By stewartb There’s no getting away from it, once Scotland is independent it will still share an island with whatever the rest of the dissolved Union opts to call its new state. With the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the present stresses in the global economy, it seems timely that mature nation-states with shared values and regional proximity are in the process of restating commitments to co-operation. The five Nordic states, the Faroes Islands, Greenland and Åland have all just done so, recognising the benefits of working more closely together in times of crisis. The Ministers for Nordic … Continue reading After Scotland’s independence, is a better togetherness feasible?

Reporting Scotland are reported to be not hot on the trail of the above story just as they have been cool, long-term, on the truth of Police Scotland’s successes. Since the merger of Scotland’s eight regional police forces into a national single force in 2013, Police Scotland have made considerable progress in the development of a modern, successful, and forward-thinking Police Service. These achievements have largely been overlooked by the Scottish media and have seen little media coverage as Scotland’s TV and press which has focused on a small number of high-profile failures. So, what is the good news about … Continue reading Police Scotland NOT in special measures but SIX English forces are

From Caroline Wilson, headlining in the Herald today: By Caroline Wilson, headlining in the Herald today, a cheap and inaccurate account. The £280 million is insurance against claims by parents where, tragically, their child died in the process of being born. There is as yet no evidence that any of these cases will be settled against the health board. Further down we read that only £27 million in total was actually paid out last year. There is a different, more accurate, more sensitive headline of the kind an adult might compose. We read: Scotland’s largest health board is facing a multi-million compensation bill … Continue reading Cheap reporting of serious matters: Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board is average again

By stewartb I’ve just heard an ill-informed BBC 1 interviewer suggest to the FM that using a General Election as a democratic event to test the will of the people of Scotland regarding independence is somehow illegitimate or unworkable. So it seems timely to remind ourselves of what follows. Like many I suspect, I am aware of what Margaret Thatcher is supposed to have said about the constitutional significance of a majority of independence-supporting MPs from Scotland being elected to the House of Commons. I’ve never seen an authoritative reference to this.  Anyone? The same issue was raised in the … Continue reading Democracy in this Union and the convenient fluidity of Tory Party ‘principles’

The 70s and All That By Gordon Gibson It was hardly remarkable that the right wing press (and other Unionist commentators) rushed, at the first whiff of industrial action, to drag out comparisons between the present state of the UK and the way things were in the 1970s. At the same time, I could not help but wonder how many of these self appointed guardians of Common Sense and Economic Probity were actually around at the time.             Being suitably long in the tooth, I can remember those days very well. I was a newly qualified teacher. My family struggled … Continue reading ‘An Albatross! Cut the rope!’

Scottish BMA branch convenor Lewis Morrison features all day today on BBC Scotland telling us: NHS staff are increasingly having to apologise for “system-wide failings” which are letting patients down, a leading doctor claims. The outgoing chairman of BMA Scotland, Dr Lewis Morrison, will highlight the burden on health care staff during his farewell address [in Brighton] later. He will urge ministers to “stop asking doctors to say sorry and give them the tools to make things better”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-61972190 Morrison is a BBC Scotland regular, described as ‘a leading doctor’ when he is not even a leading trade unionist like … Continue reading Going to Brighton to talk Scotland down

From stewartb Apologies for commenting here without reading the full Reform Scotland (RF) report. I have read the summary with Chris Deerin’s related comments on the RF’s website. Candidly, I’m surprised at the negativity of reactions being expressed here. My take is that the report focuses on: (i) Scotland’s demographic challenge – is that at all controversial?; (ii) need for higher tax revenue – let’s frame that as higher public spending for better public services and a better social security system; (iii) need for tax reform – arguing for wholesale, root and branch reform of Scotland’s tax system. The implications … Continue reading ‘Looking’ doesn’t magically deliver the powers to change anything

Leaving aside the fact that ‘Sturgeon’ is neither the responsible head of a health board nor is she the Health Secretary, the Herald report by Tom Gordon, headlines the 62-day target from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first cancer treatment being met for only 76.9% of patients. The above is correct but selective, in that the other target of 31 days from decision to treat to first cancer treatment was met for 96.3%. Note that in the case of the first target, some will not have required treatment where, for example, there turns out to be no cancer or … Continue reading Tom Gordon under fire as other SNP cancer waiting time target is met for 96% of patients with confirmed cancers

From Public Health Scotland today: Quarterly uptake rates remained high in Scotland; around 96% of children had received each routine immunisation by the time they were 12 months old, with the exception of rotavirus vaccine, which had 94.5% uptake. 94.4% of children had the first dose of MMR vaccine by 24 months of age. This rose to 95.9% for children who had reached age 5. https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/page/3/?s=emergency Of concern, NHS England does not publish 12 months data but MMR coverage at 24 months was only 90.3% and in London it has now fallen to only 75%, well below any herd immunity … Continue reading NHS Scotland vaccinates 96% of children as London threatens deadly measles outbreaks

Nowhere in Scotland’s MSM coverage today, this fantastic news: Of the 8,202 referrals to community-based specialist drug and alcohol treatment services completed in this quarter [January to March 2022], 92% involved a wait of three weeks or less. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/national-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-waiting-times/national-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-waiting-times-1-january-2022-to-31-march-2022/ The target is 90%. When targets are missed, even though performance is the best in the UK, it’s headline news: Continue reading NHS Scotland smashes drug and alcohol waiting times targets