Shared by the Common Weal, huffy so-called independence supporters, to hear Tom Gordon say: THE Scottish Government’s key strategy to end homelessness is at risk of failure because of the added pressure to house refugees from the war in Ukraine, over-stretched council officials have warned. A blistering memo to SNP Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison says those working on the ground feel “frustration, depression and anger” at the “massive challenges”. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/22325408.anger-confused-snp-response-ukrainian-refugees-hits-homeless-services/?ref=twtrec Who is the blistering memo from? Not identified. Leaked by some Labour minion and picked up by Gordon to present as news. Some real news about homelessness in Scotland? … Continue reading Common Weal promotes Tom Gordon’s fake news on homelessness

All over BBC Scotland, Sandesh Gulhane (Con) and Dr John-Paul Loughrey, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland trade union, say the latest A&E delays are causing additional deaths in Scotland’s hospitals. Loughrey said they could lead to about 40 deaths in the following 30 days. Loughrey must know this is not true while Gulhane, I feel sure, cares little for the truth. Why is not true? A&E waiting times have been increasing for some time now yet hospital deaths have been falling. Public Health Scotland publishes rolling monthly statements of hospital deaths within 30 days of admission, over … Continue reading The hard evidence that people are NOT dying because they are waiting longer in A&E

BBC Scotland have headlined this one-week variation, not evidence of any trend, with a view to scaring their audience. One-week variations are not a trend. In the last 8 weeks we’ve seen these percentages seen in 4 hours: 65, 66.3, 67.6, 65.1, 65, 66.1, 67.7, 63.5. That’s flat, stable. Let’s see what happens in the next three weeks before we claim anything more. The report includes these ridiculous claims from their Health Correspondent, Lisa Winters: Doctors working in emergency medicine have issued stark warnings recently about the impact of long waits in A&E. It is simply not safe, and patients … Continue reading There is no threat to life from the best emergency services in the UK

Strangely in front of the Herald paywall, former Blairite minister for education, Brian Wilson has the effing gall to write: Back in 1997, when I became Scottish Education Minister, pre-devolution, one of the most urgent challenges we faced was the dire condition of the school estate. The backlog was horrendous and if we had relied on traditional means of funding through council budgets, it would have stretched into infinity. Some would still be waiting. To meet this challenge, we adopted a version of Public Private Partnership which took the school building programme off balance sheet, drew in private capital and transferred maintenance … Continue reading Brian Wilson’s shiny neck

Regular readers will know where I’m going with this Herald report. This is a very unreliable survey based on a tiny self-selecting sample of only 327 schools out of  more than 24 000 in England and more than 5 000 in Scotland, ie a 1% sample. There is also no breakdown for the Scottish results. And, of course, what about all the reading they do online? Does that not count? Continue reading We really have no idea how much pupils are reading…books that is

Above, mourners at Buckingham Palace after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 2022. Below, mourners at the same place in August 1997. How long did it last? Why? Studies have shown that for most people, the worst symptoms of grief — depression, sleeplessness, loss of appetite — peak at six months. As the first year continues, you may find these feelings ebb. https://beyond.life/help-centre/grief-loss-bereavement/how-long-does-grief-last/ Continue reading Give it a year

From stewartb The investment in the school estate – and the NHS Scotland estate and the FE college estate – in Scotland is a good news story. Sensible folk can see the tangible, beneficial outcomes in their everyday lives. And of course they won’t necessarily link this to other positives: sustaining employment in construction; supporting many young people into apprenticeships; the multiplier effect on the construction supply chain; the longer term legacy of new and improved buildings for future generations. And regarding investment in the school estate, it’s been a sustained effort by the Scottish Government in partnership with Scottish … Continue reading Scotland’s school estate: The Good News Story

Down the page in the Herald report, we see: Why is that not the headline? Editorial choice poses as reality. What are the unclear figures? So, a zero-point three increase and a one-year fluctuation? Not even remotely significant or meaningful. What is the longer-term, statistically meaningful trend? Schools buildings across Scotland are in their best condition since recorded figures began. According to new statistics 90% of schools were in good or satisfactory condition in April 2021, up from 61% in April 2007. This improvement has seen the percentage of pupils taught in good or satisfactory schools increase from 61% to … Continue reading ‘It’s a matter for pride’: Further improvements in school premises

The average support for Yes over the last 7 polls has been 43.1%. The first poll since the death of the Queen, recorded 42%. The difference in a poll of around 1 000 Scots is thus statistically insignificant and reveals no meaningful effect. The media claims (Express and Sun) of a slump in support are baseless. Continue reading Queen’s death has no effect on support for independence