Images: Alamy, Monaghan Morris, Leeds Live By stewartb: What is the cost of fixing Westminster, the ‘theatre of the absurd’? –  It’s anyone’s guess!  But Scotland must gladly pay its share! The scenes from the House of Commons on Tuesday 2 June deserved ridicule. What else does an institution merit when, in the 21st Century, it calls on ‘Honourable and Right Honourable Members’ to queue up in a long line in what some wag termed the ‘conga-line Parliament’, in order simply, to cast a vote?  The absurd scenes of 527 MPs, each ‘six feet six inches’ apart, in a line … Continue reading How Scotland is lumbered with the costs of Britain’s vanity projects

Tonight BBC News at 6.50pm headlined: Scotland records no new coronavirus deaths. The presenter goes on to talk of the 77 deaths in England & Wales in positive terms as the lowest since the lock-down and to repeat the news that there had been none in Scotland. It’s the first time since the lock-down so it’s news isn’t it, Year 1? Reporting Scotland have a different agenda and returned to the topic favoured by the opposition parties, cases and deaths of patients in hospital for non-covid-related treatment but who are diagnosed with it, having acquired it there or having come … Continue reading Why are no new coronavirus deaths headline news for the BBC but a grudging afterthought for Reporting Scotland?

In ‘Coronavirus in Scotland: Key figures and trends’, today, there is a great deal of information with 8 graphs and tables but not one mention of the encouraging news that for the first time since March, no deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours. It’s not the end, we know that, but surely it’s worth a mention. They do get round to it in a separate post but doesn’t the graph above, which they present, call out for a comment? Instead we get: The figures show that 2,415 patients in Scotland have died after a positive test for Covid-19, although the … Continue reading The first day with no new deaths but BBC Scotland have darker and inaccurate messages to worry you

By stewartb: Brexit: a case study…do economic forecasts matter? The Social Market Foundation (SMF) published on 31 May, 2020 a report entitled: ‘Assessing the economic implications of coronavirus and Brexit’. Source: https://www.smf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Assessing-the-economic-impact-of-coronavirus-and-Brexit.pdf   It forecasts the impact of the pandemic and of Brexit, the latter under two models: (i) a free trade agreement (FTA) between UK and EU; and (ii) ‘no deal’, with UK operating under World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms. It considers consequent changes to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Value Added (GVA) for the UK, its nations and regions; it forecasts changes in trade volumes; and it … Continue reading Long Read: Brexit: ‘Scotland’s avoidable harm’

In the Herald today: Scottish Labour will go into next year’s Holyrood election opposed to a second independence referendum, its leader Richard Leonard has confirmed. You have to admire their principles if not their brains as they stand against the tide of public opinion. With the last 4 polls putting them third, behind the Tories even in a time of Boris, averaging 15% and with their leader trusted by only 6%, they’re going with the same old, same old. Not only are they perilously weak, but in February, 31% of their supporters said Yes to an independent Scotland in a … Continue reading Scottish Labour bases strategy on King Canute’s drippy acolytes

By Sam Nick Stripe is Head of Health Analysis and Life Events Division, Public Policy Analysis @ONS. He has recently analysed excess deaths and concludes that up until May, excess deaths were not accounted for by covid19 appearing on death certificates. The analysis suggests that many, two thirds, of these excess deaths were due to covid19, not diagnosed, in care homes. Excess deaths for other reasons, such as unattended existing serious illnesses, are not yet showing up to any great degree but may later. https://twitter.com/NickStripe_ONS “The balance of evidence so far points to undiagnosed COVID in the elderly being the most … Continue reading Excess deaths in England almost three times higher than in Scotland

Opinium on 4th June, with don’t knows removed has this Con: 24% Lab: 12% LD: 7% SNP: 54% Greens: 2% https://www.opinium.co.uk/public-opinion-on-coronavirus-4th-june/ This comes days after YouGov polls on 25th and 18th May also placing SNP support at 54%. Approval for the First Minister is staggering, based on the full UK sample of 2 002, with 94% of SNP, 64% of Labour, 61% of Lib Dem and even 26% of Conservative supporters. Repeating several recent poll results this is damning for the leadership of the other parties and puts another nail in any notion of challenge to her position. Continue reading SNP at 54% in last three polls

While formal targets may not be appropriate for smaller organisations, it is still in their interest to have a diverse workforce. The McGregor-Smith Review While for some, Richard Leonard’s leadership win was a victory for the English-born, lower-middle classes in Scotland over the aristocratic Prince Sarwar, some have noted a distinct lack of diversity in the group. A complete up-to-date image is strangely hard to find however this from 2014 makes the point: They’re not just white, they’re positively peely-wally! Luckily, Baroness McGregor-Smith CBE, representing another minority group, Barons and Baronesses, made sure the above get-out-clause was there to protect … Continue reading Is white, privately-educated Leonard’s Scottish Labour too small to have BAME targets?

Wilson has typically seen the tragedies in the USA as an opportunity to somehow suggest the SNP are tainted with Trumpism. Ignoring the current SNP leader’s open contempt for the man, he has dug up the Scottish Government’s error of judgement in honouring him. Of course, he neglects to remember that Labour First Minister Jack McConnell did something similar in 2006. While googling Wilson for more to mention here, this popped up: On 1 October 2003, Brian Wilson MP called for the abolition of Scotland’s list MSPs. He said: In the Highlands & Islands, every one of these people finished … Continue reading Brian Wilson forgets something……in 2006 Scottish Labour made Trump an ambassador

Headlining the Herald this afternoon is the lower of the two images above. It doesn’t tell a lie it just avoids telling you more truth. Especially when they see ‘Scottish expert’ what percentage of Herald readers will think that Jeane Freeman and colleagues will need to learn? The professor is clear, referring to the UK Government three times in the text but never to Scotland or to the Scottish Government. It seems clear who she thinks has to learn. Why doesn’t the headline mention that? Oh, no doubt we’re all being paranoid and anyway there wasn’t enough space for it! … Continue reading Spot the difference? One of these images tells the whole truth, the other hides it