Where are they rising? In Scotland? Well the total always is but the daily rate is not really. More below. Yesterday, the daily infection rate in England surged to 3.3 times that in Scotland. Over the last two weeks the 7-day average infection rate in England has surged to more than twice the rate in Scotland and the gap is widening as we approach the Christmas relaxation. The 7-day average has risen in the last 7 days but as you can see in the graph it has really plateaued for the last month after falling in the weeks before that. … Continue reading Conservatives blamed as infection rate in England surges to more than three times that in Scotland

After some delays caused by a flood of complaints, the BBC have offered only one standard response to all complainants to ‘ensure we use our licence fee resources as efficiently.‘ Contempt. I wrote these two complaints: Their general purpose response only addressed the first but was sent for both. I’ll complain again about the second. Here is the ‘response to the first: That Marr was referring only to the first wave in the Spring when he said: ‘When you look at the data, isn’t the truth that Scotland has the third worst record in deaths from Coronavirus of any country … Continue reading Astonishing contempt of BBC response to Andrew Marr complaints

The latest in the Herald/EIS campaign to undermine the SNP education strategy continues: SNP ministers have been accused of letting down teachers and pupils after an “embarrassing” failure to deliver on a pledge to cut class sizes.  Opposition figures criticised ministers for failing “to boost teacher numbers and support pupils despite 13 years in power”.  Who accuses them? Well, Jamie Greene MSP (Con): This is pure fantasy. From the Scottish Government yesterday: The total number of full time equivalent teachers has risen to its highest figure since 2008, official statistics confirm. New figures have revealed that there were 53,400 teachers … Continue reading Jamie Greene should be embarrassed…about Tory England’s understaffed, underqualified teaching staff and the betrayal of pupils.

For years now, we’ve seen BBC Scotland and the rest of the press pack in regular feeding frenzies when their opposition party feeders set them off in pursuit of SNP health ministers. Due to the wider competence of the Scottish Government, Education and Health, being infinitely improvable areas, have become the chosen battlegrounds for a form of proxy war against the SNP. Due to the mass popular interest in health issues and the fact that no matter how well you do, you could always do better, there have been repeated and extended ‘campaigns’ to unseat two health secretaries. Both objectively … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s thing about Women SNP leaders not apparent in Northern Ireland for a Woman Nationalist?

From the Scottish Government today: The total number of full time equivalent teachers has risen to its highest figure since 2008, official statistics confirm. New figures have revealed that there were 53,400 teachers employed in early learning and childcare, primary, secondary and special schools or centrally employed. This is 1,153 more than the 2019 total (52,247). Average class size in primary schools fell to their smallest since 2012, down to 23.1 from 23.5 in 2019. The 2020 pupil teacher ratio for all publicly funded schools was 13.3, an improvement on 2019 when it was 13.6. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwKjwwJqPcmVCVKZLFVDfWzJVSJ The ratio in Primary … Continue reading Teacher number in Scottish schools is highest since 2008 and ratio far better than in England

18 polls over 11 months and everyone suggesting 50% or more of voters will give the SNP their first vote yet throughout that time, pundits at the Herald and the Scotsman, from Tom Gordon in February, telling us SNP could pay a heavy price for skimping on police budget to him again, only last week, writing Alex Salmond inquiry: Nicola Sturgeon ‘sunk’ by husband’s evidence, claim Tories, have predicted doom. Many of the polls have followed days after reports of crises for the SNP or their leader. Not one has revealed a trace of falling support. It’s almost as if … Continue reading Are Scottish voters ‘too stupid’ to listen to expert advice?

There are two targets for the treatment of cancer patients in Scotland. From NHS Scotland for the period 1st July to 30th September 2020 : The 62-day standard states that 95% of eligible patients should wait a maximum of 62 days from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first cancer treatment. 87.3% of patients started treatment within the 62-day standard, compared to 84.1% in the previous quarter, and 83.3% for quarter ending September 2019. The 31-day standard states that 95% of all patients should wait no more than 31 days from decision to treat to first cancer treatment. 98.4% of patients started treatment within … Continue reading More than 98% of cancer patients start treatment in 31 days

In his Covid-19 Winter Plan updated on 2nd December, Conservative PM Boris Johnson has made it clear that hospital patients who have tested positive can be discharged into English care homes and that staff moving between sites were the carriers of the disease. Will Scotland’s media and opposition parties take heed, at last? Here are the statements: 79. In the first wave, the movement between care homes of staff who were unwitting carriers was one cause of the virus being introduced to these settings. The government is therefore introducing legislation, by the end of the year, that requires care home providers … Continue reading Prime Minister approves hospital discharges of covid positive cases into English care homes and identifies staff as unwitting carriers

They just could not wait. BBC Scotland: More than 1,200 people in Scotland died of drug misuse last year, new figures show. The much-delayed figures show a record number of deaths for the sixth year in a row. The figure of 1,264 is more than double the number of deaths in 2014 and the worst rate recorded in Europe. It is more than three times the rate for England and Wales. That’s the whole report so far. The Herald is little better. Expect days of this with opposition politicians lining up to accuse the SNP of betraying drug users. I’ve … Continue reading Breaking Bad: Scotland’s chronic media infection

The Tusker is often criticised for ‘whitabootery‘ as it relentlessly notes the many occasions when the statistics suggest we’re doing a bit better, on Covid infection and death levels, on NHS satisfaction, on falling crime, on IVF treatment, on A&E performance and so on and on. Angry responses tell us it doesn’t matter if we’re ‘only’ doing better than other countries and our MSM implicitly support that view by rarely if ever making positive comparisons but, when Scotland may be doing worse, oh boy, will we hear about it. They’ve tried on Covid infection and death rates but their dodgy … Continue reading Drug Deaths: How they want us to think of ourselves