From BBC Scotland with absolutely no mention of the harsh reality of their polling results: The Liberal Democrats can stop the SNP winning an overall majority at the forthcoming Holyrood election, the party’s Scottish leader has predicted. Willie Rennie will use his speech to the party’s virtual conference to say the Lib Dems can win seats in every region of the country on 6 May. He will say these gains would help avoid having “a government that can do whatever it wants, however damaging”. Surely, reporting on the claims of a political leader, the most junior of reporters would wonder … Continue reading I suppose they have recently surged from 5% to 7%

Reporting Scotland on the 7th February:: More than 50 000 people got their jab (sic) on Saturday. This is broadly in line with yesterday’s UK-wide number. Then from Jamie McIvor, the nearly 53 000 was: Roughly in line with a UK wide number. Scotland vaccinated 9 718 per 1 million population compared to England’s 8 153 and the UK collective figure of 8 238 per 1 million. By no stretch of the imagination is Scotland’s performance broadly or roughly in line. It’s 20% higher, and for the seventh day in a row. I and others complained about the use of the … Continue reading Alice Pleasance Liddell new head of BBC Complaints department as it is moved Oxfordshire bunker

People’s watchdog or government poodle, is a question some in the press used to insist, in their case, meant a tough wee terrier biting at the ankles of the powerful. Conrad Black, Dark Lord of the Telegraph was in little doubt when he said something like: ‘If the little man thinks the press is on his side, then the little man is in more trouble than I realised.’ The Herald used to keep tough wee terriers like Ian Bell and not all of the current pack are fully trimmed poodles but too many run to the hounds. Do poodles run … Continue reading Poll Tax Champion to walk Government Poodles at Herald

I don’t know when the above quote, high on Reddit this morning, comes from but the SNP are clearly and objectively progressive and I can prove it. Leaving aside what the SNP has done on LGBTQ+ policies and focusing only on just one strand of the struggle for greater equality, one which makes many of the other targets possible – a living income, there have been many initiatives: In 2013, the UK Government limited Housing Benefit and the housing element of Universal Credit for working-age council or housing association tenants if they were considered to be under-occupying their homes. This … Continue reading High on Reddit this morning, my favourite comedian is wrong

In January 2021 NHS England saw 70.1% of A&E admissions within 4 hours, down from 89.3% in August 2020, In January 2021, NHS Scotland saw 86% 0f A&E admissions within 4 hours, down from 92.9% in August 2020. So, NHS Scotland A&E is 15.9% better in crude terms or really 22.7% better (15.9% of 70.1)? Note the gap was smaller in the Summer. Scottish A&Es cope with cold weather better? More ‘resilient’, Boris? Sources: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2020-21/ https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/health-services/hospital-care/ae-activity-and-waiting-times/ Continue reading Scotland’s Accident and Emergency services massively better

Am I the only one interested in this really important news on catching Covid in a hospital? In November BBC Scotland’s Lisa Summers was sunnily enthusing about it: Even in February, the Herald’s Caitlin Hutchison (16) was big on it: Where are they now? I know, they’ve realised that, in Scotland, the level goes up and down, between zero and 4% depending on just how many cases are admitted to or discharged from hospitals, and they’re feeling a bit embarrassed with their earlier reports. Maybe, even, they’re discovered that the rate in NHS England tended to be up to 10 … Continue reading Not Reporting Scotland as Hospital infections plummet for third week

ITV Tonight, last night, on Scotland, offered a trail of well-worn distortion of the factual evidence. I suppose there is still the danger that some will believe it. Disinformation 1 Scotland had its big chance with a referendum and said a resounding NO. It was supposed to be a ‘once in a generation vote’ but six years on its back on the agenda. The inverted commas tell us that they know it’s not a fact but an opinion, yet the myth is nevertheless presented without explanation, as if is is a fact. Disinformation 2 If she gets the big majority … Continue reading Can ITV disinform us any more?

A poll from Tipsy Moron for Talking-up Scotland suggests the First Minister’s performance yesterday has been good for the SNP. A poll of my 5 382 ‘followers’ attracted a pathetic 139 responses. I’d do a poll asking if I’m doing too many polls but I’m afraid no one would respond. I had 5 400 followers until I commented on the trans issue. Anyhow a whopping 65% said that after Nicola Sturgeon’s performance on the committee they had heard of someone joining the party compared to only 8% who had heard of someone leaving. Similarly, 20% had heard of someone deciding … Continue reading The Sturgeon Effect is good!

YouGov with fieldwork on the 3rd and 4th March, as the First Minister and the former First Minister were grilled at length on the TV, has reported a shocking collapse in SNP support, from 51% to 50% based on a cute but insignificant sample of 147 over-18 year-olds. I blame her bare-faced integrity. Support for the Scottish Conservatives also fell by 1% but but support for Labour plummeted by 4% in the wake of the appointment of new leader, Anas Sarwar. Sarwar must be relieved as his boss also lost support to give Boris a 13 point lead, up from … Continue reading Has Sturgeon caused SNP support to plummet insignificantly?

The hacks at the Mail know they’re writing mince. They have to be. Otherwise they have serious mental health issues. There is not a chance in hell of the First Minister being toppled after this but one or two senior civil servants and one chief executive need to be gone pronto. In the Times, Magnus Linklater, no friend of independence nor of the SNP, could see what had happened and wrote: Nicola Sturgeon has survived. Perhaps more than that, she will emerge from about six hours of interrogation with her reputation largely intact. There were weaknesses in her evidence, some … Continue reading Sturgeon on the brink of success