From BBC Scotland this morning Research from the RSPB and other nature organisations say we’re now one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. This is a lie. The report does say on page 3: The UK is now one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth. Nowhere is Scotland given that title and with good reason when you dig deeper. On the basis of a 30 minute look at a 200 plus page report: While there are clear and disturbing reductions especially in seabirds and harbour seals (page 5), but also in plant and other species, the rest … Continue reading ‘We’re’ not one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.

The public spending watchdog says the Government can’t afford it’s £26 billion plans to build things like roads, prisons and hospitals. He’s on first thing today with another of his worrisome reports suggesting Scotland just can’t make it in the world. Have you ever seen the Auditor General for England on the BBC first thing, with similar messages? Indeed who is the AG for England? It’s Gareth Davies! Try searching for ‘BBC England Gareth Davies’ and you’ll not get the AG, you’ll get a Welsh Scrum Half! Try searching for ‘BBC England Auditor General’ and all you’ll get is how … Continue reading Does Scotland’s Auditor General have a contract at BBC Scotland?

The MV Alfred, leased to CalMac by Pentland Ferries, currently tied up for gearbox problems in Ardrossan, is the cause of multiple cancellations on the Arran crossing. The MV Alfred was cheap. Only £14.5 million in 2019. It’s not clear what either the Communist Government subsidy, the wages rate or the death rate of workers in the Strategic Marine Shipyard was. It is also not clear just how much is lost to the Scottish economy by failing to build ferries here. On 5 July 2022, the Alfred grounded on the uninhabited island of Swona while enroute from Gills Bay to St Margaret’s Hope. It … Continue reading The false and immoral economy of cheap ferries from Communist Vietnam

The relative lack of full Scottish polls as we approach the by-election day makes it difficult to assess the relative support for the SNP and Labour. Sub-polls of 200 or so Scots from larger UK polls have obvious limitations as a substitute. However, a sequence of sub-poll data from the same pollster might offer some insight. From 2 August to 21 September 2023, YouGov have carried out 6 polls with Scottish subsets of around 200. On 2 August, they had: UK Labour 45, Labour in Scotland (LIS) 36 and SNP 38. On 17 August, they had: UK Labour 44, Labour … Continue reading Six YouGov sub-polls of around 1 000 Scots suggest Labour in Scotland have shot their bolt

From the Scottish Government today but not making it onto BBC Scotland or any front pages: More than 38,000 payments have been paid to families to help with the costs of early learning and starting school. Families who qualify for Scottish Child Payment are now automatically awarded Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment when their child becomes eligible, without them having to apply separately. Figures showed that since Social Security Scotland introduced automation of the payments in November last year, 14,825 Early Learning Payments and 23,810 School Age Payments have been made, up to the end … Continue reading More news you might never hear – More than 38,000 automatic payments help families with the costs of early learning and starting school

Completely absent from ‘our’ media, today: Organisations that support victims of crime will be able to bid for support from a fund financed by  penalties imposed on all offenders who receive a court fine. Successful applicants will be able to use their share of the £350,000 Victim Surcharge Fund, which is now in its fourth year, to provide direct, practical help to victims. This includes repairing or replacing damaged items, providing replacement clothes for people escaping domestic abuse, or equipment that helps people impacted by crime feel safe. Since its introduction in 2019, over £916,000 has been paid out to … Continue reading News you might not hear – Minister announces more help for victims as criminals pay towards costs

The so-called ‘Scottish’ Daily Express with its frankly sickening wee lion in the header, headlines the above disgraceful distortion of reality. Apologies to regular readers for this repeat: In the quarter ending 30 June 2023, NHS Scotland started treatment for 73.7% of the 4 299 patients referred, within the 62-day standard for urgent suspicion of cancer. In the same period in NHS England, the comparable figure was only 59.6%. On this target, NHS Scotland started treatment for 23.6% more on time than NHS England did. This means that 1 014 more urgent cases were treated on time than would have … Continue reading Journalism at its worst as 10 000 cancer patients wait too long in England and longer than they would under SNP Government

Well, they politicise baby deaths, drug deaths and police call-out failures so it’s perhaps no surprise that we see this on BBC Scotland: Fire cuts delayed Ayr hotel blaze response, says union Note, it’s not, as it should be: Fire cuts ‘delayed Ayr hotel blaze response’, claims union or: The deployment of the high-reach appliance did not impact the outcome of this incident, which took place in a derelict building with no life risk. which you have to read on a bit for. Missing, of course, this to give viewers and readers some meaningful context and to let them put … Continue reading 13% more firefighters than England shouting ‘theatre’ in an empty building in Ayr

From Public Health Scotland today: The Scottish Government set a Standard that 90% of people referred for help with problematic drug or alcohol use will wait no longer than three weeks for specialist treatment that supports their recovery. Nationally, the Standard was met for referrals to community-based services across all substances: co-dependency (95%), problematic use of drugs (94%), and alcohol (92%). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/national-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-waiting-times/national-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-waiting-times-1-april-2023-to-30-june-2023/ The target has been surpassed since records began in June 2021. Would you know that from ‘our’ media reports? Continue reading Drug treatment in Scotland – target smashed for 8th time in a row as 94% of drug abusers wait three weeks or less for treatment