Keen, as always to misrepresent statistics to suggest things are bad in the country they pretend to report the news on, BBC Scotland simplify to disturb. The graph below reveals a one-year increase in water deaths, especially in those parts of the UK, Wales and Scotland, where water-based activities attract visitors from across the UK to their colder and deeper waters. So, a one-year change which is not evidence of a newsworthy trend and the simple consequence of a surge in staycations triggered by the pandemic constraints on foreign travel. Not the news. Continue reading 2020 staycation surge led to one-year spike in accidental drownings

From stewartb The latest release of data on waiting times in Scotland’s main A&E departments is for week ending 12 June. In that week, 69.2% of patients were treated within the 4 hour waiting time target. Yes, strictly this was a poorer performance than the previous week – because then it was 69.6%!!! Who cares about statistical significance any more? Since February 2022 the performance against the 4 hour target has STABILISED – at between 69% and 71%. However, the number of ATTENDANCES HAVE BEEN ON A STEADY RISE from 18,946 in late December 2021 to 24,686 in late February … Continue reading Who cares about statistical significance any more?

In the Herald: HUMZA Yousaf has been accused of “gross negligence” after the number of patients waiting too long in Scotland’s A&E units rose again. The SNP Health Secretary was condemned after official figures showed more than 30 per cent of those attending casualty last week waited longer than the four hour target. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/20224688.snp-health-secretary-humza-yousaf-accused-gross-negilgence-e-waits-worsen/ Who accused Humza? Sandesh Gulhane! Isn’t that an East Lothian beach? Anyhoo, Sandesh is a Tory so how is Tory England doing on A&E times? Here are the latest monthly data for all four NHS areas.(Only NHS Scotland does weekly reports). In March 2022: NHS Scotland 71.6% seen … Continue reading Tom Gordon accused of extreme prejudice and shoddy journalism

By stewartb The current rail disputes have revealed the two-faced nature of Toryism in Scotland. On the Scottish Conservative Party’s website one finds this dated 26 May 2022: ‘Stop Sturgeon’s ScotRail Cuts’. It relates to Scotrail’s response to the dispute with ASLEF. The Scottish Tories wanted Scottish Government intervention: ‘Instead of TAKING CONTROL of this dire situation, Nicola Sturgeon is HIDING BEHIND SCOTRAIL ..’ (my emphasis) Similar complaints were made by Tories in the Holyrood chamber on 8 June. First from Graham Simpson MSP: ‘I am encouraged to hear that there will be talks tomorrow. I know that THE MINISTER … Continue reading Rail disputes have revealed the two-faced nature of Toryism in Scotland

From STV’s Philip Petrie last night: Friday’s buzz word across many news outlets was “heatwave” and yes the UK did have some really hot weather – but it was only across England and Wales. For us in Scotland it wasn’t as nice, quite a windy day and we had some rain and drizzle at times – which undoubtedly left a lot of people wondering “heatwave, what heatwave?” https://news.stv.tv/scotland/no-heatwave-for-scotland-as-temperatures-set-to-drop I was at the Holy Fair in Ayr yesterday, on the Low-Green, fully exposed to the sun and sea breezes, my lungs luxuriating in the ‘champagne’ of air quality that we often … Continue reading Scotland’s ‘nicer weather’ linked to fewer climate-related deaths

In the Herald today: MINISTERS have spent less that £250,000 on dealing with ‘dangerous’ cladding across Scotland five years after the Grenfell tragedy as concerns surface that new code of practice means it will not be replaced, it has been revealed. The worries have been raised after relatives of those who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire mourned their losses on the fifth anniversary on Tuesday. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/20220406.ministers-spend-just-250-000-preventing-scottish-grenfell-five-years-tragic-blaze/ We hear, accurately I’m sure, that there more than 400 public building in Scotland clad in inflammable material and that some have raised concerns. We’ve been here before several times. There need be … Continue reading I repeat – there will be no Grenfell tragedy in Scotland because….

In a tradition going back decades the UK MSM including the BBC make clear which side they’re on and who is to blame for industrial action. Its the railway workers of course. Only in Scotland, where industrial action can be used to imply incompetence in a pro-independence government are the workers either supported or ignored and the managers disappear from the narrative, as the blame is used to demonise SNP ministers: Continue reading Scottish ministers should bow to strikers?

I used to teach student journalists research methods. They seemed bright enough then to quickly find the evidence they needed for an informed and intelligent kind of reporting. The above report is, as we expect, devoid of those first-year attributes. Not reported by the Scotsman: The Scottish Government has taken the following steps, within its devolved powers, to help households and businesses through the cost of living crisis: introduced £150 council tax payments – reaching 1.85 million (73%) of all households invested £10 million to continue the Fuel Insecurity Fund uprated eight Scottish benefits by 6% increased the Scottish Child … Continue reading Scotsman accused of shoddy unresearched journalism on SNP action to help with cost of living crisis

From David Bols, headlining in the Herald today: SNP ministers are overseeing an “addictions crisis” amid concerns alcohol-related deaths are not being tackled with the same urgency as Scotland’s record drug deaths. A leading charity has called for a “proportionate response” to alcohol deaths, alongside drug-related fatalities. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/20219596.snp-government-warned-addiction-crisis-amid-fears-alcohol-deaths-neglected/ A quick look at the NRS data used by the Herald reveals this to be about 2020, a year of lockdowns when there was a spike in alcohol deaths triggered by increased consumption in those difficult times. The data for 2021 will not be published until August 2022. So this is a … Continue reading SNP Warned? Herald’s stupid or sneaky reporting of alcohol deaths?

THE SNP has claimed the top job at the umbrella organisation representing councils locked in a funding row with the Scottish Government. Opponents have warned that the move is “another hammer blow to Scotland’s savagely underfunded councils”. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/20217672.snp-takes-top-cosla-job-despite-fear-party-allies-leading-scottish-government-talks/ Now, the SNP run 15 of the 32 councils, Labour 10, Conservatives 5 and Lib Dems 5 so does an SNP convenor seem fair? What happened back in the day when Labour ran more than 20 councils and the Scottish Government? Was that a problem? Did they let the Tories or the Lib Dems take the top job? Continue reading Did Labour let the Tories have the top Cosla job back in the day?