Are Covid deaths at a higher rate in Trump’s USA than in Tory England? Ask anyone. I’ve asked some neighbours. Much higher in the USA, they say. I ask how they know and they tell me they saw it on the news. The BBC News? Yes. I’ve seen it too. They have a full-time correspondent there and he reports regularly on the scale of the deaths and the collapsing health infrastructure. They particularly love to show President Trump making things worse. But, see this: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104709/coronavirus-deaths-worldwide-per-million-inhabitants/ Yes, the death rate per million in the US is actually lower than it is … Continue reading Why is the BBC not telling the relative truth about US deaths from Covid?

Scotland has had 3 848 confirmed Covid deaths or 704 per million putting her in 22nd place. England with 52 601 deaths or 935 per million would be in 5th place and Wales with 2 638 or 837 per milliom would be in 11th place, just slightly worse than the USA. Northern Ireland with 542 would be way down the list. ONS and NRS data tabulated by: https://www.travellingtabby.com/uk-coronavirus-tracker/ Continue reading The Facts: Scotland has 24th highest covid mortality rate

Get me the facts I need! England’s infection rate 50% higher. England’s death rate 24% higher. But, but England tests more than other UK nations so why are infection and death rates not lower because of that? Because testing is not a ‘silver bullet.’ You need to contact at least 80% and get them to self-isolate. Scotland does. England does not. All graphs, based on ONS and NRS data, by: https://www.travellingtabby.com/uk-coronavirus-tracker/ Continue reading Marr Update: Nope still not worse than England

Of course, you’d never know it from the BBC Scotland reporting but the failure to get care home staff test results back quickly enough is down to the outsourced UK system funded by the Scottish taxpayer, not performing: Care home staff might be among the first to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in the coming weeks BUT testing is still a major concern for one provider who’s warning turnaround is taking to long. The ‘provider’ turns out to be the private Balhousie Care Group currently benefiting from free testing at the taxpayer’s expense while charging around £1 000 per week for … Continue reading UK testing service still failing Scotland’s care homes

By stewartb There are times when a journalist pens a phrase that leaves a mark. I experienced this – and not in a positive way – when reading Kevin McKenna’s piece in The National on 2 December, entitled ‘The SNP’s woke team have been defeated – here’s what that means”. Much could be written about his polemic with its attacks on the Scottish Government and SNP leadership but it merits no further amplification from me. However, one phrase is worth noting: “the insidious whim of self-identification”. It was made in the context of negative criticism of proposed reform to legal … Continue reading An international phenomenon – the curious case of “the insidious whim of self-identification”

James Kelly suggests there’s another YouGov poll on the way and warns us it might be bad: http://scotgoespop.blogspot.com/2020/12/yougov-indy-polling-gossip.html I had a quick look and found the above, showing that they’ve reported Yes leads of only 1%, and 5% in a period when the average lead across all pollsters has been 7.5%. This too is of interest: YouGov was founded in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare and future MP Nadhim Zahawi, at the time both active in the British Conservative Party. In 2001 they engaged BBC political analyst Peter Kellner, who became chairman, and then from 2007–2016, President. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouGov#:~:text=YouGov%20was%20founded%20in%20the,from%202007%E2%80%932016%2C%20President. It’s all down to … Continue reading Don’t fear the next YouGov poll on indepedence

The Tusker has become aware of an email circulated to the Westminster SNP MPs and their staff, designed to correct an ‘untrue and defamatory letter’ which has triggered some enquiries from constituents. It makes these points: The claim that Joanna Cherry has ‘funded’ a hate group is untrue and defamatory. Joanna Cherry made a donation to Sarah Phillimore an English barrister specialising in Family Law. Ms Phillimore is taking legal action over her local police force recording information against her which she believes to be untrue There is no link between Ms Cherry’s donation to Sarah Phillimore and We Are … Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: Westminster SNP Group responds to Joanna Cherry’s call for help

The Fact Check verdict above. The tweet that made it worth doing, below. Their ‘previous’: And: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/election-debate-tory-fact-check-uk-twitter-boris-johnson-corbyn-a9209816.html Continue reading No? Tories caught lying again?

When your unthinking choice of language reveals your sense of identity it’s called ‘banal nationalism.’ Banal, in this context, doesn’t mean stupid but rather unthinking, habitual. Here’s a definition: Banal nationalism refers to the everyday representations of the nation which build a shared sense of national belonging amongst humans, a sense of tribalism through national identity. The term is derived from English academic, Michael Billig‘s 1995 book of the same name and is intended to be understood critically. So, when you say ‘we’ or ‘us’ or ‘our country’, that’s banal nationalism. I’m banal too. Stop it! Tom Harris reveals something when he refers to the … Continue reading Uncle Tom Harris and Banal Nationalism

From a friend of The Tusker I’m fed up of COVID news, so only dip in time to time. Was just reading this… https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54984390 “Scotland has 22 commercial freezers that will be used for storing vials at the ultra-low temperatures, but the requirement to keep it so cold may present some challenges when it comes to transporting to more remote areas.”  “Officials say that they do have plans for how to transport this vaccine across the country, but concede it is easier to bring people to the vaccine than to transport it to people.” A challenge indeed when you think of … Continue reading On freezing the vaccine: Dear BBC, let your left hand meet your right hand…