From the Herald today: One in 14 consultant posts in NHS Scotland is vacant, with one health board saying it has advertised some vacancies 24 times without a single applicant. Data obtained under freedom of information by the Scottish Liberal Democrats found that 381 out of 5,367 consultant roles are currently unfilled. From Jeanne Freeman in 2019: 7% vacancies must be a relief to the BMA. In February 2021, they were predicting 15%, more than twice as many: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-56200530 Crisis, what crisis? Why today? Oh yes, the Liberal Democrats. When did they get the data? November 2020! Continue reading ‘Crisis’ data on NHS vacancies gathered in November 2020 by the Lib Dems and posted in the Herald on election day!

I think somebody’s is watching Jurassic Park in one of the houses across the street. How do you think Anas is doing? The media seem to like his 6th Year Prefect manner. What about the polls? Eh, here are the last few: Nearly caught the Tories after he told Douglas to grow up but he’s back in 3rd place now. Well ahead of Willie Rennie though? Tory voters are rallying to Douglas? What about the life-support for Unionist diddies vote? Oooh, the Greens might catch them! Their co-leaders seem dangerously intelligent and charismatic, by comparison. Monica Lennon for leader in … Continue reading Nicola, did you hear something roaring in pain, in the distance there?

Choices, choices, what will Reporting Scotland’s editor select from the many, many stories out there? Unlike the shameless attempts in the days before election day to undermine the SNP with tales of the unvaccinated, of businesses ruined by too slow emergence from lockdown and of an illegal referendum, they were at least subtle (sneaky?) today. Why will the Lions rugby coach name his selection today? Did he always plan to do it today? Why is he hinting at more Scots? Why is this a top story even before it has happened? How many of you were waiting excitedly to hear? … Continue reading Promoting the Union on election day?

YouGov’s poll on 4th May predicts 70 SNP and 12 Green seats, giving a majority of 35, 82/47 and an overwhelming mandate for UDI – I wish. Look a that map. All of mainland Scotland other than my birth county goes SNP and my current home, Ayr, kicks out the Tory. If correct, this validates an SNP 1 / Green 2 vote. This can happen. Continue reading Latest poll suggests 35 seat majority for pro-Independence parties

The above graph revealing starkly the cost in lives of the failure in England to fully implement the JCVI guidance and vaccinate care home residents before all other groups was compiled by Na Sirf Musiqi https://twitter.com/nasirfmusiqi from official sources. It’s a story never told on MSM. It’s a far greater sin than wasting money on wallpaper. This shows the impact of the vaccinations as the began to confer immunity on many in Scottish care homes from the middle of January 2021: Another story never told. Continue reading Care home deaths, the data

There’s something odd happening with the Savanta ComRes polls for the Scotsman/SoS. Since the beginning of April, consistently coming below all the others and now reporting on the same date as YouGov get 52% for the SNP in the constituency vote and Survation get 49%, they get an astonishing 42%. 25% for Douglas Ross? Now I know they’re fiddling something. Given that they all ask the same question, it must be the sampling. Surely they wouldn’t construct their sample to deliberately get a low SNP score? Continue reading Are the Scotsman polls just based on over-65s in Borders, Moray and Edinburgh South?

In the Herald today: THE MAJORITY of Scots who support holding another referendum want it to be held after the coronavirus pandemic is over, according to a new poll. The exclusive data, obtained by BMG Research for The Herald, also shows that even among independence supporters, the majority would favour waiting for the pandemic to subside (53 per cent) than hold a vote immediately (39%).  39% want a referendum ‘immediately?’ Astounding! 53% ‘favour [just] waiting for the pandemic to subside?’ Wow! Subside? So we’re just waiting for Moray’s Tory council to get its act together? The virus is well-under control everywhere else. … Continue reading 92% of Scots ‘want’ a referendum this year!

‘…..haven’t been vaccinated.’ Throughout the day before an election, the headline story, extracting anything from an otherwise positive story that might reflect badly on the the SNP administration. Scotland has, of course, vaccinated more of the JCVI list, over 50s and vulnerable, than the other nations but that’s a story only for reporting by BBC UK. ‘…in the area would be devastating’ and ‘would ruin firms that have only just reopened.’ Straight on to the second story, challenging the Scottish Government’s pandemic strategy, on behalf of a Conservative-run council and business interests and in the absence of any such threat … Continue reading 24 hours to go and BBC Scotland is campaigning hard

By Alasdair Galloway: Anas Sarwar claims that ““We should never have been sending Covid positive patients into care Homes. That didn’t require medical guidance that required common sense.” Yet, Robert Cuffe, the BBC’s Head of Statistics, suggested in the last few days that those Care Homes that received discharges, actually had a lower rate of Covid. But before proceeding to what might have been the more important factors, it is important to remember that the transfers took place at the time only after consultation between doctors and care Home management. Does Mr Sarwar believe he would have known better? The … Continue reading ‘Those care homes that received discharges, actually had a lower rate of Covid!’

From SNP Media: The charade of the Scottish Labour party’s campaign has been exposed today with a clear statement from the party that Anas Sarwar shares Tory priorities – which include cuts to services and stopping Scotland’s progress. In a desperate plea for Tory votes that will shock younger and more traditional Labour supporters, the former leader of the No Campaign, Alastair Darling, tells Tory voters that “Anas Sarwar shares your priorities”, confirming that Labour cannot and will not stand up to Boris Johnson.. Alistair Darling as Chancellor pledged that Labour would cut “deeper and tougher” than Margaret Thatcher. Families … Continue reading Alastair Darling, tells Tory voters that “Anas Sarwar shares your priorities”