From BBC Scotland, minutes ago: A councillor has told how she drove an 86-year-old woman almost 60 miles (96km) from her home to hospital as there was no ambulance available. Geva Blackett said she took the pensioner from Braemar, Aberdeenshire, to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after being told she had already waited six hours. The woman was thought to be suffering from an infection, after suffering a broken hip in a fall. The Scottish Ambulance Service apologised about service pressure. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-66543621 BBC Scotland describe the councillor as an ‘independent’ and fail to mention that she left the SNP two years ago … Continue reading Disgruntled former SNP councillor drives non-life-threatening case to hospital for political reasons

I saw something similar in a recent documentary where a charity in Barrow on Furness had escape bags for women fleeing domestic abuse. They were large with space for clothes, pyjamas and all sorts of essentials like these: These wee handbags don’t look much use but if they’re sure, did Jackie consider asking Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves to donate the £1,250 handbag and contents she got ’for giving a talk to an investors forum’ run by a multimillionaire? ‘No case for banker tax’ Reeves accepting £1250 handbag from investors is tip of iceberg While we’re on domestic violence: From the … Continue reading Jackie Baillie misses massive handbag charity opportunity!

From Tom Gordon today: He offers no balancing view. In January 2023: Industry bodies across the retail sector in Scotland have written to Deputy First Minister John Swinney, urging the Scottish Government to match the Chancellor’s commitment of 75% rates relief for retail businesses in 2023/24. Representatives of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF), the Scottish Retail Consortium, the British Independent Retailers Association, and the Booksellers Association signed the joint letter, highlighting the significant challenges facing the sector. SGF Chief Executive Pete Cheema said: “The retail sector in Scotland employs close to 230,000 people and is key player in driving economic … Continue reading Tom Gordon seems to like capitalism for the poor and socialism for business

While the Herald leads with ‘Appalling’: ScotGov rent curbs fail to prevent new record bill rises and BBC Scotland tell us they are ‘soaring‘ the actual facts of life in Scotland under the SNP, are ignored. The above ONS data reveal with clarity of a kind they don’t think newsworthy, that private sector rents have been controlled in Scotland in a manner they have not in England. As for Northern Ireland – WTF!! Can someone do the research on that for us? Continue reading Despite attacks on SNP rent-freeze success, private rents in Scotland remain lowest in UK

In classic, it’s all about England mode, after badgering Humza Yousaf about who he will support, BBC Scotland (not England) is pushing this story: Amazon has been accused of sexism after its Alexa voice assistant was unable to respond to a question about the Lionesses’ semi-final victory at the Women’s World Cup. When asked on Wednesday “for the result of the England-Australia football match today” it said there was no match. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66508514?at_format=link&at_campaign_type=owned&at_link_origin=BBCScotlandNews&at_link_type=web_link&at_ptr_name=twitter&at_medium=social&at_link_id=0651F9AC-3D20-11EE-8427-C8C378A687CD&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_campaign=Social_Flow Perhaps this is useful background: Amazon Alexa, also known simply as Alexa is a virtual assistant technology largely based on a Polish speech synthesizer named Ivona, bought by Amazon in 2013. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Alexa Maybe Alexa’s programmers … Continue reading Do Alexa’s polish genes mean she remembers England’s betrayal in World War II

Try searching for ‘BBC Scotland Dugdale’ in the last 24 hours and you get the above. Not one BBC hit. Try the same but taking out the 24hr limit: That’s just the start of a huge list before the algorithm has to consider other news outlets. They don’t want folk to know that a reasonably popular former Labour leader is becoming pro-independence. Although propaganda is typically thought of as something created through tangible words or images, it can also occur via the absence of such stimuli. This chapter illustrates how such “propaganda-by-omission” can be created. The particular focus is on … Continue reading Bias by omission as former Labour leader goes missing near Pacific Quay

The above from the National Records of Scotland in December 2022 reminds us that drug deaths, such a favourite of the opposition parties and media in Scotland, are only the tenth most common cause of death, accounting for only 1 in 50 deaths compared with more than 1 in 10 due to heart failure. None of the other causes are commonly politicised and linked to Scottish Government performance but as new drug death statistics loom next week, media outlets are beginning to salivate. Already an increase is being predicted though, perhaps, they may be confusing a predicted increase in the … Continue reading Drugs only 10th most common cause of death in Scotland

On BBC Scotland’s Mornings with Stephen Jardine, Dr Chris Smith, virologist at Cambridge University in South-East England (the nearest virologist to Scotland where we have none of that clever stuff ourselves), tells us that Covid infections will increase and: The school year is gonna kick off in September and that’s a big amplifier. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001pmhx at 55.54 Stephen Jardine makes no comment about that. Does Jardine know that Scottish schools went back yesterday and that if that amplifies Covid infection, listeners such as head teachers might want to take precautions a bit earlier than September? Continue reading Stephen Jardine worries about about a Covid spike when schools go back, 24 hours after they went back

Including an interview (below) with a very sweaty and distressed looking Fergus Smith ‘researcher’ in a sad attempt to join in with the Northern Ireland Police security breach, BBC Scotland’s repeated inserts in BBC Breakfast from around 06:30, opened with two dark reports not covered in their own website or by the press. Feeds directly to reporters? First, a ‘group of parents’ (Nicola from ASN Reform Scotland, Facebook) is going to protest about support for pupils with additional support needs. Not enough teachers they say and the Scottish Government, not the local authorities actually responsible for staffing schools, is asked … Continue reading Don’t look! Reporting Scotland down, down, down today with their own wee anecdotes