On 24th January 2019, I wrote to BBC Complaints saying: ‘With regard to deaths at the QEU Hospital in Glasgow, Lisa Summers said: ‘It became clear that two patients had died as a result of this particular infection.’ This is patently untrue. In one case, the patient absolutely did not die as ‘a result of’ the infection’ but because of ‘an unrelated cause’. In the other case it was as, Lisa put it later ‘contributory’. The infection was found in the blood stream of the second patient but clearly this death was also not ‘as a result of’ the infection.’ On 11th February after apologies for delay, … Continue reading Superhospital pigeons: Will BBC Scotland repeat the same lies again that they apologised for last year?

As the Scottish Government’s reputation soars, BBC Scotland and the opposition parties are using the forthcoming inspection into the New Southern General’s water supply infection not caused by pigeons and the deaths of 3 or 4 babies and toddlers not caused by the infection to mount a campaign. Expect to see distraught mothers who have been groomed by opportunistic politicians and lawyers, condemn the work of independent investigators as a cover-up and see their words and faces lingered over by interviewers drooling with fake compassion and cameras of the highest quality right in tight. I haven’t and will not watch … Continue reading For your own good do not watch tonight’s BBC Scotland faked hospital death festival with pigeons but read the editor’s apologies from last year

Joyous Billy Cumberland (16) has won his dream move from the Herald to the Daily Mail after capturing the image of the First Minister listening to Jackson Carlaw or Richard Leonard, today in Holyrood. The report, once more suggests that highly trained professionals kept sick residents in care homes rather than transfer them to hospitals because Scottish Government advice recommended that it not be done. The recommendation, written by medics, was to protect the vulnerable residents from the traumatic experience of transfer and invasive testing. The Herald report, by Tom Gordon, does not remind us of the care home’s responsibility … Continue reading Herald picture editor wins move to Daily Mail

In a poll of 165 adult Scots (18+) on 18-19 June when asked: What level of trust or distrust would you say you had in the information on coronavirus provided by the following individuals? Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland: These groups trusted her: 69% overall against only 20% 42% of Conservatives 56% of Labour 78% of Lib Dems 83% of SNP (only?) 77% of Conservative Remainers https://www.opinium.co.uk/public-opinion-on-coronavirus-18th-june/ Respondents were not asked about Richard Leonard or Jackson Carlaw but they were on 6% and 8% respectively in February. Continue reading Massive cross-party support for Scotland’s lockdown exit strategy

Readers are invited to suggest headlines. Continue reading The Tusker helps BBC to finish-off its headlines and better inform the public

Under that strange choice of photograph, the New Scientist reported: The number of excess deaths in the UK since mid-March now stands at 65,700, according to an analysis of data from the Office of National Statistics by the Financial Times. Excess deaths are a calculation of how many more deaths have occurred than would normally be expected, and include deaths from any cause. The official figures remain at 42,927: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uk/ Using the ONS/FT figures, Scotland’s excess deaths would be a twelfth or around 5 500. BBC Scotland using NRS data on the 17th June put the figure at 4 878. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52214177 More important, … Continue reading The UK’s excess deaths soar to 65 700, shielding English and concealing lower Scottish figures since divergence

Taking advantage of their personal connections, forged in the Young Conservatives theatre group (above-right), Jackson Carlaw has gained access to the ‘evidence’ used by the PM to reduce the 2 metre rule to 1 metre, with a face mask but not in a pub (above-right). Many of us have wondered why, given that Great Britain is the most successful union in the world, Carlaw has not previously been able to use his connections to get access to the PM’s secret stash of evidence. The Tusker can reveal that two peer-reviewed studies are key to the PM’s decision: A mathematical modelling … Continue reading Carlaw bypasses Sturgeon to get special access to Johnson’s ‘science’ on the 1 metre risk factor

By stewartb: Published on 22 May in the British Medical Journal there was an editorial calling for a “transparent rapid review of where we are and what needs to be done to prevent and prepare for a second wave”. The editor of the BMJ, Fiona Godlee, on C4 News this evening (23 June) referred to this and another request for an enquiry that had been made recently via the BMJ. In the course of the interview she referred in terms, to the need to resolve issues with ‘devolution’ in advance of a possible second wave. I was curious to find … Continue reading A second covid wave in England may bring the unfinished devolution agenda to a head

In the Herald today: ONLY one in every 200 Covid tests carried out in Scotland is now detecting a positive case, as the prevalence of the virus continues to fall. The ratio of positive to negative test results indicates that Scotland “is on the safe side” in terms of controlling the pandemic, according to a scientific briefing paper that draws comparisons with the performance in New Zealand and South Korea. Typically, the Herald headline understates this dramatic good news for all of us and which demolishes all of the attacks from Carlaw, Leonard and the many others desperate to prove Scotland is … Continue reading Tories silenced as major success in testing reveals Scottish Government strategy pushed infection level toward zero to match New Zealand and South Korea

Professor Bauld did not explicitly say that we should have a border but the evidence she offered made it seem necessary when you consider not just coronavirus but other potential epidemics spreading north. More on these below. On BBC Newsnight, last night, from Professor Bauld after being asked: England accelerating on the exit from lock-down. Can you support this? said: Well, I think the public health community is very anxious. Even though we see fewer than a thousand cases today, the estimates from ONS are around 3 000. We still have far higher level of cases than other European countries … Continue reading Leading academic makes the case for a border to protect Scotland from coronavirus second wave in England