From reader, George S Gordon Scotland and the rest of the UK have suffered austerity, largely due to an undue focus on that mysterious thing called fiscal sustainability – now adopted by Starmerite Labour! However, Ireland having a surplus is not necessarily a model to follow. Youth unemployment in Ireland has been stuck on 10% for years, whereas currently Scotland has about half that – and that’s with a lot less powerful economic levers than either Ireland or the UK. The issue is whether its a sustainable plan for Ireland to be a tax haven in order to run a … Continue reading Ireland having a surplus is not necessarily a model to follow

From Frances McKie: Ireland has just announced that it will establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund -using their currently huge Budget Surpluses- forecast to  rise to over £16 Billion next year. In this way, Ireland will follow the example of Australia-another former British colony – and Norway- who have used oil revenues and other windfall wealth to build and renew their infrastructures and  insure their future national needs against more difficult economic  circumstances. Scotland- 50 years after North Sea Oil Revenues began flowing to Norway and- in Scotland’s case-  to Westminster and the corrupt, hedge-fund, oligarch-ridden City of London- has no … Continue reading Ireland’s wealth – Scotland considers what might have been. 

From the Guardian today: MPs have expressed concern that local authorities in England are failing to pass on government funding for free childcare places to nurseries, after research showed councils were holding back millions of pounds to offset deficits or add to reserves. Freedom of information requests submitted by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) revealed that more than 90 of the 150 local education authorities that responded underspent to the tune of almost £46m in total last year. Fifteen LEAs underspent by at least £1m each, while five of those underspent by a similar amount in two of the previous three years. … Continue reading English councils do far worse than SNP did!

stewartb ‘Helping out across the Nations – People are joining the Big Help Out in every nation of the United Kingdom.’ To see such an establishment organisation refer explicitly to a UK with multiple nations is a relatively rare occurrence! Then there is the (niggling) contrast with the promotion of another of the showpiece initiatives for the coronation. On 3 May the BBC published this online ‘First locations for BBC’s Coronation Concert ‘Lighting up the Nation’ revealed’. We learn that: ‘The Coronation Concert’s ‘Lighting up the Nation’ live sequence will see the country unite in celebration, as the United Kingdom … Continue reading ‘Lighting up the Nation?’

After scatter graphs, I love a funnel plot! I know TuS followers are smarter than the average but, just in case, it’s easy once you know how. The dots are hospitals, with wee ones on the left and the new Glasgow Southern General, to the right. The closer a dot is to the blue line, the closer it is to the predicted mortality rate it should have had last year. The prediction is based on past performance and the demographic (age, affluence etc) profile of the area it serves. The ones below the blue line did a bit better than … Continue reading Hospital performance – there is no postcode lottery in Scotland

From the Scottish Parliament today: Continued funding announced on Europe Day. More EU citizens will be supported to remain in Scotland, thanks to renewed funding for the Stay in Scotland campaign. In partnership with the Citizens’ Rights Project, COSLA and Settled – an independent charity helping EU citizens to stay in the UK – over £200,000 will help vulnerable people apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). The Stay in Scotland campaign was launched in 2019 to help EU citizens understand and secure their rights through the uncertainties presented by Brexit. Throughout the campaign, more than £2 million has been provided to community organisations … Continue reading Europe Day – SNP spends £2 million to help EU citizens stay in Scotland – BBC staff say – ‘eh whit?’

I’m not going to get into the matter of Humza Yousaf’s attendance or otherwise in the Pakistan Consulate but there’s evidence that he was here: https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23507894.william-hague-questions-humza-yousaf-gay-marriage-vote-excuse/?ref=ebln There are no records of the discussion but might that be because of the confidential and sensitive nature of the meeting to discuss the case of Mohammad Asghar, who was placed on death row in Pakistan for blasphemy? Anyhow, I’m more interested in and entertained by the accuser. Paedophilia? Imagine that headline in Scotland? Apologies to some for taking TuS a bit tabloid with this. Continue reading ‘Something rich’: Hague doubts Yousaf

Not featuring in the Scottish news anywhere, as far as I can see, BBC Health offers us this today under the headline: Scores of local pharmacies closing across England: Scotland scheme ‘more patient-focused’ Pharmacists in England look to Scotland, where a scheme called Pharmacy First includes a contract between the sector and the Scottish government setting out what services are expected, with payment for every consultation. These cover minor ailments and illnesses, some of which might once have been dealt with at GP practices. In England there is a less formal arrangement, with some consultations by pharmacists not remunerated. There is also … Continue reading BBC UK and top pharmacist praises Scottish Government as pharmacies close across England

In the Guardian, today: Scotland’s pioneering community custody units – hailed as a UK first in supporting female inmates – have been left half-empty more than six months after they were opened, the Guardian can reveal. Campaigners have been left frustrated by the costly, state-of-the-art units not being filled to capacity after opening last year as part of the Scottish Prison Service’s trauma-informed strategy for women. Responding to the occupancy figures, Katy Clark, the Scottish Labour community safety spokesperson, suggested the prison service needed to “urgently review” criteria for accessing the centres. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/08/scotland-pioneering-custody-units-for-women-left-half-empty Not in the Guardian, a likely explanation, … Continue reading Women in custody in Scotland – The actual news is that it’s falling fast and nearly 50% more common in England & Wales

In the Telegraph on 6 May: Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace gets no mention as the MoD officials are to blame. The PM? Don’t be daft! Why should they? Well, in Scotland: Propaganda clearly revealed. Continue reading Ben Wallace not accused of disgraceful incompetence in frigate fiasco scandal as 96% of steel used is ‘foreign!’