On Monday 21st, MSM_Monitor spotted the BBC double standards, in only BBC Scotland and opposition parties seeing the need to ‘politicise a health briefing during a pandemic‘ and effectively ‘provide a platform for the new Scottish Tory leader.’
BBC Wales did not do the same to their Labour FM and there was, to my knowledge, no pressure from the pro-independence opposition demanding the right to provide ‘other voices and perspectives‘ as Donalda MacKinnon, BBC Scotland director claimed were needed here.
Yesterday, we could see evidence of the same double standards in action.
In Covid-19 in Wales: What do the stats tell us? we find this:
We seem to be bombarded with different measures, but what do they mean and how does Wales compare with other parts of the UK?
and this:
and this:
The point is clear: Compared with much of England, Wales is doing not too badly.
On the same day, BBC Scotland offered us Coronavirus in Scotland: Where are the latest cases?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53511877
The word England does not appear at all. To my knowledge BBC Scotland does not indulge in such comparison.
When I make such comparisons, as I often do, to highlight relatively better performance in Scotland, accusations of statistical meaninglessness, schadenfreude and whitabootery arrive.
So when I write:
Look, over the six months of the pandemic, the infection level has been 35% higher [5 849 per 1m in England compared to 4 315 per 1m in Scotland] and the death level has been 45% higher [658 per 1m compared to 458 per 1m].
I hear:
‘You can’t compare England and Scotland. They’re too different’
or
‘None of that matters. Scotland is still not good enough.’
The double standards do not end there. Readers may remember this:
Talking-up Scotland 
Westminster is in a propaganda war against Scotland because of Scottish independence.
It does not have the same fear of Wales so it’s treated differently
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Can I ask for your opinions please
In Scotland it’s max six adults from max two different households
What would you do in these circumstances
You have family you wish to visit and they collectively number more than six adults and live in more than two different households
You can therefore within the rules visit them individually as long as there are never more than six adults from two different households
BUT…..what would you do
If you knew that some of the people you intend to visit are breaking the rules by visiting other people in gatherings of more than six adults who are from more than two households ?
Would you still visit them albeit within the rules
Or would you refuse to visit them because your risk factor is increased due to their rule breaking visits elsewhere ?
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Follow the rules. If you don’t you are complicit in spreading the virus!
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Terence,
I would not visit them. You could meet up outside staying socially distanced but I think I would still be cautious.
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TC, I saw your comment on WGD re this. You look after you and yours, and do everything possible to protect yourselves from the deadly covid19 virus, if that means not seeing family or friends that is by far the best action to take. It’s not worth risking catching or spreading the virus to say the very least.
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You are right but the purple graph figures are from July and the red map is September.
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Does that matter?
It’s that they compare with England at all and BBC Scotland does not.
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Bbc double standards. . . . On the BBC’s radio station in Scotland We’re being told about Covid-19 outbreaks in Scottish universities, not a peep about a single infected student in any other part of the UK
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Sorry to correct you John but your blanket “The word England does not appear at all. To my knowledge BBC Scotland does not indulge in such comparison” is flawed, it depends entirely on the subject.
In the recent Leitch interview for instance, Curran made repeat comparisons to England over the new restrictions, as it suited PQ’s stance on criticising SG at every available opportunity.
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It doesn’t appear in the report I said it didn’t?
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Indeed, they compare and contrast when they can frame it as SNP bad…the anti SNP propaganda is so obvious, but sadly works on some, or the BritNat state wouldn’t spend our money on orchestrating it.
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The way Kaye Adams is brow beating the Head of Universities Scotland Alistair Sim it appears she thinks she is back in Germany in 1939.
She did admit at one point that she might be “living in a parallel universe”
Desperate to turn it into a Scottish Gov. Disaster.
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Returning to university was a forseeable disaster as far as spreading the virus goes.
SG must share responsibility for this.
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Universities are authonomous. Scottish Government cannot tell them what to do on this and many matters.
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Can you imagine the backlash if the SG had said, nope, no reopening of uni’s in Scotland! There would have been hell to pay. The BritNats would have had days and weeks of free airtime to tell us that the SG are ruining kids lives and destroying their futures, same with schools decision to reopen.
The SG are dealing with a pandemic, tippy toeing around the bullying EngGov so as not to hurt their feelings, ie to be seen to do what England says SG should do, and not divertisfy TOO much, for fear of retribution. The EngGov are not saving the economy they are totally wrecking it to line their own pockets post Brexit, it’s terrifying to think of the damage to peoples’ lives, and childrens futures in the UK!
Scotland did not vote for this, which is even more tragic.
The BBC and STV and daily right wing rags are at war with the Scottish government, during a pandemic no less, and all to attempt to influence the way people perceive their government, rather than give the facts as they are, to inform people who can then make informed choices and decisions in how NOT to catch or spread this deadly virus. The BritNats in London and the BBC et al would rather people die in Scotland.
It’s truly sinister it really is.
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SGs powers are limited. There is an answer to that.
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Alex, if you go to Scottish university websites like St Andrews and Aberdeen you will see that the advice they give to new students arriving includes a link to government website for more information.
