It’s glowing in the header after I highlighted it but this BBC Business story needed my insertion of that word in the headline. To be fair, it comes up twice in the text and several of the sentences related to it? However, some councils are also delaying recycling collections in order to prioritise general waste. It comes as three councils in Devon wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel on Thursday, asking for the government to grant temporary visas for trained European HGV drivers to ease the shortage. The UK currently has a shortfall of about 100,000 HGV drivers, after many … Continue reading Bin collection delays almost linked to Brexit!

From SNP Media: SNP MP Patricia Gibson has written to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions calling on the UK government to urgently investigate and address ongoing delays in State Pension payments. In a letter to Therese Coffey, the MP for North Ayrshire and Arran highlighted cases of constituents who have still to receive their pension payments over a month after reaching their State Pension age. Pensioner poverty has recently risen to a 15-year high of 18%, meaning that around 2.1 million pensioners across the UK are now living in poverty – with the State Pension the most important source of income for … Continue reading Coffey’s incompetence worsens pensioner poverty with pension delays

Listeners to BBC radio and TV will know that ‘Brexit’ is the word that must not be said by our Loyalist state journalists. The Herald do let the FM mention it but seem to have forgotten it in the headline, so I’ve sorted if for them. No charge. Is there any evidence the Herald might have used to inform its readers? Just a very large number of reports such as: UK recovery slows due to staff shortages and supply chain issues: https://www.ft.com/content/1f650e41-f318-4d2a-afa9-70dd88536359 Employer, employee, and consumer research shows scale and scope of Brexit’s damage to hospitality jobs: https://www.hospitalityandcateringnews.com/2021/08/employer-employee-and-consumer-research-shows-scale-and-scope-of-brexits-damage-to-hospitality-jobs/ Blood tubes … Continue reading Just one word

The Scotsman does have a grip but it’s a sweaty, nasty one, by ex Labour or Tory apparatchiks posing as journalists. Here are the facts again. In Scotland, as of 30 June 2021, 115 253 patients were waiting to be seen for the key diagnostic tests and 396 771 were waiting to be seen for treatment. In England, as of 30 June 2021, 1 367 706 patients were waiting to be seen for diagnostic tests and 5 609 000 were waiting to be seen for treatment. England has 10 times the population so Scotland might be expected to have 136 … Continue reading Yet Scotland’s hospital waiting list is 40% shorter than England’s

In Scotland, as of 30 June 2021, 115 253 patients were waiting to be seen for the key diagnostic tests and 396 771 were waiting to be seen for treatment. In England, as of 30 June 2021, 1 367 706 patients were waiting to be seen for diagnostic tests and 5 609 000 were waiting to be seen for treatment. England has 10 times the population so might be expected to have 1 152 530 waiting for diagnostic tests but has 215 000 more and thus is around 18% worse. England has 10 times the population so might be expected … Continue reading A humiliation for Anas – how Labour can’t add and how NHS Scotland’s waiting lists are much shorter

After mostly similar trends over the pandemic, but with periods, in May and June 2020 and from November 2020 to March 2021, when rates were higher among women, the rate for them has plummeted to around 80% of that for men, in the last few days. The higher rate among women is largely explained by their higher exposure to risk, working in the caring professions and on their greater reliance on public transport when in low-paid work. The continued surge amongst men seems at least in part due to mass attendance at sporting events in the last week or so. … Continue reading Covid in Scotland: Infection rates among women plummet

Zo, pretty dramatic eh? 17 deaths in last 24 hours, in one day? More deaths than in any one day since April 2, 6 months ago, when there were only 4? How about July 22nd, six weeks ago, when there were 22? Or, how about numerous days over most of the last 17 months when there were many more deaths, up to nearly 100 in January? Were the last 24 hours that special? Nope. How about comparison with other parts of the UK just in case we’re the Covid Capital again? We have had the highest death rate but only … Continue reading Herald just cannae get the staff to scare us

Anas, as bright as ever, forgets: These Scottish Labour Lords: Or the inflated council contracts for cousins and pals, from people like this guy: Over to you, reader. Continue reading Jobs for pals?

The Herald has often written campaigning pieces on behalf of teachers, pushing for early vaccination, school closures and other special measures for them in the pandemic in an effort to undermine Scottish Government strategies. Some time ago, I pointed to research showing they were at relatively low risk of infection or harm compared to bus drivers and security guards. Today, even BBC Scotland opens its report on recent research, accurately: Scotland’s teachers were not at greater risk of admission to hospital from Covid compared to the general population, a study has found. Research by Public Health Scotland and the University … Continue reading Teachers’ favourite?

As often before, Reporting Scotland staff don’t do the math as our American neighbours might say. Even looking at the graph, you can see we’ve had three days with lower rates than the peak on the 29th August: When you look at the 7 Day Averages to get a more reliable indicator of the trend, you find it peaked at 5 831 on the 29th and today, four days later, it’s ……………………… 5 831. Tempting fate perhaps but now some time after the school return, this looks like the plateau before the fall. Continue reading Infection rate trend flattening