The SNP has been granted an Urgent Question in the House of Commons amid the growing Tory sleaze scandal – with Tory ministers set to face MPs from 3.35pm. Alison Thewliss MP has tabled a question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove, to update the House on the Ministerial Code amid the serious allegations of special access, impropriety and possible illegality being levelled at the Tory government. The SNP has called for a full independent public inquiry into why Tory donors and friends have been handed lucrative contracts, special access, tax breaks and peerages by the Tory government. … Continue reading SNP GRANTED URGENT QUESTION AMID TORY SLEAZE SCANDAL at 3.35pm on BBC Parliament

BBC Scotland, as Covid deaths were plummeting in early April, against a background of a far lower death rate over the course of the pandemic, in England, chose instead to morbidly trumpet the above bloody ‘milestone.’ BBC England and BBC Wales did not celebrate any of their equivalent but bloodier milestones. They buried them. One million second doses, our most vulnerable protected, but there’s no sign of recognition in our MSM as they scurry around looking for something bad. Here’s the detail: The latest vaccination figures for Scotland show Scotland is set to pass the key milestone of one million … Continue reading Will BBC Scotland notice the 1 MILLION second doses ‘milestone?’

I’m against formal testing in Primary schools and especially in the early stages. The ‘assessments‘ can be built into everyday learning and used as diagnostic evidence by the teacher to improve the pupil’s ability to learn. Teachers have done this kind of thing on a daily basis for decades now but mostly using their own assessments or perhaps something standardised in the school or by education authority advisers or in a published scheme. These Scottish Government centrally issued assessment materials are no different other than that they enable schools across the country to standardise with the best tools in the … Continue reading Swinney will be concerned even if a tiny handful of confused teachers are misusing the assessments and stressing P1 pupils

Regardless of the First Minister’s impressive victory over Andrew Marr’s dishonesty yesterday, ‘giving him and his researchers a doing‘ as Ruth Davidson claimed Andrew Neil had done to her last year, the MSM will now put all of their efforts into persuading voters that the SNP is somehow weakened by the dodgy predictions of the IFS and the need for a hard border at Berwick should we become independent within Europe, as a clear majority of us desire. I’ll leave the deficit for another time and just repeat the First Minister’s point that the IFS report makes the case for … Continue reading Independent Scotland in the EU will NOT be forced into accepting a border arrangement that England decides

By stewartb: This comment is prompted by the above from the BBC News website: ‘Scottish election 2021: Many manifestos, but for what?’ written by Douglas Fraser, BBC Scotland Business/economy editor. I offer these extracts from a section entitled: “What difference can Holyrood make anyway? Mr Fraser argues: “The answer to that DEPENDS ON YOUR ATTITUDE to independence.” (my emphasis) So for Mr Fraser it would seem that ‘ATTITUDE’ trumps the actual legal powers given and withheld under the terms of the devolved settlement! And then he adds: “ THERE’S A LOT THAN CAN BE DONE AT HOLYROOD, and done differently. … Continue reading Douglas Fraser and ‘attitudes’ to independence

In this business-friendly piece, free advertising for Standard Life, there’s little mention of the main reasons why there is pensioner poverty in the UK and it’s not because they have neglected to buy a pension package privately. Here’s the first: By regular contributor stewartb only a few days ago: The House of Commons Library (HoCL) has just published (9 April 2021) a briefing paper entitled: ‘Pensions: international comparisons’. It is described as “A look at how UK pensions compare with those in other countries. The note compares the UK state pension with similar systems in Europe and goes on to … Continue reading Pensioner poverty: Just another price we pay for the Union

Today in the Herald: Willie Rennie has cast doubt on whether an SNP majority in the next Holyrood parliament would be a “legitimate” mandate for a second independence referendum. The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader said there were “many factors” to a mandate, including the conduct of the election campaign, not simply parliamentary arithmetic. Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t democracy all about arithmetic? People turn out and your share of the votes is reflected in your share of the MSPs, 5 in the case of the Lib Dems, despite them attracting little support outside of the Northern Isles, Edinburgh … Continue reading Leader of Scotland’s least popular party is leader of Scotland’s least popular party

Professor Darko Stankovic of the Technical University in Milosevigrad, has told BBC Scotland, based on his research into Balkan leaders of the 20th Century, that he is sure that all politicians are the same – corrupt liars, and so, as with the hospital discharges into care homes, Nicola Sturgeon may have done all the things Boris Johnson has done. Coming off the phone to his third-best lover, Stankovic barked: Не бих то пропустио поред ње ! Reacting to this, Willie Rennie pulled a face like a toby jug, Douglas Ross punched an imaginary something and Anas Sarwar pleaded ‘How many … Continue reading Expert tells BBC Scotland he ‘cannot rule out’ that Sturgeon has plans to unlawfully shut down the UK Parliament, impose a hard border with machine gun nests at Berwick or discuss having me beaten up

For the quarter ending December 2020, nearly three quarters (73.1%) of children and young people were seen within 18 weeks, compared to 60.6% for the previous quarter and 66.4% for the quarter ending December 2019. https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/conditions-and-diseases/mental-health/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs-waiting-times/ Much to be done but an improving picture suggesting that Anas Sarwar’s unconvincingly passionate outburst on Question Time, two days ago, was ill-informed. Others, more-informed than me, have responded to his familiar use of faux empathy with the the unwell or their grieving parents, and his claims to have attacked medical practice in the past, to score political points. I came across this posted … Continue reading ‘Anas Sarwar’s dangerous messages about mental health on Question Time’

Only 5 (0.1%) of Covid cases were reported as definitely picked up in hospitals in the week-ending 28th March 2021. A further 7 (0.2%) were probable cases and 3 552 (98.1%) were picked up in the community. BBC Scotland Health Correspondent Lisa Summers was unavailable to be remotely interested as she has been since levels began to fall in late January. What are we paying her for? If she can’t report this kind of thing, what use is she, or for that matter BBC Scotland? Continue reading Hospital onset Covid infections fall to lowest level since September