From BBC UK today: The large number of unfilled NHS job vacancies is posing a serious risk to patient safety, a report by MPs says. It found England is now short of 12,000 hospital doctors and more than 50,000 nurses and midwives, calling this the worst workforce crisis in NHS history. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62267282 In a report where former Con Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt only suggests that tackling the shortage must be a “top priority” for the new prime minister when they take over in September, there’s no suggestion that the Health Secretary should resign. All forgiven; fresh start? It’s Steve Barclay … Continue reading NHS England facing ‘worst staffing crisis in history’ yet no calls for resignations

You’ll remember that the public have right to know when things are worse in Scotland than in England, so our media remind us regularly of our higher drug deaths or lower employment rates but we don’t hear, because that would be tasteless whitabootery, when Covid deaths or our child poverty rates are lower or when our A&E is faster. Today we heard about the 54 Monkey Pox cases in Scotland but not, of course, about the 2208 cases, across the UK. We have the lowest rate at only a quarter of the UK level. Should you want to see how … Continue reading Scotland’s Monkey Pox rate one of lowest in the World!

Ever determined to give their elderly Scots audience a fright and keep them change-averse, Reporting Scotland lead off with The World Health Organisation has declared the outbreak an international public health emergency. 16 000 cases of the viral disease have been reported in more than 70 countries. Then in reverse order with what are the real headline messages to inform viewers, a clearly PO Prof Bauld tells us: The risk for the public in Scotland remains low We’ve had 54 cases with an increase of only 3 since the last count in mid-July These are really small numbers This is … Continue reading Monkey Pox: It’s a totally different situation to Covid 19

The above is, of course, another trade union survey based on those with a grudge choosing to respond, in pursuit of better pay. They’re entitled but the Herald should, don’t laugh, have some journalistic principles. How about this one. Report the evidence of trends in fire and in staffing? See this: Scotland sees huge reduction in serious fires and deaths but still retains more firefighters than England In last 25 years, serious fires have reduced by more than 50% from 66 000 to 25 000. Fatal casualties in fires have fallen by even more from around 125 000 to around … Continue reading Shouting THEATRE in a crowded fire station

By stewartb As the people of Scotland approach the time to decide the future status of our country, it is inevitable that British/English nationalists/Unionists will once again resort to scaremongering. All sorts of dire predictions of an independent Scotland’s economic performance will be made with absolute certainty.  The emphasis will be on big numbers, on short and medium and long term forecasts, all trotted out with statistical certainty. Their emphasis will NOT be on Scotland’s intrinsic, tangible and intangible assets: they will work hard to deny the positives such assets can deliver for the people of an advanced, Western democracy … Continue reading ‘Forecasting is as accurate as necromancy’ – remember this Scotland!

In the Observer today: Dominic Raab has been accused of a “catastrophic” decision that experts say profoundly undermines public safety by allowing prisoners to abscond and others to commit serious offences while on parole. In a strongly worded letter to the justice secretary, three unions castigate a “momentous and dangerous” move by Raab to ban psychologists, prison staff and probation officers from informing the Parole Board whether they believe prisoners should be released. Under the previous system, parole panels considering applications for release were given reports including risk assessments and recommendations from professionals who had worked with the inmate. On Thursday, however, … Continue reading Scot Gov has no plans to endanger public with parole changes

In the Guardian yesterday but nowhere to be seen across Scottish MSM: The amount of carbon dioxide captured by the UK’s forests has fallen by millions of tonnes and will remain at historically low rates for over a decade, because of a failure to quickly replace old forest stocks. The UK has committed to planting 30,000 hectares (74,131 acres) of new trees annually by 2025 to replace older forests that have been harvested and to increase the UK’s overall tree cover. In Scotland, after falling sharply planting rates have risen recently to 11,000 hectares a year and are helping arrest that … Continue reading Tree planting only increases significantly in Scotland

Ice and the Queensferry Crossing: Closed 3 times in 5 years is not a ‘plague’ The 3rd of only 3 closures was branded in the Scotsman, by the Scottish Tories, as a ‘national disgrace’ in 2021. They need a holiday, by car and ferry, in Normandy if they want to see a national disgrace. Anyhow, in the Herald today: Scotland’s flagship road bridge is to be “cleaned” over the next three months in an effort to stop ice buildup from forcing it to close during the winter.  The £1.35bn Queensferry Crossing has shut three times since opening in 2017 due … Continue reading Queensferry Crossing’s magnificent record

It is. It is a moral panic. I wrote about my own disgracefully slow realisation, prompted by a family member and Bob Dylan, back in February 2021: I’ve been thinking. I used to be a sociologist. I liked the way sociology asked questions, all the time, about anything and everything. Especially, I liked the way it exposed how entrenched power differentials explain the suppression of some groups. I often say it changed me for the better and for good. I think I may have betrayed my younger self recently. In the debate on the trans community supposedly trying to possess … Continue reading GRA: Young Herald writer only catches on 18 months after TuS writer (71)

‘Our’ MSM are clear. We can have a second independence referendum as long as its presented as only advisory and then, they think, the result can be ignored, just like……the Brexit referendum with its narrow 52/48 result? Well no. As we are all painfully aware, that one was interpreted in Westminster as the will of the people and was implemented. Back in 2016, the respected Full Fact, had a look and on the question of whether the EU referendum was “advisory” only and concluded: The referendum wasn’t legally binding, but there’s plenty of scope for argument about whether politicians should … Continue reading Advisory referendums*: ‘Politicians should feel obliged to implement the result anyway’