Again, we’re providing improved reportage for BBC Scotland to help them keep up.
Things are moving fast and they only have 147 more staff than we do to wander round looking for Unionists out on the streets unattended.
As of today, Scotland no longer has the highest infection levels in the UK and supposedly in Europe:
With ten times the population, England should have 23 600 cases but actually has, today, 25 295, 10% more. Tomorrow’s paper are not expected to blame anyone in the Conservative Government for this.
Infection levels in Scotland have fallen now for 5 days:
Tomorrow’s paper are not expected to mention, far less credit, anyone in the SNP Government for this.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Ms Sturgeon said on Friday: “Remember the dates we’ve set are deliberately not tied to particular rates of infection, they are tied to vaccination milestones.
Wise?
Hospitalisation is rising. Deaths are rising. Should these not be considered? Good that cases are coming down though. You can still get sick after the vax. Some of us rely on low community incidence for protection. Please tell NS to consider cases too.
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”Please tell NS to consider cases , too ”.
I am pretty confident that experts on this matter are advising the FM and that she is not making these changes on a wing and a prayer – as seems to be the case south of the border !
I despair of the English media and Reporting Scotland/The Herald/The Hootsman who appear to assign all decisions on Covid to the FM . They NEVER quote scientific advice nor any stats which would support the decisions being made in Scotland .( unless they come from Jackie Baillie’s anti-SNP calculator )
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Thanks for setting me right!
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Please disregard previous post. I quoted crap out of context from the Herod. Since checked what NS actually said at the briefing and am reassured that vax won’t be the only criterion. Herod only reported the bit they liked which closely resembles boris plan.
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The number of cases may have fallen but the positivity rate is still high – just over 10% today – when it was 1.2% just a few short weeks ago. If the positivity rate is 5% or more then the virus is still rampant.
So still a need for caution and social distancing etc. With large sections of the media waxing lyrical about ‘freedom day’ down south then there is very likely to be a knock-on effect on compliance in Scotland.
So cases may be falling but it is all balanced on a knife edge and as we have found out time and time again with this virus it can all turn on a sixpence.
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I agree. Especially with this bit:
“So still a need for caution and social distancing etc. With large sections of the media waxing lyrical about ‘freedom day’ down south then there is very likely to be a knock-on effect on compliance in Scotland.”
I’d also add a possible worry about the possibility of those “freedom-lovers” South of the No-Border who decide to exercise that freedom by travelling to Scotland and ignoring our rules “cos it’s all One Nation, innit?”
I wish we could close the borders. It surely wouldn’t take much in the way of police resources. What is it – 26 roads?
At least a very large sign that says “Covid rules in Scotland are different. We still have them. If you can’t stick to them, go home.”
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Yes, Freedom Day comes just in time for the start of the English holidays in August.
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English Torydum is simply ideologically incapable of supporting good public health, and Westminster considers itself impervious to outside law that challenges the principle of Parliamentary sovereignty. So we’re a bit stuffed, unless we look outside of British constitutional culture for guidance.
http://opiniojuris.org/2020/06/16/is-an-ineffective-state-response-to-covid-19-a-violation-of-human-rights/
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O/T–
The next big stooshie will be State pensions (among the least generous in Europe) as the Triple Lock, which is a Tory manifesto commitment, is leading to a wee panic in the Treasury.
Boris is rapidly becoming a minority flavour in his own rabid elite.
Tax cuts–pensioners?
Tax cuts–pensioners?
Tax cuts–pensioners?
Forget the question marks–we KNOW how this plays out.
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Let’s try to make sure what happens to Scotland is as a result of our choices and actions. Not England’s right-wing market extremists.
Reconciling civil liberties and public health in the response to COVID-19
https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2020-0070
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I noticed today the the BBC Politics programme had “Cases soar in Scotland” not at the bottom “ticker tape” area but right across the main part of the screen. This is after a few days when the case numbers have actually fallen.
I mean I knew BBC Scotland were out of touch, but just where does the head office get it information?
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Interesting item on BBC Scotland’s Lunchtime Live where SAGE member Prof Robert West of University College London gave very strongly worded advice to Scotland to ignore English Gov decisions and continue its own sensible judgement. High praise too for FM’s role as clear communicator. Quite unlike you’d normally hear from Pacific Quay. It’s at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000xlpk and the item starts at 5:10 in.
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The thing is, Britain’s constitution only remained legally justifiable while Westminster remained within the boundaries of the rule-of-law doctrine. Which were crossed the minute Parliament ratified Brexit, IMHO. In fact, English Torydum has kind of blind to all legal boundaries that present barriers to their ambitions.
Crisis Without Borders: What Does International Law Say About Border Closure in the Context of Covid-19?
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpos.2020.606307/full
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As commented on your earlier Sick Men of Fleet Street article, Scotland is the “Look, a squirrel” go-to for the propagandists…
Just as they promoted the myths over care-homes, vaccination olympics, and a host of other squirrels courtesy of #10’s Nudge/Spin Unit, all have attempted to throw mud at SG and simultaneously distract those in England from their own calamities, with generally only the latter working.
The “Covid Hotspot of Europe” story was little different to Marr’s deliberately selective timeframe to criticise SG’s performance, it’s a pattern of propaganda we’ve become used to with either Pacific Quay leading it or dutifully following.
I see HMS Sarah Smith’s latest recycle is “What happened to Scotland’s ‘free from Covid’ hopes?”, but couldn’t help but notice their “Hotspots” table now includes parts of England…
Whatever happened to honest journalism….
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