As always, I have long suspected that NHS Scotland would be outpacing NHS England, wounded by corruption and confusion at Westminster, in catching up on operations after the pandemic but it has been difficult to get comparative data. I need a researcher as well as a carer, and a physio and a dietician and….. Anyhow, surely the BBC and the Times can be trusted. Don’t answer that. According to the BBC, 385 000 have been waiting more than a year in England. In Scotland according to our pals at the Times: Just over 28 000 have been waiting a year … Continue reading If they lived in Scotland, 105 000 would be seen in less than a year. 12 month hospital waiting lists 27% longer in NHS England

So, as we surge ahead of England with vaccinations, as infection levels fall for the second day in a row, John Boothman of the Times uses covid infection data now six days old to accuse the SNP of something. Today, on the 4th of July, he even uses it openly, thinking his readers are mugs: Data published online and last updated on June 30 reveals that Tayside had recorded 1,002 cases per 100,000 head of population over the previous fortnight, followed by Lothian (990) and Greater Glasgow (735). Here are the data today: This is just crap, venal reporting from … Continue reading Sacked BBC News boss lies about Scotland

Surely, Humza Yousaf must resign? Thousands of dead babies in three health trusts. That must be due to confusing advice from the Scottish Government or cutbacks liked the ones Monica Lennon tells us about. Jeanne Freeman and Nicola Sturgeon had to go after one child death and a delay in construction: Wait, ‘trusts’, not ‘boards’ Ah, the Guardian article didn’t mention NHS England. How bad is it. Should Hancock go, again? But in recent years, horror stories have emerged of women and babies suffering dreadful maternity care in a number of NHS trusts. Bereaved parents and spouses have fought to be heard … Continue reading Thousands of baby deaths and no calls for Humza to go?

Not only referring to her respectfully as Scotland’s First Minister, using quality impartial reporting from the Press Association, on 1st July, the Standard informs us: Ms Sturgeon, who was on a panel alongside climate activist Greta Thunberg and UN Messenger of Peace Jane Goodall, also announced £100,000 of funding for the Global Climate Assembly that will make recommendations for discussions at the Cop26 summit. At the virtual conference, she said: “The climate crisis – with its inter-related threats of climate change, nature loss and pollution – remains the single biggest challenge the world faces. “Cop26 represents the world’s best chance … Continue reading Chester Standard has far better reporting than BBC Scotland on First Minister

I’m grateful to regular, Cameron Brodie, for spotting this. Researchers at the University of the West of Scotland have confirmed that Scotland’s drug problem is now almost entirely fed by supplies arriving from England and Northern Ireland. While the violence by young black males with clear English accents, last Thursday, may be unconnected, it may equally be an unusually public display of conflict between ‘County Line’ gangs based in large English cities and bringing misery to Scotland. The UWS research notes: International importation into Scotland directly is uncommon, according to participants who maintain that points of drug entry are in … Continue reading ‘Lads’ with knives: One reason for a hard border?

When I first heard the voices on the short video showing a knife and machete attack on a 16 year-old, I detected an English accent. Only the Daily Record likewise commented: The group of youths, who appeared to have English accents, were caught on camera on Argyle Street in the city centre at 8.30pm on Thursday evening. BBC Scotland has ignored the report. This fits with their agenda to ignore anything that their viewers might think casts the Union in a negative light. The Glasgow Times even labelled them ‘Glasgow thugs.‘ In August 2020: As with the spike in drug-related … Continue reading Knife crime spreading into Scotland from England

This is deliberate misunderstanding in pursuit of a Scottish Government ‘failure’ fed by Jackie Baillie to a complicit media. The report suggests that online appointments can lead to a £9.15 prescription charge. Don’t be daft. They’ll take it a local pharmacy and get it free. Why on earth wouldn’t they? There’s a potentially misleading wording in the document or Jackie has misread it for them. We’re told that those who require more specialised treatment such as addictions therapy, may have to travel to England. Perhaps one or two may, I’m no expert, but I do know that Scotland’s drug and … Continue reading Not really, they don’t

Headlining in the Herald today a genuinely troubling report. Something went badly wrong. It should not have happened. Lessons must be learned. Nobody died and the SAS responds to around 1.8 million calls per year. That’s around 4 900 per day. One serious error reported from nearly 5 000? What does the public need to know to enable them to make sense of their world? Should they fear that the same will happen to them or take reassurance that this kind of thing hardly ever happens? What is ‘the‘ news? Here’s the kind of thing, I’d say is ‘the‘ news: … Continue reading One error among thousands done well does not make a crisis

The discovery of unmarked graves at three former residential schools in Canada has triggered statue toppling and accusations of shame in the state of Canada. While the modern state of Canada has been slow to make up for the genocidal treatment of indigenous groups, this all began more than three hundred years ago as the British Empire arrived to exploit the resources, steal the land and then destroy the tribes, with the Church and its ‘teachers’ as the tool. The people who started this were not Canadians. They could not be. Canada did not exist. They lived in part of … Continue reading No, not Canada nor India nor…

In the Herald we read: Every health board in Scotland will open walk-in vaccination centres from Monday amid concern the number of doses administered fell by almost 40% last month. Nicola Sturgeon has insisted the vaccination programme is not slowing down, despite claims from Labour’s health spokesperson, Jackie Baillie, that “it is beginning to stall”. What really? That will be clear in a line graph then? We’ll see the line dip won’t we? Let’s see: Maybe it’s the second doses that are falling? Let’s see: There must be something wrong here. Scottish Labour don’t lie and they’re really good at sums, aren’t … Continue reading Jackie Baillie cannot read line graph