In the Herald today, we read that a member of staff has retested positive for Covid-19. We then hear from NHS Highland how it is dealing with the situation, testing and managing the incident The owners of the care home, HC-One, do not feature in the report. Threatened with the loss of their licence to operate the home, when ten residents died and all of the staff were infected, HC-One have since made sufficient improvements to keep it along with, presumably, fees of up to £1 000 per week. STV has summarised the events: Although that inspection did raise some … Continue reading Capitalism for care workers and socialism for care home owners in Skye

Consider this. In two large hospitals in one part of Britain: widespread failings across departments and getting worse “continued and unnecessary harm” for patients “continued and unnecessary harm” for patients as many as 1,500 cases being examined after mothers and babies died and were left with serious disabilities due to poor care  more potential criminal cases being investigated, than any other NHS trust senior nurses “do not highlight or challenge poor practice” The hospitals are in Shropshire, England. In an extensive report by a newspaper typically critical of the Conservative Government, the Independent, there is not one mention of that … Continue reading Risk to patients in two hospitals increases again two years after they first fail inspection. Who should resign?

On ITV’s Peston, 15th July, the Labour MP for Hove, Peter Kyle said: Where you look at some areas where Scotland has complete control over such as social care, there was greater loss of life in care homes in Scotland than even in England and Wales….Ian Murray was screaming about this from the rooftops. As Scotland’s only Labour MP, Ian Murray is both insignificant and influential. English Labour MPs trust him as their only source of information on what happens in Scotland. He can say what he likes. They’re not going to ask him to prove it. Kyle’s statement above … Continue reading Peston allows English Labour MP to lie about care home deaths in Scotland based on Ian Murray’s lies

We may have caught them in time as there is no sign of this planned broadcast in the schedules for tonight. Readers will know that the Disclosure team has a bit of a record of gaffs like the time they followed the wrong lorry full of calves all the way to Spain. Anyhow, ‘The Care Home Scandal’ sounds a bit risky for them. I can see them listening to Jackson Carlaw and that private care home owner then blaming Jeane Freeman for all the deaths. So, out of the kindness of my heart, Mark, here are the facts: There is … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s Disclosure team urged to take leading academic’s advice before they make a bottom of themselves again

I’ve done this before and readership for the post tends to be modest but, hey, lots of bloggers do this, indulge themselves, so why not me, at my age? Anyhoo, there are wider political reflections here. If you’re not ‘into’ Neil Young you might not know of his darker, deeper side. On the 1974 album, there are two ‘blues’ – ‘Revolution’ and ‘Ambulance’. The second finishes with advice which could today be for those nice Labour supporters clinging to the hope of a fairer Britain: For Sir Starmer: I never knew a manCould tell so many liesHe had a different … Continue reading A musical diversion to piss in the wind and imagine ten million dune buggies ?

Comparing the SNP to a French high-wire artist, walking between the Twin Towers in 1974, The Herald’s ‘Writer at Large’ stumbles and falls again, more a circus clown than a mental gymnast? Here’s the gist: On social media, Mackay will be getting it. I won’t join in other than to suggest a new title – ‘Writer off his trolley?‘ So, massive popularity for the leader and the party, in repeated polls, opposition parties in comic disarray, a pandemic controlled with a masterful display of competence, majority support for closing the border…..’a sense of mounting calamity?’ Really? Really? I know it’s … Continue reading Writer at large and off his trolley?

The above report sponsored by the Carbon Trust and the Scottish Government confirms what most of us already knew: As expected, these Scottish locations are presented as part of the UK which they are, for the moment. This, below, details the huge Scottish floating wind farms and reminds us of how the UK Government is constraining further growth: Continue reading Scotland ‘most attractive’ for floating wind farms

So 93 migrant farm workers ARE infected but still it’s not the headline story for BBC England. The global race issue and the deep national soul-searching over slavery is, correctly I’d say, the big issue. In BBC Scotlandworld: A group of farm workers in Scotland have been quarantined after they were on the same flight as people who travelled to a coronavirus-hit farm. Some of them were on a flight bringing agricultural workers to the UK which included 63 people heading to Scotland. Testing has been made available to them and none has shown Covid symptoms. So, three days for … Continue reading Covid-19 NOT in Scotland but still worthy of a wee scare for you: The power of nightmares

Daily new confirmed cases in USA and Canada with Canada closing its border. England yesterday, 372 new cases but Scotland only 3. Taking account of population difference, infection level in England is 37 times higher but border stays open. Continue reading Nova Scotia does what Auld Scotia cannot to save lives

On Reporting Scotland, last night, Carlaw stood firm behind the Home Office edcit on care home workers from the EU: Carlaw said: If we find after it’s come into place that there are still deficiencies then those are things that can be corrected but I don’t automatically (sic) believe that the care home sector will be unable to recruit the right people inot it. As I say, I think the important thing is that we see the skills and reward within the care home sector reflected and properly recognised given the work that they’ve done over the last few months. … Continue reading Jackson Carlaw stands with Priti Patel and betrays his care home owner donors