Something very big’s missing this morning from BBC Scotland headlines. The Herald and the Scotsman are playing it quietly too. What is it? It’s this: An incredibly damning report that lays thousands of unnecessary deaths at the door of No 10 and the Conservative Government, along with its SAGE advisers. BBC UK and England have it: BBC Scotland staff are working hard, right now, with opposition politicians, to construct a narrative that draws the Scottish Government in to share the blame so, quickly: The devolution of the law enabling Scotland to control pandemic measures took place at the very end … Continue reading The deadliest of delays ignored by Scotland’s media

The above very useful graphic was yesterday being used by BBC 1 News to, in the public interest, shed light on the UK Government lagging behind in the vaccination of 12-15 year-olds as infection rates soar in England. The failure is due to a strategy based on vaccinating in schools rather than in local authority and health board centres. Reporting Scotland has not reported this data. In April, we saw the same thing: BBC UK, once again, not doing what BBC Scotland prefer and presenting information revealing that we’re not lagging behind. This time is was vaccinations. Surely we’re behind. … Continue reading BBC 1 News accused of not sharing with Reporting Scotland again

Around 2 000 UK police officers have been accused of sexual assaults in the last four years, 500 per year, on average. There are roughly 160 000 police officers in the UK so that’s a 0.3% rate of offending. In 2017, 8 Conservative and 4 Labour MPs were named as having committed sexual assaults: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/06/westminster-sexual-misconduct-allegations-the-mps-accused-so-far There are 650 MPs so that’s a 1.8% rate of offending, six times the rate for police officers. I appreciate that I’m working with some pretty rough-edged data but it’s still useful to put the headlines in perspective. In 2018, 2 Tory mayors were found … Continue reading Are Tory and Labour MPs six times more likely to commit sexual assaults than police officers?

I hesitate but, as always, BBC Scotland seek to make something of a tragedy when the others do not. ‘Dozens’ and ‘more than a 100’ is 106 over 4 years, in Scotland. BBC UK, England, Wales and Northern Ireland are not covering the report. We have to look in the Times (Scotland) to see that the UK total is 2 000 The UK population of 67.22 million is 12.3 times greater than that of Scotland at 5.44 million so, if sexual assaults were equally common across the UK, the UK total would be 1 304 but it is 2 000, … Continue reading Maybe this is insensitive but sexual assaults by police officers across the UK are 35% more common than in Scotland

There are around 67 000 nurses and midwives in Scotland, 50% more pro rata than in England. There are around 4 400 student nurses and midwives, adding 6.5% to the total staffing. In their first year as full-time staff, they are still training and given limited responsibilities. I’m sure they’ll be a big help but as admissions fall to 877 from a peak of 2 053 in January and as ICU cases fall to the lowest level (56) since December 2020, there is no staffing crisis. Continue reading Not quite an army?

Not a word from BBC Wales as infections (4 469) surge to twice that of Scotland (2 297) despite have only just over half the population. BBC England is similarly disinterested as cases there (32 349) surge to 50% higher than in Scotland pro rata. BBC Scotland? Don’t be daft. Source: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/cases Continue reading BBC Wales accused of covering-up surge in cases

In a bizarre, toe-curling interview, the BBC reporter pranced and grimaced like a court jester before his highness and we got to hear that his favourite vehicle, an Aston Martin he has owned for 51 years, runs on what he described as “surplus English white wine and whey from the cheese process.” The heir apparently then revealed his empathy for those impatient for action but was not asked about his mum’s climate bill exemption: What a great question that might have been! Continue reading ..with my mum?

In April 2021, responding to a Scottish Government ‘admission’ that they had failed in “understanding the social care sector well enough” and “didn’t take the right precautions” in the early part of the pandemic, Scottish Labour leader and fully-qualified dentist, Anas Sarwar, rehearsed his unconvincing anger on behalf of anyone who he and his lads can convince that the Scottish Government has let them down in a health setting. Readers will remember his fondness for shouting the names of dead children at the First Minister, in TV debates. In April, neither of us seem to have spotted research, posted in … Continue reading Update: Anas Sarwar’s ‘basic common sense’ still wrong on hospital discharges

From SNP Media today: Details published by HM Revenue and Customs show that, from the period ending June 2021, Scottish exports had decreased by 14% in comparison to the previous year – the highest in the UK. England, Wales and Northern Ireland also saw a decline in exports – decreasing by 2.2%, 13% and 6.1% respectively. The overall value of UK trade in goods exports also decreased by 3.5% during the same time period. Scotland’s imports have also fell by 3.9% in comparison to June 2020 – with England’s decreasing by 2.3%, Wales’ by 10%, however Northern Ireland’s rose by 3.8%.  Commenting, the … Continue reading The ‘economic vandalism’ of Brexit

From BBC Scotland, ever the state broadcaster, this morning we hear of: A highland settlement whose population was moved during controversial clearances in the early 19th Century. Rosal in Strathnaver was emptied of its population between 1814 and 1818. Controversial? Like the debate over leaving the EU? Here’s a first-hand account by Donald Macleod, a native of Rosal, of the first Strathnaver clearances in 1814 [while highland soldiers were away in France to face Napoleon], It was known locally as the “year of the burning”. 15,000 people were cleared from the 1.5 million acre estates of the English Duke and … Continue reading Just ‘moved’ or ‘burned out’ during ‘controversial’ or ‘violent’ clearances?