Too slow, too science-based?

BBC Scotland this morning repeated from 6am to 9pm, opened with this, foregrounding industry demands ahead of Government and expert health advice. After four sentences explaining the industry view, one sentence suggesting, only, that the Scottish Government ‘believes‘ its approach is justified by the data. So the industry view is stated as a fact while that of the SNP administration with its published data is only a belief?

It’s only the beginning.

At 7.15am, an extended piece with James Cook travelling around Scotland to allow various business owners to tell us that while they ‘understand’ the need for caution they still want to open earlier than the Scottish Government with al their data think they should. Each gets the chance, or is prompted by Cook to do so, to make threats about employment, unsubstantiated, unquestioned and tell us, no hard evidence, that businesses are shutting down.

Then it’s straight on to BBC Scotland’s regular celebrity pub owner to make more threats:

There is no balance, no right of reply. 10 minutes of imbalance and one-sided information is a very long time indeed.

As an election approaches this is a clear attempt to influence viewers.

Of course, Cook has previous:

Deep in the Mix James cooks the books

Posted in the early hours, like me often, this on the BBC Scotland website: Is Scotland moving towards independence? By James CookChief news correspondent for The Nine: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54630729 It’s long and OK at first until, 25 wee paras down we see: First, the more that campaigners for the union highlight Scotland’s dependence on tax receipts from the richer south east of England, the less attractive such a state of affairs may appear. Increasing numbers of voters in England are asking why they should be writing the cheques and many north of the border are wondering why Scotland is poorer than … Continue readingDeep in the Mix James cooks the books6 COMMENTS

James Cook repeats the same one-sided and evidence-free thinking about gyms re-opening early

This morning, repeatedly, BBC Scotland’s James Cook rehashes the confused case for gyms re-opening ahead of the Scottish Government’s schedule. The report is entirely one-sided, allowing the trade to suggest that indoor physical exercise has a key role in saving us from mental health problems. The evidence? What gym-owners say. They’re gym-owners! They must know if it’s safe or not. And, and, pubs are open! So, you want people to drink but not get fit? What sort of policy is that? That whole ‘if pubs can open why not gyms‘ argument is so infantile. ‘Why can’t I go an play … Continue readingJames Cook repeats the same one-sided and evidence-free thinking about gyms re-opening early10 COMMENTS

James Cook does have a point but…

Like many of you, I wondered why on earth the Scottish Transport Secretary was prepared to be interviewed aggressively when the minister responsible, Grant Shapps, was allowed to just spout some vague generalities out in a field. While the opportunities were not perhaps ‘ample’, Matheson certainly could have reminded Cook that the rail infrastructure, its funding, maintenance, inspection and any relevant ministerial report reading are reserved matters and then he might have suggested he keep his shouted interruptions for the man responsible. Here’s the point. He shouldn’t have to. While many social media commentators did not at first realise that … Continue readingJames Cook does have a point but…8 COMMENTS

One too many James Cooks made me loose my marbles?

I understand James Cook has responded to my criticism of his interview with the Scottish Transport Secretary on the Stonehaven rail crash. He has me blocked so I can’t see it. It’s interesting that he has replied. Few at PQ do. That he does so reinforces my and Chomsky’s reasoning that he does not not fully grasp his own inner mental processes and is so deeply embedded in an establishment/elite culture or bubble that he thinks and behaves instinctively in ways which lead automatically to anti-SNP/SG bias. He has responded before to me. In 2015 he suggested that I and … Continue readingOne too many James Cooks made me loose my marbles?12 COMMENTS

Denialism and Psychopathy in the age of Choler*: What does James Cook think the Scottish Government can do?

From sam: “In the psychology of human behavior, denialism is a person’s choice to deny reality as a way to avoid a psychologically uncomfortable truth. Denialism is an essentially irrational action that withholds the validation of a historical experience or event, when a person refuses to accept an empirically verifiable reality.” That is from Wiki. This is from The Nine   https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000lrlv/the-nine-13082020 James Cook refers to problems with landslips that are raised in 2014 and 2019. He asked Michael Matheson what action did the Scottish government take on it. Mr Matheson said in reply that mitigation efforts were put in. This is true. Network Rail reported:”Remediation of … Continue readingDenialism and Psychopathy in the age of Choler*: What does James Cook think the Scottish Government can do?10 COMMENTS

