From BBC Wales today: “We are not getting a true reflection of what is exactly happening on the shop floor,” said Dr Suresh Pillai, vice president of RCEM for Wales. “This year alone from January to June, they have excluded about 45,000 patients and that’s a huge number. “If you don’t factor those patients in the already overcrowded emergency department, we cannot measure how bad things are. “If you don’t get the true figures, then the perception would be ‘everything is fine’. In fact, it is not.” Dr Pillai said the issue had routinely been raised during meetings with the … Continue reading Shock as Labour-run NHS Wales is revealed to have cheated on A&E figures to cover 36% superiority of NHS Scotland

By stewartb From the review of the Labour Party conference, and in particular its leaders speech, by the Institute for Government (IfG). It is crystal clear in its (non-partisan) analysis: in order to win the next General Election, Labour is committing itself to ‘Conservative friendly policies’! This is from the IfG (with my emphasis): ‘The Labour leader MADE A DIRECT APPEAL TO CONSERVATIVES to switch to his party, PURPOSELY FOCUSING ON THEMES of security and highlighting priorities traditionally popular on the right: fighting for the union, defending family life, keeping taxes down and building a positive relationship with business .’ … Continue reading To win the next General Election, Labour is committing itself to ‘Conservative-friendly policies’

Former New Labour minister and now supposedly just a journo at the Scotsman, is today making the frankly laughable claim that the SNP has Conservative-friendly policies. What, these things that Labour would never ever consider? Higher taxes for the higher paid and lower taxes for the lower paid? The unique Child Payment pulling poverty well below UK levels? More affordable housing and lower rents generally? Rent freezes and eviction bans in the private sector? Free prescriptions, bus passes and HE tuition. Free school dinners for far more children than elsewhere in the UK? Opposition to nuclear weapons? And on and … Continue reading Wrong Brian Wilson – MP’s defection spotlights Labour’s Conservative-friendly policies

From BBC Scotland this morning: MV Hebridean Isles has been out of service since February with a series of faults that have led to speculation it might never return. But after a new round of repairs in Aberdeen, it will carry passengers, cars and freight on the Islay route as part of its operational trials. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-67105243 Despite that definitive ‘will carry‘, BBC Scotland went for the vague, hesitant, grudging headline – Repairs hope for veteran CalMac ferry MV Hebridean Isles Only 10 days ago, the Herald’s ‘leading journalist on the issue [of ferries]‘ wrote: Will one of CalMac’s oldest ferries … Continue reading One of oldest ferries to return in triumph to service as Herald’s Ferry newsletter sinks in ratings

In the Guardian today but, of course, not in any media outlet where you live, far less BBC Scotland, above: Experts say failure to invest now to prevent chronic health issues such as obesity and diabetes means saving up costly problems for the future – and failure to help families struggling to feed their children at a time of rising food prices and shrinking budgets means entrenching existing social divisions. The answers to these problems, they say, come from smart public policy, proper investment and education to help children learn about what they eat and why it matters. But they … Continue reading Experts praise Scotland’s free school meals initiative but ‘your’ media not interested

Mitchell won the Oliver Brown Award (to the public figure judged to have done most to advance Scotland’s self-respect) in 2018. That’s Sean Connery, Alex Salmond, him…and me, to list only a few. HTF!? At TuS, we’ve been dragged yawning on a regular basis to respond to his anti-SNP drivel. Did they upset him back then as they seem to have those huffs Stuart Campbell, Robin McAlpine and Craig Murray? Here are some of the more recent thoughts. In July 2023: Politico.eu today have the strangest of takes on SNP funding – ‘Only dead people donate to the Scottish National Party’ – it … Continue reading This prof is just an anti-SNP rentagob so BBC Scotland love him

As always, nae facts. Here’s some with apologies to regulars for repeating: On the morning after: Getting little media attention in the aftermath of the by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West and as Labour dream of a Westminster majority and of leading a Holyrood government in 2026, the Opinium poll for the Tony Blair Institute, based on data for mid-September 2023, casts serious doubt on the latter dream. For the 4th poll in a row, as the SNP fraud drama fades in the midst of Police and courts inaction, Humza Yousaf has clearly settled the ship and recovery, regardless of freaky by-election results, … Continue reading One hissy fit does not make the SNP reel at all

As often before, the Reporting Scotland team seem to have a story not featuring more widely on their website or on any newspaper front page. It’s a choice made at editorial level or above to keep the agenda going, an agenda aimed at undermining the whole independence project by implying on a daily basis that Scotland, the Scottish Government and the SNP cannot run a country. You know the rhetoric. Starmer suggesting that if we cannot run a bottle return scheme how can we run a country? Facts, of course, don’t matter. Goebbels is their teacher. The facts on firefighting? … Continue reading Fire fears but no facts on BBC Scotland first thing to keep you frightened even while deaths plummet

From the Scottish Government News website today, which every self-respecting Scottish journalist (damn few?) has on alert: The Chief Statistician has today released first estimates of the 2023 Scottish harvest. The figures predict that cereal production will remain in line with the ten-year average despite significant challenges during the year, including high input costs and poor weather condition. Total cereal production is expected to be around 3.0 million tonnes. Early estimates for yields of barley, oats and oilseed rape are below 2022 levels, but similar to the ten-year averages. The predicted yield for wheat is also below last year’s figure, … Continue reading Reassuring harvest predicted despite challenges as Scotland produces 14% of UK cereal for 8% of the population

By stewartb – a long read The relevance of the first part of the title is self-evident: how to shift more voters in Scotland towards supporting independence. With a UK General Election relatively soon and the next Holyrood election not so far off, there is an urgency.  Whilst politicians and political strategists have been offering up different views on routes to the final outcome of independence, amongst the elements that constitute each – often worryingly partial – ‘theory of change’ is the basic one of democratic legitimacy through electoral support. New insights from the USA point up the difficulties – … Continue reading Shifting stubbornly fixed views – are insights from the USA relevant here?