BBC Scotland always has our back when things are getting worse but seem to forget to remind us if they improve only two days later. Some of us would like to know so that we feel less guilty going into A&E. Overall hospital admissions have been falling for five days after levelling off for the previous seven. ICU cases are down more than 20% in the last week. Hospital admissions remain steadily at around half of the January peak. At the same time staff absences have been falling for 2 weeks and are now 30% down on two days ago, … Continue reading LATEST: Crisis receding as admissions and staff absence reduce?

Still feasting with Anas Sarwar, on the same child death, and presumably English, soldiers coming to our rescue, BBC Scotland clings (bottom left) onto Thursday’s big Covid death total of 50. Today, they could have reported 18 deaths, the biggest fall in one day since January 2nd* and a steady fall in serious (ICU) cases over the last 7 days, from 100 to 72, a 28% fall! https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-daily-data-for-scotland/ *There were no deaths recorded on January 2nd. Continue reading Massive falls in ICU cases and death

In the Telegraph yesterday from Douglas Ross: Sturgeon has given in to the drug dealers. The SNP’s de facto decriminalisation of drugs has surrendered Scotland to more misery and death. For seven years straight, drug deaths in Scotland have increased. Under the SNP, this shameful situation has spiralled out of control, leaving us with the highest death rate in all of Europe. This has https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/09/24/sturgeon-has-given-drug-dealers/ The facts: DRUG DECRIMINALISATION IN PORTUGAL: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT. Drug-related deaths have remained below the EU average since 2001 The proportion of prisoners sentenced for drugs has fallen from 40% to 15% Rates of … Continue reading Douglas Ross all wrong on drugs

From STV yesterday: Scotland has become the first country in the world to embed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusive-education across the school curriculum. All school staff will be given a basic awareness e-learning course on LGBT inclusive education and a toolkit of LGBT-inclusive education teaching resources. Subjects across age groups will now include LGBT identities, issues and history in a bid to promote equality and reduce bullying. And a dedicated website will also be launched with resources for information to support young people. Parents, teachers, young people and LGBT organisations helped to develop the website, e-learning course and teaching … Continue reading Scotland FIRST in World!

In August 2021, NHS Scotland’s A&E departments saw, on average 75.45% within 4 hours. In NHS England for the same period, on average, only 66.2% were seen in 4 hours. The Scottish system is thus more than 9% better in crude terms but more accurately 14% better (9.25% of 66.2). Of the total 400 000 attending A&E in England in August, 56 000 more could have been seen within 4 hours had they lived with an NHS like NHS Scotland. With only one tenth of the population that equates to 5 600. Also, NHS England uses a cunning ploy to … Continue reading 5 600 more could have been seen within 4 hours had they lived in Scotland

My first complaint for some time above. Their response: The headline to this article reads “Covid in Scotland: Demand for GPs ‘double’ pre-pandemic levels”, with ‘double’ presented in quote marks as you acknowledge – the use of quote marks in headlines widely established as conveying someone’s viewpoint or comment etc. The lead paragraph and article body adds the further detail and context that this is a report of the experience and views of Dr Sandesh Gulhane, a Scottish Conservative MSP and GP, as told to BBC One Scotland’s The Sunday Show – clearly attributing Dr Gulhane’s views and comments to … Continue reading Use inverted commas and say what you like?

Context is important https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/173734/bbc-news-review.pdf The above report has a little but it’s well chosen to make the audience think things are bad, very bad: It is the largest rise in deaths announced in one day since 23 February. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58684704 Is it the largest rise? It’s an increase of 13 from 37 on the 23rd September to 50 yesterday but as you can see above it’s by no means high over the pandemic nor is it even accurate. On the 22nd July, deaths went up by 15, to 22, from 7 on the previous day. Do they just mean it’s the … Continue reading ‘Context is important’ – Thick as mince, or thieves?

Is that all? Non-emergency? 114 Land Rover drivers taking folk in for a hospital check-up, like the 2 600 existing local civilian volunteers who know the area, and adding nothing to the 5 000 who can do emergencies? That’ll make a big difference? Why doesn’t Reporting Scotland do a special on the local volunteers and try to encourage more to come forward and help? We asked 102 people (25 times a typical BBC Scotland survey) if they’d seen an Army ambulance. Only 2%, 2, had. By 6pm please respond: Have you seen an Army ambulance today? — Talking-up Scotland (@ProfJWR) … Continue reading Read the small print – ‘a bunch’ of ‘non-emergency’ drivers ‘arrive in’ Scotland

An inquiry has begun, investigating the construction of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Campus, Glasgow, the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Edinburgh. A mass of data and numerous qualified experts’ testimonies will place heavy demands on attending journalists. They have ignored that and lazily picked out a few catchy headlines from three or four distraught parents who are not even vaguely competent to judge what happened. Reporting like this, never happens on BBC England, UK, Wales or Northern Ireland. BBC Scotland staff are infected with a cultural virus which reduces brain function, planted … Continue reading Sturgeon ate my hamster

From Tom Gordonstoun in the Herald: NICOLA Sturgeon has been accused of presiding over an “international humiliation”, after Scotland’s state-owned shipyard wasn’t deemed good enough to build state-owned ferries. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar laid the charge against the First Minister after Ferguson Marine’s bid didn’t even make the shortlist to build two new CalMac ferries last week. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19601068.ferries-international-humiliation-nicola-sturgeon-says-anas-sarwar/ Oh, a country of 5.4 million doesn’t win a contract to build ferries for use in that same country – international humiliation. I bet England, population 54 million does better, did better under Labour. The Spirit of Britain channel ferry, built … Continue reading ‘International humiliation’ for England as no Channel ferries built there