I’ve had to sort out this BBC story and correct the headline to reflect the really important news they’d buried deep in it. After endless whinges by businesses leader and a complete failure to understand the need to prioritise public health outcomes so that you can then really open up the economy, we find this at the very end, almost buried where few readers go: ‘Crunch’ down on virus Prof Devi Sridhar, chairwoman of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University and a Scottish government adviser, said measures to “really crunch” down on the virus were the best way to help … Continue reading World-expert tells UK to follow Sturgeon’s lead

Is Douglas Fraser not following gov.scot? Should he? From the Scottish Government today: The hydrogen sector will receive £100 million over the next five years to support a green recovery and Scotland’s just transition to net zero. Scotland is set to become a leading hydrogen nation, with an ambition to generate 5GW of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen by 2030 – enough to power the equivalent of 1.8 million homes.   Economic impact research suggests the industry has the potential to be worth up to £25 billion a year to the Scottish economy by 2045. Scotland’s Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: … Continue reading ‘Scotland to become leading hydrogen nation’ story soars over BBC Scotland heads?

Readers will remember the barely concealed glee with which Unionist commentators thought they had found deaths to lay at the door of the SNP Government. Former Scottish Labour speech-writer (don’t laugh), Gina Davidson was only one of many. Six months later, with the opportunity to manage the pandemic response themselves, that same government has made a difference. Here are the most recent death and infection rates: The UK is now 10th in terms of deaths per 1 million population. England at 1 045 would be 9th and Wales at 988 would be 10th. Scotland at 784, would be 17th. I’m … Continue reading Scotland’s infection level now 65th in the World

I know, how about: Lowest new infections rate, by some way? Lowest death rate? Most vaccinated? One of lowest R numbers? Only place with hospital admissions falling? Who is responsible for this? Where does the buck stop? Continue reading Anything even relatively positive you can tell us? No?

Headlining in the Herald today: A LEADING MP has called for Scotland to stick with the union and not abandon the north of England with Boris Johnson. Tim Farron made the plea after 17 polls in a row showed majority support for Scottish independence, with the SNP on track for a major victory at the Holyrood elections next year. We’ll leave the ‘leading MP’ thing for now but, this is the Tim Farron whose Christian beliefs apparently made gay sex and abortion problematic though ‘not a sin‘. Continue reading Yes, but is leaving the UK a sin?

Early results suggest that NHS Scotland has been ahead of the game in getting its vaccination programme rolling. That Unison guy and Sarah Smith were not available for comment but we hear that, that woman from Fife will be on Reporting Scotland to complain that her local GP’s phone is always engaged when she calls. Alert readers will notice something odd about the above graph. Discuss below. Why Russia and Canada? Russia approved its own vaccine in August and Canada has reserved more doses than any other country. Continue reading Freeman praised as NHS Scotland vaccinates twice as many as NHS England

From the PM this afternoon: Third, I’m afraid, we must look again at at Christmas. As Prime Minister it’s my duty to take difficult decisions, to do what is right to protect the people of this country. Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus and the potential risk it poses, it is with a very heavy heart that I tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned…..Across the rest of the country, the Christmas rule allowing up to three households to meet will now be limited to Christmas Day only rather than the … Continue reading Boris closes the border with most of England

I know, it’s hard but you are the real thing, not like Johnny come lately meeja profs like me or mere bean counters like Paterson or Lord Curtice of Cowcaddens,so keep the faith. You’re wrong about the desire for another referendum. It’s there in poll after poll. You’re not keeping up with the research on education. See this: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2020/11/08/scotland-is-closing-parts-of-the-attainment-gap/ You’re wrong to suggest that ‘nearly half of the electorate remains stubbornly attached to voting No.’ See: 40% at worst. Take a drink? Continue reading Oh come on Tom, don’t bE AN OLD FOGEY!

You’d never know it from the media coverage, or for that matter, the Scottish Government, but the infection level is falling, uniquely, in Scotland. OMG Wales! I’m praying, humanistically, for you. The First Minister is staying shtum. Quite right too. We don’t want anyone getting too cocky here. But, BBC Scotland, I feel sure you’ll want to report the facts, in the public interest, just like when only 94% of A&E patients are seen in time. Continue reading ‘Nic’ saves us as infection level plummets?

The Guardian map provides the clearest and simplest illustration of how effective the three mainland political parties have been in their attempts to control this pandemic. Two of them, Labour in Wales and Conservatives in England have made errors of judgement that, in former times, would have led to the fall of governments. The map does not reveal the underlying consequences in lives lost of these failures. Look at the death rate in last month: Now, I know pundits such as Andrew Marr would rather look at the first phase but that reveals only the errors of the UK Government … Continue reading Maybe not quite ‘in the pink’ but in perspective?