The Herald’s Health Correspondent has just notices a trend and an anomaly – cancer deaths falling despite less treatment during the pandemic – which TuS reported on the first signs of two years ago. Amid the current media feeding frenzy to topple another Scottish Health Secretary with supposed malpractice in NHS Tayside’s oncology department also two years ago, this story is fascinating. From the Herald today: Here’s what we wrote in October 2022: Throughout 2020 and into 2021, Scottish Labour tastelessly weaponised the inevitable reductions in cancer treatment, especially surgery, to protect vulnerable patients from a deadly virus. The ‘tsunami … Continue reading Why are cancer deaths lower? Could it be NHS Scotland just keeps getting better?

In the Herald today: You see that ‘influential pro-independence’ there? That’s the issue here. Common Weal are largely ignored by the SNP and by the Scottish Government and they have been, for some time now, just been in one great big huff about it. The previous director started to act like some messianic figure cast into a wilderness of impotence by those SNP devils in the Scottish Government. See this from two years ago: Under his leadership the supposedly pro-independence group seemed to decide that only their kind of independence would do and if they couldn’t have it they’d fight … Continue reading SNP savaged by huffy sheep’s sister?

Regular readers will now have seen reports here of more than 10 sub-polls with 80% suggesting the same thing. Scottish Labour’s reported resurgence is a media myth and wishful thinking by media supporters of Anas Sarwar’s rightist, Starmerite, politics. The latest from Osmosis, based on those likely to vote has UK Labour on 44% but in Scotland, the Cons on 14%, Labour on 20% and the SNP on 49%. Source: https://omnisis.co.uk/poll-results/vi-12-results-02-12-2022 Continue reading Scottish Labour’s never-ending failure to catch up

By stewartb One of the benefits of being a regular reader of TuS blog is the ‘education’ it provides by shining its spotlight on ways journalists construct their reports on news and current affairs. One learns of the importance of being an alert – and a sceptical – recipient of their output at all times. However, experience makes one especially wary of certain media sources, and especially when the topic being addressed relates to Scotland. One the learning points is to note how a news report is being ‘framed’. Sometimes this is done subtly, sometimes not! Note the framing inherent … Continue reading ‘… looks like carelessness’ – a case study in BBC Scotland reporting

Sub-polls of 100 to 140 Scots are, of course, not reliable on their own but when several say the same thing, they start to add up to evidence of what is happening. There have been one or two sub-polls suggesting a Labour recovery in Scotland but these have been outliers. Most recently Deltapoll and YouGov on 24-28 and 29-30 November, with almost identical results, suggest no resurgence for Sarwar’s branch.. Deltapoll has UK Labour at 48%, Scottish Labour at 21% Cons at 14% and SNP at 45%. YouGov has UK Labour at 48%, Scottish Labour at 22%, Cons at 14% … Continue reading Two more Scottish sub-polls suggest Scottish Labour NOT recovering and lagging well behind UK Labour

From BBC England today: Whistleblowers at one of England’s worst performing hospital trusts have said a climate of fear among staff is putting patients at risk. Former and current clinicians at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Trust allege they were punished by management for raising safety concerns, a BBC Newsnight investigation found. One insider said the trust was “a bit like the mafia”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-63827648 In an extended report, there is no mention of the English Health Secretary and no opposition politician accuses him of anything. In a far less dramatic story of bullying in NHS Highland, in 2019, BBC Scotland … Continue reading Demonising SNP leaders: Only in Scotland is NHS bullying blamed on government

In the Guardian today: Ofwat is refusing to limit the soaring debts run up by water companies as research reveals the firms have outstanding borrowing of almost £54bn accrued since privatisation. Customers are paying on average £80 or 20% of their water bill towards servicing debt and rewarding shareholders, according to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/01/water-companies-debts-since-privatisation-ofwat-refuses-impose-limits What’s the situation in Scotland? In February 2022: Scotland’s Net Zero Secretary Michael Matheson said “Our average water charges remain lower than the average in other parts of the UK. In 2021-22 the average charge in Scotland is £375, compared to £408 in England … Continue reading SNP Government holds water bill levels as they soar in England due to debt incurred to reward managers and shareholders

Neil Mackay thrives on the scare story. From apparently surging sectarianism to increasing homophobia, his reports don’t survive a collision with the evidence. Today, Father Ted-like, we’re all racists it seems. The evidence? In May this year, I could write: There were 3 285 charges relating to race reported in Scotland in 2020/21 and I’m sure many more incidents not reported. There is racism in Scotland, I’m ashamed to say. There is probably some institutional racism in, for example, parts of the police force but none of that makes Scotland an essentially racist country. A ‘racist country’ surely is one … Continue reading Scotland can be racist but is 32% less so than it was and far less so than it is elsewhere