Fresh from misintepreting the contact tracing times and setting the opposition attack dogs loose, the Sun’s Chris Musson isn’t strictly wrong, in the numbers, but wrong in the meaning they have for us. Yes, there are more people in Scottish hospitals than there were in July. Yes, there are more in ICU and yes there are more picking up Covid in hospital but, hey, Chris: What’s the percentage? How many were community onset? How does it compare? Here, I’ll do it for you: 200 or 2.6% of the cases were maybe caught in hospital up from 189 or 2% the … Continue reading Musson gets his facts wrong again

Fresh from welcoming his two new recruits to These Islands, the softer kinder version of Scotland in Union, because you’re worth it, Kevin Hague is in the Herald with this: What’s his evidence? Focus groups carried out by These Islands, him that is. You remember focus groups? Dominic Cummings loves them and used them to get ideas for his Leave Campaign slogans. Back in the 90s, Tony Blair and his chums used them to articulate the ‘Middle Way’ which is now just ‘Blairism.’ They’re great. They do give you ideas about what might resonate with folk in the ‘real world.’ … Continue reading Dog food salesman and two leading coiffurists don’t identify SNP weakness with baby research!

In the Herald this morning another trade union, oh OK professional group, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, makes a case for more funding. There has been according to them a 19.5% increase in cases since 1997/1998. Without spending forever searching, I can’t tell you how staffing has increased over those 23 years but there was, for example an 11.1% increase in the number of all professional groups working in mental health in just two years between 2013 and 2015. Once more the journalism is passive, thin. I’ve introduced this idea before: What real journalists used to do in Scotland (Ian … Continue reading Is there actually any evidence for this?

In a typically establishment-oriented report, BBC Scotland prioritises the views of the folk who just love to shoot fat wee birds that never fight back and that don’t even fly too well. Then the Scottish Government and the Scottish Wildlife Trust get a word in and Fergal Keane offers us what BBC Scotland love to call ‘analysis.’ He too starts of from the land-owners’ perspective. It’s quite a long report but there are two things missing. First, why is there no mention of the fact that 15% of all the land in Scotland, 15% of everything we have, is used … Continue reading 71% oppose shooting fat wee birds that never fight back and that don’t even fly too well

Is Scotland portrayed at all in that cover? Killing Eve’s psychokiller did visit a horrific baronial castle and golf course with guys in kilts for her too say ‘ooo!’ at, so that’d help. In Ofcom’s annual report, we see: However, people in Scotland continue to rate the BBC’s delivery of the range of content representing Scotland (41% Scotland vs. 49% UK average) and theportrayal of Scotland (38% Scotland vs. 50% UK average) below average. (P67) The BBC has identified some ‘less satisfied’ audience groups, which are largely in line with those we have highlighted in each of our annual reports … Continue reading Only 7.4% of Scots watch Reporting Scotland and nearly two thirds do not rate BBC Scotland’s portrayal of Scotland

See those last words? They’re being reported all over BBC TV and radio broadcasts. The notion is based on this: In Scotland, an estimated 45,700 people had the virus in the week to 21 November – one person in every 115, up from one in 155 the previous week. But the ONS says the results are based on modelling and “should be interpreted with caution”. Why do we need modelling? We know the actual figures. See this graph: For more accuracy, the 7-day average in Scotland is today 939.1 new cases per day. On November 20th it was 1087.6 and … Continue reading Why is BBC faking Scottish infection rates today?

While the image above was headlined in the Herald after the latest Savanta:Com Res poll undertaken on 23rd November, it was only one in a series over months of unflattering images combined with reports suggesting that this time, this time, the people would lose faith in the First Minister, her government and the SNP. Poll after poll has revealed that the electorate does not give a stuff about any of their reports. I’m beginning to think some of it has actually been counter-productive. The huffy rants from Macwhirter, McLelland and Wilson cannot have been read and approved of by many. … Continue reading Herald and Scotsman snubbed by SNP support at almost 60%

From Brenda Steele: Was listening to R4 last night to presenter burbling on about Covax as though it was a big surprise. Apparently, BBC has only just discovered that there is going to be a problem with distribution both from a technical  (refrigeration) and a financial (cost for poor countries) point of view: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08zfyxk  Covid-19: Ensuring vaccines are made globally available. With several Covid vaccines having shown very promising results in final-stage trials attention is now turning to vaccine distribution. A landmark global vaccine plan known as Covax is seeking to ensure an equitable distribution of future coronavirus vaccines. The joint initiative … Continue reading BBC UK Asleep at the wheel on Covax

In the Herald today: Calls are being made for tens of thousands more social homes to be built in Scotland amid concerns the lack of it stops people leaving an abusive partner. Figures from Shelter Scotland show 4,832 applications were made to councils from people experiencing homelessness who said they left their old address due to violence or abuse, between April 2019 and March. I’m all for Shelter Scotland. I have a charitable standing order and recycle my book purchase through them. I’ve given them several kids bikes over the years. But, this report needs a little background context on social housing … Continue reading Absolutely! But context?

The lads at the Herald must have whooped with delight and hand-slapped around the room when they captured the above image. I recommend immediate promotion to the Daily Mail or the Sun. They’ve earned it. No really, they deserve it. The article? Noooo! I won’t be reading that. That picture made me not want to read it. Do they think some folk will be drawn in to read it? I don’t want to meet those folk. Readers may know I’m not an uncritical supporter of the FM. I remain perturbed about her apparent enthusiasm for the war criminal Hilary Clinton … Continue reading The Herald’s grim image of itself