Reporting Scotland Down tonight: Scottish clinicians have raised concerns that the NHS may not be able to cope with a surge in Covid cases. Members of the Scottish Academy of Medical Royal Colleges are concerned about an increase in community transmission combined with a new highly transmissible variant of Coronavirus…….Now there are fears that the sheer number of those needing their care could overwhelm the system. A new warning from clinicians is calling for every possible measure to halt the virus and protect what they see as a severely stretched health service. Despite their self-important, self-adopted title, this is a … Continue reading IF NHS ENGLAND CANNOT COPE THEN WE MUST FEAR THE SAME REGARDLESS OF THE FACTS

This is a perfect example of the need for this blog and for its title. You’d be forgiven for thinking local MSP John Scott was out to save lives by pushing for traffic lights to allow safer access to and from the A77 but when you read the article, it turns out he is sceptical about them and more concerned to keep the traffic on the A77 moving. If you’ve ever tried a right -turn from Maybole Road onto the A77, you’ll know how scary that can be. According to South Ayrshire Council’s Maybole Bypass proposals, in 2005, the Ayr … Continue reading Conservative MSP opposes much-needed road safety improvements

From the Herald: Is the above report an example of this? Well, no, not really. Here IS THE news. The infection level in Scotland has fallen again for the 6th day since it peaked on the 21st, at 1 504 new cases in the previous 24 hours. Today’s figure is less than half of that nearly one week ago and well down on 1 149 in the previous 24 hours. I can’t see the data for England but in the previous 24 hours, based on 1 149 cases in Scotland, it was nearly THREE TIMES higher and climbing. It may … Continue reading BREAKING: Dramatic fall in infection level

Today in the Herald: Search the 1500 odd pages and annexes of the EU trade deal and there is little to justify the brutal assault on the Scottish seed potato industry. Why have Scottish spuds been black-balled? Did Boris Johnson leave them out of the deal just so that Nicola Sturgeon would only have, er, small potatoes to complain about? Deploying the usual playground ‘You can’t talk. You want the EU Common Fisheries Policy in perpetuity‘ riposte favoured by Douglas Ross, Macwhirter finds much to like in the deal done by Boris and attempts to reassure us that most of … Continue reading ‘These are massive wins!’ so don’t listen to ‘Sturgeon’

The Guardian has headlined outspoken comments by UK fishermen angry about the deal. BBC Scotland and all the other BBC branches have decided against this too obviously negative story for the UK Government and presented the deal in the ‘balanced’, that is whitewashed, style they take such pride in. Opposition is presented as only coming from Nicola Sturgeon and thus less concerning than if it had wider support among the fishermen. The Herald, sadly typical for it, reinforces the notion that it’s just the SNP trying to exploit the situation and gives no space to the Scottish fishing industry representatives … Continue reading Where are Scotland’s betrayed fishermen?

The Herald’s health correspondent manages to develop a case for stricter, legally-enforced, lockdown in Scotland based on data from South Africa and South-east England and allegedly ‘woeful’ compliance ,despite evidence to the contrary, in Scotland, where the Herald is published and read, though by woeful numbers. The ONS has just informed us that the infection level is falling, uniquely, in Scotland. There were fewer new cases yesterday than the day before and the 7-day average is only slightly up on the previous week. The infection rate in Scotland is currently far lower than in England or Wales. Why might that … Continue reading Bringing you the news where you live but not about where you live

What’s with the inverted commas? Is it Scottish-made or not? Anyhow, from Energy Voice on the 22nd: Scottish renewable energy firm Simec Atlantis said today the tidal generation system it designed and built has arrived in Nagasaki harbour, Japan. Simec Atlantis said the AR500 tidal generation system would initially operate at a capped maximum generation output of 500kW, as data collection and device validation are undertaken for the client and Japanese regulatory bodies. It also announced last year plans to build the AR2000 tidal generation system – which would be the largest and most powerful single axis turbine in the world. Scottish … Continue reading Scotland to build largest and most powerful turbine in the world

I’m getting a non-Covid headache. There’s a new fast-spreading strain. Richard Leonard said it’s 70% faster so we need 70% more testing. I used to be a Primary teacher. I often found it a bit of a challenge explaining to some 11 year-olds why it’s not that simple. But, the ONS say that the infection level in Scotland has fallen? And, there were only 1 165 new cases yesterday, down from 1 314 the day before and a peak of 1 504 on the 21st. So, infection levels are falling ‘as’ the new strain spreads faster? Where’s Devi Sridhar? Continue reading Infection levels fall as new strain spreads faster….eh, whit?

From BBC Scotland, a classic display of ‘balanced’ reporting to completely distort the truth: The Scottish government said the agreement announced on Thursday was “a bad deal for fishing”. But the UK government has insisted the deal will allow Scotland’s fishermen to flourish outside the EU. Until the end of this year, the UK will be bound by the EU’s rules including the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). There will then be a five-and-a-half year transition period for the fishing industry. Asked where the biggest compromises had been made, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK had wanted “complete control over … Continue reading Now Glenn Campbell misrepresents the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation

‘As’, as in the use above, is another of those lazy little words like ‘after’ and ‘among’ that so-called journalist like to use to put ideas in your head and to suggest that something bad has happened. You’ll remember all those folk who died after something in Glasgow’s superhospital but not because of that something? So, the government relaxes the rules for Christmas day and bang (!) more than 1 000 people get infected. Just like that! That woman they interviewed in Glenrothes warned us that would happen as she reported being unable to get a vaccine appointment for her … Continue reading Infections fall ‘as’ rules relaxed?