The recent arrests of leading SNP figures and the images of the disturbing mob-handed behaviour of Police Scotland has enabled the opposition parties and the mainstream media they feed, especially BBC Scotland, to feel that they have at last ‘landed a direct punch.’ Opinion polls suggests this has had some effect on support for the SNP though not for independence.

Until the above events, the demonstrably superior performance of the SNP in government, with the most effective NHS, the lowest Covid death rate, the lowest crime and the best staffing ratio across every public service, across the UK, had required a different approach where focus on an area of widespread concern and infinite improvability, such as health, would allow criticism regardless of any context. By associating unmet waiting time targets with the SNP Government, rather than the directly responsible health boards, the reputation of the former could be undermined, in what may be termed a ‘proxy war.’

Evidence of this, operating still was revealed in recent research.

In May 2023 alone, BBC Scotland had 22 reports on health-related problems. In 12 of those, the Scottish SNP Government was mentioned, thus linking it in the minds of viewers with some form of responsibility for the problem. In the same period, BBC Wales only had 13 reports, half as many, on health-related problems and in only 4 of those was the Welsh Labour Government mentioned. BBC Wales across a range of public service issues, tended to link those with, for example, health boards or a chief of police, rather than with the devolved government while BBC Scotland would typically mention the Scottish Government. BBC Scotland was twice as likely, by a ratio of 2 to 1 (23 to 12) to do so, by a ratio of 4 to 0 to platform opposition parties to blame the SNP for a problem and by a ratio of 2 to 0, to ‘accuse’ it of failure in some form.

For example, on 18 May, we heard:

“Humza Yousaf has been accused of negligence after it was revealed a key pledge to recruit an additional 1 000 mental health specialists has been delayed, Ministers confirmed to Scottish Labour the key promise that every GP practice would have access to a mental health and well-being service by 2026 has not yet commenced due to difficult decision set out in November’s emergency budget review.”

This was of a form not found once in BBC Wales reports.

Quoting accusations is not a new phenomenon by any means.

In 2019, we saw reports of two child deaths, only perhaps due to hospital-acquired infections, presented with images and reporting unique to BBC Scotland. Often much more serious cases in England would not mention the UK Government at all and would not platform opposition politicians as we see in these two images, the BBC Scotland image on the left relating to the same story from 2019.

There have been many more examples of this tendency, unique to BBC Scotland but space prevents a fuller account here. You can read more, much more, at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=proxy+war

This was first published in the July edition of the Scots Independent monthly printed newspaper, only £40 per year, right to your door, by the postie. Order it here:

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