Thanks to reader, Anonymous, for pointing this out. On the main page, photographed and with SNP headlined: and with SNP repeated: Former SNP MP Natalie McGarry is to appeal her conviction for embezzlement. The ex-Glasgow East representative is serving a two-year sentence after being found guilty of stealing £19,974 while treasurer of Women For Independence. She was also convicted of taking £4,661 while treasurer and convener of the SNP’s Glasgow Regional Association. A judge has now granted permission for the Court of Criminal Appeal to hear arguments that McGarry’s conviction should be quashed. The appeal will coincide with a separate … Continue reading One rule for SNP fraud another for Conservative fraud?

On STV last night and up on their website yesterday: The number of suspected drug deaths in Scotland has continued to fall, according to new figures. In response to the crisis of the past few years, where drug deaths hit the highest level on record, the Scottish Government announced it would publish quarterly figures for suspected deaths collated from Police Scotland in a bid to improve monitoring. In the third quarter of this year – between July and September – 235 suspected drug deaths were recorded in Scotland, a drop of 15% from the previous quarter, 18% down on the … Continue reading Scotland’s plummeting drug deaths: STV News more informative than BBC Scotland?

The Times headline above is based, of course, on Professor of Bean-counting and Agricultural output, Lindsay Paterson’s selective reading of the data. The actual news is: Primary school literacy and numeracy improvement reaches new high. The poverty-related attainment gaps in literacy and numeracy levels across primary schools have seen the biggest decreases since records began, official statistics show. The gap between the proportion of primary pupils from the most and least-deprived areas achieving expected levels has narrowed by 3.4 percentage points in literacy and 3.7 percentage points in numeracy, according to the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) 2021/22. … Continue reading Record narrowing of the attainment gap but Times and Prof Paterson flunk their reading test

There’s no actual evidence in the above reports from a trade union, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (Scotland) and their shop steward (vice-president), inaccurately described as a ‘leading medic’ and a ‘medical body’ or any ‘disaster’, so here is some: On the supposed cancer care ‘disaster’ costing lives, 94.3% of patients started treatment within the 31-day standard in July-September 2022. There had been a 2.2% increase in the number referred. The target is 95%. 95.5% started treatment within 31 days in the previous quarter. Disaster? Really? https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-waiting-times/cancer-waiting-times-1-july-to-30-september-2022/ Despite reduced treatment during the pandemic, cancer deaths continued their downward trend: … Continue reading Disgusting scare-mongering by health trade union

BBC UK used the above map to inform folk across the UK about today’s worrying nurse strikes. BBC Scotland, luckily for them, could just ignore it because they had hundreds off grid, due to snow, in Shetland to focus on. Thank goodness for that. I could have flown to Shetland today and got stuck if they hadn’t warned me. Well it is a bit tasteless I suppose. It kind of suggests Scots are better off today and some folk might even think the Scottish Government, that SNP one, spoke to the nurses and offered them a better, more progressive, deal. … Continue reading Reporting Scotland refuse offer of informative map on nursing strikes

From Public Health Scotland today: The number of examinations paid in October 2022 was 239,774; an increase of 7% compared to September 2022 (223,055). There were 323,896 NHS primary dental claims in October 2022. This represents an increase of 6% from 305,419 in September 2022. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-dental-treatment-statistics/nhs-dental-treatment-statistics-month-ending-31-october-2022/ At the beginning of 2022, only around 200 000 were being seen every month. Continue reading 62% increase in NHS dentistry since beginning of 2022

From Public Health Scotland today: The 31-day standard states that 95% of all patients should wait no more than 31 days from decision to treat to first cancer treatment. 6,459 eligible patients were referred within the 31-day standard, an increase of 1.2% from the previous quarter, and an increase of 1.1% from the quarter ending 31 December 2019. 94.3% of patients started treatment within the 31-day standard, compared with 95.5% in the previous quarter, and 96.5% in the quarter ending 31 December 2019. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-waiting-times/cancer-waiting-times-1-july-to-30-september-2022/ Continue reading 94.3% of cancer patients treated within 31-day target

In the Guardian today: The number of operations cancelled by the NHS in England because of staff shortages may have doubled in three years, with an estimated 30,000 not proceeding because no staff were available to perform them. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/dec/12/nhs-operations-cancelled-england-staff-shortages-doubles-three-years The figure for Scotland with one-tenth of the population, for all operations cancelled due to a lack of resources, not just those due to staff shortages, was only 1 500*, half the rate, pro rata. The increase over 3 years was only 50%, a quarter of the rate of increase: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancelled-planned-operations/cancelled-planned-operations-month-ending-31-october-2022/ * The number cancelled due only to staff shortages in Scotland will … Continue reading NHS England rate of operations cancelled because of staff shortages increasing FOUR times faster and running at TWICE the level of Scotland

Contrary to the Times header above there have been at least 5 for yes, averaging at a clear 7% lead: And, that’s not counting the Channel 4 survey’s massive 18% lead, for a different, but no less challenging question: One further thing is clear – Scottish Labour are frankly going nowhere. Continue reading Keep up Kieran! More like 5 or 6 in a row now

The Herald leads with: SCOTLAND is bringing forward a higher proportion of new green jobs than any other part of the UK, it is claimed. https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23186976.scotland-creates-higher-proportion-new-green-jobs-uk/ It is claimed? These are empirical data gathered by Price Waterhouse Coopers. Why just claimed? Anyhow, the facts are sharp and positive for Scotland: Scotland at 74%, London HQs at 62%, of new jobs are ‘green’ with everywhere else less than 50% and most less than 25%. 3.3% of all job adverts ‘green’ with Cornwall second at 2.4% and all the others lower than that. 2.6 additional jobs created elsewhere in the economy for every … Continue reading Scotland leads way on new green jobs unreported by BBC Scotland Business