Cases in Scotland are rising fast at the moment. It is concerning but less so than in England Northern Ireland where the base level has been so much higher to start with. Scotland’s better vaccine rollout, and more successful control measures over the pandemic have combined to keep levels far below those in England and Northern Ireland and, latterly, below those in Wales. Continue reading Scotland copes with surge due to previous efforts and better vaccine rollout

This letter by Leah Gunn Barrett, published in the Scotsman yesterday is worth of wider attention: There is another reason to leave Cambo oil under the sea (Editorial, August 17). The chief developer of this oil field, Siccar Point Energy, is owned by a company registered in Luxembourg, Siccar Point Luxembourg SCA. What this means is that all profits, interest payments, supply and even labour chain contracts will flow through Luxembourg, not the UK.[1]  So since there won’t be any UK tax revenue there is no economic case for developing this oil field. And the environmental consequences of doing so … Continue reading Another reason to leave Cambo oil under the sea

Leaving aside the entertainment value in the above image for the long-term Celtic fan, Brian ‘Bad Vibrations‘, Wilson’s argument that Sturgeon loved calling for public inquiries and so should continue to do so regardless is an odd one. She has called for an earlier one on the pandemic, than the UK Government wants to see. No doubt he agrees with their strategy to protect the PM from scrutiny. What is driving Wilson? As recently as 2016, she was calling for such an inquiry into public private finance deals under the previous administration.  Previous administration, eh? Oooh was that the New Labour one … Continue reading SHOCK: Brian Wilson loves lying about Sturgeon

From Uncle Tom Gordonstoun at the Herald today: Today’s Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures are forecast to show Scotland had a deficit of up to 25 per cent of GDP in the first full year of the Covid pandemic. Who could be better than TG to use this rusty old tool once more to bash the Nats? To be fair, he does let Fiona Hyslop remind readers that the GERS figures reveal what the Union has done to the Scottish economy and not what independence might do for it, and also that: But, to counter that, we get Pamela Nash of … Continue reading Every year, they forget GERS really are crap!

According to Reporting Scotland this morning, the Great Tapestry of Scotland depicts 12 THOUSAND years of history. Kinda makes you feel proud, doesn’t it from Queen Scota driving back the ice with magic, 12 000 years through three King Ecks just one thousand years ago to the SNP victories in the 21st Century by King Eck IV? Until I heard that, I thought that Scotland and England were both closer to around just the one thousand years old. What age are the Reporting Scotland team? Did they do history at school? Arithmetic? Did they mishear ‘prehistory?’ The longer website version … Continue reading Scotland 11 000 years older than England shock

From BBC Scotland today: Deaths caused by alcohol rose by 17% last year to the highest level for more than a decade, new official figures show. The National Records of Scotland statistics show there were 1,190 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland, 170 more than the previous year. This was the highest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered since 2008. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58243168 One year, especially a year like 2020, where many were cooped up in their homes for long periods, is not likely to provide evidence of trend. This is particularly true when the data contradict the longer trend: Although Scotland has shown the … Continue reading Lockdowns cause blip in alcohol death figures after significant fall under SNP

I feel sure we were being told by all and sundry that the Scottish Government’s lockdowns were causing widespread misery and prompting a surge in suicide rates. In January, the Times headlined ‘Coronavirus in Scotland: Rise in suspected suicides as second wave adds strain‘ before admitting they were using ‘anecdotal reports.‘ In March 2021, according to the Mental Health Foundation’s Mental Health in the Pandemic study, ‘Suicidal thoughts soar among Scots struggling to cope in pandemic.‘ Yet once the data are in, we read: The number of suicides in Scotland decreased by 3% last year, according to official figures. The … Continue reading Lib Dems saddened and experts puzzled as suicide rate falls

From BBC Scotland: The number of people seen within four hours in A&E departments has fallen to the lowest level since at least February 2015, new figures show. NHS statistics for the week ending 8 August showed just 76.5% of people were dealt with within the target time. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58244986 NHS England data are not published until the end of the month. Not mentioned: In July 2021, NHS Scotland’s A&E departments saw on average 80% in 4 hours or less. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-performs-weekly-update-of-emergency-department-activity-and-waiting-time-statistics/nhs-performs-weekly-update-of-emergency-department-activity-and-waiting-time-statistics-week-ending-8-august-2021/ In July 2021, NHS England’s A&E departments saw on average only 67.7% in 4 hours or less: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ The difference of … Continue reading NHS Scotland’s emergency services nearly 20% better than NHS England

In the above report from BBC Scotland, the data for our headline is there in the third line: Scotland’s unemployment rate has dropped slightly, according to the latest official figures covering April until June. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 4.3% of people over 16 in Scotland were out of work, down 0.1% on the previous quarter. The figure is less than the rate across the whole of UK, which was 4.7%. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58241453 These look like small numbers but they represent millions. 4.7% is 9.3% higher than 4.3%. There are 117 000 unemployed in Scotland. If they lived in … Continue reading Unemployment in UK now nearly 10% higher than in Scotland

How the Record and, largely, how every media outlet across the UK and beyond, presented Scotland’s drug death figures. No explanation, ever, of factors explaining them and making the connection, known to real experts, to 1980s Tory policies destroying working-class communities in Scotland. The coverage, shameful. And the coverage of this? Crime rate per 1,000 population in the United Kingdom from 2002 to 2020 by country │Statista By their logic, Nicola must take the credit. She has been First Minister since 2015. In England & Wales, there were 102.8 crimes per 1 000 people in 2019/2020 after a steady rise … Continue reading Scotland’s crime numbers fall again as they have every year since Nicola Sturgeon took office