Only hours after the Herald’s Rebecca McQuillan struggled to make sure Scotland would be going down with the SS Hancock as the UK’s uniquely callous and feckless covid strategy draws fire and ridicule from all quarters, up pops the World Health Organisation to praise the efforts of the SNP administration: No wonder the Brexiteers hate the Jocks. The UN praises our efforts on poverty. The Nuffield Foundation at Oxford University praises our management of the NHS and we’ve got less crime and…….Rule Britannia! Britannia….. Continue reading Rebecca McQuillan gets an answer straightaway: WHO doctor praises Scottish Government

Reader Rosie Andrew tipped me off on this. You might remember Jackson Carlaw saying, at FM Questions, two days ago: It is also reported today that the ratio of care home deaths is double that of the figure elsewhere across the UK. Fewer tests for our care homes, more deaths in our care homes. The claim was widely repeated and never questioned. It’s wrong, of course. See this below from the ONS: So in England and Wales, 9 039 out of 12 483 covid-related deaths, by 1st May, were in care homes and that is 72.4%. In Scotland, by 10th … Continue reading Shock for Carlaw as proportion of deaths in English care homes revealed to be 62% higher than in Scotland

Scotland has been low on the list in terms of ordering things before and I would hope they get their bid in quickly for when the test is going to be available. In a report requiring all the expertise of my granny – ‘If you don’t get doon tae that shop the noo, there’ll be nane left! – Prof P warns the Scottish Government they’ll need to be quick to get some of those new Roche anti-body tests and, in an unguarded moment, says the above. He’s so right. Matt Hancock will have been on the phone to Swiss company … Continue reading Will Pro-Union prof change sides as he confirms anti-Scottish practices by UK-based providers of medical supplies?

I’ve done this so often with Herald mis-reporting, images keep popping into my head. Sometimes, I’m batting away big insects. Other times, I’m shooting fish in a barrel. Anyhow, memories are short, so here we go again. When it comes to retrospective assessments of how governments have performed in this global crisis, I’m confident that, when it is done by independent, academic researchers, not hacks of limited ability, the Scottish Government will emerge with a far better reputation than many. Why? The Scottish Government acquired the legal right to lock-down only on the 25th March, two days after the UK … Continue reading Rebecca McQuillan warns Scots not to think they’ve achieved anything even with far fewer deaths despite our powerlessness

From Ipsos MORI on 8th -11th May with a sub-sample of 96, 18-75 year-old Scots: The government should prioritise the economic health of the country by having fewer restrictions on public events, workplaces and travel Only 9% agreed, the lowest percentage in the UK but, crucially for the UK Government’s new ‘strategy’, only 15% at most agreed, across the UK. Interestingly, in the light of the UK Government’s own class make-up, 14% of social grades AB, across the UK, agreed, compared to only around 10% for the C-DE groups, most at risk. The government should prioritise people’s health by having … Continue reading Poll suggests overwhelming support for Scotland’s ‘Stay in the Hoose!’ strategy

In the Herald yesterday: SCOTLAND may have a higher coronavirus infection rate compared to the rest of the UK partly because of its older and more unhealthy population. Roger Halliday, the Scottish Government’s chief statistician, said demographics may be a factor in the slightly higher R number, or reproduction rate of the virus, north of the border. However he said Scotland also recorded its first case later than England. Nicola Sturgeon said this means Scotland could be “a bit behind in terms of the infection curve”. So, as everyone seems to be starting answers these days: First, we don’t know what the R number is. … Continue reading Scotland’s lower infection and death rate despite older and unhealthy population confuses expert

11 whole days after TuSC checked out the Care Inspectorate report on the infection-stricken Skye care home, BBC Scotland react in the public interest! For most of that time, they worked tirelessly with the GMB and the opposition parties to attempt to lay the dead at the First Minister’s feet. They’ll report it now but don’t expect any of the dots to be joined up. Don’t expect to hear of the links between care home owners and the Tories. Don’t expect Disclosure Scotland to expose their tax avoidance, though a trip to the Cayman Islands will tempt them. Don’t expect … Continue reading 11 days after we reveal the Skye care home report BBC Scotland have to give Scottish Tories the bad news

In the Nursing Standard yesterday: A possible two-year public sector pay freeze would be ‘a slap in the face’ for nurses and other key workers, unions have said.  They reacted angrily to a leaked Treasury document that proposes the move as part of measures to meet the economic cost of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Daily Telegraph reported that the confidential document discussed possible ways to foot the UK’s bill – currently estimated at £337 billion this year – including an increase in income tax and a two-year public sector pay freeze. https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/news/covid-19-unions-anger-over-possible-two-year-pay-freeze-public-sector-workers-161041 Continue reading UK Treasury has already forgotten our health care heroes

From stewartb: In a BBC News online article published on 12 May with the ‘Reality Check’ label we learn this: “From the end of April, the government started including care homes in its daily death statistics, but there could be SLIGHT UNDER-REPORTING in these numbers, as they only include deaths where someone tested positive for coronavirus.” (my emphasis) Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52284281 It had an embedded link from the phrase ‘but there could be SLIGHT under-reporting’ taking the reader to a Public Health England (PHE) report published on 29 April. Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/882565/Technical_Summary_PHE_Data_Series_COVID-19_Deaths_20200429.pdf Curious, I visited the linked source – searched for ‘slight’, searched for … Continue reading BBC’s sleight of hand on ‘slight’ under-reporting of covid-19 deaths in care homes

Peter Brookes in 2020. Steve Bell in 2015. Steve Bell in 2014. Steve Bell in 2013. Continue reading How English cartoonists continue to demonise and mock our elected leaders