Despite much dwelt-upon shortages of infrastructure and of PPE, the infection rate, currently 8.2 per 100K, in both countries, looks like falling below that of the UK in the next few days. Though fascinated with the deaths, the apparent hospital chaos and the massed funeral pyres, only a few weeks ago, UK media have turned their gaze away from India now that she is clearly on top on the pandemic. Only CBS News has ‘India eases COVID restrictions as infections hit 2-month low.’ Important news for the UK’s many citizens with family there? No, instead the ‘Black Fungus‘ infecting some … Continue reading SHOCK: UK infection rate now as high as in India

 (Image: Daily Mirror) From SNP Westminster Press Office: The SNP has condemned the cronyism at the core of Boris Johnson’s government, following a damning High Court ruling that the Tory government acted unlawfully when handing out lucrative Covid contracts to those with close links to senior Tory figures. Mrs Justice O’Farrell, who issued the ruling on the Cabinet Office contract with Public First, stated today that: “The decision of 5 June 2020 to award the contract to Public First gave rise to apparent bias and was unlawful.” The firm is owned by friends of Boris Johnson’s disgraced former adviser Dominic Cummings.  … Continue reading ‘A catalogue of cronyism’

On page 6 of this report by the British Foreign Policy Group: The Britons who fall into the Isolationists tribe are most concentrated in the North of Englandand least concentrated in London. But they are also over-represented in Scotland – emphasisingthe degree of mythology underpinning the concept of a homogeneously progressive,internationalist vision for an independent Scotland. The report claims: This report presents the findings of an ongoing partnership between the BFPG and Opiniumto investigate the complex, evolving nature of UK public opinion on foreign affairs. Opiniumconducts the fieldwork for the BFPG’s Annual Survey of Public Opinion on Foreign Policy andGlobal … Continue reading UK ‘Research’ group accuses only Scots of believing in a myth

By stewartb Here on TuS, on 7June, 2021 there was an article entitled ‘Indyref2 not a discouragement to foreign investors as Scotland surges 18% ahead of UK’.  It was prompted by the release of the latest annual report – its 2021 Attractiveness Survey Scotland report – on foreign direct investment (FDI) in Scotland by EY (formerly Ernst & Young). Source: https://www.ey.com/en_uk/attractiveness/21/scotlands-share-of-uk-fdi-projects-has-risen The TuS article provides this quote from a BBC Scotland journalist on the subject: “The Scottish figures also suggest the prospect of another independence referendum is NOT A SIGNIFICANT DISCOURAGEMENT to foreign investors. Scotland has consistently outperformed other parts … Continue reading Scotland’s resilient attractiveness to foreign investors – but how many in Scotland know how others see us?

Raaar!!! From SNP Media: A poll commissioned by Gordon Brown in the two days after the Scottish Parliament elections buried information showing that 55% of Scots verged to favouring independence on a scale of 0 to 10.  The poll – conducted by James Kanagasooriam’s Stack Data, a trading brand of Hanbury Strategy which has conducted unpublished polling for the UK government and who regularly meet with Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove – showed that the accumulated percentage for those verging favourable to independence – 6 to 10 – was 55% in total whilst those verging against – 0 to 4 – was only 38%. Those opting … Continue reading Brown’s sleight of hand on poll results revealing strong support for independence

Health Secretary Humza Yousef In February 2021, NHS Scotland’s A&E departments saw and treated 86.2% within 4 hours while NHS England could only manage 77.4%, an 8.8% gap, and even then they were cheating, see below. By April 2021, NHS England could still only manage 77.1%. https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ In April 2021, in Scotland, 87.4% were seen and treated within 4 hours, a 10.3% gap. https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/health-services/hospital-care/nhs-performs-weekly-update-of-emergency-department-activity-and-waiting-time-statistics/ The gap is probably even greater because. BBC Scotland has accused NHS England of fiddling the figures by selection which departments are included: https://fullfact.org/health/fiddled-accident-emergency-statistics/ NHS England starts the clock again after patients are admitted while NHS Scotland counts … Continue reading NHS Scotland Accident and Emergency departments even faster than NHS England

Image: https://www.paindata.org/ From NHS Scotland today: In the quarter ending 31 March 2021, 2,344 patients were seen at a chronic pain clinic. This compares to 2,108 patients in the quarter ending 31 December 2020, an increase of 11.2%. Of the 2,340 patients waiting at 31 March 2021, 1,661 (71.0%), had been waiting 12 weeks or less to be seen, 272 (11.7%) more than 12 but less than 24 weeks, 242 patients (10.3%) more than 24 but less than 51 weeks and 165 patients (7.1%) 52 weeks or more. https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/healthcare-resources/waiting-times/chronic-pain-waiting-times/ Continue reading Big increase in treatment of chronic pain

The rUK average is 731 doses per day while Scotland is doing 895 without the ‘British Army’, 23% ahead. Scotland has been ahead now for a whole week but our media is predictably unmoved. They liked it better when we could be described as ‘lagging behind.’ As Leonard Cohen once ‘sang’: Ah, you loved me as a loser, but now you’re worried that I just might win. Continue reading Scotland vaccinating massive 23% more than rest of UK BEFORE ‘British Army’ arrives to add 1%

Image: Drewa1983 From SNP Media: SNP MSP Jim Fairlie will lead a Members’ Business Debate today (Tuesday) on the threat a tariff-free trade deal with countries like Australia will pose to Scotland’s farmers and agriculture sector. The Perthshire South and Kinross-shire MSP will tell the Scottish Parliament that a trade deal that allows tariff-free access for lamb, beef and pork into the UK presents hugely-damaging consequences to farmers and crofters in Scotland. The Tory UK government has already faced stern criticism of its proposed deal with Australia, with both the UK and Scottish Presidents of the NFU describing the prospect of tariff-free … Continue reading ‘Agricultural wasteland for Scotland’

Nigerian artist Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy works on a portrait of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Reuters From stewartb: As The Commonwealth no longer recognises Scotland as a ‘country’, who’s pulling the strings? Over the past week or so there have been significant moves in the constitutional wrangle over Scotland’s future. Notwithstanding the oft repeated Unionist charge that any actions on such matters at this time of pandemic are reprehensible, these moves have all come from one quarter, the Unionist establishment.  We learn of the royal family becoming active in ‘saving the Union’, thanks to an article in The Sunday Times. This is necessary, … Continue reading And so it begins!