John Swinney is still the face of an exam crisis but the minister responsible for rail infrastructure maintenance and safety is nowhere to be seen. Both reports have statements of condolence from everyone you could think of, including the Duke of Edinburgh but there is no explicit clarification of where responsibility for the inspection, funding and maintenance of Scotland’s rail infrastructure lies – London.
In the BBC Scotland TV broadcast this morning only Michael Matheson, the Scottish Transport Secretary, who has no responsibility in this, was mentioned. In both reports Shapps and Matheson appear as if sharing responsibility.
These matters are reserved and the UK and Scottish media knew that last night when they annoyed one or two activists by going directly to Shapps.
Reading those statements, he accepts that his department only is responsible. He makes no attempt to share that.
Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel 
The British Nationalist government are going to use a fatal train crash to attempt to score political points aren’t they, if just by omission of facts about reserved powers, in their Tory controlled media. Utter lowlifes.
Who is it that investigates this? Is it an independent investigation?
So sad for those who have lost their lives.
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I see where you are coming for, but the main thing I see missing in terms of accountability is climate change.
All probability so far is that it wasn’t an operational procedure nor maintenance issue but a tragic consequence of more than a months worth of rainfall in a matter of hours.
In Scotland flooding from torrential rain will be the biggest weather effect of climate change (warmer global temperatures mean more evaporation and greater levels of moisture in the atmosphere, and what goes up must come down).
Sadly we’re going to have to get used to our landscape/infrastructure failing to cope unless we start taking climate change seriously.
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Agreed on the changing weather patterns norm, storm drains are designed to a finite capacity, the older systems were never designed to cope with that intensity. The only solution is to control WHERE the flooding occurs, always a massive challenge in an urban environment with antiquated systems.
I beg to differ on the “wasn’t an operational procedure nor maintenance issue”, remote monitoring of known hot-spots blinded to the driver could and should have been installed but was not perceived a sufficient risk to budget despite the minimal cost.
One can only hope this disaster spurs that to be re-evaluated, the capital value of the rolling stock wreck would exceed the total cost of deployment many times over.
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Today’s Call Kaye phone in subject is “has our emergency services ever saved you. . . . Tell us your exoeriences”
An exercise in worming their way into the public’s good books.
So when they tell us John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon are bad people the public will be more inclined to believe their attacks.
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I suspect the initial UK Gov PR exercise, Johnson, Shapps and Wee Andrew Bowie on scene ambulance chasing last night has been stopped due to this:
http://archive.is/poEmF
“Stonehaven crash: Network Rail was warned about potential problems across UK four weeks before train derailment”
So it’ll be Michael Matheson and The First Minister who will be the faces projected by the BritNat Media in Scotland now.
As pointed out by others it will be propaganda by omission over Network Rail being UK Gov and the line being their responsibility.
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The BBC that operates in Scotland is a propaganda outlet.
You can see the exaggeration and spin they put on issues in Scotland in comparison to the exact same issue in England.
The howling rage, frothing opposition politicians, parade of children on Radio/BBC Scotland, due to exam results. Then look at the calm journalism, questions asked politely, conclusions drawn without finger pointing—in the BBC south of the border.
How about health? The BBC in Scotland short-circuit all relevant authorities on any problem down to health issues. From Lament’s lamentable “blanket” smear to building problems—all are painted as the fault of the Scottish Health Minister. Compare that with Englands genuine and repeated health scandals. No English Health Minister is ever referenced or door-stepped.
The blatant slanting of story-lines, the obvious bias of its presenters, the lack of context or perspective when reporting, the endless three against one on political shows (see biased presenters above), the commissions and omissions that give a one-eyed tale the precise “tilt” they want. This is news manipulation on a grand scale.
The BBC in Scotland is a disgrace.
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G O. The BBC in Scotland would be a disgrace if it was ment to be an unbiased presenter of the news.
But it’not, in Scotland the BBC is tasked as a Propaganda outlet, in support of keeping Scotland in the Union.
So it’s actually doing what is required of it. Which is disgraceful .
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Shapps, Bowie and Johnson. Weren’t they at the Alamo? Trying to steal someone else’s country?
The Last of the Imperialists!……………………………..(like the Mohicans, but with less cool hair).
History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.
When Scotland is independent, then we can have a laugh and a drink with these three buffoons, but until then, count your spoons, and, if you shake hands with them, your fingers.
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