In a rare snippet of accuracy, the Herald tells us what the BMA is A union has taken aim at the Scottish Government for failing to tackle the shortage of doctors in the country. The British Medical Association (BMA) said many doctors in the country are at breaking point, with pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic increasing their workflow, causing “huge fatigue, frustration and unhappiness”. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/19812464.urgent-call-reverse-shortage-doctors-scotland/ What is the evidence for this union’s claims? Readers may not be surprised to see that no hard evidence of any kind is offered but merely unsubstantiated claims of a shortage of GPs, inadequate pay … Continue reading Factcheck: There is NO shortage of doctors in Scotland

Some businesses fear trade will travel south to England, where there are fewer (sic) rules. The restrictions are just too much (sic) and with Dumfries being that close to the border, everyone (sic) is just looking at England and saying, let’s just go down there. My brother-in-law is a taxi driver and he is booked up for taxis to Carlisle. You can imagine what other drivers are like. Ian Jardine, Bar owner, is BBC Scotland’s expert on pandemic restrictions today, before anyone who might know anything gets a word in. Really, is this where we are now in reporting by … Continue reading Really? This is your evidence?

Record levels of demand for Covid PCR tests have left some families waiting up to five days for their results over Christmas, BBC Scotland has learned. Some who took a PCR in on 23 December only received results on Tuesday. They must isolate at home until they receive notification of a negative test, meaning many had to change their Christmas plans. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59809242 How many families did BBC Scotland find or have passed to them by the Scottish opposition parties? Two plus an anonymous woman, so three at best. How many PCR tests were done on the 24th? 55 780? What … Continue reading BBC Scotland reveals 0.005% of test results delayed

Faithfully reported today in the Herald as ‘MP claims Scotland ‘out of step’ as no new England restrictions before 2022′, Sir Geoff, above was a surprise to me. I took for granted it would be one of the Tory six (guilty) or that guy from Edinburgh, the Labour Shadowy Labour Secretary of State for Scotland. It’s times like this that, I appreciate how much the Herald does for us. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19811237.covid-mp-claims-scotland-out-step-no-new-england-restrictions-2022/ Continue reading Sir Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown (Con) says ‘Jocks out-of-step’ on Covid measures

On the 27th December, the only story for BBC UK was Scotland’s record level infection rate on Boxing Day, of 11 030 new cases up from 8 252 on Xmas Day. ‘Delayed over the festive period’, according to the Guardian only today, 28th: Covid cases in England reached a new high of 113,628 on Christmas Day and 1,281 people were admitted to hospital – the highest daily figure since mid-February. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/27/uk-reports-daily-figure-of-98515-new-covid-cases Why delayed in England but in full public view in Scotland? So that Javid could claim the evidence for new measures wasn’t yet there? On Xmas Day, all being … Continue reading Evidence of England’s nearly 40% higher case rate on Xmas Day delayed to let Javid claim no need for measures?

Steadily dribbled across the Herald and BBC Scotland, from Boxing Day to this morning, the Lib Dems, punching above their weight you have to say, have been allowed to blame the SNP for too many ambulance hoax calls and too many nurses and police officers taking time off, due to mental health problems. Kept carefully in the store from 19th November until delivery today, on BBC Scotland, we had ‘almost 150 000 days‘ lost by nursing and midwifery staff in one year due to mental health issues. That turned out to be only 1.17% of the total 12 760 000 … Continue reading SHOCK: Lib Dems exposed as storing up and ‘adapting’ Freedom of Information responses for an SNP Unhappy Xmas!

..due to mental ill-health. Today, we hear the above claim, based on another Lib Dem freedom of information request and with Cole-Hamilton platformed to call for the problem to be laid at the feet of SNP ministers. Yesterday, 27th, we had an arithmetically-challenged Lib Dem FoI-based claim that police officers are taking more time off for mental health reasons when the data actually shows them almost exactly the same this year as last: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2021/12/27/15-year-old-modern-studies-pupil-has-fit-of-giggles-at-herald-report-on-police-absences/ The day before, 26th, they were ambulance-chasing for time wasted on hoax calls only for a quick analysis by a 16 year-old to reveal no increase … Continue reading Scotland’s media batch-processing THREE Lib Dem attacks on SNP Government over quiet festive period

I post the above with some reservations but it looks, as of today, 27th December 2021, that the 7 day average in Wales, N Ireland and Scotland has fallen while in England, it soars. BBC News tonight painted a very different picture with Scotland headlined as Covid capital again and, from Savid Javid, Health Secretary for England: …the new year. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcone Continue reading If you were Savid Javid, what would you do?

Headlining on BBC Scotland: Christmas Day saw 8,252 cases. Boxing Day registered 11,030 confirmed cases and Monday’s daily total was 10,562. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59802261 Wow! I wonder what the news for BBC UK is? There it is. In the UK, Scotland’s Covid cases! The headline story with analysis by Nick Sniggle makes no mention of infection rates in England over the last three days. Wonder why? Wait, bottom left, see it, the latest UK data? Ah, 2 days ago. The latest they have, for last week, is 122 186, still higher, pro rata, than Scotland’s record high of 11 030. Continue reading UK shocked to hear of record Covid level…..in Scotland

I’ve had the booster jab now so if you see me in the street, do feel free to get up close, pat me on the back perhaps or tell me which of my columns is your personal favourite. After all the months of distancing, the social interaction will do me good. We could also talk, maybe, about something specific that happened at my booster jab, something I wasn’t expecting. On the whole, it all went pretty smoothly – the vaccines were being done by a mixture of local staff and soldiers brought up from England – and I was in … Continue reading My personal favourite? Really, you think that might happen?