Last night on BBC 1 Sarah Smith joined the campaign to suggest that all is not well under the alleged veneer of the Scottish Government’s competence.
Studiously ignoring the facts:
Deaths three times higher in England in last week: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2020/06/11/calls-for-border-controls-as-the-r-number-falls-again-in-scotland-but-potentially-infected-hordes-are-crossing-from-worst-infected-areas/
Infection rate 42% higher in England: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2020/06/11/calls-for-border-controls-as-the-r-number-falls-again-in-scotland-but-potentially-infected-hordes-are-crossing-from-worst-infected-areas/
Care home deaths 30% higher in England: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2020/06/13/good-morning-scotland-still-lets-alister-jack-lie-bare-faced-to-its-shrinking-audience-about-care-home-deaths-being-double-in-scotland/
R number lower in Scotland than all parts of England: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2020/06/11/calls-for-border-controls-as-the-r-number-falls-again-in-scotland-but-potentially-infected-hordes-are-crossing-from-worst-infected-areas/
Smith manages to find some care home owners to report anxiety about lack of staff testing.
In this campaign based on testing, Smith and those feeding her such as Carlaw are deliberately ignoring the evidence.
In the much praised New Zealand:
New Zealand’s care homes did not expect asymptomatic cases to be tested but THEY were expected to isolate them for 14 days: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2020/05/27/message-for-carlaw-and-leonard-new-zealands-care-homes-did-not-expect-asymptomatic-cases-to-be-tested-but-they-were-expected-to-isolate-them-for-14-days/
With particular regard to testing, we have to repeat constantly the problems in testing the asymptomatic, of the greater effectiveness of targeted testing and tracing over mass testing, and that testing is not enough. Distancing and hygiene remain as important as ever.
Smith’s appearances to undermine the Scottish Government are regular.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
It is going to be interesting to see the reaction from the unionists and their press pack when the inevitable tightening of regulations governing care homes takes place.
Screams from the Tories about the “nanny state” and unaffordability of these new regulations etc etc.
They are simply looking for any mud they can make stick on the SG because of the present high regard Scots have for it’s handling of this crisis.
Can’t have the natives thinking that we would manage better without Westminster.
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Well in regard to your final killer point I’d say she’s doing a bang on job then.
Thankfully she isn’t being heard by the masses!
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SS is just continuing the family business of assuming the Scottish Electorate are thick and treating us with distain.
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Counting the tests in England’s care homes?
Lisa Davies
@lisadavies_
· 11 Jun
Replying to @TheCurlyLucy and @MattHancock
I manage two care homes.. I asked for 20 tests for the two homes. I received 100 kits in total. When I questioned why I had received 100 kits, I was told they only come in boxes of 50.. does that mean they are all counted as tests done???
Fionna O’Leary, 🕯
@fascinatorfun
103 test kits sent out between Lucy (3- none complete) and the next tweet requesting a total of 20 kits for 2 care homes. Sent 100.
And told not to use the left overs for any retests
To apply again.
How are these counted
@UKStatsAuth
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It is entirely feasible that being a long-term reader of this site that I am guilty of confirmation bias when I read something indicating bias in the BBC and much of the rest of the media.
Having said that, I have felt that over the past fortnight there has been quite a ramping up of the attacks on the competence of the SG and that it is concerted, with the unionist parties, particularly
Mr Ian Murray for Labour, seeming to be speaking from the same script. The self-proclaimed ‘progressive’ media are as complicit as the usual right wing media.
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when i was young, we were told the BBC is an impartial organization. Thanks to yourself and other indy bloggers, they have been exposed as a propagandist arm of the state, misreporting, lying etc. In a new scotland these quislings could expect their p45s. Smith’s father was an honourable man, i’d imagine him turning in his grave with her blatant twisting of the facts
Sent from my iPad
>
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Same. My how the post WW2 propaganda worked. Even my dad a stalwart questionner of the Britnat elite authority, used to believe the BBC was independent, or certainly not really state controlled.
See the link I posted earlier, to Mark Doran’s blog re the BBC…what he says in this article is really interesting, with reagrd to what is happening now, and the past, re the BBC!
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Have you noticed that the BBC are broadcasting a drama based on the Skripal affair? Well, it would have to be a drama, because none of the reporting made any sense whatsoever, so they’ve made it up into a drama instead of a documentary – does anyone fancy watching it and reporting back?
It is, of course, the BBC ramping up their anti-Russian propaganda just in time to distract us from Brexit, or distract us from the uk being the Covid hot spot of the world or whatever else might imply the great British empire is less than great and less than far superior. Or maybe it’s to boost Boris popularity figures? Introduce an external dastardly threat to remind us how much we need the government to protect us, so folk will stop moaning about being exposed to excess virus and stop throwing statues of slave traders in the river. And maybe stop people demanding kids get taught ‘real history’ in schools – haha, can you imagine the uk government allowing folk to get taught that the English invented concentrations camps, eugenics and mass torture etc?
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By the figures from UK gov Covid page over the past 7 days there have been 32 deaths in Scotland and 1113 in England. Will be interesting to compare the different trajectories over the next few days/weeks.
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“Will be interesting to compare the different trajectories over the next few days/weeks.”
Indeed! But who apart from folk like us will make the effort to compare them?
How many people are seeing beyond what the BBC presents to them ?
Who will provide proper, robust opposition on this issue to the UK government in England?
As we know in Scotland, there are many who seek out opportunities to divert attention and manufacture criticisms of others in order to protect the Tory government. Even Labour in Scotland in the form of Ian Murray MP do it!
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stewartb
“Who apart from folk like us will make the effort to compare them”
It’s up to us to inform others, there’s no one else to do that!
Print off articles, parts of articles, make up an A4 news sheet , double sided . . .push them (carefully) through letterboxes.
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Veneer. A perfect word for the BBC, wider UK and outwith UK propaganda ‘media’ machine.
I have to share this blog, because in so many ways it is so apt. I hope it’s OK to share. I really like what Mark writes, but todays article is just class.
https://markdoran.wordpress.com/2020/06/13/winnie-the-poo/
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Thanks for that, as you observed, class…
Link shared on…
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China seems to be testing asymptomatic contacts and found 9 positive. Although a negative test may be unreliable a positive one is reliable and for that reason I think testing the asymptomatic is worth while.
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