In the Herald last night: Key differences between Nicola Sturgeon’s and Boris Johnson’s administrations during the pandemic has contributed to more trust in Covid guidelines in Scotland than in England, according to an expert adviser. Professor Linda Bauld of Edinburgh University said consistency in messaging from the Scottish Government has meant increased confidence. Professor Bauld has been saying this kind of thing for some time now but always holds back from stating the obvious – If consistent messaging led to more trust then that will have led in turn to more compliance with lockdown measures and then too fewer infections and, inevitably, fewer deaths. … Continue reading Scottish Government’s consistent messaging led to fewer deaths

From SNP Media yesterday: Douglas Ross has been accused of being culpable in the demise of Scotland’s fishing industry after admitting during the STV Leaders’ Debate that the Tories had ‘not done enough’ for the sector. The Scottish Tory leader is being urged to issue a full apology to Scotland’s seafood industry after he voted for the rotten Brexit deal that has left it struggling to export produce to mainland Europe. Since Scotland was dragged out of the EU against its will, Scotland’s fishermen have reported sky-rocketing costs, increased red tape and reduced catch sizes. The cost of Brexit has … Continue reading Douglas Ross accused of being culpable in demise of Scotland’s fishing industry

From SNP Media yesterday: Ian Blackford MP has accused Boris Johnson of “robbing children of their rights” as the UK government plans to take the Scottish Parliament to court over the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law.   The SNP Westminster Leader called on Boris Johnson to withdraw the UK government’s legal challenge, describing it as wrong and morally repugnant.  Commenting, Ian Blackford MP said:  “Every party in the Scottish Parliament supported the legislation incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – even the Scottish Tories. “This is a tale … Continue reading Tory Government accused of robbing children of their rights

From SNP Media yesterday: The SNP has today announced an ambitious package of measures to reform Scotland’s land in a green, fair and responsible way. Mairi McAllan, the SNP’s candidate for Clydesdale and climate action champion, set out five steps the SNP will take if re-elected: Increase our tree-planting targets by 50% – from 12,000 hectares up to 18,000 hectares by 2025 Invest £250m to support the restoration of 250,000 hectares of Scottish peatland by the end of the decade Address biodiversity loss and protect at least 30% of our land by 2030 with an investment of £500m Introduce a … Continue reading Measures to reform Scotland’s land in a green, fair and responsible way

From SNP Media today:  New figures released should be a “stark warning” to voters, the SNP has said, as the damage of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal continues to be revealed. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that exports of goods from the EU have fallen by £2 billion since Boris Johnson’s botched Brexit deal was agreed – confirming that the so-called ‘teething problems’ of Brexit are here to stay.  The report also highlighted that the overall value of food exports, including Scottish seafood, is lower now than in any month of 2020 – having dropped by £300 million … Continue reading Scottish exports hammered by Brexit

From SNP Media this morning: Nicola Sturgeon will today (Wednesday) set out a revolution in Scotland’s childcare system with wrap-around childcare available all year round and free early years education extended to all 1 and 2 year olds. She will announce that a re-elected SNP Government will extend childcare to before and after-school, all year-round, with those on the lowest incomes paying nothing – allowing more people to afford to return to work, raising family incomes. Speaking while campaigning in Glasgow, the SNP Leader will highlight the huge investment the SNP government is making in Early Years, including the expansion … Continue reading SNP promise ‘wrap-around childcare’

In the STV Leader Debate last night, Anas Sarwar told us that sending Covid-positive patients into care homes had ‘devastating consequences‘ and that not doing it would have just been ‘common sense‘ of the kind he presumably possesses but which highly qualified medics don’t. He was, of course, hoping to lay care home deaths at the feet of Nicola Sturgeon and some viewers might think that’s where they went but he knows what he is doing, distorting the facts for political gain. The decisions to place Covid cases in care homes was taken by hospital medics in consultation with care … Continue reading Anas Sarwar claims better judgement than medics

On STV’s Leader Debate last night, Anas Sarwar confronted Nicola Sturgeon with the suggestion that, when Health Secretary, she had known the water supply in the about-to-open new Southern General Hospital was dangerous and yet had allowed the opening to go ahead. She insisted his claim was untrue. Who are you going to believe? Undaunted he then suggests that the water infection had ‘resulted in two deaths including Millie Main, just ten years old.’ There is no scientific evidence reported anywhere to warrant that claim. It is not true. Sarwar has been revelling in telling this tale since the tragic … Continue reading Sarwar’s use of the Millie Main tragedy goes too far now

In last night’s STV Leader’s debate, Willie Rennie tells Anas Sarwar that he doesn’t want to see a national care service because he worries about the mistakes we made in centralising the police. Let’s leave that bizarre notion for another time because Sarwar’s response surprised me. He said: I think we’ve got to have national standards. You’re right to say that but it’s got to be a mix between the public sector, the voluntary sector and local government and the private sector to make sure we get the right mix. Really? The Labour Party wants to keep the private sector … Continue reading Scottish Labour to oppose nationalisation of care homes

BBC Scotland this morning repeated from 6am to 9pm, opened with this, foregrounding industry demands ahead of Government and expert health advice. After four sentences explaining the industry view, one sentence suggesting, only, that the Scottish Government ‘believes‘ its approach is justified by the data. So the industry view is stated as a fact while that of the SNP administration with its published data is only a belief? It’s only the beginning. At 7.15am, an extended piece with James Cook travelling around Scotland to allow various business owners to tell us that while they ‘understand’ the need for caution they … Continue reading Too slow, too science-based?