The apparently trusted FT has a ‘Scotland Correspondent’ in Edinburgh. Mure Dickie has read the latest report on deaths in care homes which: ‘found no statistical evidence that discharges of hospital patients — including those found to have the virus and thousands more who were not tested — had caused outbreaks in care homes between March and May this year.’ After months of media reports featuring Scottish opposition party politicians trying to blame the SNP Government, this confirms what similar studies in England in Wales have already shown. Any reasonable interpretation of these findings is that they have reduced pressure … Continue reading Never let the facts get in the way of a good story

Here is the news: Infection level down for sixth day and more than a third down since peak on 21st/22nd October. Recent infection and death rates in Scotland way below those in rUK. Now you’d have to do a wee bit of analysis, even work out a few percentages, to say that but it’s what the the readers expect of trusted newspapers isn’t it? What you’ve headlined above, it’s useless, isn’t it? The First minister told us that stuff. What do we need you for? Continue reading What do we need you for?

I’m reminded of President Nixon’s reputed inability in 1975, to change his tune even after he is told it’s all wrong. Secretary of State MacNamara: The North Vietnamese cannot be bombed into submission. What should we do? Nixon: Bomb them into submission! In October 2020 Independent Report: Discharges from hospitals of infected or non-infected patients did not cause the care home outbreaks. How do you react to that? Willie Rennie: The SNP could have helped them by not admitting people with the virus! Makes you wonder why they only poll around 4%. Continue reading What does he not get?

After many months of opposition politicians, platformed across the Scottish media, attempting to blame hospital discharges into care homes for subsequent outbreaks and deaths there, an independent report finds that these were not statistically significant and that other factors especially care home size were far more important. https://www.gov.scot/news/hospital-to-care-home-discharge-data-published/ The larger care homes are, of course, owned privately. The Scottish study follows earlier reports from Public Health Wales, Public health England, the ONS and from the voluntary sector provider BHA, all saying the same thing and, in most, pointing to the over-use of agency staff in large privately owned care homes, … Continue reading It’s not ‘The News’ if we don’t like it

Every so often, somebody leaves a microphone on and we hear what our media class really think of us. You can be sure the Oz-sounding wag wouldn’t have said ‘You gave her a bit of swipe there mate!‘ if he hadn’t known he was safe among like-minds sharing his broad contempt for Scots and their elected leaders. Some readers might remember how, in 2015, John Boothman at BBC Scotland made highly offensive remarks about the daughter of SNP MSP Margo MacDonald only to be overheard by Ms MacdDonald who recorded the comments on her phone. In 2007, when BBC Scotland … Continue reading Somebody needs wiped from the payroll at ITN

By Brenda Steele Whose Civil Servants are they?  Are there any Scottish Civil Servants?  Do the Councils allow the Central Government to select their staff? Why should it apply to Holyrood? Notice that this newspaper headline quotes not what is happening in the committee but relies on Murdo Fraser’s words.  Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, who sits on the Salmond inquiry, described the letters as an “extraordinary attack” on the government and its “secretive approach to this inquiry”. “We’ve now heard of even more information that the SNP government tried to keep hidden. They apparently didn’t reveal a key document that … Continue reading Whose Civil Servants are they? Are there any Scottish Civil Servants?

As the first signs emerge of success in controlling the latest outbreaks, only in Scotland, in numbers and graphs easily available to make you feel stronger, BBC Scotland have other numbers for you throughout today: 17 wards closed to new admissions Treating more than 600 cases Over half of all 21 significant incidents of healthcare-acquired infections Eleven hundred patients Three thousand reports of house parties 40% found breaches of the rules More than 420 fines 83 arrests I gather some folk are making themselves worse, perhaps dying, because they fear going to hospital. See the one about healthcare-acquired infections? Is … Continue reading Only in Scotland: A Tsunami of numbers to scare us to death and weaken our resolve?

Let’s clarify the facts here, because the Herald’s Caitlin Hutchison certainly doesn’t. The Conservative Party is resisting Marcus Rashford’s call for free school meals in England, at Christmas. The Scottish Conservatives, members of the same party, voted with their English colleagues, other than Ross who didn’t even turn up because he was ‘in Scotland.’ He didn’t seem to be ‘cheering on‘ Rashford then as the Herald happily lets him claim to be, here, now. So, to be clear, they oppose Rashford’s campaign. Yet, in Scotland, apparently inspired by his mum’s work as a dinner lady, Ross and his group will … Continue reading The brassiest of brass necks?

TOURISM chiefs in Scotland have warned of a ‘wave of trauma and mental anguish’ in the hospitality sector as a multi tier system was announced by Nicola Sturgeon. The First Minister revealed the provisional  coronavirus  restrictions that will apply to different parts of Scotland from next week. Leaving aside the misleading use of the term ‘tourism chiefs‘ for what is an association of businesses rather than say the chief executive of the national tourism organisation Visit Scotland, the Herald‘s platforming of this quotation is another example of the damage the UK media, unlike its counterparts elsewhere, has done to the campaign to … Continue reading How Scotland’s Unique media will cause deaths

A friend of the Tusker, Brian Watson, sent me the above. It does not mention Scotland but it could be all about our media and their failure to fulfill their mission in a way which might have helped us fight the pandemic, saving many lives, but which actually impeded our efforts. The BBC has a mission embedded in a Royal Charter: The Mission of the BBC is to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain. Two words, ‘inform‘ and ‘educate‘ are key. Keep … Continue reading English Academic blames the media for Covid failures