Douglas Ross, for Scotsman writer and Tory councillor John McLellan, could be our General Foch. Foch, you know, Foch, Foch! You know, the French general who ordered a counter-attack, madly counter-intuitive, in 1914? Well, seems it was, retrospectively, a good thing. Well, as good as it gets, when millions die charging machine guns across a muddy field. Anyhow, bizarrely, McLellan thinks Douglas Ross can be Scotland’s Foch, counter-attacking when all seems lost, as the polls suggest the combined SNP/Yes forces are now unstoppable. Stop laughing! Be serious. McLellan, Director of Communications for Ruth Davidson sees a cranking up of communications … Continue reading For Foch’s sake Douglas don’t be Haig!

There are times now when I see a Herald headline, I say to myself: No, they didn’t, did they? Really? No. Don’t be daft. But they did. Desperate for something, anything on the rumours that Old Firm fans were going to reject the Scottish Government’s edict on travel in and out of higher infection areas, they find two, yes two, and headline them. The real story is staring them in the face: Old Firms fans see sense in First Minister’s orders and stay home. Why didn’t they ask a few they know personally, why they didn’t all go to Blackpool? … Continue reading 118 998 Old Firm fans stay home!

In the Herald, we read: Read that last sentence. What the…? Is Whittle trying to have us believe that consultants who do private operations for big bucks, are being forced to do so when they would rather not do them? Who does he think might be forcing them? Their wives, husbands? And, doesn’t Whittle know what party he is in? Maybe he should read these: ‘Selling off NHS for profit’: Full list of MPs with links to private healthcare firms: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/selling-nhs-profit-full-list-4646154 Revealed: private surgery for NHS patients soars under Tories: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/08/private-surgery-nhs-patients-soars-under-tories Continue reading Scottish Tory calls for less private surgery!

By stewartb: In an article on the BBC News Scotland website dated 17 October, its business/economy editor, Douglas Fraser examines the claim by Tory Douglas Ross on BBC Question Time that a sum of £700m provided by Westminster to the Scottish Government is for business support and it is not being passed on by the Scottish Government (SG) for that purpose. You may recall this was refuted by the SG’s Kate Forbes. Source https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-54583106 Mr Fraser examines the competing positions and provides (IMHO) a rambling account that – as shown below – essentially fails to substantiate, at the very least, Mr … Continue reading Why can’t BBC Scotland’s Douglas Fraser just write the words ‘Douglas Ross was wrong’?

I’m shocked. What happened to the hordes of Old Firm fans we expected in Blackpool to watch the game and drink at the same time, in a pub? Only minutes after the final whistle, the Sun had the above image of no fans and was able to report: Pics from Blackpool show pubs and streets deserted – after the city was placed under Tier Three restrictions yesterday. That can’t be true. Look at these from trusted outlets like BBC Scotland, the Daily Record and the Herald: Haven’t their investigative reporters infiltrated supporter groups to bring us the facts? Continue reading Old Firm fans let Scottish media down with no show!

On Question Time, on Thursday night, Douglas Ross revealed himself stupid, duplicitous (again) or both, as he claimed that the UK Government had allocated £700 million for business support, thus dwarfing the Scottish Government’s £40 million. The Finance Secretary corrected him, pointing out that the £700 million was also for health, transport and other things. Playground style, Ross insisted it wasn’t. Forbes laughed and told him ‘The facts are there.’ The following day at 18.40, BBC Reporting Scotland allowed Ross to repeat his inaccurate claim: The Finance Secretary was not invited to comment in line with the BBC’s supposed commitment … Continue reading The New Unbalanced Douglas ross Show without Kate on BBC Scotland

‘Opinion polls often temporarily swing‘ says SiU boss after 10 polls in a row, favouring Yes. Polls can swing, except those for Scotland in Union – strong and stable at ‘not enough‘ to matter: https://sitechecker.pro/app/main/dashboard ‘Oops. We couldn’t find enough data about this website. Most likely, there is not enough traffic to ge ta reliable result.’ ‘Please try checking another website.’ Continue reading Scotland in Union Can’t even swing a wee bit

BBC England stands four-square with the PM as he appears to take a firm stand on compliance with his strategy to suppress the virus and to save lives. Even in rebellious Labour-controlled Manchester, he dominates the narrative: BBC Wales works with the devolved Labour-controlled government to explain its strategy to save lives: In Northern Ireland, there will be criticism but it is muted. In Scotland, it’s different. The government which has achieved the lowest infection and death rates in the UK and the only one attempting to compensate for the reduced UK Government funding for the hospitality sector, has its … Continue reading only bbc scotland risks lives to score

These notions that care home deaths in Scotland have been higher than elsewhere in the UK and that hospital discharges were to blame, derive from faulty statistics headlined across the media, months ago. Last night, on Question Time, Douglas Ross was allowed to repeat both myths unchallenged. Research from the University of Stirling, published in August demolished the first argument: Care homes in England experienced the highest increase in excess deaths at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to those in the rest of the UK, according to new research. A study – co-ordinated from the University of Stirling’s Management … Continue reading Care home deaths:The lies that will not die

A bit late in the day, the Scottish MSM start to read Care Inspectorate reports on care homes. The two examples of failing homes they give are both privately-owned, as opposed to council-owned or voluntary sector. Here’s an idea for a follow-up. Check how many of the 31 ‘unsatisfactory’ one are privately-owned? It would be a useful check on earlier research suggesting private care homes had more deaths. In July, carried out by staff at Glasgow and Edinburgh universities in association with researchers at 9 health boards in Scotland, they found: Sixty-six (94.3%) outbreaks were in older people’s care-homes, where … Continue reading How many are privately owned?