Credit to Brenda Steele for heroically listening to this and alerting me to it.
Good Morning Scotland opens with:
‘And questions over the Scottish Government’s minimum unit pricing policy as a report suggests there’s been no fall in alcohol-related deaths.’
There then follows a debate where the interviewer does challenge the researcher from the Institute for Economic Affairs with just finding what they believed would be there anyway before allowing him to outline his findings. To be fair, another expert voice suggests it’s too early to draw any conclusions and refers to lower hospital admissions by those from more deprived groups targeted by the policy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000h0wl
The problem is that damage has been done here by allowing this report to be presented as a headline story and as potential evidence from an ‘independent’ research group to challenge an SNP ‘flagship’ policy.
The IEA, formerly the Taxpayer’s Alliance has a clear agenda to undermine any state intervention which harms the interests of the corporations and the rich who fund it.
The IEA has been repeatedly exposed as a partisan organisation which cannot be trusted. In this context, why did GMS not mention that they are alcohol-industry-funded?
https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g1572/rr/688516
The IEA is commonly fronted by Kate Andrews whose attack on the NHS has a certain resonance in these times:
The Good Morning Scotland team have surely seen BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis ‘nail’ the IEA on funding in 2018:
The IEA’s wikipedia page sums them up well:
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is a think tank that says that its experts “further the dissemination of free-market thinking”, and that it “analys[es] and expound[s] the role of markets in solving economic and social problems”.It subscribes to a right-wing and neoliberal worldview. Founded by businessman and battery farming pioneer Antony Fisher in 1955, it promotes monetarist economics. There has been discussion in the press and among parliamentarians as to whether the IEA is more accurately described as a lobbying operation than as a think tank.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Economic_Affairs
Further uncomfortable reading on the IEA:
http://whofundsyou.org/blog/video-newsnight-asks-who-funds-the-institute-of-economic-affiairs
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Associated note, the BBC’s policy on “think-tanks” was changed in July according to this article on Indyref2 https://www.desmog.co.uk/2019/09/04/bbc-changes-editorial-guidelines-improve-scrutiny-unbiased-thinktanks?amp&__twitter_impression=true
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Thanks. They’re ignoring this on Andrew Neil shows or on BBC Scotland.
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John,
Re pundits from think tanks. This from Ann’s links on indyref2.space today.
BBC Updates Editorial Guidelines to Improve Scrutiny of Thinktank Pundits
https://www.desmog.co.uk/2019/09/04/bbc-changes-editorial-guidelines-improve-scrutiny-unbiased-thinktanks?amp&__twitter_impression=true
The BMJ analysis of MUP, the link is in your article, shows that the MUP policy is successful at reducing alcohol consumption but as they rightly point out the benefits to health may take a bit longer to show up in the stats.
Since it can also take quite a long time to drink yourself to death I should imagine it will take a long time for the MUP’s effect on reducing consumption to show up in a reduction in alcohol-related deaths. Something a half way decent pundit would know.
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IEA warned –
http://archive.is/FkYy3
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Note : (1) The old and new definitions of alcohol related deaths (see below).
(2) Alcohol deaths are the result of *long term* excessive drinking.
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/alcohol-deaths.
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Regarding new methods of reporting by the Scottish Government. First off, I need to apologise to Clydebuilt – I said it seemed fairly clear, but it really isn’t clear what the FM meant at the briefing yesterday, so I was definitely wrong to say that. What we have is:
Weekly numbers published by the NRS, these breakdown all deaths into groups (age, sex, etc) and include those extra deaths where coronavirus is just suspected, or is just mentioned on the death certificate.
Scot.gov numbers that are published daily; the number of deaths are the number of CONFIRMED cases of coronavirus deaths. Those that have been tested for coronavirus prior to death.
So, I believe (and it is by no means certain, but I got some verification from the blog owner of https://www.travellingtabby.com/scotland-coronavirus-tracker/ that this is the most likely case) that the daily figures from scot.gov will STILL be the total CONFIRMED cases, and the FM was explaining that the weekly figures from NRS would be different – higher – because of the above differences.
I can only assume that Nicola Sturgeon believes the weekly figures to be more accurate because of the greater detail of the NRS reports, and that it will capture a number of people (and others unfortunately) that were not tested for coronavirus – it should indicate how to respond better, no good will come from covering up bad news on this. A lot more testing would actually be the most accurate way to gather data, of course.
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Can we no longer calculate deaths as a % of those admitted to hospitals?
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It seems like the daily updates from scotgov will be the same – the confirmed cases – so whatever info you got from that will be the same. The weekly (released on Wednesdays) figures from the NRS will be very different, but should give a more detailed breakdown.
Travellingtabby has a ton more data shown – like how many NHS workers are off because of coronavirus, and other details – as well as how many ICU beds are occupied, and this hasn’t seen a big increase in the last few days, you can’t tell how high the turnover is of course, but it seems like a good sign.
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We need a leader who is not afraid to take on the lying English/British nationalist media.
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Presumably one with their own TV and radio station ?
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Well done, Brenda. I heard this, too, and was appalled, but not in the least surprised. BBC Scotland News and Current Affairs has consistently shown bias against Minimum Pricing of Alcohol, Smoking in Public Places, Baby Boxes, Research of climate change and global warming. It ignores national BBC guidelines on the issue of ‘balance’. The alcohol and tobacco lobbies are always represented on news programmes and phone-ins, with the latter always framing the question indicating support for opposition to SG policies.
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Perhaps too they cannot get over the SG repeatedly beating them in court to get their policy on ‘the book’s. All power to the SG for sticking with the policy in the face of all the opposition from the drinks industry and from Unionist Parties, who at one time or another proposed such legislation but backed down when the drinks industry said ‘boo’.
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Interestingly, Mr Ross Greer, MSP (Green) has lodged a formal complaint about the use of IEA research on Good Morning Scotland. This was reported on today’s Good Morning Scotland, when they were reviewing the newspaper headlines.
I await – with no great hope – what the DG’s response is, albeit the complainer being an MSP. As he is a Jock and a member of a minor party which promotes climate action, I suspect his complaint will be dismissed. The DG probably shared a dorm at Marlborough, or the like, with one of the principle, but strictly anonymous IEA donors.
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Mark Littlewood –
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/institute-of-economic-affairs-offered-access-to-ministers-zm77g6k2c
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