On Channel 4 News tonight Professor Costello said: We’re not a million miles away [from a zero covid situation] and if we tightened up our find, trace isolate and support, when we get down to Scottish levels, then we’ll be able to negotiate much more diplomatically and aggressively with our European partners. Though Scotland is experiencing a spike in infection levels with 66 new cases today, the 7 day average is 35.7. The UK had 950 new cases today and a 7 day average of 833.33, twice that pro rata of Scotland even with the spike. Continue reading Leading academic on Channel 4 suggests England needs to follow Scottish model

From BBC Scotland today: A Trossachs care home has had its registration cancelled after warnings about infection control and cleanliness went unheeded. The Care Inspectorate said Ashwood House in Callander, which looks after 21 residents, had made “minimum progress” since an earlier inspection. Inspectors, who visited the home on 30 July, said they found dirty equipment and toilets that had not been cleaned after use. The visit followed another two weeks previously in which concerns had been raised. The watchdog said: “The lack of cleanliness in the home shows a lack of respect for the people living there and has … Continue reading Scottish care home owned by Tory politician shut down for dirty equipment and toilets

Is it an IQ thing? I’ve read somewhere that left-wingers tend to be smarter than right-wingers. I certainly am and modest too. As Aberdeen’s outbreak grows, local councillors fearing they might get the blame, are getting their oars in first. Licensing convener, ‘Independent’ councillor Marie Boulton, was quickly onto the P&J site: Councillor Marie Boulton insisted she was not “playing the blame game” while suggesting frailties in Scottish Government guidelines were at fault for the spike in coronavirus cases. Not playing the game? The blame game? Of course not. Who could think such a thing? Boulton doesn’t explain, of course, … Continue reading Do Tory and Labour councils find it harder to read Scottish Government guidance on pubs?

Aberdeen Labour Group leader, Jenny Laing getting close-up and mask-less with the Michael Gove, last week. How many did he bring? From where? Did they meet inside? Did they kiss? Too much. From a source in Aberdeen: There is a faction of Unionists in Aberdeen who are fanatically anti-SNP anti-Nicola Sturgeon.  They have been deliberately ignoring all the rules to “show support for Boris” and encouraging others to do the same.  I understand this includes giving false details, and not giving details at all. Here’s Laing today getting in her first attempt to pin the blame onto the Scottish Government. Continue reading Outbreak on Union Street? Did Aberdeen’s Unionists cause this spike?

This was the BBC report dated  3rd August: Coronavirus: New 90-minute tests for Covid-19 and flu ‘hugely beneficial’ New 90-minute tests that can detect coronavirus and flu will be rolled out in hospitals and care homes from next week. The “on-the-spot” swab and DNA tests will help distinguish between Covid-19 and other seasonal illnesses, the government said. The health secretary said this would be “hugely beneficial” over the winter. Currently, a third of tests take longer than 24 hours to process. The reaction of  WHO 3rd  August briefing: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 Question is specifically about the UK fast test from about 41 … Continue reading Fools rush in….New 90-minute test for Covid-19 not convincing WHO

In England, according to the Telegraph today the situation is clearly going to be far worse than in Scotland: Further, they report: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/30/students-can-appeal-gcse-a-levels-believe-victims-discrimination/ In Scotland as early as April, staff and pupils knew: After 4 August, a free appeals service will be available to schools and colleges, to allow them to request a review of the grade awarded for a learner or a group of learners. It is important that such a service is in place in this exceptional year. https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/93920.html Continue reading As with covid-19 outbreak Scottish Government to do much better on school exams justice

Professor Willie Wardle is in the letters page of the Herald today not really explaining why he thinks the SQA ‘bungled’ things, far less how the moderation and [improved] averages ‘swamp individuals‘ and definitely not explaining why the SG should be holding the SQA’s hands, making daily decisions for it, any more than when critics like Pennington say it should do the same for health boards. To be fair, he doesn’t seem to have actually suggested a kicking for anyone. Headline editor, Conor (16) will have seen that in some other headlines, about Nicola. Anyhow, who is Wardle and who … Continue reading Herald finds another Poison Pennington to suggest Scottish Government needs a ‘kicking’

In the Herald today: Caroline and Mary are due to take exams next year. Caroline’s home is in a deprived area of Glasgow while Mary’s is not. Should Caroline bother working hard at school, or has Scotland become as much of a postcode lottery on education as health? Discuss. If Caroline were going by the 2020 results from the Scottish Qualifications Authority released this week, she might be forgiven for pulling the duvet over her head when schools return next week. For the country’s exam regulator, and by extension the Scottish Government, have made a right porcus auris of matters (that’s pig’s … Continue reading As Scottish Education improves year on year I know what’s getting ditched

Conor Matchett is another of the Scotsman’s virtual team of youngsters pontificating on the Scottish political scene secure in their almost complete lack of familiarity with it. Remember their Conor Malborough, above, unfettered by any knowledge of devolution after a lifetime in England, telling us this? Boris Johnson has suggested that the UK-wide lockdown measures will be relaxed on Monday, as he attended his first prime minister’s questions since being diagnosed with coronavirus in late March. Mr Johnson said he would reveal plans for an “unlockdown” in a televised statement on Sunday, following a review of the current measures on Thursday. So, … Continue reading Scotsman’s Norfolk Sport Correspondent predicts post-exam gloom for SNP

I’m guessing BBC Scotland juniors have been trawling the twitter feeds of Scottish teenagers and found these three or, maybe, they live next door to Miles Briggs or Anas Sarwar or Willie Rennie or whoever. It’s journalism Jim and just as we increasingly know it. BBC Scotland continues to base it’s criticism of the SQA’s on a handful of pupils who might in other times have appealed their grades but would not have done so in the media spotlight. We have 3 out 138 000 presented as some more informative than the news that the overall pass rates increased, that … Continue reading 0.002% of 138 000 is not just insignificant using it is infantile