From Public Health Scotland today: The introduction of MUP in Scotland on 1 May 2018 was associated with a net reduction in the total volume of pure alcohol sold, when controlling for sales in the best available geographical control area and adjusting for other factors. Using our main model, we found MUP to be associated with a net reduction of 3.0% in total per-adult sales in thethree years following implementation; this was driven by a 3.6% reduction in sales throughthe off-trade (Figure 1). This net reduction reflects a 1.1% fall in alcohol sales in Scotland (1.3% in the off-trade) in … Continue reading SNP Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) SUCCESS as alcohol sales fall 1.1% in Scotland but climb 2.4% in England & Wales.

From the Scottish Government today: The police in Scotland recorded 287,374 crimes in the year ending September 2022. This was 3% lower than the 297,712 crimes recorded in the year ending September 2021, and 4% lower than the 298,780 crimes recorded in the year ending September 2018. https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-september-2022/pages/2/ This continues a long downward trend which had, but only just, begun under Labour: Overall crime was falling in England & Wales too but had some way to go, and was still a shocking 50% higher than in Scotland in 2020/21. In 2021/22, crime in England & Wales climbed again by 7%: … Continue reading Crime continues to fall in Scotland but not elsewhere in the UK

Today from Public Health Scotland, drug related hospital stays have fallen for the second year in succession and, in 2021/22 have plummeted by 17%. This is evidence that the number of drug users needing hospital treatment is falling fast. That is part of the story. The other part is the number who do not make it to hospital but die before that. That trend is similar if less steep. Even more encouraging is emerging evidence from the ONS that drug deaths among 15-24 year-olds are already far lower in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK. See more on this at: Continue reading Further evidence Scotland’s drugs problems are in steep decline

One or two Herald writers have a thing about predicting the destruction of the SNP. Time after time, they get it wrong, but keep on getting paid to do it all over again. At least, this time, Neil Mackay seems to know it’s a fairy tale he’s spinning, like that old witch in Sleeping Beauty: LIKE all good fairytales, there are myriad versions of The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg. However, every telling compromises the same basic elements and ends with the same stinging moral. https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/23139252.destruction-scotlands-nhs-will-spell-defeat-snp/ We’ve had Macwhirter, Gordon, McKenna, Smith and Mackay all sensing defeat for the SNP … Continue reading Another fairy tale of SNP doom

Readers may remember that the ‘ultimate betrayal‘ of pupils is a popular notion among our journalists when they think they’ve uncovered a crisis in Scottish schools. They haven’t found anything like this ever. In the Guardian today: Hundreds of schools in England have been downgraded by Ofsted after being reinspected for the first time in years. According to the watchdog, only 17% of 370 “outstanding” schools kept their grade when they had a full reinspection in 2021-22. Ofsted said it had reviewed more than 500 institutions in the last school year that had previously been exempt from regular inspections, because they had … Continue reading Gove accused of ‘ultimate betrayal’ of pupils as hundreds of English schools are downgraded after first inspections in more that 13 years

Today, ‘our’ newspapers in a full frothing feeding frenzy (FFFF) after yesterday morning’s BBC Scotland headlining of the story of supposed NHS policy changes: Yesterday, both the Health Secretary and the First Minister strongly denied the stories. Today, BBC Scotland’s broadcast ignored that and the website does not give that important denial the status the rumour had: What is the story? Draft minutes of a meeting of NHS directors in September show they discussed having wealthy patients pay for treatment. They also raised the possibility of curtailing some free prescriptions. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-63701717 These would be policy changes to a long-standing system … Continue reading You can’t trust ‘our’ press with the news on our NHS

leaders that suggest they discussed the prospects of making wealthy people pay for their healthcare. Talk of a ‘two-tier’ service appears in draft minutes of a gathering of health board chief executives held in September. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcone A bunch of guys, mostly, who are not leaders in any meaningful sense, of an institution based historically on the principle of free treatment for all, were tossing ideas around. One daftie came up with the above. The others laughed. Someone leaked the draft report to John Beattie or Glen Campbell or James Cook and they thought, whoopee! No one worried about the supposed … Continue reading One NHS manager is prepared to betray NHS values! No!? Really!?

The current PM has accused the long-standing FM: This ‘energy crisis‘ in Scotland with four times more gas than we use and having to transfer huge amounts of electricity to rUK? An unholy alliance of the Scottish Cons and the GMB are with the PM on this daft notion. I’m grateful to Frances McKie for alerting me to this evidence that it’s dafter than I had known: Two weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron announced a 52-billion euro ($54 billion) plan for EDF to build at least six new EPR reactors, placing nuclear power at the heart of … Continue reading Ten years late and four times the budget in France – another reason why Sunak should understand that Scotland needs no nuclear power

Headlining on BBC Scotland today: It’s one case in NHS Borders, with a Conservative MP, MSP and council, but promoted to headline after being fed to BBC Scotland by Alex Cole-Hamilton as a platform for another attack on the Health Secretary. ACH is allowed this: Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “It is shocking to learn that children and young people are waiting three years to be seen for the mental health treatment they need. This must feel like a lifetime. “These figures should weight heavy on the shoulders of the health secretary because they show that the current … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s clear bias exposed: Some Health Secretaries are responsible for child mental health services and others are not

BBC Sport has Scotland earn stormy win over Argentina BBC Scotland have Eight-try Scotland earn chaotic win over Argentina Writer Tom English doesn’t mention the achievement of beating so well a side with the above recent record, of beating New Zealand and England at home. The Herald has Gregor Townsend says Russell is now in charge of No.10 shirt. Really? That’s it? Will John Beattie say: Magnificent Scotland hammer team that beat both England and the All Blacks? Continue reading BBC Scotland’s John Beattie praises Scotland’s rugby victory over the conquerors of the All Blacks AND England?