Portsmouth North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Penny Mordaunt, the current Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council.
Today, Penny tells us:
A SENIOR Tory has claimed Scots are suffering from “Victorian diseases” after a recent visit north of the Border.
Penny Mordaunt, the House of Commons Leader, hit out at the SNP’s record in government as she claimed there were rat-infested streets in Scotland’s biggest city.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/23774224.scottish-cities-full-rats-victorian-diseases-claims-senior-tory-mp/?ref=ebbn&nid=1457&u=373de6c7573215d01eab2a2993b269b0&date=070923
In May 2023, we could read:
Portsmouth and Fareham councils called to more than 2,000 rodent infestations in 2022
https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/health/portsmouth-and-fareham-councils-called-to-more-than-2000-rodent-infestations-in-2022-4157113
There were 284,901 rat infestations reported in England in 2022 and 24 442 in Scotland. The rate in Scotland is slightly lower but not significantly so.
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/gout-scurvy-rickets-rise-hospital-2580338
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/scotland-rat-map-locations-highest-30012711
The Victorian disease in question is rickets.
In Plymouth:
Hospital admissions for “Victorian diseases” such as gout, scurvy, vitamin D deficiency and rickets have risen by almost a quarter in just one year, figures show.
Cases of rickets alone have rocketed by a third according to NHS Digital data, analysed by the Press Association.
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/gout-scurvy-rickets-rise-hospital-2580338
Recorded cases of rickets in Scotland are perhaps far higher than hoped for but no one would trust the Public Health England data.
Just as with hospital-acquired Covid largely unrecorded in England and various attempts to minimise or just ignore various waiting times failures, English health trusts are just not bothering with this.
We can see, for example, ‘because rickets is not a reportable disease in the United States, national data are unavailable.’ https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2006/0815/p619.html#:~:text=of%20nutritional%20rickets.-,Epidemiology,States%2C%20national%20data%20are%20unavailable.
And from the BMJ in the UK: The UK national incidence of nutritional rickets is unknown. https://adc.bmj.com/content/105/6/587
Talking-up Scotland 
Yep we are back in POT KETTLE BLACK TerriTORY…..
Where the POT (Tories) is running on EMPTY while the Kettle (SNP) has to constantly try to FILL in the gaps that the POT (Tories) leaves in it’s wake as the Tory UK government.
Now we know, via today’s outburst, that Penny Mordaunt and Anas Sarwar share an obsession regarding Scotland (as in yet another Tory/Labour common link) via RATS…..I guess it takes one to know one…Rats that is….
And since we are, as prompted by Ms Mordaunt, talking about things Victorian..
I do believe it is the the draconian policies implemented by the UK TORY governments past and present , via TORY austerity measures and too the current TORY cost of living crisis that has resulted in impacting the Health and welfare of the MANY, while the FEW like Ms Mordaunt, feel no pain or consequences…..
Since 2016 we have seen a succession of chaotic events, incompetence, scandals and the policy that is BREXIT generate catastrophic consequences for their UK but also for Scotland….as in same Scotland who neither voted FOR a TORY government or FOR Brexit…yet are expected to be dragged down by BOTH……while the likes of Penny Mordaunt does what all Tories do best…..deflect deflect deflect.
I guess that is her preferred tactics as she sits in her political morally bankrupt glass house…casting accusations and aspersions upon others while knowing only too well who the REAL Baddies are in all of this……as in her OWN party…
I guess the Scottish Tourist board won’t decide to choose Penny Mordaunt’s description of Scotland for their next campaign on tourism ……..mind you the English Tourist board must be having a hard job too considering the Brexit mantra seems to be ‘Get back to your own country’…..
I know that you as a blogger must be keeping a list, that you have compiled probably going back years, re the many BAD things associated with Tory governments….I on here just now could not possibly list them ALL as there is way way way too many….but here’s one or two (or more)….Windrush, PPE Scandals re VIP fast track list, over budget and beyond deadline Tory government projects, sex scandals, lobbying scandals, Boris Johnson (you could fill a book full on him alone), Michelle Mone scandal, ERG (the party within the TORY party), tax scandal and the non-dom status of Rishi’s wife, #Partygate, Sunak is facing a potential conflict of interest probe over wife’s business interest, Matt Hancock, when Health Secretary, caught in a close encounter with aide while telling us all to stay apart and then we had LIZ TRUSS as short term TORY PM who ducked up the UK economy (where she and her Chancellor’s (insane) Budget will have a significant impact and result in damaging consequences for their UK (and us) for a LONG LONG time) …not an exhaustive list and only from post 2016…..think what damage the Tories did before this date…..fortunately WE have LONG memories and keep a record hence why we can also DEFECT away accusations from the likes of Penny Mordaunt….we also have the evidence…..all that she, Mordaunt, has is the tittle tattle from Scottish (INO) Tories….who are hardly as an opposition party going to PRAISE the Scottish government……are they.