Cooking up rehashed mince

Reporting Scotland’s James Cooking takes the opportunity, after reporting the Sun’s ‘gotcha‘ moment when they caught the First Minister without her face mask on, to repeat the long-disproved myth that Scotland has not done well in terms of infection and death rates. It doesn’t matter how often we correct them, they and others, including even Professor Bauld on Sky News today will ignore the facts and repeat the myth. So, one more time (I wish): The UK is now 10th in terms of deaths per 1 million population. England at 1 045 would be 9th and Wales at 988 would … Continue readingCooking up rehashed minceLEAVE A COMMENT

Desperately seeking the same as England

As NHS England suffers a real crisis with infection and death rates surging to the highest in the World and whole regions on the very edge of being overwhelmed, the BBC Health Correspondent, Lisa Summers, pounces gleefully on a report from James Cook on one of Scotland’s more hard-pressed areas, Monklands in Lanarkshire. You might remember Summers, a few weeks ago, excited about a small rise in hospital-acquired Covid infections in Scotland but not mentioning that they were only at 2% and at that, a tiny fraction of the rates in NHS England. Or, back in 2019, when she decided … Continue readingDesperately seeking the same as England5 COMMENTS

Dear Michelle, I wish you could read this because, with respect, there are some things you really need to know!

By stewartb The recent BBC Scotland article by James Cook on Scotland’s independence amplifies the views of one Aberdeenshire farmer who is reported as follows: ‘…. Michelle ….. farms some 600 ewes and 10 rams (or tups, as they’re known in Scotland). She opposes Brexit and worries about its impact but she does have concerns about independence which are practical and specific. “I think we are better off staying [in the UK] and then we’ve got a louder voice to make trade agreements with other countries, not just the EU, but other countries as well”.’ Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54630729 Where to start? … Continue readingDear Michelle, I wish you could read this because, with respect, there are some things you really need to know!16 COMMENTS

Gym owner with HQ in Yorkshire (161 new cases today) decides ‘Scotland’s ready for it’

Reporting Scotland at 1.30pm today ignored the great news about Scotland’s 99.7% contact tracing and gave a super-rich gym owner a platform in an extended report to interfere and to patronise Scots with the suggestion that we should be ready for gym re-opening and to follow England into further hasty loosening of lock-down. His report was preceded by the announcer telling us that there is a ‘huge body of evidence that they’re safe.’ That turns out, laughably, to just be his own company records which, he says, have nobody reporting any transmission in a gym. He follows BBC Scotland’s James … Continue readingGym owner with HQ in Yorkshire (161 new cases today) decides ‘Scotland’s ready for it’

9 thoughts on “Too slow, too science-based?”

  2. One can but only reach the firmest of conclusion
    That amongst those at the top of the ABC
    (BBC) Scotland
    They have considerable fiscal holdings
    In the Undertakers line of work
    Surely not Propaganda
    Oh dear probably both
    Clever chappies Kill ( excuse the pun)
    2 birds with 1 stone

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    1. “One can but only reach the firmest of conclusion
      That amongst those at the top of the ABC
      (BBC) Scotland
      They have considerable fiscal holdings
      In the Undertakers line of work”

      That’s a good point puk1.

      Perhaps we should write en masse to the British Propaganda Corp insisting that they extend their service industry interviews to include undertakers…

      “Hospitality needs to open up sooner”
      “If it doesn’t, many undertakers will go out of business”
      “And it isn’t just us. There’s a knock-on effect – coffinmakers, printers, shroudmakers, caterers, florists…”
      “What about hospitality itself? Think of all the money they’ve lost not being able to supply for all those wakes”
      “If we don’t open up now, especially in the Borders, there’ll be streams of hearses nipping over the border to Carlisle to swap a cold relative for a cold beer.”

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  3. Considering that as far as I can see the irresponsible noise is all coming from the Service Sector possibly Harold Wilson was not all together wrong with his Selective Employment Tax on the non manufacturing industries in 1969 saying that for a nation taking in each others’ washing was not sustainable.

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    1. The BBC have been endangering the health of Scots since tge pandemic began..
      They even stopped traffic bulletins at the beginning of tge year as this would have required them to broadcast a reminder of “essential journeys only”. Otger BBC stations eg. Radio 2 never halted travel bulletins so the “essential journeys only ” message was aired at least twice per hour.

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  5. Was there any doubt HMS Sarah Smith would be pumping out doubts over SNP’s competence coming up to an election ? Nope.
    Has James (I’ve seen the emails) Cook recovered any shred of credibility no matter what he’s reporting on ? Nope.
    Is a significant percentage of the Scottish population believing of this ? Nope.

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