Ipsos MORI with more than 2 000 Scots on 13-19 October 2022, suggest a 7 point lead for Yes, after more than 6 months of polling in favour of No. The last Ipsos MORI poll in May 2022, with only 1 000, had No ahead by 46% to 45%. There are several other positive indicators which you can read at the link above. Continue reading 8% surge in support for independence

The minute I saw the above Herald story, the ratio 7:84 popped into my head. Some will remember fondly the 7:84 theatre group from the 1970s. Their name was a reference to the fact that, then, 7% of those living in Scotland owned 84% of the wealth. According to Herald, it’s now 10:45. That’s a whopping improvement isn’t it, or is it? I don’t know. Lazily perhaps, I put it over to you, dear reader. Footnote: Name that song paraphrased in the headline? No prizes other than my dying (in the end) admiration. Continue reading Can it be that it was all so unequal then or has time rewritten every line?

From City AM today: New research reveals that the UK has the highest electricity bills. Brits pay more for their power than anywhere else on the planet. A new study looked at Government data on electricity and gas prices from the past five years to analyse the impact of the worsening cost of living crisis and discover which countries have had the biggest year-on-year increase in energy prices. The data, compiled by BOXT, was shared with City A.M. today The UK’s energy price cap was recently raised from 28p to 34p per kWh. https://www.cityam.com/revealed-brits-are-paying-the-highest-electricity-bills-in-the-entire-world/ Within the UK: In energy rich Scotland, which is a … Continue reading Scots pay highest electricity bills in the world! Another ‘Union Dividend?’

I’ve been on the old funicular railway up Cairngorm. Fantastic thing and well worth the money for the repair, even if it is coming from my taxes, but is it? Surely Williams, a senior reporter, know better. See this from Ann Pettifor – Director of PRIME and author of The Case for the Green New Deal (Verso, 2019) and The Production of Money (Verso, 2017): Mrs Thatcher, whose microeconomic views on the economy still inform the policies of most of our political parties, gave clearest expression to the wrong and economically flawed notion that ‘there is no money’ – in the 1983 speech cited … Continue reading The Cairngorm Railway cost and economic illiteracy from the Herald

Some? All day today on Reporting Scotland Down, no numbers, no evidence, just one lawyer’s opinion: It was rushed in! Why is this headlining? Why is it even a story? Where’s the ‘news?’ Did Ms Leslie just approach BBC Scotland on her own bat? Is she being ignored by the Scottish Government? Is she pals with John Beattie? Is….. About Ms Leslie: Our Partner, Kim Leslie, has secured compensation in landmark sums in high profile cases. Digby Brown has a proven track record in recovering compensation for survivors of abuse. I need say no more on that. Here is some news: … Continue reading Why is Scotland with a falling level of abuse the only country with a problem?

From SEPA today: SEPA has just published bathing water classifications for 2023.  A full list of bathing waters and classifications is set out in an appendix at the foot of the email.  The highlights to note are: 38 (44%) of bathing waters will be rated ‘excellent’ for 2023 – the highest since tighter standards first came into force in 2015. 47 (54%) will achieve ‘good’ or ‘sufficient’ status for 2023 Two (2%) will have ‘poor’ status for 2023 Previous projects to improve water quality are now showing sustained improvements across Scotland. Ayr (South Beach) maintains ‘Good’ status following significant improvements … Continue reading 98% of Scotland’s bathing waters pass environmental standards:

I’m indebted to Leah Gunn Barrett for her help in tracking down the evidence. First, from a European Parliament report in 2020: Market forces, technological advances and price developments will continue to drive offshore renewable energy growth over the coming years. Nonetheless, such a change in pace requires overcoming a number of obstacles and ensuring that throughout the supply chain all players can both accelerate and sustain this increase in deployment rate. A greater involvement of the EU and of Member States’ governments is needed, as under current policies the present and projected installation capacity would lead to only approximately … Continue reading FACTCHECK: With only 2.7% of the population Scotland will have 47% of the wind power in all of North Sea basin Europe’s projected offshore wind power

Headlining from BBC England today: Redditch mental health ward faces claims of sleeping staff and bullies https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-63589011 There is not one suggestion that the Health Secretary for England, Steve Barclay, is to blame. Only the trust and the staff are blamed in a ‘BBC Investigation’ which does not question any government figure at all. No opposition politician bothers to criticise. Headlining from BBC Northern Ireland today: COPD lung disease sufferers waiting years for diagnosis https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-63625674 Once more, no politician is blamed. That’s the DoH Permanent Secretary, Peter May, above. No opposition politician bothers. Here’s how the health secretary running the … Continue reading Don’t they have someone like Humza Yousaf to blame?

All day today, Reporting Scotland Down will be featuring the Scottish GP’s shop steward, Andrew Burst, telling us in the most melodramatic of terms that NHS Scotland is in another crisis. This time it’s not enough GPs. A fact: As at 30 September 2021, the headcount of GPs in Scotland is 5,195. This is a rise of 74 GPs compared to last year. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/general-practice-gp-workforce-and-practice-list-sizes/general-practice-gp-workforce-and-practice-list-sizes-2011-2021/ Another fact: Scotland has the highest number of GPs per head of population in the UK, research commissioned by the BBC shows. Analysis by the Nuffield Trust think tank shows there are 76 GPs per 100,000 … Continue reading Why is the country with the most GPs the only one with ‘not enough?’

First thing today and several times throughout the day, you’ll see: GP service across the country are reaching tipping point and it’s putting patients at risk. That’s the warning from ‘doctors‘. It comes as a survey of general practice by the British Medical Association (trade union) show more than 80% ‘of those who responded‘ said demand was exceeding capacity, with over a third of practices reporting at least one vacancy. Almost half ‘of GP surgeries‘ took part in the research. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcone This is a regular repeat story from the GP’s trade union, the BMA, with another of their unreliable surveys … Continue reading BBC Scotland try to scare you with ‘the doctor’s’ schoolboy survey as only 1 in 5 are actually worried about anything