Imagine the excitement at the Herald, if a retired CalMac ferry sank? The MV R.J Breadner, formerly the MV Albert J. Savioe, built in Vancouver in 1961 and retired at only 41 years of age, has sunk in Sechelt Inlet, on 4 November 2023. The former BC Ferries vessel worked in the relatively mild waters around the highly-affluent city of Vancouver. Meanwhile, 7 former and pretty elderly CalMac ferries are still running in one of the most affluent countries in Europe, Ireland – MV Eigg (1974) Clare Island Ferries; MV Kilbrannan (1972) as above, renamed MV Clew Bay Queen; MVs … Continue reading Only 41 years in service Canadian ferry sinks while former CalMac Clyde-built ferries sail on into their 50s with no sign of stopping

From Edinburgh Live yesterday: East Lothian Council’s leader has told the First Minister he will need to match the funds a 32 per cent rise in council tax would have brought the local authority after freezing the increase. Norman Hampshire described Humza Yousaf’s announcement of a council tax freeze as ‘extremely disappointing’ in a letter to him. East Lothian council leader asks First Minister for millions of pounds to plug council tax hole – Edinburgh Live It’s difficult to imagine what this rightist Labour politician, hotel proprietor and former or current director of 8 companies, would be planning to spend the extra money … Continue reading Poverty-denying Labour council leader and hotelier claims he would have increased council tax by 32%

The headline story across BBC UK about the drug Anastrozole makes no reference to the other three nations. Anastrozole has been used in Scotland since 2005: Anastrozole (Arimidex) is accepted for restricted use within NHS Scotland in the adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early invasive breast cancer. https://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/medicines-advice/anastrozole-arimidex-fullsubmission-19805/?UNLID=26676429320231179941 I’m not a medic but I think this means the drug is not being used in Scotland in the same preventative way and perhaps for good medical reasons – it reduces oestregen and so increases the risk of bone damage. Without seeming too cynical I hope, is this NHS … Continue reading “England lags behind Scotland in assessing cancer drug”

In the Times yesterday: This last question should be relatively easy to answer. In a little-noticed commentary last week, Professor David Spiegelhalter, the authority on medical risk, repeated the fact that Scottish death rate was worse than England’s. This despite Sturgeon’s precautionary principles, her mask mandates, her extended lockdowns and the draconian penalties for breaches of social distancing. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a5b0b39a-7bef-11ee-8622-c717cb07544d?shareToken=af1067d0f4e29813156db1de4f3fcefa The facts from the ONS: As of 31 August 2023, there have been 193 870 deaths in England with Covid 19 on the death certificate. In Scotland, there were 17 751. All things being equal and with a tenth of the population, … Continue reading Ian McWhirter lies about Scotland’s Covid deaths for his English audience

From The Tyee, today: “Low employee morale and a bitter dispute over overtime pay are adding to the challenges for BC Ferries, says the head of the union representing workers at the publicly owned company. “The relationship between the employer and the employees, and the employer and the union, is at… an all-time low,” said Eric McNeely, president of the 4,000-member BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union. McNeely said he doesn’t remember the relationship ever being so strained in the 14 years he has worked for BC Ferries. “I meet with members every time I travel, just about everywhere I … Continue reading Ferrymageddon – ‘Low employee morale and a bitter dispute’ not blamed on devolved government in Canada

BBC Scotland today, at least using images actually from the trouble in Edinburgh last night as opposed to ones from the Troubles in Northern Ireland, have: Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: “Such attacks on police officers are cowardly, reckless and dangerous. Police Scotland need sufficient resources to tackle these thugs.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-67328978 Findlay also pops up with the same quote in the Independent, the Herald, the Mirror, the Express, the Shropshire Star and the Bracknell News. In April 2021, BBC Northern Ireland had Belfast: Police attacked during another night of violence and no attempts to blame either the UK … Continue reading BBC Scotland politicise November 5 attacks on police

Scotland on Sunday today has the claim ‘Tourist tax and ‘unwelcome message’ to the rest of the world’ based only on the self-interested views of some local businesses. Easily found research tells a different story. First: Second, looking specifically at Edinburgh: Tourism taxes are not new, but are seeing growing use across the world with 16 destinations in Europe now utilising them in some form. They are seen as a tool to assist areas coping with mass tourism by helping to control visitor numbers as well as offering a new and vital source of revenue to be reinvested into the local area. … Continue reading 98% of Edinburgh’s tourists not put off visiting by tourist tax

In the Herald today, Maritime Williams has: Three executives of the nation’s state-owned water supplier have received [a total] nearly £1m in bonuses in [over] the past five years – despite public sector pay rules that suspended the payments. The Herald on Sunday can reveal that three key executives of Scottish Water, Douglas Millican, Peter Farrer and Alan Scott, between them pulled in £969,000 in performance bonuses on top of six-figure salaries. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23901018.nearly-1m-bonuses-paid-three-scottish-water-execs/ I agree it seems too much but, as always, there’s no context. I did it in August 2023 and it needs little updating: There are 11 water … Continue reading The best water and the cheapest managers

Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. From the Guardian today: Newly-qualified teachers are planning to quit the UK to teach abroad because of abject pay and conditions in schools at home, new evidence has revealed. Teacher-training courses across the country are warning of a rise in the number of trainees opting for international posts for their first job, attracted by higher salaries, more respect in and out of the classroom – and an escape from Ofsted. The trend will exacerbate the teacher shortage crisis already hitting UK schools. Teacher vacancies in England have nearly doubled since before Covid. Vacancies posted by … Continue reading Among best paid teachers in world and best staffed schools in UK after 16 years of SNP Government

By stewartb A detailed and wide ranging ‘stocktake’ of UK government funded public services has just been published by the Institute for Government (IfG) with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). Termed the ‘Performance Tracker’, this is an annual publication which in 2023 is covering the state of nine services – general medical practice, hospitals, adult social care, children’s social care, neighbourhood services, schools, police, criminal courts and prisons. Source: IfG/CIPFA (30 October 2023) Performance Tracker 2023 – Government is stuck in a public service performance doom loop. (https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/performance-tracker-2023) The report is focused on Westminster government actions … Continue reading ‘Stocktake’ reveals dire state of England’s public services – must Scotland be caught in Westminster’s “doom loop”?