In the Herald, on an election day, a platform for Scottish Labour to display, once more, their lack of self-awareness and all-round dimness: ANAS Sarwar has urged voters to remove the SNP’s “puppets” from councils to allow the reversal of budget cuts and rebuilding of communities. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/20114918.scottish-labour-urges-voters-cut-strings-off-snp-puppets-today/ I’m guessing he means that SNP councillors are puppets of the SNP Government but surely he knows that as soon as he mentions ‘puppets’, we are all reminded that he is only the branch manager in Scotland for Keir Starmer’s rightist UK Labour Party. Here he is with his puppet-master. Keir needs no strings. … Continue reading The Labour Puppet

From the First Minister today: In terms of the period since 2013-14, local authority revenue funding is up by £2.2 billion – that is 22.9% higher in cash terms than it was in 2013-14. Compared to where Labour is in government in Wales, that 22.9% increase in Scotland is 7.3% in Wales. In Glasgow, the SNP administration has had to pick up the pieces of the equal pay scandal that Labour presided over. Labour robbed women across Glasgow of money that was rightfully theirs – I’m proud that an SNP administration paid them that money back. I think it speaks … Continue reading Scottish councils get three times the increase in funding given by Labour in Wales

Based on a B Celebrity-led campaign, BBC Scotland has once again weaponised the NHS in the run-up to elections. Though well-staffed with researchers, they have made no effort to check the peer-reviewed research evidence explaining presumably why both the medicine approval systems in Scotland and England have not recommended Utrogestan before. It took me 5 minutes to find these two research reports: Luteal phase support with Crinone 8% vaginal gel (90 mg daily) resulted in better clinical pregnancy and implantation rates than Utrogestan vaginal capsules (200 mg, four times daily) in IVF/ICSI-BT cycles. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20045758/ The similar rates of clinical pregnancies … Continue reading BBC Scotland pushes less effective and less tolerable medication for political reasons

By Alasdair Galloway Some of you might have seen the letter I sent to the Herald – and which they didn’t publish – in a comment on John’s first day back (“Jeanne Freeman’s quick action saved many lives in care homes”). Even if you did, here it is again The leader of Labour in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, said in Holyrood today that “even by March 26” Scottish Government “guidance still said people being discharged from the hospital did not routinely need confirmation of a negative Covid test.”. Would Mr Sarwar care to suggest where those tests might have been sourced … Continue reading About lying

From the Daily Record yesterday: The number of bobbies on the beat in Scotland has plunged to its lowest level since 2008. Liam McArthur, justice spokesman for the Scottish Lib Dems, said: “On Nicola Sturgeon’s watch violent crime is on the rise yet the SNP are presiding over a decline in officer numbers. “There are now fewer than at any time since 2008. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/police-numbers-scotland-drop-lowest-26859100.amp There are fewer ‘bobbies’ today but there can reasonably be fewer because there is far less crime: So, in 2008 crime was at the level of 725 per head of population and in 2021 was only … Continue reading Crime plummets but SNP Government maintains police staffing levels

BBC Scotland find something they think is bad amongst mostly good news. Cancellations for capacity reasons are the only data telling you about performance and resources. Since June 2020, NHS Scotland has been staffed and equipped to delivered 97% to 98% of operations on time. That is remarkable, impressive. Cancellations by patients are not evidence of any weakness in the system. Indeed, they may be the result of wise decisions. They increased in March 2022 but, contrary to the BBC report, by less than half of 1 percent, a statistically insignificant number. The real news and the news for years, … Continue reading ‘Awesome’ NHS Scotland’s capacity means very few cancellations due to them

In Scotland, 71.6% were seen within 4 hours, down from 74.2% in February as attendance levels climb. In England, only 58.6% were seen in the same period down from 60.8% in February. https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2021-22/ Scotland’s A&E departments though struggling with increased attendance, continue to perform better – 22.18% in March 2024 (71.6 is 22.18% better than 58.6). The figure for the PM’s local Hillingdon Trust was only 49.7 %. Scotland’s average was thus 44% better than that. Continue reading NHS Scotland’s emergency services soar above performance in England by 22% and 44% better than PM’s local hospital

THE builders of Glasgow’s flawed £842million super-hospital have withdrawn from discussions about faulty cladding that could pose a fire risk, according to official documents. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said Multiplex had advised that it will no longer engage in ‘without prejudice” meetings regarding repairs to the linings in the walls of the atrium of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. It emerged in March that concerns over fire retardant sheeting on cavity insulation had been been raised to NHS bosses by the building’s main contractor. If a fire were to occur, there are fears that it would spread rapidly through … Continue reading Herald wrong on fire risk at New Southern General

Charities and the Scottish Government are trying to raise awareness of the symptoms of the condition in the hope of saving lives. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcone What’s the current trend? While deaths caused by sepsis have fallen by 21% since 2012, thanks in part to the work of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme, it is still vital that people are aware of this potentially fatal condition.  https://www.gov.scot/news/raising-awareness-of-sepsis/ What’s the Scottish Patient Safety Programme and how good is it? In January 2022: The Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP), introduced by the SNP Scottish Government in 2007, has been praised by a leading European expert … Continue reading Sepsis deaths are falling fast!