In the Herald today: LABOUR has suggested imposing a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers – with the funding used to reduce household energy bills by an average of £200 to help solve the cost of living crisis. The party’s £6.6 billion plan would include removing VAT on domestic energy bills for a whole year, as well as expanding and increasing the warm homes discount for those most at risk. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19834565.labour-proposes-north-sea-oil-gas-windfall-tax-help-solve-energy-price-crisis/ In the Press & Journal, 22 September 2021: Stephen Flynn, SNP MP for Aberdeen South, called for UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to tax the excess profits … Continue reading Scottish Labour get idea four months after SNP suggest it.

On the 6th of December 2021, the hospitalisation rate in Scotland was pro rata the same as in England. Since then it has fallen to around 20% lower. In the last 24 hours, there were 1 323 in Scottish hospitals compared to England, ten times the population, at 16 163, 22% lower. More than 200 Scots per day protected from infections that might hospitalise them. What could be causing this? Better communication by leaders, stricter rules, greater compliance? Imagine Scotland had greater hospital admissions, who would be to blame? Continue reading Scotland’s hospitalisation rate 22% lower

Nicola Sturgeon has asked the people of Scotland to judge her on her record over education. Neil McLennan, one of the nation’s most distinguished educators, has judged her … and he finds her record badly lacking. By our Writer at Large Neil Mackay SPEND a few hours talking to Neil McLennan and it is difficult to imagine him even giving a pass grade to the Scottish Government when it comes to education. His assessment will sting Nicola Sturgeon. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19834326.neil-mackays-big-read-snp-nationalism-destroying-education—devastating-assessment-sturgeon-schools-leading-scottish-educationalist/ This is going to come across as a bit snobby but, hey, ‘one of the nation’s most distinguished educators?’ I was in … Continue reading Mackay’s ‘distinguished educator’ is barely distinguishable

Still with that combined predatory-but-dim look, BBC Breakfast’s business correspondent asks the Scottish Health Secretary to comment on UK data. Yousaf is, of course, too polite and tasteful to ‘clarify’ things for him, on, for example the differing deaths rates in England and Scotland. The death rate per 100 000 population, over the whole pandemic, is 181.7 in Scotland and 230.8, in England (https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths), 49.1 more for every100 000. Had Scotland’s pandemic been managed by the UK Government, 2 671 (49.1 x 54.4) more might have died. Had England’s pandemic been managed by the SNP Government, 27 496 (49.1 x … Continue reading By not following Scotland, England had more that 27 000 avoidable Covid deaths

…since the start of the pandemic. How is it case numbers are still so high? A Business Correspondent meets Humza’s answer gleefully with: Sure, the point being that Scotland being under much tighter restrictions than other parts of the UK, particularly when it comes to hospitality and we know the impact that that can have on jobs and the wider economic picture, so I wonder whether those restrictions are not just working. Yousaf then presents the ONS ratios, 1 in 15 in England and 1 in 20 in Scotland but these are discounted as ‘controversial.’ Let’s be clear, over the … Continue reading By not following Scotland more than a MILLION in England are avoidably infected

In a somewhat hurried update from your ‘trusted’ source, the Herald, today: More than 12,000 new coronavirus cases further deaths have been recorded during the past 24 hours. According to the latest Scottish Government figures, 12,602 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported since Friday.  https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19833989.covid-scotand-20-deaths-recorded-24-hours-alongside-12-602-cases/ Well, it’s not really that helpful is it? First, what’s the trend for new infections? It’s down, for the 5th day with minor fluctuations, it’s down from 20 217 on the 3rd of January to 12 602 in the last 24 hours. Similarly, the 7 day average is down from 16 220 on the 3rd to 15 … Continue reading Scotland’s Covid death rate lowest in UK and cases reduce again

In another oh-so-typical BBC Scotland story of one disgruntled patient used to imply a wider crisis of some kind, we hear: Jemma McDonald was due to begin IVF almost five years after she and her partner started trying to have a baby. Two days before Christmas, the 25-year-old discovered she could no longer be treated because she was unvaccinated. The Scottish government has deferred fertility treatment for all patients who are not fully vaccinated – unless they are waiting to become eligible for a booster. It said the decision was based on uncertainty about how pregnant women were affected by the Omicron … Continue reading 98% of pregnant women hospitalised with Covid are unvaccinated but Stalker and Baillie want more

David Leask’s assertion below: reminds me of the time when a journalism teacher told me that journalists were ‘cognitive misers’ as if that made lack of proper background research somehow OK. Around the same time the editor of Reporting Scotland stunned me by suggesting that it was all ‘very well for academics’ with the time to fully research a topic. Leask’s claim above, is to my knowledge, NOT supported by any research. Of course, even if it were to be shown to be accurate, that would not prove his headline claim that our Europeanism is somehow only skin-deep and, by … Continue reading The problem with David Leask’s problem with ‘Scotland’s skin-deep Europeanism’

Only tiny Iceland has boosted more than Scotland. In terms of the overall vaccine rollout, Scotland is 4th equal with Japan. Reporting Scotland await ‘better’ news, for them. Continue reading Scotland’s booster rollout 2nd in world

From the ONS today it is estimated that 4.52% of the Scottish population had Covid-19 in the week-ending 31 December 2021. The figure for England was 6.00%, 33% higher and the highest in the UK. Some BBC commentators think this is ‘broadly similar’ but we don’t do we? Stricter policies on face-coverings in shops and schools, since the summer seem an obvious explanatory factor along with the FM being clearer and more consistent than that big balloon in Westminster. In the previous week, the ONS estimate was 1 in 15 in England and 1 in 20 in Scotland, 33% lower … Continue reading Latest ONS data reveal strong evidence restrictions are working