The SNP’s phantom decorators – A new sisterhood in Scotland’s mainstream media revealed – Daily Record/Sunday Mail and Scottish Daily Express!

By stewartb Once upon a time not so long ago these ‘Scottish’ newspapers – the Daily Record/Sunday Mail and the Scottish Daily Express – would occupy quite different places on the political spectrum on most issues.  That was then and after all, we’ve been told we are in a time of ‘change’!  Of course they would be united for the Union and this is probably the key factor in this tale! On Sunday 6 October, the Sunday Mail on its front page and website had this ‘exclusive’: On the same day, the Scottish Daily Express had this: Note the journalists … Continue reading The SNP’s phantom decorators – A new sisterhood in Scotland’s mainstream media revealed – Daily Record/Sunday Mail and Scottish Daily Express!

Is it still Ireland 44 Scotland 0? The other ferry fiasco story not being covered

Thanks to Linda Graham of Broadcasting Scotland (Support them!) for alerting me to the above dramatic image that sums up just how bad it is to stay in the UK. Two years ago, I wrote: Post-Brexit, Ireland has become almost completely free of its former dependency on congested and expensive land routes, through England from Liverpool to the channel ferries at Calais. Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs, told RTÉ News in 2021: “The whole port, the [Nord Pas de Calais] region, the [Dunkirk] chamber of commerce, is behind this, to get even more connections to Ireland. We only had 12 … Continue reading Is it still Ireland 44 Scotland 0? The other ferry fiasco story not being covered

Water companies in England & Wales fined ‘infinitely’ more per head for poor performance than Scottish Water

From BBC Science & Environment, this morning: Water companies have been ordered to return £158m to customers via lower bills next year after missing key targets on issues like pollution. The industry regulator Ofwat announced the rebate following its annual review of water and wastewater companies’ performance in England and Wales. Google AI searches find no examples of rebates from Scottish Water but does suggest discounts for those businesses on lower incomes. With regard, to fines, the AI Overview does seem to have some cheer for Unionists, with: Scottish Water has been fined multiple times for environmental and health and … Continue reading Water companies in England & Wales fined ‘infinitely’ more per head for poor performance than Scottish Water

Population size of Arran to have no ferry service at all for nearly two months in affluent Canadian Nova Scotland

From CTV News today: The ferry service between Saint John, N.B., and Digby, N.S., will be out of commission for nearly two months due to mandatory work in Quebec. The MV Fundy Rose will go to the Verreault Shipyard at Les Méchins, Que., for biannual drydock and refit work, according to a news release from Bay Ferries Limited(opens in a new tab). The work will put the ferry out of service from Oct. 15 to Dec. 3. https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/more/saint-john-ferry-going-out-of-service-for-nearly-two-months-marine-atlantic-ferry-sailings-disrupted-1.7064591 There is only one ferry operating this 2 hour 30 min service, to a population of around 5 000 in Digby, Lunenberg and … Continue reading Population size of Arran to have no ferry service at all for nearly two months in affluent Canadian Nova Scotland

How being chained to the UK makes us unwell

The researchers of the Spirit Level, in 2010, correlated many negative indicators with inequality including crime and drug abuse. In particular they noted that more equal countries, like Japan and several in Northern Europe, seem to have fewer people, pro rata, affected by depression and anxiety but increasingly unequal countries, like the US and the UK, had more. Today, I spotted this fascinating personal case study explaining how that might happen. Here’s an extract: Reading that a society that is more unequal will lead to people internalising the society’s evaluation of them made complete sense to me and I could … Continue reading How being chained to the UK makes us unwell

The whole agency locum question is a reflection of a real crisis in the Welsh NHS workforce!

stewartb ‘BBC Scotland is, undoubtedly, using a Scottish psychiatrist as part of its continuous attritional narrative, ‘that Scots are incapable of running things for themselves’. I’m inclined to check out – for comparison and useful learning – how capable the British Labour Party, long in government in Cardiff, have proven itself to be in running NHS Wales. After all, we in Scotland need to know what might be ahead of us in 2026! For example, Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) released its latest NHS Wales Workforce Trends Report (as at 31 March 2023) on July 25, 2024 – see https://heiw.nhs.wales/news/heiw-releases-latest-nhs-wales-workforce-trends-report/ . Here are some … Continue reading The whole agency locum question is a reflection of a real crisis in the Welsh NHS workforce!

Only the place with the least poverty seems to require a BBC reminder of it but one which carefully hides that crucial detail

BBC Scotland today, above, based on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Scotland‘s report today: From the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s UK Poverty 2024: and: Child poverty rates in Scotland (24%) remain much lower than those in England (31%) and Wales (28%) and are similar (if slightly higher) than in Northern Ireland (22%). This is likely to be due, at least in part, to the Scottish Child Payment. This highlights the effect benefits can have in reducing poverty. BBC England today? Nothing. BBC Wales? Nothing. It’s almost as if BBC England and Wales don’t have an agenda to undermine their Labour governments. Sources: … Continue reading Only the place with the least poverty seems to require a BBC reminder of it but one which carefully hides that crucial detail

Guess who signed off the 53 redactions to conceal what Angus Robertson really said to the Israeli Depute Ambassador?

Remember all that above a few minutes ago, here? @TomlinJeanne just asked me: Redacted by whom? Good question, I thought. Here’s the first part of the answer: The External Affairs Directorate, eh? Sounds very professional. Who are they? I really want the SNP to win in 2026. There’s still time. He needs to go. It’s not the first time. In November 2023: An SNP MP has said he is “dismayed” at a Scottish government minister’s trip to China. External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson is visiting several Chinese cities this week. A press release announcing the trip made no mention of … Continue reading Guess who signed off the 53 redactions to conceal what Angus Robertson really said to the Israeli Depute Ambassador?

Latest – Police Scotland are aware of 30 County Lines groups in Scotland, have reported on them 60 times but BBC Scotland…..twice and not at all for more than 3 years

In response to my FoI request to them, today: Based on analysis of the most recent Police Scotland data, the number of ‘County Lines’groups operating across Scotland, including in Scottish cities, is assessed to be around30. Police Scotland, on a site surely a regular go-to for crime reporters, have reported on county lines gangs specifically, 60 times: https://www.scotland.police.uk/search/?query=County%20Lines&page=1 BBC Scotland? Twice only and not once in the last three years? Why? Clearly an editorial line. STV? Better but still not representing the scale of the problem. Scottish Daily Mail? Regular reports and this year: We get a never-ending reporting of … Continue reading Latest – Police Scotland are aware of 30 County Lines groups in Scotland, have reported on them 60 times but BBC Scotland…..twice and not at all for more than 3 years

53 redactions to protect Angus Robertson from scrutiny is the real and ONLY SNP scandal

We all know that the Alex Salmond case, the camper van, the HQ decoration and the never ending SNP ‘fraud’ investigations were and are deliberate UK security services conspiracy attacks on the SNP, but their own circling of the wagons to protect Angus Robertson is a total self-inflicted cock-up. From an information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, published today: Information requested 1. The minutes of Angus Robertson’s meeting with Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK which took place on 8 August 2024. Please also include the full list of attendees and any decisions that … Continue reading 53 redactions to protect Angus Robertson from scrutiny is the real and ONLY SNP scandal