From SNP Media New analysis shows the Westminster government has presided over the least generous unemployment benefits in North West Europe for the past two decades. The analysis from the House of Commons Library [See Notes] has revealed that when 16 types of households on average unemployment benefits are compared over twenty years across 14 countries in North West Europe (including the UK), the UK ranks lowest in 95% of cases. For the latest year available – 2019 for Switzerland and 2020 for the other 13 countries – the UK is only better in 2% of cases, equal in 1% … Continue reading House of Commons Library reveals UK welfare least supportive in NW Europe

In the Herald today: Covid travel misery for fully-vaccinated patients missing from Scots jag database: AN ITALIAN national living in Glasgow says she feels “trapped in a crazy bureaucratic nightmare” over failed attempts to obtain her Covid vaccination certificate. Paola Rizzato, 48, received both of her jags in Glasgow after moving from England to Scotland with her English husband in February, but there is no record of her in the NHS Inform website which links patients to their certificates. Paolo is not new to this Herald ‘PREMIUM’ world. On May 26th: A woman who moved to Scotland from England says she was left “at … Continue reading Is deceit a Lib Dem requirement?

There were 26 393 cases recorded in England yesterday, up 7 381 or 38.8% on the previous day. https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/cases In Scotland, cases went up 20%, in Wales the increase was less than 10% and in Northern Ireland, they fell slightly. While this may be a statistical blip, the lack of media attention in England/UK is notable. When cases in Scotland rose 10% on June 30th, BBC Scotland reacted quickly: BBC Scotland also saw ‘surges’ on 3rd April, 23rd June, 24th June and 7th July. If 10% is a ‘surge’, is 40% a ‘tsunami?’ Continue reading Cases surge in England by nearly 40% in one day and no media reaction

Today, we hear: ‘Boris Johnson says he is “instinctively” opposed to drug consumption rooms, which the Scottish government wants to introduce.’ Johnson is a Classics graduate and former journalist. In April and often before, we heard Scottish Labour leader say that it was ‘common sense’ not to send patients from hospitals back into care homes. Ignoring the evidence that such discharges caused no outbreaks, may have improved infection control in homes and that agency staff were, inadvertently, responsible for the outbreaks, he kept repeating his mantra. Sarwar is a dentist and politician. Johnson’s views fly in the face of the … Continue reading Safe injection rooms: Classics graduate and dentist know better?

In the Guardian yesterday, we read: The NHS has lost its prestigious ranking as the best health system in a study of 11 rich countries by an influential US thinktank. The UK has fallen from first to fourth in the Commonwealth Fund’s latest analysis of the performance of the healthcare systems in the nations it studied. and Eric Schneider, lead author of the Commonwealth Fund’s Mirror, Mirror 2021 report, said the UK had scored lower marks compared with 2017 on three of the five domains its panel of experts used: access to care; care processes, which look at the co-ordination of treatment … Continue reading Do US researchers know we exist?

The heir apparent to lead Scotland’s wee Gang of 4, ACH has been exposed in Private Eye today: Continue reading Alex Cole-Hamilton Exposed!

Once more, Reporting Scotland pursues a story on the SQA assessment system not seen as current or relevant anywhere else, even within BBC Scotland: On Monday, we had the rubbish non-story, literally from nowhere ie the GMB, about street cleaners being advised to turn down an offer they wouldn’t be getting anyway: The story appeared nowhere else. Today in an interview with the SQA head, we’re reminded that the school-based testing run by teachers in familiar classrooms, to replace the dread algorithm in the previous year, was being ‘heavily criticised‘. By whom? Go on, tell us. Well, Willie Rennie (don’t), … Continue reading SQA assessment was criticised by no one who knows anything about education

Alasdair Galloway, the thinking man’s Galloway (Is that getting old?) had this letter published in the Herald, except for the last paragraph. Intriguing? Read and be less than amazed: By Alasdair Galloway The recent debate about drug deaths in Scotland has more resembled a concerted attempt at political assassination. Your own recent “Herald View” was a calumny of misleading and biased argument, including claiming that Drug Laws being reserved to Westminster was irrelevant. Really? How can this be? Since Health is devolved to Scotland, treatment of drug abusers is the responsibility of the Scottish Government, and statistics suggest that, contrary … Continue reading Herald letter-writer is snipped! TuS Editor compared to Helen of Troy

The Herald’s Caitlyn Dewar (16?) tells us: The number of cancelled operations in Scottish hospitals is at the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic, figures show.In June, 22,014 operations in Scotland were scheduled to go ahead, with 1,643 (7.5%) forced to be cancelled, according to Public Health Scotland figures. Here are the data in a graph: The solid pale blue represents the number of planned operations. It’s higher than it has been since the first few months of 2020 just ‘before the pandemic began?’ Good news! The only type of cancellation which suggests strain in the system which could ever … Continue reading Good news: Operations at highest level since pandemic began

Jackie Baillie today trying to make political capital out of health issues. For nearly two years now, I’ve been asking the same question, here, of civil servants and of oncology professors -no replies. Why do I ask? On December 6th, from Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services at the National Records of Scotland on 2nd December:  Excess deaths from all causes began to increase in October, but this is almost entirely due to the corresponding rise in COVID-19 deaths. Deaths from causes such as respiratory diseases and cancer are below average levels for this time of year. https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2020/deaths-involving-covid-19-week-48-23th-29th-november Over the whole of … Continue reading Will the cancer ticking time-bomb be any more real than the tsunami?