Hancock not responsible for hospitals burying dozens of patient safety reports

In the Guardian today with usual misuse of ‘UK’: Hospitals have been accused of burying the results of dozens of secret reports written by expert groups of doctors asked to investigate patient safety problems. NHS trusts have been criticised for “disgraceful secrecy” for not publishing the reports, and often not even sharing them with regulators charged with overseeing standards of care. While trusts have asked medical royal colleges to undertake 111 “invited reviews” over the last five years, they have put only 16 in the public domain, BBC One’s Panorama will reveal on Wednesday. In addition, just 26 of the … Continue reading Hancock not responsible for hospitals burying dozens of patient safety reports

I gave the Greens my 2nd vote but….

I’ve been very impressed by Lorna Slater. The combination of my confidence in the local constituency SNP candidate to take the seat (phew!), the transphobes joining Alba and Slater’s performances on TV, pushed me into voting for them on the regional vote. I’ve done this before but some of their antics, especially running with the pack on the repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act (that’s worked out well?) have caused me to doubt them. Now we have the co-leader writing: Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater has called for the re-elected First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to work across the … Continue reading I gave the Greens my 2nd vote but….

Are Media losing confidence in attempt to blame SNP for Unionist riot?

The above in the Herald has quickly fallen down the page from the headline slot early this morning. Did the day editor think that appearing to side with the rioters might be a step too far? Before any more on the coverage and contrary to BBC Scotland editorial guidelines, at the top of this page, here’s what a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “At a time when people have missed funerals, not seen loved ones in care homes and postponed weddings, it is not right that we make an exception to the rules for football fans. We also received advice that … Continue reading Are Media losing confidence in attempt to blame SNP for Unionist riot?

Tory plans to spend billions on weapons of mass destruction both immoral and illegal

Experts have warned that Tory plans to lift the current cap on Trident nuclear weapons based on the Clyde by over 40 per cent, from 180 to 260, could breach international law.  Academics at the London School of Economics have concluded that the plans are inconsistent with the UK Government’s support for the Treaty on Non-Proliferation, which is intended to limit the increase of nuclear warheads around the world. The review by Professor Christine Chinkin, a long-time consultant for the UN, and Dr Louise Arimatsu, a former fellow at the NATO Cyber Defence Centre, concludes that the proposals constitute a … Continue reading Tory plans to spend billions on weapons of mass destruction both immoral and illegal

DWP figures reveal Tory cuts are threatening Scotland’s recovery

From SNP Media: The SNP has said Tory cuts are “threatening Scotland’s recovery” – as new figures revealed Tory plans to slash Universal Credit could hit nearly half a million people in Scotland. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) quarterly Universal Credit statistics, published today, reveal the number of people on Universal Credit in Scotland has increased by 86% in the past year – rising from 264,117 in March 2020 to 490,426 in April 2021. David Linden MP said Tory plans to slash payments by £20 a week from October would leave thousands of families in Scotland worse off … Continue reading DWP figures reveal Tory cuts are threatening Scotland’s recovery

Labour MSP accuses own party of ‘muddled’ policy on independence

From SNP Media: New Scottish Labour MSP Carol Mochan has accused her own party of having a ‘muddled’ policy on independence and risked having its vote fall even further in future elections in Scotland. Ms Mochan also warned that Scottish Labour could have faced ‘Liberal Democrat levels of annihilation’ were it not for the proportional voting system in place for Holyrood elections. The South Scotland MSP also panned the party’s doomed federalism policy, admitting that there is little public support for it and that it is ‘impossible for my own party to claim there is not an appetite… for another … Continue reading Labour MSP accuses own party of ‘muddled’ policy on independence

Brits support second referendum

Form SNP Media: A new poll shows that people across the UK believe that people in Scotland must have the democratic right to choose our own future in an independence referendum. The Savanta ComRes poll for Left Foot Forward shows that a plurality – 39 percent – of voters across Britain believe Scots have the right to an independence referendum following the Holyrood election results, to just 34 percent who believe they do not. 46 percent of voters in Scotland back the right to another vote, compared to just 32 percent against. The SNP has said that Boris Johnson’s undemocratic attempts to deny the democratic … Continue reading Brits support second referendum

Ooooh, how many are angry? Just one but he is a Sir Professor so…..

Desperate, just desperate. Professor Sir John Curtice, 67 year-old psephologist (bean-counter), has not had his second jag and the helpline didn’t help him, he says, and that is the Herald’s front-page screamer. Nothing based on nothing of no real news value to anyone, anywhere. I’ve heard more than one person praise the helpline but did not feel the need to tell the Herald about it. Journalism? Only if you have the lowest standards possible. Some real news? We’re in the middle but better than Wales, Northern Ireland or London. Wait: ‘SHOCK: South-West of England’s vaccination rate leaves Scotland behind! I … Continue reading Ooooh, how many are angry? Just one but he is a Sir Professor so…..

BBC Scotland not reporting that Tories are to stab Scottish hill-farmers in the back next with Oz deal

As the back-stabbing of Scotland’s fishing industry falls off the even the few pages it did make, the UK Government is set to betray Scotland’s hill-farmers with its Australian trade deal. In the FT and the Financial Review, below, but not featuring in Scotland’s MSM at all: UK officials said Australian and New Zealand negotiators were holding firm on demands for full tariff liberalisation, which Ms Truss was under pressure to grant in order to meet the G7 deadline, perhaps phased in over a 10-year period. But such a deal risks inflaming arguments over Scottish and Welsh independence because the … Continue reading BBC Scotland not reporting that Tories are to stab Scottish hill-farmers in the back next with Oz deal

Let them eat cushions smeared with wallpaper paste

As the PM’s partner lounges on her £9 800 sofa against £840 per roll wallpaper, Britain’s poor are thrown to the wolves. From SNP Westminster Press Office : SNP MPs have ramped up pressure on the Tory government to U-turn on their shameful decision to scrap the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift – which would come at the “worst possible time” for millions of people. At DWP Questions in Westminster today, the party’s Work and Pensions spokesperson, David Linden MP, challenged Tory minister Will Quince to heed the warnings from cross-party MPs to make the uplift permanent and extend it to legacy … Continue reading Let them eat cushions smeared with wallpaper paste