Some initial thoughts on 2024 Gers figures. By Malachi Malagrowther From   https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-gers-2023-24/                                                                                  you will note that we are debited £8.352 billion expenditure for Reserved (UK) public sector debt interest plus £4.642 billion as our geographic share of UK defence expenditure.     It is interesting to compare these figures with Ireland’s latest budget. The Irish Government have committed to increase the Defence budget from €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion, by 2028, in order to fully implement the Action Plan.  So, Scotland is charged three times as much under Gers https://www.military.ie/en/news-and-events/news/defence-forces-chief-of-staff-welcomes-historic-increase-in-defence-budget.html On Public Sector Debt, the “ballpark” figure was provided by Department of Finance … Continue reading 2024 GERS – How Scotland gets only one seventh of Norway’s oil and gas income and pays for England’s debt

By Professor John Robertson OBA No UK media outlet has gone beyond blaming the NHS and the police in Nottingham for the above tragedy, after 3 years of failure to treat the killer, despite repeated reports of the risk he posed. The new Health Secretary for England, Wes Streeting, has even joined in to agree that the police and NHS have ‘blood on their hands.’ Curiously, he does not blame the previous Conservative Government for cuts to these two services, over several years. The Health Secretary for England, at the time, Steve Barclay, is not mentioned once, far less photographed. Yet … Continue reading Imagine 3 Scots had been killed after warnings that a paranoid schizophrenic might kill – who’d be to blame?

Last week the Herald was making much of the 3 hour delays for those who turned up with cars in Largs for the Cumbrae crossing. Despite 46 sailings to the almost car-free island, popular with walkers and cyclists, so many car-drivers turned up that queues of folk too lazy to walk or cycle soon developed. Yesterday in the affluent British Columbia state in Canada, served by the privately-owned, shareholder dividend paying, and expensive (twice CalMac rates) , BC ferries, waits of between 9 and 12 hours became common. No criticism of the British Columbia or Canadian governments was made. Source: … Continue reading Canadian ferry delays THREE to FOUR times longer than on busy CalMac ferries

Thanks to Dottie B for alerting me to this. Team GB had 327 athletes1 and won 65 medals2, a hit ratio of 1 in 5. 34 Scots competed3 winning 13 medals4, a hit ratio of 1 in 2.6. Sources: Continue reading No longer ‘Sick man of Europe’ as Scots athletes TWICE as successful as Team GB!

By Professor John Robertson OBA The above funnel plot shows that all of Scotland’s hospitals had the level of mortality previously predicted on earlier data and on demographic factors such as age and levels of poverty in the catchment area. The bigger urban hospitals such as QMUC on the extreme left right, are to the right and the very small, in rural areas and on the islands, to the left. Those below the blue line had slightly lower than expected mortality rates and those above had slightly higher rates. Those above the line remained within the normal range, suggesting no problems … Continue reading All of Scotland’s hospitals are equally safe places for treatment with no pockets of serious risk comparable to some NHS England hospitals

By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC UK, England etc are ignoring this story, headlining for BBC Scotland. I guess the flow of resources from colonies is too normal to be news? To be fair, when you read on, you do see this kind of thing, 5 paras down in the BBC Scotland report: Although the link can carry electricity in both direction, the majority is expected to flow out of Scotland. The majority? What, like 51%, 60%, 90%? From the UK Government: Net electricity transfers from Scotland to England increased 15 per cent to 6.0 TWh year-on-year, with transfers from Scotland … Continue reading As all media report a new electric superhighway ‘between’ Scotland and England we reveal the flow is currently 61 times greater in one direction – care to guess which way?

I reported yesterday on Isle of Wight, high-season charges of £440 for a return crossing with a car and contrasted that with the longer Arran crossing at £64.80 for the same request: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2024/08/11/english-islanders-shocked-to-find-snp-government-subsidised-and-even-longer-ferry-crossing-costs-a-fraction-one-seventh-of-their-regular-to-the-isle-of-wight-thousands-plan-to-move/ Today, above, we see evidence of both the extreme high fairs to this English island. Meanwhile in Scotland, so many folk turned up for the cheap-as-chips (£15.20 return with a car, £4 on foot, bikes FREE), 46 crossings a day 100% on time on Sunday, Largs to Greater Cumbrae island, that they had to wait a bit. The Herald, of course, completely ignored the bigger story for … Continue reading How SNP-subsidised frequent reliable ferries are keeping tourism alive in Scotland

Spotted by Davy Gow, above, but all-too-predictably, grudged and down-played by the BBC, below: However, the 36-strong contingent of Scots returns home with three gold, four silver, six bronze. Specifically on gold, with 3, Scotland won nearly three times as many, per head, than the just over 1 of the 14 UK total, their 8% population share should have meant. Continue reading Only 8% of the population but 20% of the medals and 21% of the golds

Today in the Herald: Never mind doubling the UK’s electricity storage capacity. There are around 2.7 million homes in Scotland. Perhaps, after independence, we might sell the extra supply to homes in the North of England? Sources: https://www.gov.scot/news/housing-statistics-for-scotland-2022-23/#:~:text=As%20of%2031st%20March%202022,million%20dwellings%20estimated%20in%20Scotland. Continue reading No more windless day anxiety – Scotland to have guaranteed stored renewables electricity back up for every home and more in one location