Professor Thomas Hale – Associate Professor in Global Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government; Fellow of St Antony’s College https://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/find-an-expert/professor-thomas-hale
20 per 100 000 fewer deaths during the pandemic is more than 1 000 lives saved by Nicola Sturgeon and her team.
Discover more from Talking-up Scotland
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Talking-up Scotland 
I’ve just read the guardian’s latest offerings – an editorial yesterday and a Simon Jenkins piece today. The arrogance of some English journalists knows no bounds and it is almost incredible they keep churning out lies and smears when, as a “serious” paper they surely can dig a little deeper beyond tabloid drivel
Thankfully there are some excellent responses in the comments section though this was not available for the editorial. I also caught a clip of Stephen Reicher interviewed on Sky with some comments on the whatsapp furore (Scotland only) distracting from the purpose of the inquiry
John/Stewartb or anyone else this would be a great week to write a lengthy piece eg Scotland, Covid and the Media to spread as far and wide as we can
brobb
LikeLiked by 5 people
‘this would be a great week to write a lengthy piece’. Candidly, the challenge is where to start and achieve maximum impact.
Having dipped into – in a not insubstantial way – the documentary evidence submitted to the Inquiry, including from ‘experts’, and the transcripts of public hearings, I have the following impressions – there are legitimate negatives/complaints, yes; some are explained by other evidence on the whys and wherefores of what was done in Scotland (e.g. one of the bereaved relative groups in evidence ‘complain’ that the Scottish Government didn’t close the border); and there are many positives about pandemic responses and outcomes in Scotland, including from ‘experts’ with arguably no skin in the politics.
But all this is set within public service and commercial media reporting characterised by extreme ‘bias by omission’. My earlier TuS blog post on TUC/STUC evidence to the Inquiry is not the exception.
(https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2024/01/28/the-covid-inquiry-evidence-unreported-by-bbc-scotland-can-bias-by-omission-get-any-worse/ )
And then there is the Lead Counsel’s initial statement about what the Inquiry was all about and how it would be conducted compared to how the Inquiry’s KC in Edinburgh conducted his interrogation of Ms Sturgeon. The transcript shows that the latter behaved as if it was his objective – evidenced by clipped, negatively framed and provocative assertions – to convince a jury of witness’ guilt of something. Was this a trial? Not according to the Lead Counsel!
Opportunity for a concerted TuS community effort?
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree with everything you say although Scotland does not have control of its borders it is reserved to westmonster under “national security” which is why we couldn’t close them, there could have been a case, maybe and a very big maybe, under a Public Health order, which would probably have been vetoed by Alistair Jackboot!!!
https://www.parliament.scot/about/how-parliament-works/devolved-and-reserved-powers
LikeLiked by 2 people
‘I agree with everything you say although Scotland does not have control of its borders it is reserved to westmonster under “national security” which is why we couldn’t close them’
That, respectfully, is precisely the point! Some of the most vocal critics of the Scottish Government’s (SG) response to the pandemic which are gaining greatest media coverage, in their actual, documented evidence complain about SG action – or rather inaction – on matters that were simply not feasible. Indeed, if attempted – like closing the border – it would have been condemned as overtly political as well as unlawful by the very same people and very same media outlets that are amplifying the negative comments of the same critics.
None of this – literally NONE of this – important ‘nuance’ is being put by BBC Scotland and corporate mainstream media to Scotland’s electorate. And probably at this point in time, no-one is doing enough to counter the prevailing media narrative of negativity and worse.
These ‘nuanced’ issues MAY emerge in the Inquiry’s reporting, but candidly based on the Edinburgh hearings, I fear Unionist ‘capture’. And even if the reporting is full, balanced and objective – I hope it will be, warts and all – , what will BBC Scotland and the corporate media that supposedly ‘serves’ Scotland opt to amplify when communicating with voters in Scotland in their news output – the evidence of the many positives around the Scottish Government’s response? Aye right!
‘Bias by omission’ is now the default editorial policy when it comes to Scotland of the BBC and too many others, and will remain so for as long as we have a pro-Indy government in Edinburgh.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You’d think someone would have informed the bereaved person that the Scottish government could not ‘close the border’ due to that being a reserved power to the EngUkGov. Of course the media rely on many people having no clue about reserved powers, controlled by the country next door.
Maybe The National could list the powers on their front pages for a week to see if some people get to see that. (It’s usually hidden behind daily Tory rags in shops around us).
A leaflet through every door listing which powers are reserved to the Westminster Tory/Labour government would also help, there are many people who have no idea and it’s really crucial that anyone with a vote in Scotland knows exactly what is and what is not devolved to the Scottish parliament.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m game, just limited by failing eyesight!
My main target is the BBC who are getting away with biased and selective reporting. No-one else is going to challenge them so why not us
Thoughts so far
Open with summary of stated purpose of inquiry and why we think the BBC et al role in the inquiry and throughout covid needs to be examined if lessons are to be learned – this could allow some brief references to cutting short briefings to let opp parties have a say, no clear & consistent reporting of key messages or changes to restrictions
For each day of evidence pick out key points (some positive/some negative)
Match these with days headlines/news bulletins/phone ins and discussions – what was reported and what was omitted analysis
End with questions for BBC/other media to answer eg why the focus on one scientist not the others, why trade union reps comments about their involvement and collaboration omitted etc
What does anyone else think?
LikeLike
in my humble opinion, I think that the entire independence movement should unite, putting aside any petty squabbles, all Independence parties should agree not to stand in direct competition in election, choose a party to vote for, not split the vote, Scottish Independence voters would hopefully galvanise and come out to vote for whatever party is chosen, after Scottish Independence we can vote for whoever we like.
Not very democratic I know, but I reckon it is the only way to beat them. If we all truly want independence then we need to en masse vote for one party standing for Independence, as I said splitting the vote just does not work, but we all need to choose the party to elect and stick to that, despite what propaganda madness the red/blue Tories and their media throw at us, we need to be one movement……….that would stuff ‘em!!!
LikeLike
Here’s the link to the Simon Jenkins piece in today’s Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/02/cardiff-edinburgh-devolved-labour-leadership-union
Clearly he swallows whole the UK MSM misrepresentation of life and politics in Scotland (and by extension Wales and N Ireland too) and I imagine that he was roundly criticised in the btl Comments (not available on-line). You’ll recognise all the lazy tropes.
Meantime, while the MSM are wallowing in the political slagging we’ve seen all week, the scientists have shown us the reality of Covid management in Scotland. We have to hope that the Inquiry’s findings will concentrate on established facts and scientific findings and that the likes of Alister Jack’s political attacks will be called-out for what they are: a demonstration that spiteful destructive personal attacks are his sole talent. Can anyone remember him making constructive and helpful comments about anything?
Coinneach
LikeLiked by 2 people
Dani Garavelli also had an oped column in the Guardian yesterday but comments not open on it. I wonder why?
LikeLiked by 2 people
In Scotland and Ireland we are well use to the divergence from truth and facts by English based MSM. We expect it, indeed we are immune to it. We KNOW that Scotland performed best during Covid than the other nations because it always has and always will under SNP governance which places value and respect upon every person in Scotland, from the cradle to the grave. We know that our First Minister was working day and night for us along with her cabinet, her advisors and her government, our government. We have switched off from English media, quite literally switched off. Our day is coming.
LikeLike