In May, BBC Scotland, the MSM and opposition politicians were positively drooling over this: More than 2,000 coronavirus deaths could have been prevented if Scotland had locked down two weeks earlier, according to a new study. A team of epidemiological scientists at University of Edinburgh produced the findings, which feature in a BBC Disclosure investigation. They suggest the death rate in Scotland could have been reduced by about 80% with earlier action. Where is the Disclosure team now? Has this kind of image below been spotted by them? I feel sure they’re watching the Scotland row but have stopped at … Continue reading Coronavirus: Following a UK-wide strategy would have caused 200 more deaths in Scotland in last 30 days

From Alasdair Macdonald The SQA ‘Technical Report – National Qualifications 2020 Awarding — Methodology Report’ requires a fair bit of concentration and close examination of the data to comprehend it fully. My feeling is that in these unique and unprecedented circumstances, the SQA has done its job as fairly as it could and has erred slightly on the side of leniency. I think that they have explored all the possibilities in some depth and have settled on a methodology which is the best that could have been done in the circumstances. The SQA staff involved have faced up to a … Continue reading ‘The SQA has done its job as fairly as it could’

By ArtyHetty: If I were that age again I’d be absolutely bloody livid at the ‘injustice’ that is England’s Brexit being wrought on my country, most likely where my parents voted to remain so as to secure an internationalist, economically healthy, safe future, now being removed from right under my feet. In fact the chains won’t be because of the SNP, or the SQA or whoever they want to blame, but will be secured tight around their ankles due to having no opportunities, no prospects and definitely no chance of FOM therefore studying and/or working in 27 other countries available … Continue reading Weans’ World 3: Protest that, weans!!

By stewartb: I have now examined in some depth the SQA document ‘Technical Report – National Qualifications 2020 Awarding — Methodology Report’ (August 2020). I’m no expert but it seems to be very thorough. It also seems to be using principles and methods of standardisation in line with England and also those by the Labour-controlled government in Wales. (So class discrimination by Labour in Wales too?) The biggest difference is (still) between the permissive (open to all) appeals process in Scotland and the more restricted one being used in England. How many of those protesting – or stoking protest – … Continue reading Weans’ World 2: SNP/SQA methodology same as in Con England and Lab Wales

Less than 100 of the thousands supposedly mad-as-hell weans turned up in George Square today to demand that their favourite teachers’ affectionate estimates be counted at face value by the SQA The Tusker has decided not to make too much of the fact that the weans mis-spelled ‘weans’ as ‘wains’. It’s derived from ‘wee ane‘ (little-one). ‘Wain’ is Old English for a cart (the Haywain, constable?) or perhaps a bandwagon of the kind some are climbing on at the moment. Hopefully these weans will feel better after a bit of outdoor protest and be ready to go back and ask … Continue reading Scheme wains should be more appealing weans!

I don’t think we need those inverted commas do we? I think we’re all agreed that the Deputy Labour Leader in Scotland revealed a dark and dim nature. In the Times today: Scottish Labour’s deputy leader has been criticised for an “unbelievably out of touch” tweet suggesting Aberdeen’s lockdown was a deliberate diversion from controversy over exam results and Covid-19 deaths. Baillie is either clinically paranoid or is so desperate to gain ground by whatever means on the SNP, she thought this was a good idea. She has previous. In 2017, she imagined that Richard Leonard had been in a plot to … Continue reading Coronavirus in Scotland: Jackie Baillie should be ashamed for diversion claim

Writing in the Scotsman for the umpteenth time, Prof Pennington, bacteriologist and former expert in toxic spam sannies, drops the prof to seem like a different guy and, as ever, makes no mention of his membership of Scotland in Union‘s sneak covert writing group committed to retaining the Union by tricking letter editors and readers. He’s back on the care home deaths in the first phase of the epidemic when his beloved UK and it’s SAGE advisory group delayed lock-down, on advice that care homes had little to worry about, and so allowed the wave of death in April and … Continue reading Transparent Failure 2: The Scotland in Union covert writing group Prof pretends to be Joe Public again on care home deaths

So, current Edinburgh Conservative & Unionist Councillor and former party adviser, John McLellan, gets a free platform in the Evening News, to attack the SNP via the SQA. In a year in which pass rates went up and in the context of 138 000 submissions, we know as does he, that we don’t know what his headline claims. We’ll see once the appeals go in and can compare the number with last year’s well over 10 000. We’ve seen a tiny handful of disappointed students who, perhaps on the advice of their parents, or perhaps encouraged by an opposition politician, … Continue reading Transparent Failures 1: The Edinburgh Tory Councillor pretends to be a journalist again

Edinburgh police are travelling to Aberdeen to help in policing the re-imposed lock-down A spokesperson said As a national service, Police Scotland is able to quickly flex capacity to support local communities across the country, and we will provide whatever additional resources are necessary to protect and support affected communities. Other than in their errors in George Square recently, we have had reason to applaud Police Scotland here, to try to balance the lack of support they get from other Scottish media: Continue reading Covid-19 spike illustrates strength of a Scottish national police [SNP] force

Kind of puts paid to the lie that the most disadvantaged school leavers are missing out on University because of the SQA and SNP incompetence [Tusker reader] Despite the media pile-on based on a misunderstanding of where the blame lies for unequal attainment in Scotland’s exam system – the wider social, cultural and economic inequalities built into Great Britain and tolerated over decades by the Labour party – evidence of reducing disadvantage for pupils from deprived areas emerged at the same time but was ignored by that same media. From UCAS on 4th August: The number of 18 year-olds from … Continue reading Most disadvantaged school leavers not missing out on University because of SQA/SNP ‘incompetence’