reading ‘All of Scotland’s population growth is projected to come from migration’

From Alasdair Macdonald There are a couple of things going on in these reports about ‘health scares’. Firstly, there are the various professional bodies – psychiatrists, radiographers, nurses, etc – who are seeking increased pay and improved conditions for members. This group also includes particular medical specialisms who are jostling for positions with regard to the allocation of funding grants. Secondly, there is BBC Scotland News and Current Affairs which is, as we have seen since before 2014, hostile to Scottish independence (since it is an arm of the UK state) and also hostile to public services and redistribution of … Continue reading Behind Reporting Scotland Down’s endless health scares