Mark McGeoghegan, well worth following, has a persuasive and encouraging take on recent polls. I can’t trace the source of these graphs, so I’m just taking them from: https://twitter.com/markmcgeoghegan So, after blanket media coverage, BBC carpet bombing, of the supposed SNP civil war, approval for the FM and Scot Gov falls but remains far above that of any competitors. Boris now slightly less disapproved of but Douglas Ross more disapproved of! Across 7 personality variables, the FM far ahead of Sarwar and Ross. Ross seen as pretty much thick, weak, dishonest and boring as… First Minister seen as more intelligent … Continue reading Don’t panic, it’s only a ‘vaccine bounce’

A comment by a reader yesterday is worth reposting for maximum exposure: By Alex Lee-MacDonald It’s a very good point that often seems to be forgotten by both opponents and supporters of the Scottish Government – Scotland did not have any legal powers to lockdown until the (UK Parliament) Coronavirus Act 2020 was passed late on 25th March 2020 –  https://www.sacc.org.uk/coronavirus/2020/lockdown-law-scotland. Prior to that, England and Wales had power to lockdown but Scotland did not –  https://www.google.com/amp/s/ukconstitutionallaw.org/2020/04/01/jeff-king-the-lockdown-is-lawful/amp/. The first few days of lockdown 1, which were actually only advisory in Scotland until after the Coronavirus Act 2020 passed, probably only … Continue reading ‘Almost all the cases/deaths were already baked in by that point’

Football Ground Zero? Some experts are confused. BBC Scotland had a London-based expert on to cast doubt on the SNP’s ‘Return-to-schools-for-votes‘ strategy’ but did not show her the map above. Here’s a thought. Schools re-opened three weeks ago, right across the country, everywhere, in your town, but the recent spike in infections has only happened in some places. Particularly confusing for some academics, football supporter clubs in Leith or Tynecastle in Edinburgh, Aberdeen West and Dundee Whitfield report no surge in cases. Labour and Conservative politicians are currently burning scarves and deleting tweets. Continue reading London-based expert puzzled as Aberdeen, Hibs and Dundee supporter clubs report No cases of new ‘Squariant!’

In the Herald today: Scottish education is stagnating and needs an injection of outside expertise to achieve better outcomes for pupils, a major report has warned. Analysis published by the Social Market Foundation and campaign group ScotlandCan says the schooling system is “cautious, conformist, risk averse and stuck in its ways”. The London-based Social Market Foundation was John Major’s favourite think tank before becoming close to Gordon Brown and New Labour. Both its former directors left to work with the Tories. It claims to ‘champion ideas that marry a pro-market orientation with concern for social justice.’ Blair’s long-dead ‘Third Way.’ ScotlandCan is a campaign run and … Continue reading London-based Tory ‘think-tank’ attacks Scottish education, hired by Gordon Brown

Sometimes I wonder why even the Herald’s puzzling health correspondent has gone with a story choice and direction. She writes today: Hugh (77) had been due to fly back to Scotland in mid-January? Via London? In the middle of lockdown in both countries? For a non-essential purpose? As deaths in his age group were high? As hospitals were filling up? Why didn’t he stay in Taragona until it was safe to return? Is this another self-entitled, self-centred individual? Why couldn’t he and not the hubs be more flexible. Will the Herald report any old thing for clicks? Footnote: Walker is … Continue reading Am I the only one feeling zero sympathy

With no sense of irony, in the lucky-for-him virtual, company of the PM, Douglas Ross attacked the SNP. Leaving aside his Aberdeenshire pals with a fondness for grabbing and snogging good-looking lads at events or in the members’ bar, it’s a bit rich. In 2017 Guido Fawkes shared a redacted spreadsheet of Tory sleaze: Continue reading Douglas Ross NOT one of 36 top sleazy Tory sex pests

Scottish experts such as professors Bauld and Sridhar are strongly supportive of the Scottish Government’s strategy for school re-opening. The Unionist parties are split, with the Tories wanting to go faster and Labour working with the EIS to suggest it’s too fast and risky. Today, BBC Scotland feels no need to resolve this for viewers but just hops conveniently from one position to the other, knowing both are SNP-bad positions. Knowing that Bauld and Sridhar will defend the Scottish government strategy on this, they, once more dig up Dr Gurdasani from London to say it’s wrong and dangerous. In February, … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s go-to English academic knows nothing but feels able to advise us again

In the Daily Telegraph today, something many of us have known for a long time – the UK’s death toll in the pandemic was the highest in Europe because of a failure to lockdown quickly and, in particular, save care home residents. The suggestion that the PM ‘was let down by scientific advisers‘ is, of course, only partly true in that he and at least his chief political adviser, Dominic Cummings, were strongly predisposed to want the ‘business-friendly’ advice that the virus should be allowed to run through the population, creating herd immunity and as the PM famously said of … Continue reading Boris reveals the cost of Union: TWO THOUSAND lives lost

Two more polls today confirm England’s steady irreversible drift into an ethnic nationalist nightmare. Survation have the Tories 6 points ahead of Labour and Opinium a shocking 10 points clear. It doesn’t matter what they do. Waste billions outsourcing test and trace to the wife of a donor, give PPE contracts by the million to chums, breach the ministerial codes over and over or earn the highest death rates in the world. They did just one thing the English voters love – stick it to the French by sneaking in quick and grabbing the lion’s share of the vaccines. As … Continue reading No future in England’s dreaming

Once more working against a national effort to save lives, BBC Scotland headlines the self-centred interests of a business group over the lives of the very people paying the licence that supports their output: Hospitality leaders have urged the Scottish government to change its Covid lockdown levels to stop businesses failing. An industry group has submitted its own version of the system to ministers. The document, seen by the BBC, urges ministers to mirror the plans for England – extending opening times and naming dates. Mirror the plans for England? Interesting, how have their plans worked out so far? England … Continue reading Eat out to die out?