From Christopher Wynne on twitter via https://twitter.com/maryadavy Continue reading SNP Taxes – On £100k a year you’d be nearly 10k WORSE OFF in England!

Leah Gunn Barrett There’s been a chorus of criticism of the Scottish government over its recent budget from unionist politicians and media. But why should anyone be surprised over Scotland’s dismal state? The reason is our status as a de facto English colony.   As a colony, we don’t own our own resources so we can’t provide heat and power for the costs of production which is what nationalized energy companies do. Instead, our resources are owned by private corporations that cream off profits for shareholders.  We can’t create our own key industries for transport or control our ports because they … Continue reading Why should anyone be surprised over Scotland’s dismal state?

Frances McKie Today in The Scotsman, Mr Tom Greatrex, whose position as Chief Executive for the Nuclear Industry Association was preceded by a varied career within the Labour Party, has objected to the Scottish Governments  criticism and rejection of nuclear power as  unsafe and uneconomic.  Mr Greatrex must be hoping  that no-one has noticed the latest news from the UK Government’s “Great British Nuclear ”  project at Hinkley Point . On Wednesday  this week, the  China Nuclear  Power Group withdrew  from funding the building and operation of this EPR so that EDF, the only  other major participant,  must now obtain … Continue reading Refused by the Scotsman: Nuclear power – How the media and Westminster are trying to ‘ensnare’ Scotland

BBC Scotland is headlining a single case of a delayed discharge but what is the situation more widely? You’d be forgiven for thinking there was some kind of crisis, based on media reporting. Even I though it might be a really quite big problem. Imagine my surprise when I had a look at Delayed discharges in NHSScotland annualAnnual summary of occupied bed days and census figures – data to March 2023: Of 541 747 cases in Scotland in 2022/2023, only 3% were delayed. It’s been 3% since records began in 2016/2017 other than in 2019/2020, when it was 4% of … Continue reading 97% of over half a million hospital discharges were on time! Hear that anywhere else?

Update: Dr Gould seems determined never to reveal that she is not a local but her partner is from Glasgow. From BBC Scotland today: A wheelchair user says she has had to sleep in her van in a hospital car park while her husband is treated for an illness. Dr Caroline Gould said she could not find suitable accommodation in Inverness due to visitor demand for hotel rooms after Denis was transferred to the city’s Raigmore Hospital from their local hospital in Skye. Mr Gould had expected to be discharged home on Tuesday, but the required care package discussed three … Continue reading Hospital discharges – Another single BBC Scotland source who doesn’t declare their interests who has chosen to settle on an island and a report devoid of context

From BBC Scotland in 2016: Commenting on the statistics, Scottish Labour’s health spokesman Anas Sarwar said that Health Secretary Shona Robison needed to “get a grip of the growing NHS winter crisis”. “These figures show that A&E performance across Scotland is getting worse. The fact that one quarter of A&E patients at the £850m Queen Elizabeth University Hospital aren’t seen within four hours is unacceptable. “These figures are yet more evidence that the SNP’s decision to allow the closure of the minor injuries unit at Yorkhill Hospital is senseless, reckless and ultimately dangerous.” The Scottish Liberal Democrats said the waiting … Continue reading A&E waiting times are not politicised anywhere but in Scotland

From the Seattle Times today: CalMac’s oldest comparable ferry, the MV Isle of Arran, is 40 years old. Continue reading Ferry Monitor – Washington State Ferries in ‘sorry state’

In the Guardian today: Strikes by junior doctors have “fractured” their relationship with consultants and increased the risk of patients dying during action, hospital bosses claim. The 28 days of industrial action junior doctors have staged this year and the nine days of fresh strikes starting on Wednesday have led to tensions with more senior colleagues who are “worn out” from having to cover for striking junior doctors as well as doing their usual shifts. Many consultants are frustrated that junior doctors in England are striking twice – this week and from 3 January – at the same time as the NHS … Continue reading Why is Humza not being praised for averting another health crisis as English junior doctors say relationship with consultants has ‘increased risk of patients dying?’

Condor Ferries, have recently joined our top 6 ferry services more troubled than even a Tory islander born in Hampshire thinks CalMac is. From BBC Guernsey yesterday: Guernsey’s States is refusing to deny it is in talks with Condor Ferries to secure the island’s sea links. The BBC understands the Civil Contingencies Authority (CCA) – the States’ emergency body – has been speaking with the firm. As part of contingency planning, the States of Guernsey and Jersey brought the 535ft (163m) DFDS Finlandia Seaways over for berthing trials. In a joint statement, the islands’ governments said the exercise strengthened the islands’ … Continue reading Ferry Monitor – Channel Islands government forced to intervene as £10m a year replacement ferry cannot be berthed safely in bad weather

From the Times Colonist yesterday: The union representing B.C. Ferries workers has filed an unfair labour practice complaint against the company, after months of wage talks have proven fruitless. In its complaint to the B.C. Labour Relations Board, the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union seeks costs totalling $2.1 million from B.C. Ferries. The union, representing 4,700 members, said in its Dec. 14 complaint that B.C. Ferries has “undertaken a concerted campaign to undermine the union’s exclusive bargaining agency and lower its reputation among its members.” “The employer’s efforts have stoked fear and animosity among members which has directly led … Continue reading International Ferry Monitor – Government-subsidised Canadian ferry provider sued by unions for decent wages despite soaring profits