Scotland has had the highest infection rate, since the end of August, but it’s falling very fast so BBC Scotland are going to need to be smart on this to keep it going. I know, don’t use the actual data based on testing, use the ONS estimates for the period ending 11th September, a week ago, and present them with the word ‘still’ in the headline. And, tell a big lie: ‘The latest daily figures show 5,529 new cases in the past 24 hours.’ Huge fib. Due to technical issues, no data were released for the 15th so those 5 … Continue reading Quick just lie! Before it’s too late and they’re not the worst

At the very beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, Boris Johnson cast doubt on NHS Scotland’s resilience. As BBC Scotland and others rejoice now that Scotland too has called in the army: we can reflect on that resilience. When did NHS England make the call? Four weeks ago. Did they have higher infection levels to cope with? Nope, on the 20th August, when they called them in, infection levels in England were far lower than in Scotland or Northern Ireland. Resilience? Continue reading Resilience

In yesterday’s Herald letters: EITHER Nicola Sturgeon’s army of special advisers is becoming nervous, or she herself is. Her conference speech sank to a new low, making absurd allegations about the “damage” Westminster will do to Scotland – “our working population is likely to fall. Who knows what will happen to our NHS in future trade deals” (“Sturgeon says unionists will try to exploit Brexit impact”, The Herald, September 14). Actually, it is under SNP health governance that every health board in Scotland has signed a contract with the US private health company, IHI. Westminster has, allegedly, “made us poorer”. The truth … Continue reading Prof says ‘the UK would save money if Scotland left it!’

Cochrane is a long-established Uncle Tam fighting for the Union from the offices once inhabited by the likes of the clearly Scottophobic Johnson. He thinks we cannot be as rich as Denmark. Let’s remind ourselves of what Scotland has and tell me which of these Denmark can match? I’m not going to check. I feel sure, the answer is ‘not that much.’ Denmark has had to do it the hard way. What they do have, of course, is a long history of independence. We should get some of that too. They do have lots of pigs too. Continue reading Get your facts right

In the Edinburgh News yesterday: Climate change: Scottish government’s failure to oppose Cambo field shows SNP’s love affair with oil continues – Ian Murray MP. As a new parent, the climate emergency keeps me up at night like never before. https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/climate-change-scottish-governments-failure-to-oppose-cambo-field-shows-snps-love-affair-with-oil-continues-ian-murray-mp-3384525 Leaving aside the fact that Zola (after Emile?) was born more than a year ago, new parent Murray, playing the creepy exploitative parent in the tradition of Gummer and Cole-Hamilton, is this the Labour position on oil and gas extraction? Has he checked with his Tory allies in the New British Nationalist Pact? The Tories have already accused the SNP … Continue reading Labour MP accused of ‘selling out Scotland’ and risking jobs

At 08:19am yesterday, BBC Scotland cast their nets for a bad news story on ambulance times. 12 hours later they had landed a big one and posted/broadcast the above story of a woman who did experience a long wait, whose family will have been distraught but who did not die. One of those relatives went to the media with the story. He’s not a first-timer. In 2018: Under the Edinburgh News headline ‘Anglers rescue pair from drowning in Linlithgow Loch‘ and this image: we read: A quick-thinking taxi driver who missed the first half of the England vs Sweden match … Continue reading BBC Scotland bad news trawling quickly catches a fish that likes the attention?

I’m confused. More numerate readers help me here. You remember: Scotland continues to have by far the highest drug death rate recorded by any country in Europe. And its rate is more than three-and-a-half times that of England and Wales. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58024296 See this for Scotland: Note: NRS made it lower at 1339 So, 260 per million overall, 66 per million for the under 35s and 191 per million for the over 35s. See this for England & Wales: So, in 2020, 805 per million overall, twice that in Scotland? What am I missing here? Continue reading Scotland’s drug deaths: help needed

I don’t know about you but I’ve had a few falls, more with age, and I’ve stopped laughing at other people falling. Campbell’s words above are not directly abusive but they are entirely lacking in empathy. Yousaf deserves the same consideration as anyone else. A more humane individual knows how to respond: Continue reading Psychopathy

After the May elections in Scotland, we read in the National, under the above headline: THE Scottish Greens have hit out after a “front for fascists” party with a similar name and logo to theirs may have cost them two regional list seats. Independent Green Voice, whose candidates included an alleged Holocaust denier and two former BNP activists, has been registered with the electoral commission since 2003. But in this election there are concerns their name and logo may have cost the pro-independence party regional seats in Glasgow and South Scotland. https://www.thenational.scot/news/19290315.greens-say-confusion-fascist-front-may-cost-seats/ Today, the Electoral Commission responded: Following the election some voters in … Continue reading Greenwash

By stewartb Headline: Fewer ambulance 999 calls to be classed as ‘life-threatening’ – by Nick Triggle, BBC Health correspondent (13 July 2017) ‘Fewer 999 ambulance calls will be classed as life-threatening and needing a super-fast response in the biggest shake-up of the service in 40 years. ‘The move by the NHS in England – and agreed by ministers – will result in about 8% of call-outs being classed as needing the quickest response. ‘Currently half of call-outs are, but many are not serious or could wait longer for paramedics to arrive.’ (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40592286 ) This article (of course!) gives no indication of … Continue reading NHS England risked lives by changing 999 rules for ambulances in 2017