Canadian ferry service prices to rise 30% to cope with 16 aging vessels 30 decrepit terminals

From the Vancouver Sun, yesterday: The CEO of B.C. Ferries is warning the company may need to increase fares by 30 per cent or more in 2028, when its current fare structure expires. Nicolas Jimenez says in a written statement the provincially owned corporation had forecast last year that such a price rise would be needed to keep up with operating and capital costs. But, he said costs since then have jumped, including a 40 per cent increase in shipbuilding expenses since 2020. The rising costs have created “a growing funding gap” that Jimenez says will require “a sustainable funding … Continue reading Canadian ferry service prices to rise 30% to cope with 16 aging vessels 30 decrepit terminals

Two latest polls have Conservatives ahead of Labour in both UK and Scotland and Scottish Labour dropping well below SNP

More in Common and Find Out Now, sampling 1 500 and 2 300 respectively, on 26-27 November 24th, have the Cons 3% ahead of UK Labour, and Reform in 3rd or in 2nd equal place with Labour! In Scotland, Labour are in even deeper difficulties for 2026. More in Common have SNP at 27%, Cons at 20%, Labour at 19% and Reform at 16% putting the SNP, even with that modest figure, in a strong position to take constituencies thanks to Reform splitting the vote. Find out Now have Labour in potentially shocking difficulties, in 4th place with 12% after … Continue reading Two latest polls have Conservatives ahead of Labour in both UK and Scotland and Scottish Labour dropping well below SNP

Reddit now bigger than x so important for Independence debate

According to the Guardian today: Reddit, the American online discussion platform, has overtaken X to become the fifth most popular social media platform in the UK, according to the communications watchdog. Ofcom said Reddit, where users post on discussion threads within topic-based communities, was visited by 22.9 million UK adults in May this year, compared with 22.1 million on X. The figures make Reddit the fastest-growing large social media platform in the UK and represent a growth of 47% on the same period in 2023 https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/nov/28/reddit-overtakes-x-in-popularity-of-social-media-platforms-in-uk Readers may remember that I was banned from rScotland, in 2023, for repeatedly posting … Continue reading Reddit now bigger than x so important for Independence debate

SNP lead in an increasing trend which casts serious doubt that Sarwar can ever be FM

From Survation today with quite a big, thus more reliable, sample of 3 106, evidence of steadily increasing SNP support and falling support for Labour. In the most recent 3 polls the average lead was 5% for SNP, in the previous 3 it was 3.66% for the SNP and in the previous 3, before the General Election, it was 1% for Labour. Looking at individual pollsters, Survation have gone from a 4% Labour lead in June, to a tie in mid-September and in mid-November, a 5% lead for the SNP. Norstat have gone from a 3% lead for the SNP … Continue reading SNP lead in an increasing trend which casts serious doubt that Sarwar can ever be FM

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting times approaching 90% target and waiting list slashed by massive 26% in Scotland is not, it seems, news

By Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian today: One in three child and adolescent consultant psychiatrist posts in England are vacant, according to a “shocking” analysis laying bare the workforce crisis that experts say is fuelling “unacceptable” long waits for NHS care. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/28/long-wait-for-nhs-mental-healthcare-has-stark-consequences-for-childrens-life-chances BBC Scotland are not picking up on this with a view to reminding you things are bad here too> Could this be why? From Public Health Scotland in September 2024: 84.1% of children and young people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral, which is an increase from the 73.8% for the same quarter ending June 2023. The Scottish Government standard states … Continue reading Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting times approaching 90% target and waiting list slashed by massive 26% in Scotland is not, it seems, news

FFS Steven, Greens hate soya. It’s being grown in the cleared Amazon forests to feed pigs in China. Do catch up. Above is the latest lame attempt by the Herald’s third-best cartoonist to squeeze a laugh out of the new ferries. Should you have effall better to do, look and despair at his previous stuff: It’s a sad state of affairs that the above pub-level banality passes for political satire at the Herald. To waste more time on his output considered, see: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=Camley On ferries, here’s why his infantile pokes are not so much below the belt as below the average … Continue reading

Why dualing the A9 is less important than the opposition claim

By Professor John Robertson OBA This is a constant chorus from the opposition parties but it’s not based on any scientific evidence. From the London School of Economics in 2013: In theory, transport improvements decrease transportation costs, improve access to markets, foster economic integration, stimulate competition, generate agglomeration economies and a number of other ‘wider’ economic benefits….Although road improvements are routinely subject to appraisal – predicting the economic benefits before the roads are built – they have not historically been subject to any evaluation in order to work out whether these benefits actually materialised! So will road-building set the UK on … Continue reading Why dualing the A9 is less important than the opposition claim

Scotsman’s David Bols is either thick or trying to deceive you with suggestion that NHS Scotland is lagging behind NHS England when it’s clearly far ahead

By Professor John Robertson OBA David Bol of the Scotsman today has this astonishing headline: SNP dealt blow as NHS recovery in Scotland lagging behind England This claim is based on the supposed evidence that performance in NHS Scotland is worsening while in NHS England it’s improving. Yes, but, but, David, what if performance in Scotland is worsening and is improving in England but the English performance is still worse than the Scottish performance, isn’t it England that’s lagging, until, at least it overtakes Scotland? Get me? Objectively, which NHS is lagging? The facts once more: First, THREE times as many wait … Continue reading Scotsman’s David Bols is either thick or trying to deceive you with suggestion that NHS Scotland is lagging behind NHS England when it’s clearly far ahead

They are not only doing political journalism in BBC Wales differently from BBC Scotland but opponents of the government in Cardiff may behave differently too

By stewartb Seems they are not only doing political journalism in BBC Wales differently from BBC Scotland but opponents of the government in Cardiff may behave differently too. The BBC News website in its Wales section today (November 26) had this headline about NHS Wales: ‘Ambulance response target may change after failures’. It reports: ‘Ambulance response targets in Wales may change in 2025, after four years of the service failing to meet its key measure.’ ‘A total of 65% of the most life-threatening calls are expected to arrive to a patient within eight minutes, but this has been missed for the past … Continue reading They are not only doing political journalism in BBC Wales differently from BBC Scotland but opponents of the government in Cardiff may behave differently too

The Alison Pearson case proves how corrupt much of the MSM really really are, so much so, that can we in Scotland ever really trust anything they report?

Anonymous Here is a classic example of all things wrong with the corrupt and tainted UK media. Peter Osborne , now an apparent enlightened member of the media, and so determined to do the job as per his job description as one who considers himself to be a real and honest journalist , has written an article for the Middle East Eye. This article exposes the hypocrisy and double standards of the UK media , many of whom are compromised by their allegiance to respective UK political parties, and so as such are complicit in obscuring those things that these political parties … Continue reading The Alison Pearson case proves how corrupt much of the MSM really really are, so much so, that can we in Scotland ever really trust anything they report?