Many thanks to our feeder CMac (not the ferry operator) for this one. In the never-knowingly pro-SNP P&J and buried elsewhere: A UK Government decision to postpone a joint procurement process left emergency pandemic supplies “depleted” and dependent on extending expiry dates. Our investigation has found Scottish health chiefs privately questioned the move and asked whether it was driven by anything other than cost-cutting. Memos obtained by this newspaper show SNP ministers approved a business case for a £4.23 million investment in vital FFP3 respirators for the nation’s pandemic stockpile back in October 2015. So, not only did they try to divert supplies away … Continue reading SNP plans to invest in PPE were sabotaged by Tories!

Two good news stories in one day! It must be my birthday! I’m a big fan of Mike Russell. He is undefeated against any of BBC Scotland’s interviewers or Tory opposition leaders. Who can forget his demolition of Gordon Brewer back in 2010? If he thinks we can have Indyref2 by Christmas, I believe him and I’m officially cheered up. Second, Pacific Quay was on fire? Whoopee! Of course I want the staff to be evacuated safely, well, the cleaners and the jannies. Did the complaints line overheat and self-combust? Did some god of truth send a lightning bolt? Ah, … Continue reading Is it my birthday?

In the FT today: The Scottish government is scrapping a flagship housing scheme designed to help buyers into affordable housing, blaming the Treasury for forcing it into deep budget cuts. As well as hindering first time buyers looking to get on to the housing ladder, the scrapping of the scheme is likely to inflame already fraught tensions between Westminster and the devolved government in Scotland. I haven’t researched the topic so this post may be more of a starter for those of you better-informed but, I’d have thought it better to spend funds on subsidising public sector affordable housing and … Continue reading Why would we want to subsidise affordable housing in the private sector?

And we’re OFF! Remember a few weeks ago when Marr was accusing Nicola Sturgeon of overseeing a higher death than England, based on the only four weeks in the whole year when it was and ignoring the facts that it was much lower as he spoke and had been much lower over the whole year? When it comes to comparisons with the rest of the world, England is replaced with the UK or Britain, to make the rest of us feel included perhaps and to hide England’s shame because Britain doesn’t have the highest death rate in Britain: Regular readers … Continue reading Sweeping England’s dead under a media carpet

BBC Scotland and the Herald keeping you up-to-date if not that informed. 994? Is that bad, better? 60 deaths is clearly terrible but how much? Well, put your thinking cap on: 994 is 161 down from the previous day and 1 655 down from the peak of 2 649 on the 7th of January. The 7 day average is down for the 22nd day in a row. 60 deaths can never be good but it is the first fall, after a day when registration offices were open, since January 12th. 142 were in intensive care, down 2 and down for … Continue reading Covid Update for Age 15+

I’ve lost track of how many time the Herald’s Kevin McKenna has fiddled with the truth to support an attack on the SNP. In a piece today about trans, the people not that business about eating and drinking the messianic corpse, he repeats another myth: Can McKenna just keep on bearing false witness because his faith enables easy forgiveness? It’s not a cardinal sin,. Again, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve countered that myth about hospital discharges causing care home outbreaks but, one more time quickly: There is no evidence at all that any of the discharges of … Continue reading Kevin McKenna repeats care home deaths lie

Like many of you, I’m sure, I’ve been trying to concentrate on the main aim -independence. In particular, I’ve been deliberately not investigating the internal struggle over gender recognition. Pragmatically, I’ve been thinking, hold your breath, don’t look, we’re getting close to the line, we can worry about all this stuff later. I tell myself, they’re politicians after all but they’re no worse, probably better, than those in the other parties. Again, keep your eye on the ball. I have been distracted in the past, writing to complain about apparently uncritical admiration for that repulsive war criminal, Hilary Clinton, suggesting … Continue reading I don’t feel well

Passing a milestone was, in the past, a useful reminder of how far you’d come and a kind of success. Now BBC Scotland is using the term more like a millstone, round our necks. Either way, it tells you nothing useful that an adult might use to help them understand the situation they are currently in. Here are some useful ‘road signs’: The 7 day average of new cases has fallen every day now for 22 days, from 2 323 new cases on January 7th, to 1 141, less than half, in the last 24 hours. Not fast enough, but … Continue reading Covid update for adults

England has ten times the population of Scotland but with more than 91 000 deaths clearly does not have ten times the death rate of 6 000 from Covid-19 or it would have had just over 60 000. The Conservative Government’s pandemic management has resulted in 50% more, avoidable deaths than Scotland. Had they managed the pandemic in Scotland, the evidence suggests we would have had more than 9 000 deaths. The SNP Government in Scotland, through quicker action to lockdown, being slower to finish lockdowns and by more clear and consistent communications has saved 3 000 lives. This is … Continue reading Devolved powers save 3 000 lives

Despite the fact the Scottish and UK Governments are following broadly similar strategies, making similar mistakes, achieving similar outcomes, there is a big paradox here. The public perception is Nicola Sturgeon is handling this pandemic far better than Boris Johnson. The words of Glen Campbell, above, are not entirely surprising though they continue to shock with their dishonesty. He and colleagues at BBC Scotland, along with fellow travellers across the Scottish and UK media, continue to peddle the same myth. We don’t need to spend time debating the first part. We know of the divergences in the strategies. Independent experts … Continue reading TWO THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED LIVES were saved but that matters little to Glen Campbell