Look at the wording: Scotland’s supply of PPE has been bolstered after 11 million face masks and 100,000 testing kits arrived from China. It comes after Chinese suppliers sent a shipment of 10 million masks earlier in the week. One million of the new masks will go to NHS Wales. Scottish businesses have also provided supplies and equipment to support the fight against Covid-19. The first minister has praised the more than 1,600 organisations and individuals that have helped. Isn’t it likely that the Scottish Government took the initiative here, using its links to Chinese officials and industrialists, ironically often criticised by … Continue reading Did the Scottish Government play any part in this?

The Herald writer’s piece today has a strange, vague headline. Having read it, I feel sure he’d agree that our one, above, more accurately captures the gist of what both he and the ‘SNP Finance Secretary’, as he terms her, think. Here’s the key bit: The report [Scottish Fiscal Commission] prompted SNP Finance Secretary Kate Forbes to say the crisis showed the need for Holyrood to have more borrowing powers. She would, of course, have said Holyrood needs more borrowing powers pre-crisis.  But in light of Scotland’s looming economic plight – the Commission calls this moment a “structural break”, a … Continue reading Tom Gordonstoun praises SNP Finance Secretary Kate Forbes

In a YouGov survey in March 2020, English, Welsh and Scots respondents were asked how much they felt they had in common with each other and with the Irish. The Irish, even those in Britain, weren’t asked. https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/qytr1172wh/Internal_Ireland_Mar20.pdf 46% of the English respondents felt they had something in common with the Scots while 52% of the Scots reciprocated the feeling. 60% of the Welsh respondents felt they had something in common with the Scots but only 50% of the Scots reciprocated the feeling. 74% of the Welsh respondents felt they had something in common with the English, nearly as many … Continue reading Wha’ likes us? 46% of the English and 60% of the Welsh

In a YouGov survey in March 2020 which I’ve only just spotted, I was struck by the fact that 27% of the Scottish sample (150) remembered studying the Tudors – Henry 8th and Elisabeth 1st! This is English history, all taking place before the Union. If you insisted on studying kings and queens, there were some colourful Stuart monarchs, only slightly less psychopathic than Enery, you might have enjoyed. I’m hoping that the 27% were older respondents, but I remember, as recently as the early 2000’s, being asked for help in teaching about the Tudors by a student about to … Continue reading Are Scottish schools still studying English history?

Another encouraging report to add to those in the First Minister’s briefing yesterday but like them not appearing anywhere in Reporting Scotland Down. McKee’s Twitter followers were under no illusions that they would: Continue reading Reporting Scotland Down’s Health Correspondent missing in action!

By Brenda Steele: ‘As Common Weal head of policy & research Craig Dalzell, who proposed such a contact tracing, testing and isolation system a few week ago, has said, while this is substantial progress, it is a not an “action plan”. “It won’t count for much until the contact trackers are recruited and the testing capacity is put in place,” he adds.‘ https://sourcenews.scot/a-class-group-think-problem/ It is typical of a particularly unpleasant type of Independence “Supporter” who constantly carps and criticizes the SNP Government for not doing things as they want. I do not know who wrote this – although I have … Continue reading Common Weal writer ‘profoundly fails to understand’ Scottish Government’s plans

From The Skwawkbox yesterday: Bristol academic David Miller has noted that the 77th Brigade’s tactics include the use of fake social media profiles – a tactic that the Department of Health and Social Care has been accused of adopting to shore up public perception of the Tories’ performance in the pandemic. The Tories have been using similar tactics to manipulate people for years via its ‘nudge unit’, starting with involuntary experimentation on benefit claimants exposed by the SKWAWKBOX seven years ago. But the fact that they are now using military ‘psyops’ resources, created to conduct ‘non-lethal warfare’ by misleading and manipulating foreign enemies, on the people of the … Continue reading 77th Brigade countering fake covid-19 news so less interested in Yes movement?

I lived in the ‘busy wee boom town’, 1960 to 1980, and worked in ICI Chemicals for a period, so, of course, I’m proud. From the First Minister ‘yisterday’ (:-)): The second item I want to update you on, is our work to ensure that Scotland’s NHS has the supplies that it needs to care for people in this time. Over the past month, the Minister for Trade Ivan McKee has been leading work to ensure that any shortages are overcome – and that supply chains can continue to meet demand. That has involved at times sourcing equipment from alternative … Continue reading Grangemouth manufacturer produces enough hand sanitiser to meet the needs of entire health and social care sector!

At 1.30pm yesterday: Sally McNair: The First Minister says Scotland is ready to go live today with an expansion of coronavirus tests to key workers but that’s on hold as the computer system struggles to cope with demand. Nicola Sturgeon said the portal had been overwhelmed and added that guidance was going to be issued to who could access the tests.…Andrew a bit of frustration there that this is not working as it should?’ Andrew Kerr: Yes that’s right Sally. Frustration from people who are wanting the test. Frustration from Matt Hancock the UK Health Secretary who’s desperately trying to … Continue reading First Minister used to shield Matt Hancock’s failure by BBC Scotland

In the Scotsman today but with no mention of the Scottish rate in their headline. Ach, ‘Scotsman’, it’s only a name. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s behind their paywall but was probably triggered by this shocking report only two days ago in the FT: The coronavirus pandemic has already caused as many as 41,000 deaths in the UK, according to a Financial Times analysis of the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. The estimate is more than double the official figure of 17,337 released by ministers on Tuesday, which is updated daily and only counts those who have … Continue reading Scotland’s covid-19 accurate death rate half UK average