Above BBC Scotland, as the Scottish IVF waiting time target results are published. Now if the trans rapist was to be denied IVF treatment, that would be a story. Try searching ‘BBC Scotland IVF‘ and all you will get is stories of the experience of one or two individuals or of how an unvaccinated person was refused treatment during the pandemic. You won’t see this: The 90% standard was met, with 99.6% of patients attending a screening appointment within 52 weeks of referral. 98.9% of all patients waited 39 weeks or less to be screened, similar to the previous quarter … Continue reading Scotland’s secret success as 100% IVF system saving thousands in ‘not in public interest’

In the Yorkshire Post today but not in the public interest in Scotland, judging by the zero coverage: Landowners in East Yorkshire have complained of feeling “pressurised” over an undersea electricity “superhighway” from Scotland to England which will cross their land. The £2.1bn link between Peterhead in north east Scotland and Drax in north Yorkshire, is expected to provide enough “green” electricity from Scottish offshore wind farms to power 2m homes in England. Spaldington parish council said agents had visited local properties last year and they’d received complaints that “the actions of said individuals could be considered inappropriate”. Clerk Simon Baxter said: … Continue reading SNP accused of destroying Yorkshire with cheap electricity link

I’ve been reading the above and getting a wee reminder of how little we need honour the Act of Union in 1707. Here’s why: Only 177 unelected worthies got to vote. Many had been bribed. With one fifth (1 million) of England’s population (5 million) Scotland only got one eleventh (45) of the total 513 seats. English troops were massed on the border, in case the offer was not accepted. If Scotland rejected the offer, all trade would be banned, Scots ports would subject to a naval blockade, and all Scots living in England would be ejected. There was rioting … Continue reading The Act of Union in 1707 had very little legitimacy then and clearly has none today

From Leah Gunn Barrett I sent this to the Scotsman, below, in response to the above. It will not be published. Dear Editor, Andrew H N Gray (letters, 27 Feb) doesn’t accept that the UK Government suppressed the McCrone Report for the obvious reason that if Scots knew their nation’s true wealth, they’d exit the Union. Dr Gavin McCrone, the report’s author, concluded that “for the first time since the Act of Union was passed, it can now be credibly argued that Scotland’s economic advantage lies in its repeal.”[1] Rather, Mr. Gray asserts that a nation “having lots of money is … Continue reading The UK Government DID suppress the McCrone Report to hide Scotland’s wealth

I’ve been forgetting to check the business mag, Insider, for some time so this from 10 February 2023, had passed me by. Did BBC Scotland’s Douglas Fraser tell us this good news? I searched for ‘Douglas Fraser whisky exports’ in the last month and got: It looks like there aren’t many great matches for your search Anyhow, here’s the essence of the story: Global exports of Scotch whisky grew to more than £6bn for the first time in 2022, according to figures from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). In 2022, the value of Scotch whisky exports was up 37% by … Continue reading Scotland’s food and drink exports surge to new high and leave UK behind

Covid is spreading much faster everywhere in the UK than in Scotland. The infection rate in Scotland remains the lowest in the UK other than in Wales but it is spreading faster there. You know I like a graph. In this scattergraph, the closer to the bottom left an area is the better things are – low infection level and little growth. Continue reading Covid infections most under control in Scotland

While overall Covid infection and hospitalisation rates continue to be at pretty much the same level across the UK, an anomalous difference in the numbers requiring intensive care persists, month after month. Recently the number of patients in ICU for Covid in England has been running at approaching three times as many, pro rata, and rarely falls below twice as many. Wales, with a smaller population, typically has more Covid ICU cases than Scotland. This cannot be a random effect. I’ve reported this several times over the last year or so but no reliable research has been done to explain … Continue reading Covid ICU cases almost three times more common in NHS England

From Alasdair Galloway The BBC routinely gets a good kicking for its coverage of Scotland and Scottish politics, so I thought it only fair to bring to your attention – if it hasn’t already – an article on their website today. It’s by “veteran” (ie old) reporter Alan Little. You can find it here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64761495 While it begins in a kind of downbeat way – Nicola’s gone, Unionist parties poised and ready to strike (don’t laugh!). But he quickly gets over that with a “Don’t be so sure.” While Little works in London, he is from Scotland (Glenluce) and has … Continue reading A Little not Small relief from BBC Scotland’s rubbish?

The National poll yesterday found this: I was a bit surprised by the Kate Forbes interview where she doubled down on some quite reactionary social attitudes and I remain uncertain that any Christian fundamentalist or Muslim, regardless of how moderate, democratic and decent they seem, is genuinely accepting of same-sex marriage, abortion, women’s or trans rights. Both claim they can be trusted to protect the existing laws but I want more from a leader than that. I understand the National poll may have been compromise by bots: https://www.thenational.scot/news/23346251.snp-leadership-election-poll-bot-located-near-holyrood-detected/ So, I did a quick small poll with 9 100 TuS twitter … Continue reading A three-ways split with no overall winner?

We’ve seen poll after poll where Scottish Labour support is only half that for UK Labour but this latest has them at less than one third and Scottish Cons back in 2nd place. Quite a low number for the SNP but unlike Labour, they’re supposed to be in trouble at the moment. They didn’t include Alba, I see. Only one wee poll I know but still enjoyable to consider. Continue reading Poll suggests shocking collapse in Scottish Labour support