They’re all, not just BBC Scotland, headlining the tragic death by knife of a 14 year-old yesterday in Glasgow. They should. I understand but they should also inform their audience with some context so that they can react to it emotionally and behaviourally in proportion. They don’t. How common is such a crime in Scotland? Five children have been murdered in Scotland in the last 21 years, since Kriss Donald in 2004. It is a very rare crime. How common is knife crime? Public perceptions of carrying suggest it has fallen from 22% to 12% in the last 10 years … Continue reading The murder by knife of a teenager in Scotland is now very rare

According to Reporting Scotland’s report today, Covid cases here have reached to a ‘stubbornly high plateau.’ Now ask your mum or anyone in the street what that means for the question ‘Which part of the UK has the highest Covid infections’ and, I’m sure the answer will be Scotland. Unless, of course, you let them see this: Woah! Wait! Whit? I thought you said it was high here? What are BBC England and Wales saying? Well, nothing, nothing at all actually. Continue reading UK looks down on Scotland’s ‘stubbornly high plateau’

As BBC Scotland staff monitor Covid data for any sign that Scotland’s performance is the worst, TuS understands that some are suffering health problems. Scotland’s dizzying fall and apparent determination to stay at the bottom has triggered an emotional form of vertigo in some, while England’s surge is causing some to become anxious that they are heading to become the worst and they might feel obliged to mention that. As for Wales, most staff are now experiencing headaches. I am too. What is going on there? Continue reading BBC Scotland staff dizzy and anxious as Wales infections confuse and England’s soar to the top

As with Cameron Norrie, BBC Scotland show no interest in a dramatic win by Scotland’s cricket team who have beaten one of the top teams in the world, Bangladesh. BBC Sport has only a minimal account with no acknowledgment of the achievement. Scotland has beaten the number six side in the world from our position of 15th out of 88 in the ICC Men’s T201 league. I know little of cricket but this is a big win, worthy of attention. For context, Bangladesh has a population of 165 million, with a median age of 27.6 years compared to Scotland’s 5.44 … Continue reading Scotland’s national cricket team beat top team Bangladesh, NINE places above them but BBC Scotland….

What, none of them can do emergencies? None? I don’t think Alister Jack mentioned that. They can’t do emergencies. Their newest ambulance is 30 years old. Can I tell a general to stop wasting my time? I’ve got 160 000 staff and Alister says the Army will save us with another 82? You’ll just need to pretend they’ve been a big help or we’ll never hear the end of it. Thanks lads! Safe journey back to Catterick but remember to think twice before calling out an NHS England ambulance. No, really? Continue reading Humza reacts to British Army rescue plan

By Alasadair Galloway: Earlier here: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2021/10/16/our-nhs-is-not-in-trouble-because-of-snp-decisions/ points to the partiality of this letter to the Herald (also) on Saturday. DAVID Crawford (Letters, October 15) writes regarding NHS performance, simplistically blaming Westminster, asserting a worse NHS situation south of the Border, and stating insufficient taxes are returned to Scotland. Public Health Scotland data reveals a 21 per cent pre-pandemic reduction in inpatient treatments delivered between 2013 and 2019, from 345,000 to 274,000, and consequential spiralling record waiting lists. Much of this is driven by reductions in hospital beds. Despite a growing population, outpatient treatments completed show a slight reduction over the … Continue reading Our NHS is NOT in trouble because of SNP decisions Part 2

In the Herald today: THE annual cost of ministerial offices has almost doubled under the SNP, Scottish Labour has said. Excluding the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister, the yearly cost of ministerial salaries, office staff and advisers has risen from around £2.4 million in the SNP’s first government in 2007 to more than £4.5m in 2021, the party said. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19653527.annual-cost-ministerial-offices-has-almost-doubled-snp/ So, first that ‘doubling’ is not 100% correct. It should be 87.5% Second, UK inflation from 2007 to 2020, has been around 42% and averaged 2.7% so by 2021, 44%. So, we have a ‘real’ increase in spending … Continue reading A bargain

Straight off, let me be clear, I don’t give a, whether Cameron Norrie, winner of Indian Wells (bottom right), is a Brit or any other ethnicity. This is not to be taken seriously. I mean that, seriously. He is a left-hander like me. That’s important. We’re a disadvantaged minority. Cameron Norrie has a very Scottish-sounding name with so many r’s a non-rhotic southerner will end up calling him Camwhon Nohwy. Indeed, Wimbledon was originally Rimbledon until the local mayor, a descendent of the Wohman governor spoofed in Life of Bwian, had it changed. Norrie has a Scots dad and a … Continue reading Will it be Norrie Knowe now?

In the Times today: Up to 1,700 soldiers could be axed in Scotland as the Ministry of Defence seeks to cut costs and create a leaner army to meet the demands of the cyber era. Three of Scotland’s seven garrisons face closure in cuts to be announced by the end of the year. Fort George near Inverness, home to the Black Watch, and the Glencorse and Redford barracks in Edinburgh were scheduled to close by 2032 but army chiefs want to speed up the plans. A regiment of Royal Engineers at Kinloss may relocate to England. The moves could see … Continue reading Scotland’s ‘Fort Apache’ to close?

It’s been a while since the Herald offered a platform for attacks on SNP administrations by the teacher union, the EIS. Today ‘the Herald understands’ something bad is happening in schools based only on an EIS source. The Herald/EIS/Labour opposition links go back a long way. In December 2020, I pointed them out: Don’t call me a conspiracy theorist! Nobody is saying this is a conspiracy. Chomsky applies here too. These are members of the professional, political and media elites acting in what they feel are their own interests (attacking the SNP administration) and in so doing acting in the … Continue reading Readers robbed of facts?