From data gathered by the House of Commons Library at the request of the SNP, above, Scotland has had the lowest council tax for 16 years under an SNP government, when compared with England and Wales. From SNP Media today: Whilst the average amount of council tax in Scotland has decreased by -7.1% (around £101) in real terms since the SNP came to power, in Labour run-Wales it has increased in real terms by 31.6% (around £445). In England under successive Tory and Labour governments, it has slightly increased. Council tax is also cheaper in every Band (A-H) in Scotland, … Continue reading Scotland has had the lowest council tax in the UK for SIXTEEN years thanks to SNP

In the Lancet today: A former minister for health in England wrote to me that “The COVID-19 inquiry will make us the laughing stock in the eyes of the world.” But it is worse than that. The level of criminal incompetence exposed by recent witnesses to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett, has proven that many, if not most, of over 230 000 deaths were preventable. Amid the claims of extreme misogyny, profanity, and chaos that litter the evidence is a story of complete government breakdown. WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Jan 30, … Continue reading Why the UK Conservative Government is responsible for Scotland’s Covid deaths

The British Columbia Ferry Commission has set a price cap on ferry fares of 9.2 per cent for each of the next four years. The BC Ferries vessel Queen of Surrey passes Bowen Island while traveling on Howe Sound from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, B.C., on Friday, April 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Regular readers will have seen recent reports here of breakdowns and cancellations in the elderly and troubled ferry services of British Columbia, Washington State and New Zealand. Now we see the good folk of the Vancouver area are going to have to pay through the nose … Continue reading ‘Troubled’ ferry operator to increase fares by 36% over next 4 years!

In October 2023, 5 038 people waited more than 12 hours to be treated in NHS Scotland’s full emergency (ED) departments. All things being equal, with 10 times the population, 50 380 should have waited for this time in NHS England’s full (Type 1) emergency departments. In fact, the figure was a shocking 152 115, three times as many. This is a system in crisis. BBC UK/England is not reporting this. UK Labour is not attacking them for this failure. Sources: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/data-and-intelligence/ae-activity/#section-3-2 https://rcem.ac.uk/rcem-this-is-the-start-of-another-extremely-difficult-winter-and-we-dont-have-the-beds-that-we-desperately-need/ Continue reading NHS England in crisis as three times as many pro rata wait for 12 hours in emergency departments as in Scotland

In the Daily Record by Paul Hutcheon last week: Anas Sarwar has said he would “love” for Holyrood to have control over the minimum wage and workers’ rights in the first term of a Labour Government. The Scottish Labour leader said devolving employment law would help set a “race to the top” for basic rights. Scottish Labour supports the devolution of employment law, but Starmer’s team has yet to agree the policy. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/anas-sarwar-would-love-power-31365020 Not in the Daily Record by Paul Hutcheon last week, this: ANAS Sarwar has been branded a hypocrite after it was revealed his family’s wholesale business still does not … Continue reading Anas Sarwar would ‘love’ for power over minimum wage to be devolved to Holyrood as long as he and his mum don’t have to pay it

The former head of communications for the Scottish Conservatives, presenting himself as just a journalist, is paid to present a report on the efficacy of lockdowns. There’s not a trace of any evidence. He writes pompously: It took me seconds to find this from highly-respected, high impact research journal, the BMJ Global Health, published two years ago: Is the cure really worse than the disease? The health impacts of lockdowns during COVID-19 Summary box Restrictive non-pharmaceutical interventions against COVID-19 (known as ‘lockdowns’) are associated with health harms However, it is challenging to determine whether lockdowns have caused the harms or … Continue reading Former Tory adviser lazily spreads dangerous fake news on lockdowns – they were far less harmful than Covid

BBC Scotland, no author named of course, reveals its decline into foul-smelling tabloid reporting today with the above image of a 3-4 year-old representing what turns out to be a 12-16 year-old 50 years ago, and this headline: Child Abuse Inquiry: Child jailed among sex offenders To avoid really distorting the facts, it really needs to be: Child Abuse Inquiry: Teenager jailed among sex offenders 50 years ago The Child Abuse Inquiry concerns the period 1930 to 2014. We, justifiably, need to hear about recent conditions so that we can consider what needs to be done, now. That would be … Continue reading This is not a 14 year-old and what happened 50 years ago is not ‘the news’ in Scotland today!

It’s been some time since I’ve read Neil Mackay, ‘Large Writer’ at the Herald. Clearly I’m not going to do him the honour of reading his cod piece today [https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/viewpoint/23910248.sturgeons-sleekit-slipperiness-spits-scotlands-face/] accusing the former FM of the above, but the headline deserves a quick response. Should you have tired of watching ‘The Living Dead’ or some other zombiefest, you can search for him here and read my several angry reactions to his low journalism. One or two will suffice here. From May this year: In the Herald today, Neil Mackay’s ‘big read’ exclusive on the breakup of the far-right group Patriotic … Continue reading Neil Mackay knows all about ‘sleekit slipperiness’ spitting in Scotland’s face

First British Columbia Ferries, then Washington State Ferries and now New Zealand’s failed ferry services. In NewstalkZB today: If you’re an Aucklander, or a visitor to Auckland, you know the Waiheke Island Fullers ferry service is unreliable, often fraught with maintenance, or staffing or scheduling issues. Locals who regularly commute on and off the island by and large hate it – but they’re trapped as Fuller’s has had a monopoly and been their only means to get across the Gulf… up until now, with a new player in town. And God speed to Island Direct that they can make a … Continue reading ‘I am just wondering at what point we give up on trying to get anywhere by ferry in this country [New Zealand]?’