Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has now offered this deal to NHS staff in Scotland, saying it comes after ‘no stone was left unturned‘ to find the money. A progressive deal which offers a significant increase to younger health workers make tremendous sense in at least two ways. One, it will help with recruitment. Two, does anyone really believe it takes 7 years for a nurse to peak? Teachers are on a 5 year-only scale. As for stones, it’s refreshing to see coverage of the NHS in Scotland which usually leaves no turn un-stoned. In NHS England and Wales: During … Continue reading Why is only the Scottish Health Secretary ‘leaving no stone unturned’ with 11.3% offer for younger staff to stop an NHS strike?

Channel 4’s poll yesterday, with an 18 point lead for Yes, comes hot on the heels of Ipsos MORI, on the 19th October with a 7 point lead: Click to access public-attitudes-across-the-union-ipsos-knowledgepanel-uk-charts.pdf The only way is up? Continue reading Take out the don’t knows/cares and it’s nearly 60% for YES in second positive poll

Spotted by MSM Monitor last night, Robert Kilgour. Kilgour has been a regular go-to-guy for Reporting Scotland over the last two years. He’s been even more regular here: To read more: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=Kilgour In 2020, we read in the Herald: A care group has questioned the fairness of a watchdog’s inspections approach during the coronavirus pandemic after it emerged local authority homes are far less likely to be inspected than private ones. Renaissance Care [Kilgour] said analysis of a freedom of information (FOI) response it received from the Care Inspectorate found council-run homes, which account for around 15% of all care homes in Scotland, … Continue reading BBC bias as troubled private care home owner is wheeled out again by Reporting Scotland to attack SNP

From Steve Bell, in the Guardian today. Many of us will have admired Bell’s work over the years when he pokes establishment figures but on Scottish independence he’s a Labour loyalist and firm Unionist, siding with the establishment. In 2013, he gave us this: And in 2014, this: In 2015, this: When in 2014, I politely emailed him to try and explain the politics of Scottish independence, he called me an ‘SNP dupe!’ Somewhat immaturely, I replied ‘Bellend!’ Bell (94?) clearly doesn’t get it yet in the way that many influential English cultural figures have: Continue reading Guardian cartoonist is sadly not joking again when it comes to Scotland

John Major PM in 1993 Margaret Thatcher said something similar before that. Continue reading ‘No nation could be held irrevocably in a Union against its will’

From Building a New Scotland: Rejoining the European Union to benefit from, and contribute to, the European Single Market, helping to forge a different path to the UK system A redesigned energy market that aims to provide secure and reliable low-cost energy Retaining free movement of people, without a passport, across the UK and Ireland, with trade borders implemented smoothly Using the pound sterling, until the time is right to move to a Scottish pound Up to £20bn in major infrastructure investment, including investment in more energy-efficient homes, greener transport, better digital and mobile connectivity, and more affordable housing Using full powers over employment … Continue reading The first essence of independence

From the Herald today: A LACK of drug rehab and treatment facilities have been blamed as the number of homeless deaths nearly doubled in five years – with 60% being under the age of 45. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/23143361.drug-rehab-facilities-call-homeless-deaths-double-four-years/ There’s been some fancy, if fetid, calculation going on to get that headline and distort the news when the Big Issue had this for the same data: Drug deaths fall among Scotland’s homeless population for the first time. Drug misuse continued to play a role in more than half the deaths but fell for the first time since the National Records of Scotland started counting … Continue reading Lying about SNP Scotland’s fading drug problem in journalism addicted to clicks

Deep into their piece yesterday, NHS bosses in Scotland discuss having wealthy pay for treatment, but not discussed by them or other media, is this: According to the draft minutes, other points noted at the meeting included: A potential “review” of the “cost of long-term prescribing [of drugs] where there are alternative options” An option to “Pause funding of new development/drugs” unless they can be proved to save the NHS money The potential for efficiency savings because “there are still vast areas of waste in service in governance and all-day meetings etc” Considering applying a charge for freedom of information … Continue reading NHS Scotland to charge BBC Scotland for Freedom of Information requests in attempt to resist politicisation of health?

Things down here do tend to be a bit different but a Tory espousing socialist principles on the NHS and its founding principle, free even if your loaded!? Doesn’t she know that her leader refuses to confirm if he would use NHS or ‘pay privately’ for medical care: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/11/09/rishi-sunak-ducks-question-private-health-insurance-labour-attacks/ I suppose it is understandable: Doesn’t she know that 70 MPs, mostly Tories, with proven links to private healthcare providers, voted in favour of the recent Health & Social Care Act, a bill that went a long way towards privatising swathes of the NHS: https://www.theransomnote.com/commentary/news-commentary/list-of-mps-with-links-to-private-health-care-emerges/ Doesn’t she know that a number of Conservative … Continue reading Ayrshire Tory List MSP exposed as socialist again

Letters to editors, in response to Unionist distortions, that were not published but which we at TuS think are well worth airing: From David Patrick 27th September 2022 to The Scotsman/ Evening News 7th September 2022 to The Scotsman/ Evening News – Published, but worth repeating? Murdo Fraser described nationalism as a “costly indulgence” in his opinion piece yesterday. (“Truss must stick to cost-of-living crisis”, 7th September) How would your readers – or Mr Fraser! – describe the Conservative party’s six-week election campaign for a new leader as the scale of the economic crisis became ever more apparent? Total stasis? Indulgent navel-gazing? A … Continue reading Denied a voice by a Letters Editor