In this piece by James Foley, click on Scotland’s coronavirus death rate compares rather poorly with England’s and it takes you to a Daily Record report recycling Andrew Marr’s selective use of only 4 weeks in the recent pandemic statistics where death rates due to Covid were higher per capita in Scotland than in England.
I knew Common Weal and it’s Source Direct blog had flaws but this is a lulu!
Source Indirect methinks!
Here are the data from official NRS and ONS statistics:
- The 7-day average:

Around 20% lower in Scotland!
2. The last month:

See the Marr opportunity? Actually lower for days before the Marr Show broadcast. Just a big lie.
3. The whole pandemic:

See the Marr opportunity now? Put your glasses on.
Overall, 25% fewer deaths in Scotland.
I’m sorry for the language but this is just shite or maybe, being kind, propaganda, James.
All graphs NRS an ONS tabulated by: https://www.travellingtabby.com/uk-coronavirus-tracker/

Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
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Why would an organisation which purports to support Scottish independence use propaganda from those who oppose it?
Some people just can’t see the forest for the trees i suppose.
Or perhaps there is another explanantion.
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McAlpine’s Huff?
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It would be more like bluff…
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lazy parrotting of MSM propaganda
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I read this too this morning and followed the link given to a Daily Record article that just repeated what Marr had said during his BBC programme. So the Daily Record simply amplified Marr’s highly partial view. And then the Common Weal’s Source Direct further amplifies the Record’s derivative account of Marr’s interview. Any added value here?
Well not really UNLESS the motivation is not about holding a government or a healthcare system properly to account – a good thing if evidence-based, in context and with perspective – and more about using the (questionable) work of others to try to damage the Scottish Government and the FM in the minds of Source Direct readers (however few).
Journalists and their employers that are politically partisan, ardent supporters of parties other than the SNP, and combine this with their Unionism, will of course care nothing about the risk of damaging the Scottish Government and the FM – on the contrary, they will seek out every opportunity to do so. But why would the author of today’s Source Direct article – published by a pro-Independence organisation – direct their readers to an account which relies wholly on Marr when the issues are so important and the time so politically sensitive?
I’m with bringiton writing above: I’m also searching for an explanation.
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Looks like anti SNP factions in the Independence movement are prepared to use unionist bullshit
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Or anti Independence Faction in the Independence movement more like!
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WELL IF THATS THE CASE THEY ARE SPEWING FALSE FACTS ABOUT SXOTLAND BASED ON AN “ENGLISH PERSONS VIEW”
Then source will be off my LISTS
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O/T
You have to ‘admire’ the chutzpah of the Brexiteer Tories. Tonight’s example was given by Mr Peter Bone the Conservative MP for Wellingborough since 2005.
In an interview on C4 News about the status of the Brexit negotiations he said with complete assurance, in terms:
– he wants to see a deal done with the EU but only on the UK’s terms and if this isn’t achieved then actually its really no big deal anyway. The UK currently trades with the USA for example without a trade deal so it will continue to trade with the EU even with non deal. No deal with the EU will mean higher prices here and it will make transport logistics for exports and imports less efficient – but so what. The UK will cope with all this just fine!
I suspect Unionists’ messaging around Scotland – England trade when they campaign against our independence will be framed a bit differently!
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Common weal’s reputation?
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Common weal don’t support Scottish independence they support socialism or a form of it.
Scottish govt won’t give them a job so they now attack Scottish govt and especially SNP
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