BBC Breakfast this morning has peer-reviewed research on NHS England operations cancelled in the last 24hrs, often because patients could not be prepared for them in time. In February 2026, 10% of these operations were cancelled, around a third of those avoidably. This is, of course, wasteful of resources and potentially life-threatening for those patients. The media operating in Scotland are not, of course, covering this because there’s nothing in it for them here. What’s BBC Scotland’s headline story today? You know. Another desperate ferry story to try to stop Anas Sarwar having to ‘walk the plank’ in May. Why? … Continue reading More than 3 000 fewer operations NOT being cancelled ‘at last minute’ in NHS Scotland

Thanks to France McKie for alerting meto this. From Radiation Free Lakeland today: A fresh opinion poll conducted in the middle of the Scottish election campaign has found widespread support for renewable energy sources to reduce energy bills and tackle climate change. When asked about Scotland’s energy security needs, support for a uranium-fuelled nuclear future polled a ‘miserable’ 14%, compared to 55% support for harvesting home grown wind, water and solar sources. The findings will likely make grim reading for Scottish Labour and Libdem campaign bosses who are promoting new nuclear power stations, due to resounding support for renewables compared … Continue reading Scotland says resounding No to Nuclear in new poll making grim reading for Scottish Labour

Here’s what Anas Sarwar said in June 2024: Anas Sarwar has accused the SNP of “breaking” the NHS as he set out Labour’s plans for the health service, should the party win the general election. The Scottish Labour leader said a government led by Sir Keir Starmer would cut waiting times and increase access to GPs. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce99nlp03rqo We see today, above, from the BMJ, Sir Keir’s failure. https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj.s756 Comparisons with NHS Scotland can be very tricky, not least because NHS England restarts the clock after triage when the patient is allocated to a department whereas NHS Scotland counts from when … Continue reading NHS Scotland’s A&E waits of over 24 hours are still fewer than a fifth per capita of those in NHS England contrary to Anas Sarwar’s claims in 2024

in England’s accident and emergency departments last year, according to the British Medical Journal. The figures also show almost half-a-million people spent more than 24 hours in A&E before being admitted to a hospital bed, transferred or discharged. Here’s what the BMJ actually said: A&E crisis: Data show 13 386 patients waited over three days in England’s emergency departments as patients say “they’d rather die at home” Might BBC Reporting Scotland have made more of that? You bed they would. ‘Crisis?’ ‘Rather die at home?’ Right up there and all day long. And this graph? The full report is at: https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj.s756 … Continue reading England’s A&E ‘crisis’ as patients say “they’d rather die at home” but BBC UK don’t mention it

From AOL today, above and: The historic Lake Michigan auto and passenger ferry SS Badger, the last coal-fired steamship operating on the Great Lakes, is set to open its season Friday, May 15. https://www.aol.com/news/ss-badger-season-opens-may-162253664.html The SS Badger, built in 1952, is still operating on the Great Lakes (USA). SS Badger came under fire from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and environmental groups in late 2008 because of her daily practice of dumping untreated coal ash from its boilers directly into the waters of Lake Michigan. Burning 55 short tons (49 long tons; 50 t) of coal a day produces 4 short tons (3.57 long tons; 3.63 t) of ash.[30] Coal ash is a … Continue reading 74 year-old coal-fired 4 000 tons ferry, still sailing Lake Michigan is three times the age of an average CalMac ferry and twice the age of its oldest

I’m reading Antony Beevor‘s Rasputin, only to discover one of Imperial Russia’s Prime Ministers, Boris Vladimirovich Stürmer was perhaps their least impressive and most feckless holder of the post. From Brittanica On Feb. 2, 1916, while Tsar Nicholas II was at the front with his troops, leaving the administration of the country to his wife, Alexandra, and to her personal advisor, the illiterate Siberian peasant and holy man, Rasputin, the little-known Sturmer was appointed prime minister because of his association with Alexandra and Rasputin. Sturmer did not establish his own policies while in office, had difficulty in grasping the subject of discussion at meetings, and relied heavily … Continue reading Stürmer in 1916 and Starmer in 2026, Imperial Russia and Post-Imperial Britain’s weakest PMs both controlled by flawed visionaries in the last days