In the absence of full polls, another sub-poll gives us at least an indication of the extent to which the recent media carpet-bombing of the SNP, is having any effect. No sign. People Polling based on data gathered only 2 days ago, has: SNP 44% Scottish Cons 9% Scottish Labour 21% UK Cons 22% UK Labour 43% It’s only small sample of 101 Scots so not statistically reliable but it tells the same story seen in many sub-polls before. SNP core support unmoved at 42-44%, well above the long period in the mid 30% range, in 2017 and 2018. Scottish … Continue reading Latest Poll: SNP survives daily ferry feeding frenzy to leave Cons and Labour in its wake

You can see what he’s done there and why he’s done it. Playground point-scoring with some very selective use of statistics, at the two ends of a 16 year period, and concealing what happened in between – Tory austerity. Here is the detail Hutcheon doesn’t want you to be aware of: After only 7 years in power, within the limitations of devolved budgets, the SNP had reduced relative child poverty to 21% from 24% under Labour. Then as Tory austerity began to bite from 2010, and despite the efforts of the Scottish Government, relative poverty began to climb back to … Continue reading Child poverty under the SNP: Paul Hutcheon probably not that stupid

I’ve emailed Public Health Scotland’s media enquiries department, at last, on this. In the last few days in Scotland with figures, there have been only 3 or 4 Covid patients with symptoms serious enough to require intensive care while in England there have been between 167 and 188. Per head of population, Covid ICU cases are running at more than four times the rate in England. There must be a reason. I’ve explored a few before. See: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2023/03/19/nearly-5-times-as-many-icu-covid-cases-in-other-parts-of-uk/ If I get anything interesting from the media enquiry, I’ll let you know. Continue reading Covid ICU cases approaching zero as they climb elsewhere in UK

The Guardian today has: ‘I worry my young patients will die’: UK’s eating disorder services not fit, say GPs. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/22/i-worry-my-young-patients-will-die-uk-eating-disorder-services-not-fit-say-gps Typically this ‘UK’ study has only references to England but in June 2022, they had: A shortage of beds for severely unwell eating-disorder patients has forced the NHS to send more than 100 women from England to hospitals in Scotland for treatment since 2017. The cost of relocating patients, which included under-18s, was more than £10m, with one patient staying more than a year in hospital, costing close to £250,000. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/03/patients-with-eating-disorders-sent-from-england-to-scotland-due-to-lack-of-beds Om March 11 2023, BBC Wales had this: Today, BBC Wales … Continue reading NHS Scotland’s eating disorder services fully fit and more

The above today but in 2019, from Professor Roy Thompson, of the University of Edinburgh, School of GeoSciences,: And in August 2014, conveniently just before the referendum: Did these earlier experts get the sack for being so wrong? Continue reading Enough reserves in UK [Scottish] North Sea for 30 years? Surely not, didn’t……

Though on the lookout for drug death figures, the media silence on good news in this area led me to miss a report on 14 March. The key points are: During 2022, there were 1,092 suspected drug deaths, 16% (203) fewer than during the same period of 2021 (1,295); a majority (66%) of suspected drug deaths were of people aged between 35 and 54. This is broadly in line with previous periods; there were 55 suspected drug deaths in the under 25 age group, 19% (13) fewer than between January and December 2021. https://www.gov.scot/publications/suspected-drug-deaths-scotland-october-december-2022/pages/3/ From the data tables, I can … Continue reading Suspected drug deaths fall again and by nearly a quarter in only two years

In 2015, the Commonwealth Foundation reported on GP satisfaction and stress, comparing the UK with other countries in the developed world. I requested a breakdown of the UK data and that revealed a far more positive picture in Scotland: https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/11/14/already-the-best-staffed-and-least-stressed-in-the-uk-scottish-gps-to-get-better-contracts/ Today, 8 years later, the Commonwealth Foundation researchers have published a report which already has some breakdown of the UK data to reveal variations very favourable to Scotland. The Guardian is, typically, reporting it as a UK story UK GPs have the highest stress levels, finds survey of 10 countries’ doctors and the other MSM do not seem to have … Continue reading Scots GPs more satisfied with their jobs than those in France, Germany, Canada or UK