The Record’s statistics person (14) has added up the motorcycle accident data over 10 years to get a number big enough to talk about, by their abysmal standards of course. 25 motorcyclists died in 2022, 5 fewer than the previous year. Looking at the more useful trend data, overall motorcyclist casualty data on Scotland’s roads increased by 2% in 2022 but overall road casualties have fallen by 47% since 2000. Source: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/53510/key-reported-road-casualties-scotland-2022.pdf Continue reading Scotland’s road casualties fall by 47% in 20 years and motorcyclist deaths fall by 20% in 1 year

With the return of the 4 Oban to South Uist sailings, on the 1st July, CalMac is now operating at 100% reliability to several very small populations, in the Skye, Raasay and the Small Isles group, heavily subsidised by the taxpayer. In the Herald last December: THE £185.5m-a-year of taxpayers money used to subsidise ferry services would “better deployed” according to a consensus of responses to transport inquiry. Scotland’s media, committed to informing the people of Scotland are not reporting the 100% service. Brittany Ferries will manage 6 of its only 7, massively profitable, Channel crossings today, 86%. Sources: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/23207252.185m-a-year-scots-ferry-subsidy-should-better-deployed/ https://www.calmac.co.uk/calmac-performance-data-browser?date=03%2F07%2F2023 Continue reading After months at only 96% CalMac’s ferries to remote islands operating at 100% reliability

Only another cosy Reporting Scotland/Herald feed headlined this morning, not reported anywhere else in the MSM, Dr Iain Kennedy, leader of the doctors’ union the BMA: 48% say they are afraid to speak up. We’ve been here before so many times with trade union surveys based on tiny, self-selecting, samples, utterly unreliable, but not challenged by journalists. There are around 9 700 GPs and hospital consultants in Scotland. The Herald, laughably, write that the survey ‘examined 592 doctors.’ Examined? I think not. They sent an email to the above 9 700 and perhaps even to the junior doctors. Only 592 … Continue reading Tories’ favourite doctor back again to reveal 97% not afraid to speak up about patient safety

By stewartb – a long read This is the second blog post commenting on the initial (50 page long) report to emerge from an ongoing Review of the UK Constitution by the Institute for Government (IfG) and the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge. Source: Jack et al. (2022) A framework for reviewing the UK constitution. Institute for Government report 50pp. (https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/framework-reviewing-uk-constitution.pdf ) The aim of the Review is to examine the purpose of constitutions; to assess how the UK constitution fulfils that purpose; to highlight problems with the UK’s constitution that are now being revealed; and to … Continue reading The UK constitution – England and the concentration of ‘virtually unlimited’ power!

Above in the ‘good old days’ for the Herald when they knew how to report those SNP trains and before they got those SNP ferries. Today: Rail fares in England will rise by up to 5.9% in March after what the government called “its biggest ever intervention” to keep the cost of travel below soaring inflation. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/dec/22/rail-fares-in-england-to-increase-by-up-to-59-in-march ans ScotRail fares have now increased by 4.8% following a freeze since January 2022. The rise will not apply to season and flexi tickets to ensure the most frequent travellers are not impacted. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66086204 I’ll be accused of whitabotery. Continue reading How will the Herald present rail fares in England increasing by 23% more than Scotrail?

Andrew Bowie Con MSP, above, yesterday on the changge.org website: What the Nuclear Dump is For – The Big New Nuclear Gamble Dear Friends, The seismic blasting of the Irish Sea has taken place (to be followed by further invasive “investigations of the geology” in order to facilitate the ambitions of the nuclear gamblers who gathered this week at the Northern Nuclear Conference in of all places Carlisle Racecourse!   The deep nuclear dump plans are necessary to this new nuclear agenda to put the waste ‘out of sight and out of mind’. The Northern Nuclear Conference at Carlisle Racecourse … Continue reading The Bowie who sold the World? Scottish MP excited to put a major nuclear risk on our doorstep

Front page in the Herald, a one-year drop in affordable housing output and Scottish Labour allowed to suggest they are in a position to criticise. From the impartial Grampian Online in January 2023: Scotland has continued the trend of outperforming the rest of the UK in delivering affordable housing. In the last financial year 9757 homes have been built for social rent, mid-market rent, and affordable ownership. Scotland continues to outperform the rest of the UK by building 13.9 homes per 10,000 population, compared with 8.0 in Wales, 9.7 in England and 13.0 per 10,000 in Northern Ireland. https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/news/scotland-outperforms-uk-in-building-affordable-housing-298925/ 13.9 … Continue reading New affordable housing: SNP Scotland 74% better than Labour Wales

By stewartb – a long read The constitution of a nation-state ‘sets the rules according to which a society is organised’ – ‘constitutions reflect a country’s history, traditions and circumstances’.   These are shorthand characterisations offered in the first (50 page long) report to emerge from an ongoing Review of the UK Constitution by the Institute for Government (IfG) and the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge. Their aims are to examine the purpose of constitutions; to assess how the UK constitution fulfils that purpose; to highlight problems with the UK’s constitution that are being revealed; and to … Continue reading The UK constitution – it’s England’s creation and England will decide if, how and when it is reformed!