Another small self-selecting survey from the Doctors’ Association UK claiming a UK-wide crisis in ‘The NHS.’ I’ve requested the full data with a breakdown showing which NHS the respondents are located in. They made a similar claim in June, of a UK-wide shortage of ‘scrubs’ (PPE). I wrote then to ask for a breakdown but got no reply. Part 1 of the Sarwar Trilogy is here: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2020/06/15/to-say-its-a-uk-doctors-survey-do-you-just-need-anas-sarwars-brother-in-law-to-respond/ According to the Nuffield Trust, in 2019, there were 150 000 doctors in England: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/the-nhs-workforce-in-numbers So even if there were no respondents from beyond NHS England, only 1% responded and only 0.66% ‘want … Continue reading To say it’s a ‘UK Doctors Survey’ do you just need Anas Sarwar’s brother-in-law’ to respond? Part 2

There have been delays. I’ve been impatient but not that impatient for Indyref2. It’s only been 6 years and the opinion polls have only this year started to move consistently in favour of Yes. Macwhirter, one of the several male commentators with a thing about the First Minister is at her again this morning. It’s been noted here recently: Is the First Minister serious? I’ve just posted a Twitter poll to 4 906, many of whom do not seem to be uncritical SNP loyalists. Only 75 votes were in as I wrote this but 76% of them say ‘Yes.’ Macwhirter … Continue reading Really? ‘We’ do

Research by the Tusker‘s Youth Correspondent, ArtyHetty Junior: From the Scottish Government on 2nd September: Giving every young person the chance to succeed. Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has set out more details of how Scotland’s Youth Guarantee will give young people the chance to succeed despite the economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19). The guarantee will ensure everyone aged between 16 and 24 has the opportunity of work, education or training. The Scottish Government is funding it with £60 million which will be broken down as follows: £30 million through local authorities to help local partnerships to deliver employability support for … Continue reading Delivering the Youth Guarantee

Whenever I see another Kevin MacKenna piece on the SNP and Catholic support, I’m reminded of the joke about Ian Paisley, above, picking up a bowl of pot pourri from the WC lid, charging downstairs, opening the back door and throwing it out with the words: ‘We’ll have no pot pourri in this house!‘ I’m also reminded of the photo of me and my RC father-in-law, whose first words about me had been: ‘Get rid of that F****ing Proddy!’ later sitting amicably on the settee, he looking for all the world like Ian Paisley and me the very double of … Continue reading We’ll have no potpourri in this house!

Hannah Rodger is not the worst at the Herald. She has even responded to Twitter criticism of her writing in a manner that suggests she cares about standards. I’ve often criticised her judgement but this piece on Baroness-to-be Davidson’s spate with BBC Scotland’s Brian Taylor is fine. If you cannot bear to ever click on the Herald, I understand. Here’s a wee bit: RUTH Davidson complained after being referred as ‘Baroness’ by the BBC in a broadcast. The broadcaster’s political editor Brian Taylor made the remark when discussing the change in Scottish Conservative party leadership last month. However, Davidson, MSP … Continue reading That’s not a nice face to pull is it, especially for a Baroness?

We are now accustomed to BBC Scotland trailing tragic images and sentences behind them and across our TV screens. We’ve had weeks with images of the health secretary, caught looking upset or tired, as the words imply her responsibility for the deaths of a small but sad cluster of babies, infants and old folk. Sometimes the story would run every day for a week only to return when an inquiry had been forced on the Scottish Government. This, steel yourself, is a new low. So low that no correspondent seems to want to be credited for this report. I see … Continue reading Is this a new low?

The Scotsman’s decision to side with the UK Minister Grant Shapps and report to its ‘proud’ Scottish readers from his viewpoint, does not surprise. It is after all the home of a pack of frothing anti-SNP commentators, from former New Labour minister Brian Wilson to Tory councillor John McLelland. Scotland in Union’s Professor Pennington will have approved this headline. BBC Scotland too, seemed likely to come down on the side of the UK government, and did: Not for the first time, we have to go to an English newspaper to find out what actually happened in Scotland: In the Guardian … Continue reading Whose side are you on?

In this updated and improved version of an earlier BBC Scotland report titled ‘Coronavirus: ‘Scotland jumped the gun on Greece quarantine’, the team at The Tusker have re-ordered the content to make sure readers are not misled. Moved from paragraphs 23 and 24, to 2 and 3 respectively, see this: A spokeswoman said: “In the case of Greece, we had a worrying number of people in Scotland who tested positive for Covid-19 and who had returned from Greece within seven days of the onset of symptoms. We could not afford to ignore that growing threat to public health. “In the … Continue reading Anger at Shapp’s risk-taking

From: Alasdair Macdonald The blanket coverage of Robert Kilgour’s complaints is a deliberate attempt to divert attention from the report on the Home Farm care home in Skye, which sets out in detail how bad the performance of HC-One was. The home has been taken over by NHS Highland in a sale which awarded HC-One £900 000 for their failure. Why are we not hearing from Mr Gary Smith about the conditions in which his members were working which led to them providing such inadequate service to the residents? By broadcasting Mr Kilgour with such regularity takes up a fair … Continue reading Care homes: Why are we not hearing from the GMB’s Gary Smith?