– did BBC Scotland report this? By stewartb I’m grateful this week to the P&J for reporting a significant Scottish Government investment of benefit to the residents of the Western Isles. This was the P&J’s headline: ‘First-ever MRI scanner to be installed at NHS Western Isles hospital – the new scanning service would save 1,100 patients from the Western Isles travelling to the mainland for scans each year.’ It explained: ‘NHS Western Isles is planning to install the MRI facility at the hospital in Stornoway following £2.4 million funding from the Scottish Government.’ The article gives further details (with my … Continue reading Scottish Government to equip Western Isles Hospital with £2.4 million MRI scanner

Many thanks to reader bringiton for alerting me to this. Research undertaken for Transport Scotland in 2022, by Ernst and Young LLP, compared the ferry systems operating in Scotland, Canada (BC), Norway, Australia and New Zealand. The Norway service is a bit of an outlier with twice as many passengers per year than the next biggest, BC with 22m and 9 times greater than in Scotland with only 5m. Also, key information on subsidies could not be collected for the Norwegian or the New Zealand systems. Most striking is the level of subsidy per passenger. In Scotland, it averages £29.80 … Continue reading Research reveals Scotland’s island communities benefit from the most inclusive, generously subsidised and up-to-date ferry service in the comparable world

Since South Uist got its service back meaning they didn’t have to drive to North Uist, the Ardrossan to Campbelltown ferry is the only service regularly cancelled, out of CalMac’s often 500 plus sailings every day. Recently, there have been reductions in the Arran, two vessel, 10 or so sailings daily but never a complete cut-off. The Ardrossan crossing to Campbelltown on the Scottish mainland, only introduced in 2013, is an interesting one. It take longer to drive from Glasgow to Ardrossan in Ayrshire and then make the crossing than it does to simply drive directly all the way round. … Continue reading Other news: Only one ferry crossing which takes longer than the road journey is ever completely cancelled these days

The BBC has now fallen out with Neil Oliver: False claims suggesting that the BBC has been misreporting temperatures in southern Europe have been spreading on social media. A clip of Neil Oliver, a GB News presenter, accusing the BBC “and others” of “driving fear” by using “supposedly terrifying temperatures”, has been viewed more than two million times. Speaking about the fires on Rhodes on GB News on Monday, Mr Oliver accused the BBC, and other broadcasters, of trying to “make people terrified of the weather”. “Those supposedly terrifying temperatures that were being predicted, all starting with a four… 40 … Continue reading Can we get some new documentaries without this balloon?

Yesterday on the Norrie Hunter show (https://caledonmedia.scot/shows/norrie-hunter-show/), I was able to choose a song that I thought resonated with Scotland. I chose the song ‘Where I find my heaven‘ by the Gigolo Aunts, made famous by the film Dumb and Dumber. Why did I choose it? Well, first, because the title and the images of the ‘dumb’ duo motorcycling into the snowy mountains of Aspen Colorado reminds me of my time in the Scottish hills when I might struggle up a slope before turning to see this kind of thing: Second, Dumb and Dumber reminded me of Alex Cole-Hamilton of … Continue reading Sh**t so thick and being ‘jerked around?’

Though it’s very simple there, every part of England will be affected today, BBC England has usefully provided and linked to the detail. BBC Wales? BBC Scotland? Some cross border services are affected: Nope. Not in the public interest it seems but, mind you, there is info on getting a tall ship in Shetland. So, your grandad (80) has called off visiting the weans because ‘The trains are all off, son! My Guardian said ‘UK trains”, might the taxpayer-funded public service broadcaster have been expected to keep him right on the news last night? They’ve told me they trust their … Continue reading What Scots need to know as latest rail strike hits

As BBC Scotland major on one woman denied a job with Police Scotland, 4 years ago, because she is on anti-depressants for anxiety and depression (yes, really), this is in the Herald today: Struggling to find scandals across the public services in Scotland, to compare with the real crises across NHS England and the two London and Manchester police forces, Scotland’s media have been scrabbling around to find and to make much of a few individuals who will come forward for the attention they seek. In some cases, there is a whiff of grooming by the opposition politicians. These are … Continue reading Police Scotland’s human rights record – Two cases do not make a ‘storm’

Throughout the summer British Columbia Ferries based in Vancouver, Canada, the 10th richest country in the world, have been at the centre of a major crisis, condemned by passengers and the national government. Headlines in the last 24 hours: ‘It is appalling to see’: BC United says BC Ferries issues show lack of leadership The chaos continues as BC Ferries’ website AGAIN shows wrong data BC Ferries’ website, Twitter showing discrepancies in sailing waits The Canadian government has not been blamed for any aspect of this. Indeed, they too have joined in the criticism, blaming the management for everything. Meanwhile … Continue reading CalMac ferries at 99% reliability as Canadian ferry fiasco persists

Above, the headline for BBC Scotland’s front pages section. How does that read? What does it mean? That the FM wishes to ‘rip up’ Scotland’s existing citizenship laws? All of them? Some might think this extreme, threatening. What did he actually say? One, it’s not even a major headline. Two and crucially for accurate representation, he said he would ‘rip up his British identity after separation.’ The Herald headline is inaccurate in substituting ‘UK citizenship’ for ‘British identity’, leaving out ‘after separation’ and substituting ‘separation’ for ‘independence.’ The BBC headline omits the key word ‘his’ and they cannot claim lack … Continue reading Humza ‘ripping up’ all citizenship laws? This is a deliberate misrepresentation

Today, from BBC Scotland: David McColl, chairman of the British Dental Association’s Scottish dental practice committee said: “We’ve secured some improvements, but the fundamentals of a broken system remain unchanged. “The Scottish government have stuck with a drill and fill model designed in the 20th Century. They were unwilling to even start a conversation on making this service fit for the 21st. “Ministers cannot pretend this is a final destination for NHS dentistry in Scotland. We struggle to see how these changes alone will close the oral health gap, end the access crisis or halt the exodus from the NHS.” … Continue reading There is NO NHS dentistry crisis in Scotland regardless of the views of one dentist