Penny M for PM…..she might be our secret weapon (in more ways than one) to us getting more people coming over to independence in Scotland….she has that kind of THATCHER vibe….as in the one that the majority of Scots HATE.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Well done , magnifico , you have busted one of their old tricks , whenever these Tory scoundrels are castigated for something that has happened in their own constituency for example rats or rickets they rush to the English newspapers with a BaaaD story saying Scotland has rats or rickets so their own problems are basically claimed by them to exist in Scotland even though they possess zero evidence of it .
Smart ploy but not smart enough to escape the sharp eye of Mr Robertson
Thank goodness we have you on our side counteracting the receipt of these dodgy Westminster MPs
LikeLiked by 4 people
OT Tories are atrocious.
90% of English schools having to support pupils
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/sep/07/most-english-schools-handing-out-clothes-and-food-to-children
LikeLiked by 1 person
Get in the environment officers. Or put down a few traps. The environment rat catchers have already put down stuff. (Poison?) waiting for the results. People get in rat catchers. Or put down traps to keep down the rats. Put them in the garbage bin. Using a plastic bag. Disintegrate or get burned.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Penny likes Trident. Supports illegal wars, tax evasion and financial fraud. Brexit. How much was that Coronation? The pomp and ceremony. Underlining rats.
Naval constituency. How many boats needed to pick up and house the migrants.
£Billions wasted. More than enough to employ some environmental rat catchers.
The rats deserting the sinking ship. Away with the illegal loot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Deidre Brock always manages to wind Mordaunt up with provable facts, to which she can only respond with insults over the SNP and Scots themselves as living in squalor.
Deidre quoted Danny Dorling’s conclusions over what SG have accomplished based on mountains of research – Penny’s research comes down to what she saw out the window, reading the GMB Chris Mitchell’s latest wittering, and some fairly dodgy reading of stats.
Mordaunt is an obnoxious and pompous Tory arsehole, but she does wonders for Indy support…
LikeLiked by 2 people
O/T In an opinion piece appearing 7 September in Nation Cymru there is this:
‘Wallace Thompson is not well known in Wales, Scotland or England but his evolving view on Irish unity matters to all of us. For readers who’ve never heard of Wallace, he was a founding member of Northern Ireland’s Unionist party, the DUP. An evangelical Protestant, a special adviser, member of the Orange Order, faithful follower of Dr Ian Paisley. In short, a dyed in the wool, fully committed, lifelong Unionist.
‘No longer. The penny has dropped for Wallace when it comes to Northern Ireland and the inevitability of reunification with the Republic of Ireland.’
Thomson is quoted: ‘’We are in an inevitable move towards that…there is an inevitability in my mind that we are moving towards a new Ireland…This is the problem with Unionism, we’re in denial’
‘What Wallace shows is that the Union in its current form is over. There will be a new Ireland and he believes Irish Unionists should engage with and help shape that new Ireland.’On 4
Source: https://nation.cymru/opinion/the-penny-is-dropping/
On 4 September the Irish News also reported this: ‘The veteran unionist says he is prepared to hold discussions with those planning Irish unity in a bid to try to make it a more appealing idea to unionists.
‘It is not the first time that Mr Thompson has spoken about his thoughts on a possible united Ireland. Earlier this year, he said it should be debated “openly and honestly” adding that given changing religious demographics he would be open to conversations about unity.
Mr Thomson is quoted: ‘.. we’re closing our eyes and pretending there’s no problem. This is the problem with unionism — we’re in denial; constant denial.’
The Slugger O’Toole news and comment website carried the story, noting: ‘In 2019, after Boris Johnson betrayed the DUP, Thompson said it was “almost enough to make me question the value of the Union”. I remember being astonished by the raw honesty of those words. “That was from the heart. We were like the unwanted child in the house,” he says starkly.’
I’m struck by the ‘unwanted’ reference in the context of the main blog post highlighting the disdain shown in the Commons by the Tory minister – and possible future Tory leader and therefore potential PM – Ms Mordant towards Scotland. And of course such disrespect, such evident disdain towards our country is not unusual in Tory contributions.
From my perspective, Scotland being ‘unwanted’ within a Union is preferable to being used and abused in one!
(I’m obliged to a btl contributor to the Wee Ginger Dug blog for the alert to the Nation Cymru article, penned by Gwern Gwynfil of YesCymru.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rats have always coexisted with humans since human settlement started and always will. most of the time, the rat population is under control, but, on occasion, in localities there will be an increase.
We had one in our fairly middle class area last winter. There were several factors which contributed to it – in no particular order: inconsiderate and obstructive parking preventing bin lorry access leading to bins overflowing, absences amongst bin crews leading to reduced collections, an unused but listed building church providing a nesting haven, poor bin store maintenance in an adjacent area.
Council Pest Control responded immediately, setting traps and putting down poison, residents tightened up on rubbish disposal practices, residents bought new bins to ensure there were no more overflows, residents filled all spaces in the church wall with rodent mesh. Bin collection schedules were reviewed and have been sustained. There was a meeting between residents and bin crews to discuss the issues. The problem was resolved. Since the problem was resolved, we have found the bodies of two rats.
These things can be resolved by cooperation between residents and Council, especially with the great majority of residents behaving responsibly and letting backsliders know what is expected.
LikeLiked by 2 people