Readers may remember the piece we wrote on how only Channel 4 covered the launch of these innovative centres. It attracted more than 30 000 readers: Why are only Channel 4 and local newspapers reporting ‘Scotland’s unique way to treat virus?’ https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2020/03/28/why-are-only-channel-4-and-local-newspapers-reporting-scotlands-unique-way-to-treat-virus/ Now this optimistic sign of progress in managing the outbreak, passed to us by Brian McGowan: Capacity in place to rapidly remobilise in event of second spike Following a steady decline in the number of COVID 19 cases and a corresponding fall in attendances across Community Assessment Centres (CACs), NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has taken the decision to … Continue reading NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde begins winding down COVID-19 Community Assessement Centres which protected GPs during peak of crisis

By ArtyHetty: Have had several conversations about education recently, in relation to parents having to ‘home school’ and take the place of the ‘teacher’ while working from home. I was a home educator, (not by choice, that’s a long story of neglect in not providing support to a child with autism, by the Labour run LA and Labour run Holyrood a few years ago, all about £’s but they did send £1.5BILLION BACK to Westminster at the same time!) and yes it is a whole new way of thinking, not handing your child over to the state to be spoon … Continue reading Loving learning in the time of Coronavirus and remembering Labour sending £1.5 billion back

From the Times today: Thousands of cars a day are crossing the Scottish border from the north of England where coronavirus is again spreading in the community, official figures show. Drivers can still travel freely throughout the UK despite increasingly divergent restrictions, infections and deaths across the nations and regions. The First Minister announced today that the Scotland-wide R number has fallen to between 0.6 and 0.8. In Scotland’s rural border regions it is thought to be even lower. However, a steady flow of traffic, unchecked across the border, is putting Border communities at risk after reports that the R … Continue reading Calls for border controls as the R number falls again in Scotland but potentially infected hordes are crossing from worst -infected areas!

From the BBC today: The big story for BBC UK today but not being considered by BBC Scotland: The government is facing calls from Tory backbenchers to drop the 2m (6ft) social distancing rule in England. MPs, including former cabinet ministers Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Damian Green, say it is essential for the economy. The government has said it is constantly reviewing its coronavirus lockdown guidance. It follows the announcement of a further easing of restrictions in England, allowing single adults to stay at one other household from Saturday. No 10 said the change aims to help combat loneliness and … Continue reading ‘Cruel and heartless bastard’ calls for scrapping of 2 metre rule to support hospitality industry

Here’s what Helen McArdle had to say: The total number of people being treated in hospital in Scotland halved at the start of the Covid outbreak, as wards were emptied and new admissions severely restricted. Here’s what her cheerier other self said in another quantum dimension: Despite the ravages of the pandemic, NHS Scotland heroically managed to keep an astonishing 50% of other treatments going despite having to reduce admissions to make sure they could cope with the surge in demand predicted by UK experts. Helen, in this world, went on wearily to say: Even now, hospitals are only dealing with around … Continue reading As NHS Scotland begins to recover Herald Health Correspondent needs to look on the bright side a bit more

From the widely distrusted and non-credible Tom Gordon: ONLY a ‘pathetic’ few per cent of Scotland’s care home staff were tested for coronavirus last week, despite the SNP Government announcing universal routine testing three weeks ago. Health Secretary Jeane Freeman announced on May 18 that all 53,000 care home staff would be offered routine tests to help cut infections among residents. So, off we go again. I am tiring but I’m not going to stop until he does so I guess we might be here for some years to come: ‘SNP pledge?’ Was this in the last manifesto? Even BBC Scotland call the Scottish Government just that. Gordon … Continue reading Tom Gordon in full Anti-SNP mode

From the full Panelbase poll, with 1 022, for 1-5 June, the above map approaches perfect coverage and the graph below soars satisfyingly: If that’s not enough for you, see this table too: The Panelbase poll for 1-5 June has the SNP at 53% for the constituency vote and 48% for the regional list vote. Six polls in a row, this year, all at 50% or above, and up around 10% from last year can only be a trend and a good one too. Conservatives and Labour are both now at around 20% and tending toward the kind of irrelevance … Continue reading SNP surge maintained!

In the Scotsman today, by former Labour speech writer and spin doctor, Gina Davidson: The latest statistics from the National Records of Scotland, which includes deaths where coronavirus is suspected but not confirmed as no test was carried out, place Scotland third worst in the world for the number of Covid-19 deaths for every million people. With 4,000 deaths from a population of 5.454 million people, the rate of coronavirus deaths in Scotland has reached 733 for every million, behind England on 767 and Belgium on 842. The UK as a whole has the second worst record with 614 deaths … Continue reading Former Labour spin doctor uses unreliable death statistics to shame her own country

By stewartb: The Educational Institute for Scotland (EIS) has just published the results of a survey of members who are headteachers or depute headteachers in Scotland’s schools. ‘Seven weeks into this school shutdown the EIS surveyed its members to find out about the challenges of delivering education remotely as well as in school hubs. Within this survey, questions were designed, also, to understand teacher wellbeing, and what is required as we move into the next academic session in August 2020 on the basis of a “blended learning” approach.’ The School Sector Survey was opened on 12 May and closed on … Continue reading English teachers’ union calls for national plan like that of SNP Government: BBC Scotland AWOL

In a show advertised as featuring shock revelations from two English professors claiming the UK should have locked down two weeks earlier on 9th March, Devi Sridhar, Professor of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University, had something far more powerful to tell us. First, she told us that March 9th was ‘quite a late point to be worried about this‘ and that the WHO had declared their highest level of alarm on what coronavirus would do to our population, on the 30th January! In the light of Boris Johnson’s repeated claims that not enough was known about the virus at … Continue reading Edinburgh Professor contrasts disregard for life in UK Government’s ‘muddled’ strategy with Scotland’s clear plan to protect lives