The problem is that the link is to Westminster government and not Scottish government
As we know, the rules introduced by Westminster govt and those introduced by Scottish govt differ
Interesting to note that
the principal of Aberdeen university is English
the principal of Dundee university is English
the principal of St. Andrews university is English
There are more
As well as Italian and Irish principals
Don’t we have Scottish people able enough to do this job ?
Would a Scottish principal ensure links to govt advice were to Scottish govt rather than govt in England given that our universities are actually in Scotland ?
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Bad show regarding the links and your note of the principals. However maintaining distance etc in Halls of residence and other parts of Uni is a huge ask and I believe impossible given the numbers and initial disorganisation during settling in.
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Alex,
The links on the uni web sites are to Scottish Gov pages. For example:
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/coronavirus/
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Terence,
That is not true. Links on the University of St Andrew’s website take students to the Scottish Gov web site and to the NHS Inform Scottish pages.
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/coronavirus/
Similarly with the University of Aberdeen website.
This is not the first time that you have stated this incorrect information. I corrected it before hopefully you will now take it on board and stop spreading this disinformation.
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Oh , good they’ve changed it .
I posted earlier links here and WGD with the links showing the referral was to Westminster gov.uk
Nice to see that since the big party and lots of infections there they,ve chamged it to Scottish govt.
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We are a militarily occupied colony, Terence. Almost all of the key jobs in administering Scotland are held by English ‘settlers’colonists’.
This is a fact, not an anti English rant.
England colonised Scotland . It’s time to send them packing.
At the ballot box.
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Now we see HAYS travel agency doing covid19 track and trace in England and some french company called Teleperformance
HAYS staff saying people are phoning them thinking they have some sort of medical or scientific training but they don’t
All they have is a script
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/revealed-travel-agent-lands-fresh-serco-test-and-trace-work-despite-staff-training-concerns/
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More than half of postgraduate students in Scotland are students who are not from Scotland , they are either from England or overseas.
I have wondered why so many students have turned up at university to live in student residences when their course is likely to be done online and not face to face ?
Let’s face it if you do your course online surely you’re as well doing it from home rather than travelling from another country to Scotland.
But given that Scotland’s infection rate is much lower than England I can see why students came to Scotland
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Maybe they are attending because there will still be tutorials and, for science students, lab practicals which will be suitably distanced.
Postgraduate students in the Sciences will have land-based research to carry out. This was put on hold when the Unis were closed but has now resumed. The return of these science based post-grad to their research is one of the reasons the Lighthouse labs are struggling. Many of the post grad students made up a fair percentage of the technical staff in those labs. Their departure back to uni leaves a gap that will be hard to fill.
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Sadly with Brexit, much needed research funding will be removed overnight from our universities and science institutions like the James Hutton institute. I don’t suppose the EngGov can lend them a few quid to close the gap…
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No there won’t be.Profs are already organising slide shows etc as for land based research that won’t be going ahead just now either.Clutching at straws there legerwood.
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Edinburgh is full of English students. So yes, we have a problem because they will carry on with life as normal, as they have done in England all summer, the consequnces for Scottish communities, cities and NHS is not going to be good at all, with winter around the corner. Scotland cannot do nothing to stop the influx of people escaping England where infection rates are so high. Devolution leaves Scotland at the mercy of the EngGov, and it’s very negative indeed for Scotland.
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Of course it’s English students coming to Scotland .
I don’t blame them …in a way…escaping the crazy and extremely high infection rate in England by coming to Scotland with a much much lower rate makes lots on sense….for the English student
But not for the people in Scotland
Overseas students are NOT coming
That’s a BIG problem for the universities
Yes they will try and arrange online classes but who’s going to pay tens of thousands of pounds to come to Scotland to do online study that they can do for a fraction of the cost at home …nobody…well not many
Certainly not enough
Students from England yes they’re already here
A mixture of young bravado “ I won’t catch covid”
OR “if I do catch covid it won’t harm me much”
And
LAX ensurance of adherence to covid19 safety rules recommendations and instructions
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O/T, caught up on Ciaran Jenkins’ latest piece from Scotland, clearly the story being framed is of Scotland struggling just as much as England, and the FM’s strategy failing despite more severe restrictions, presumably to stop the general English audience asking awkward questions.
https://www.channel4.com/news/scotland-reports-record-number-of-daily-covid-cases
One of his more bizarre misdirections was in presenting excess deaths for Scotland and England as similar (5.11% v 7.55%), C4 are descending into Propaganda Quay territory on their reporting via Mr Jenkins of late..
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Ciaran Jenkins is a TUC mouthpiece.
Channel 4 is BBC 5.
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The BBC’s radio station in Scotland pulled the plug on FMQ’s after 15 mins, Richard Leonard had asked only one Question.
Davidson asked only 2 Questions , last week it was 4 or 5 .
As usual the FM was wiping the floor with them.
Must’ve been an Editorial Decision!
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Just wanted to share this, excellent WGD article today about Brexit, covid19, and Scotland being at the mercy of the BritNat EngGov, who as we know, rarely if ever, show mercy.
https://weegingerdug.wordpress.com/
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