Boris Johnson in 2019: “I want, therefore, to repeat unequivocally our guarantee to the 3.2 million EU nationals now living and working among us. I thank them for their contribution to our society and for their patience, and I can assure them that they will have the absolute certainty for the right to live and remain.” The SNP has said the UK government’s EU Settlement Scheme deadline is “another Tory Windrush scandal waiting to happen”. Speaking at Prime Ministers Questions, Ian Blackford urged Boris Johnson to scrap the deadline and introduce automatically granted settled status – as he promised during … Continue reading Another ‘Windrush’ scandal?

The Telegraph is platforming cynical opposition politicising of health, calling the Scot Gov the SNP. The Scotsman is selecting only that stat which suggests that ‘only’ 83%, down from 84.7%, are treated within 62 days from first ‘suspicion’ and ignoring that 97.7%, up from 96.2%, who were treated within 31 days from ‘decision to treat‘: I’ll deal with the contact tracing data later. On the cancer treatment ‘backlog’, that is a fact but where is the evidence of the effects that was being widely predicted? In November 2020: In February 2021, I wrote: Throughout the day today, this from BBC … Continue reading Where, once more, is the ‘tsunami of cancer deaths?’

I get the anxiety, the fear of predatory men in skirts, the loss of feminist achievements but when an allegedly, formerly, intelligent journalist, is prepared to say: ‘you can’t help admiring Mr Galloway for his sheer gallusness – and his energy at 66‘, his regular hysterical attacks on Nicola Sturgeon start to make more sense. I’ve countered here, dozens of ill-informed attacks on ‘Sturgeon’ by Macwhirter, in the last few years since he has apparently changed his mind on independence. Anti-wokism is clearly the basis for his hostility to the FM, like that of lots of other old guys in … Continue reading Transphobia masquerading as anti-wokism

During the period 1 January to 31 March 2021, 95.6% of the 9,013 people who started their first drug or alcohol treatment waited 3 weeks or less. The target is 90%. The performance is up from 94.4% in the same period last year and continues a long run of success ignored by the Scottish media. In prisons, 97.4% of the 612 people who started their first drug or alcohol treatment during the quarter waited 3 weeks or less. Continue reading NHS Scotland smashes drug and alcohol waiting time target again

Following a new report, the SNP has criticised the Tories for callously ruling out options to create a fairer, more equal society – based on ideology. The Work and Pensions Committee today (Tuesday) published a new report that blasts the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for failing to set out a long-term plan to support people to adapt to changes in the labour market and finds that this failure risks exacerbating existing inequalities.  Despite this finding, the Tories on the Committee voted down an amendment by SNP MP Chris Stephens, which would have seen the report recommend that the … Continue reading ‘A truly equal society will be a pipe dream for Scotland under Westminster’

At first I thought: ‘fn cheek, they’re the only two decent leaders we’ve had, plus John Swinney.’ Then I thought, maybe, that’s what they pictures editor meant? Then I remembered, this is in the Herald. They do mean to suggest that the above two are nae use. Fn cheek. The letter opens: Much has been written in The Herald on the subject of the possibility of another independence referendum. It is clear that the positions of both camps have become more vociferous, entrenched and vitriolic, not helped by the apparent prevarication of Nicola Sturgeon, the animosity of Alex Salmond, and … Continue reading The best leaders Scotland has had in modern times

In response to a suggestion that Scotland’s overall pandemic achievements, relative to the rUK, were ‘past glories’, regular Arty Hetty got a bit het up (:-)) but makes some important points worth foregrounding, minus a wee ‘jobbie’ at the end which I try to remove if I see one: Here it is: Past glories? Oh I forget, the media went out of their way to report the positive approach that the SNP took last year, not! The SNP government are however, desperately working round the clock to get our young people vaccinated right now. My two in their 20s just … Continue reading ‘Past Glories’ of SNP pandemic measures?

The Herald says: CORONAVIRUS infections could surge to more than 100,000 per week by mid-July according to a worst-case scenario modelled by scientists for the Scottish Government. The pessimistic forecast – which was drawn up by epidemiologists before daily infections hit an all-time high of more than 3000 – also predicts that over a 1000 hospital beds could be occupied by Covid patients by the middle of next month. But, put your glasses on and read the small print under the photo. What’s that about a wide gulf? Well, truth be told, the ‘epidemiologists’ are nerds who include the full range … Continue reading That’ll be a scare story then? Taking the readers for dimwits too?

Reporting Scotland’s health correspondent, Lisa Summers, has been troubled recently but is now back with a big smile as Scotland’s infection rate climbs above that in other parts of the UK. I haven’t seen her so happy since hospital-onset infections climbed at the end of 2020: She neglected of course, then, to compare with rUK as hospital-onset infections in England were running at nearly 10 times higher. When they started to fall in February 2021, I had to take over reporting the story. She was reportedly distraught: The BBC Scotland website is currently reporting the high infection levels but not … Continue reading Reporting Scotland delighting in our cares

From SNP Media: The SNP has said “independence is the only way to unlock Scotland’s full economic potential” – as new analysis reveals the UK has been the least wealthy country per person than all of our European neighbours for every year of the 21st century. New analysis from the House of Commons Library [See Notes] shows the UK has had the lowest wealth per head of every country in north west Europe for every year of the 21st century. It means the UK is behind all thirteen neighbouring countries, including Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Iceland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria, France and … Continue reading The question is not how could we survive outside of the UK, it’s how it keeps us poor now