The latest Ipsos MORI poll of 1 107 Scots on 22-29 November is the first with a two digit lead for Yes since December 2020, and comes after a long run of apparent No leads since April 2021. The last Ipsos MORI poll in May was a tie. For Holyrood, the SNP are at 51% with Tories and Labour below 20. You can read the full report at: Click to access Ipsos%20MORI%20Scottish%20Political%20Monitor_Charts_November%202021_V2_PUBLIC.pdf Ipsos MORI do not poll often compared to some of the others and have not had a No lead since 2018. Some PhD student should be exploring their … Continue reading Latest poll suggests 2014 result could be reversed

From the SNP today: The UK Tory government has ignored a request from MPs to review the higher electricity grid charges for electricity producers in Scotland. Currently it costs more for Scottish electricity producers to connect to the grid than elsewhere in the UK and across the whole of Europe. Responsibility for grid charges in the UK lies with the Westminster government. Scotland currently has 25% of Europe’s offshore wind capacity, however grid charges implemented by the UK government mean that Scottish windfarms are 20% more expensive than farms south of the border. A 1GW offshore windfarm off the Scottish coast will pay £38m a year and a 1GW windfarm off south … Continue reading Powering England’s green revolution and STILL paying extra for the privilege

645 words and 5 times we can read ‘deaths linked to hospital infections’ but not one claim of infections shown to have caused any death. Twenty three senior clinicians have written a letter calling the criticism of Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board “unfounded” but still BBC Scotland repeat the unfounded accusations based on one tragically misled parent and one partner probably groomed by opposition politicians in a deeply cynical attempt to unseat a health secretary. Continue reading Five ‘linked to’ but no ’caused by’ adds up to a cynical stunt

Leaving aside the second story ignoring ‘the English still without power’, the Telegraph is now the only paper sticking with, as opposed to sticking it to, Johnson. The sheer contempt for readers in ignoring the facts is, of course, to be expected. What are the facts? Sturgeon’s Scotland has given the booster jag to 31% while Johnson’s England has only done 27% and that’s if we can trust the PHE stats. Scotland leads on delivery of all 3 jags and is ahead of England on all 8 age groups. Source: https://www.travellingtabby.com/uk-coronavirus-tracker/ Continue reading Johnson faces pressure to catch up with FM’s booster rollout

Today’s Holyrood vote of no confidence in Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board is a political stunt orchestrated by Anas Sarwar, based on media reports alleging, free of evidence, serious problems with infection and deaths. Here are the facts: In terms of actual mortality in Glasgow hospitals from April 2019 to March 2020, the period in which we saw the deaths supposedly linked to infections, all of the Glasgow hospitals had expected patient mortality rates and the Queen Elizabeth actually had a better than expected rate with nearly 200 less deaths than predicted based on previous years: That offending red … Continue reading Fact Check: Glasgow hospital is safer and cleaner than most

From stewartb: The subject of regeneration supported by the Scottish Government typically receives little or no media attention. For example, there is almost nothing reported on the nature and local impacts of the capital investments by the SG with and for local authorities. Regeneration Capital Grant Fund – ‘supports locally developed place based regeneration projects that involve local communities, helping to tackle inequalities and deliver inclusive growth in deprived, disadvantaged and fragile remote communities across Scotland.’ A very long list of projects supported by the RCG Fund between 2014 and 2022 can be found on the SG’s website. £27.5m was … Continue reading Regeneration supported by the Scottish Government typically receives little or no media attention

From stewartb: Congratulations are due to the people of Barbados as they celebrate both the 55th anniversary of their country’s independence and also their first day as a republic! It’s hard not be very envious! We will never know what ‘remarks’ designed to influence constitutional decisions in Barbados may have been made by the British monarch or ‘palace’ officials or UK government ministers at key moments – prior to becoming independent in 1966 and prior to removing the British monarch as head of state now in 2021. However, I’ve been interested in the sentiments expressed by senior members of the … Continue reading Emancipation for Barbados: ‘Surely Scotland would attract similar sentiments?’

East Ayrshire Council has won an award for an initiative others could well copy. Scotland’s Towns Partnership, which is supporting towns all over Scotland to put new life into our high streets,  held its first ever awards ceremony and presented a special judges award to their team for their efforts.   The East Ayrshire Gift Card enables shoppers and businesses to  keep it local through the pandemic to helping those in need have choice and dignity with their spending.  It works like a pre-loaded credit card which you can buy  online at http://www.eastayrshiregiftcard.co.uk or in selected participating business – with nearly … Continue reading SNP council leads the way on town centre regeneration

Throughout 2020, opposition politicians and MSM warned of a ‘tsunami’ of cancer deaths as a result of reduced diagnosis and treatment. This, sickeningly, became a regular basis for attack on the SNP Government’s management of the pandemic measures and of NHS Scotland. Based on today’s report, we can see cancer deaths in Scotland for 2020, after 9 months of reduced treatment, have continued to fall as a mortality rate and, for the first time in 5 years, fell in absolute terms. Despite the latter evidence, the report insists: The age-adjusted cancer mortality rate, or risk of dying from cancer, has … Continue reading Cancer deaths fall despite pandemic effects on treatment

9 cases of the new more infectious variant, Omicron, confirmed in Scotland but still only 3 in England, despite having a far larger community with South African connections and far more flights from there into London? Does that seem at all plausible? Contact tracing is more difficult among some ethnicities where there is a greater tendency to distrust authorities and so the spread may be greater than known at this stage. Also, the outsourced testing and contact tracing system in England has, throughout the pandemic, been less effective than those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: England’s covid-19 testing and … Continue reading Omicron Latest: Scottish testing and contact tracing system more effective in protecting communities?