By a reader: I know, I know, I know, I shouldn’t have clicked on a Telegraph link, but there we are. Seeing as I’m there… Accusing her of undermining UK-wide efforts to tackle the virus, he said the First Minister’s repeated claim that the virus was five times as prevalent in England than Scotland was “totally untrue, totally unhelpful.” You have proved otherwise already, no? He also castigated her refusal to rule out quarantining English visitors, arguing the country should pull together as “one United Kingdom” during the pandemic. This was literally months ago, and has she done it? No, so who … Continue reading First Minister upsetting Imperial Master

By saoralba07: On Wednesday Labour MSPs voted against an SNP amendment for the UK government to extend the furlough scheme – despite repeated calls for an extension from both Kier Starmer and Richard Leonard. After the debate on Sustainable Aviation Beyond COVID-19 Scottish Labour voted against the amendment which “notes the importance of government measures, such as the job retention scheme, to aviation businesses and calls for it to be extended.”   Among the opposition MSPs who voted against the amendment was Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton whose Edinburgh Western Constituency includes many of the 750 workers at Edinburgh Airport, … Continue reading Furlough extension opposed by Labour MSPs

In the Guardian today: All English rivers have failed to meet quality tests for pollution amid concerns over the scale of sewage discharges and agricultural and industrial chemicals entering the water system. Data published on Thursday reveals just 14% of English rivers are of good ecological standard, a rating that suggests they are as close to their natural state as possible. I’ve been a bit lazy here to get a quick response off before heading out for essential shopping. Perhaps bored readers will get more up-to-date data? Anyhoo, from January 2040 in response to a channel 4 special: The disaster … Continue reading Scotland’s national water supply free from Tory pollution

In an astonishing suggestion that someone injured in an accident should first have themselves triaged at home, online, NHS England prepares for the Winter. There is no sign of such a call in Scotland. The Tories would be furious if there was, here, that is. During July 2020, 95.1% of attendances at A&E services were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours, in Scotland. The target is 95%. https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/health-services/hospital-care/ae-activity-and-waiting-times/ In NHS England, 88.9% were seen within 4 hours in July 2020. The target for the moment is 95%. https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2020-21/ Continue reading Scottish emergency patients NOT asked to book in advance!

Writer Ian Dunt, on GMS, this morning, talked about his new book on liberalism. After a long critique of nationalism, from the opportunistic form of Trump, Johnson and May to its darker, ‘blood and soil’ form, in Orban’s Hungary, the interviewer, ever optimistic, asked: Where does Scottish nationalism fit into all of this? Is it different? In terms of liberalism. I would suggest that it would see itself as much more liberal. He replies quickly: Yeh, yeh…Indeed it is and I’m not even a big fan of Scottish nationalism. I’m not a big fan of the concept of Scottish independence … Continue reading Truth as an operating principle

From saoralba07 Ed: Only 7 days after the Herald‘s Martin Williams tried the same ruse, he’s at it again but the comments then from our reader, saoralba07, stand: Despite misleading headlines in The Herald and Scotsman, at no time have the majority of people living in Orkney or Shetland expressed a wish to be independent from Scotland and no requests have been submitted to the Scottish government for additional powers.  Last month, the Scottish government announced that the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland would benefit from a £50m growth deal. Orkney and Shetland have been part of Scotland for twice as long … Continue reading We repeat: ‘At no time have the majority of people living in Orkney or Shetland expressed a wish to be independent from Scotland’

Infection rates nearly 30% higher in other parts of UK. Death rate 4 times higher in England, Total infection rate much lower in Scotland and death rate lower than any other part other than insular Northern Ireland. Total infection rate lower than other UK nations and lower than in insular Ireland. Death rate lower than all but insular Ireland. Infection rate in England 35% higher and death rate 43% higher. Infection hotspots are confined to one part of Scotand only. Continue reading Covid-19 Update: Scotland in best position to cope with Winter

BBC Scotland TV inserts in Breakfast, first thing today, six times before 9am, and, I confidently predict, repeated all morning on Good Morning Scotland, then with chummy interviews for Dross, three times on Reporting Scotland later today, providing free advertising for the Scottish Conservatives but, of course, minus these key facts: Despite rising pupil numbers in Scotland, there is, after more than a decade of SNP-rule, one teacher for every 12.4 secondary pupils or 15.9 primary pupils: https://www.gov.scot/news/schools-statistics-published/#:~:text=A%20National%20Statistics%20Publication%20for,ratio%20has%20remained%20at%2013.6. In England after more than a decade of Conservative rule there is only one teacher for every 16.1 secondary pupils or 21.1 … Continue reading Scotland already has far more teachers per pupil than England

In August, the chief executive of Glasgow Airport said:  ‘We are seeing more job losses than we saw in the demise of the coal industry in the 1980s.’ Those words resonated strongly with me. All four of my great grandfathers and one of my grandfathers were coalminers. The current circumstances do seem dire. From the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in May 2020[1]: In 1980 global international arrivals were 277 million but by 2019 they had reached 1.5 billion, nearly four times greater. The SARS outbreak in 2003 reduced the level of arrivals by only 0.4% and the financial crash in … Continue reading Is Covid-19 changing Scottish tourism more than any other event in history?

As Police Scotland and relatives begin action against care home owners HC-One, a not-very-academic attempts to revive the dis-proven ‘discharges theory.’ Headlining in the Herald today: CARE homes were treated as if they were hospitals and the pandemic heightened prejudice against “poorly paid but knowledgeable” staff who should not be blamed for death rates and system failures, an elderly care expert has said. Professor June Andrews, who is a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, said there should have been greater government consultation with the care sector before key decisions were made such as the transfer of elderly patients … Continue reading Is this the last attempt to blame SNP Government for care home deaths?