So, a fall in care home deaths adds to the sense of crisis there because those in the homes, workers, residents, family, have read that because the overall death rate is falling, care home deaths now represent a higher percentage, even though there are fewer of them to experience in the care homes? So, there’s a sense of crisis just because people in care homes have misread the statistics? Hands up, care home workers, did you know that even though you may think there have been fewer deaths, they are part of a higher percentage? Stop fn reading!!! https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/may/06/uk-coronavirus-live-furlough-scheme-government-ease-lockdown-pmqs-covid-19-latest-updates#block-5eb2a69e8f0898654cef9856 Continue reading Guardian’s Severin Carrol thinks fewer deaths adds to the sense of crisis

In practice, divergence has been limited, and UK networks strong. Scottish policies on the banning of mass gatherings (13 March), on the written analysis of the criteria for relaxing restrictions (23 April) and on the use of face masks (28 April) have taken the form of licensed anticipations of UK positions. Richard Parry, Honorary Fellow Some thoughts from Brenda Steele on the above quote by Richard Parry: Why is it that these people feel they have the right to impute motives  to the Scottish Government for which they have absolutely no evidence? Why does the Scottish Government have to hold back … Continue reading Ill-informed and patronising ‘Scottish’ academic looks at things from an English perspective

From Insider, today: The UK’s smallest businesses believe they would need less than a week’s notice to restart operations, according to a new survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Almost two-thirds with less than 10 employees said they would need just days for reopening while half of respondents with more than 50 workers said they would need longer. Only 3% of businesses said they would need more than three weeks’ notice to get back and running once lockdown restrictions are eased, the BCC’s coronavirus business impact tracker found. From 540 businesses between April 29 – 1 May 2020 … Continue reading Covid-19: Optimistic news missed by BBC Scotland as survey reveals small business resilience

From the Greenock Telegraph, yesterday, but otherwise ignored by Scotland’s media: SECRET plans have been drawn up to berth a dozen cruise ships at Greenock and bring potentially thousands of crew members ashore. The intention is to disembark crews – of up to 500 people from each vessel – for ‘onward travel to transport hubs’ and repatriation to their home countries amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Telegraph understands. Peel Ports — owners of Ocean Terminal — have applied for permission to dock 12 vessels here for ‘lay-up’ in the wake of the collapse of the cruise industry due to the pandemic. An … Continue reading Already Westminster’s dumping ground for radioactive waste, the Clyde is targeted to receive 6 000 infected sailors rejected by other ports

The Herald today, headlining: the resignation of an adviser on decisions about coronavirus only affecting England; England’s death toll but not Scotland’s much lower rate; a man who despises his own folk; not the Scottish justice minister on crime affecting Scotland; the health secretary for England. Nothing about death in English care homes? Continue reading The Not-the-Glasgow Herald making you feel at home in the UK

I wrote this last July. As Pete Wishart MP feuds with the wider Yes movement again, it might be of interest to any who didn’t see it then. Yesterday, in the Constitutional Affairs committee, Wishart flirted with Rees-Mogg: ‘Could I obviously warmly welcome him to this place. He’s the fifth leader I’ve had, in my fourth year, but I would have to say that he is by far the most exotic.’ Note the sense of belonging comfortably in ‘this place’, in Wishart’s words. Rees-Mogg may seem exotic but we know he is really a cold reactionary politician who despises the … Continue reading Repeat: ‘Settle up NOT settle down’: What IS Pete Wishart doing in the Palace of Westminster?

Three days after TuSC exposed the inspection report, BBC Scotland’s John Beattie has been interrogating the owners of the Skye care home where three are now dead and everyone is infected. The story has even made the BBC news website. Of course, Reporting Scotland didn’t touch it. I thought Lisa Summers liked a bit of controversy. Remember when she unilaterally, all by herself, declared NHS Tayside’s oncology services ‘dysfunctional?’ Of course you can’t catch breast cancer like you might catch coronavirus if you were brave enough to visit that care home in Portree. BBC Humberside seems less familiar with inspection … Continue reading As BBC Scotland wakes up to care home inspection reports, BBC Humberside not up to speed yet though 60 die in Hull

We’ve had to modify another of those BBC reports which won’t tell their audience what the figures are for England, hiding them in a UK figure. England now has the highest number of coronavirus deaths in Europe, according to the latest government figures and , FT/ONS estimates. There have been 29,427 deaths recorded across the UK – a figure Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said was “a massive tragedy” with 1 620 of them in Scotland, 1 023 in Wales and 404 in Northern Ireland. That would put England still below the figures for Italy but the FT and the ONS … Continue reading Coronavirus: The people of England deserve to know the truth of what the Tories have done for them

Scottish Governor, Alister Jack, has insisted that Scotland must emerge from the lockdown in lockstep (nice) with the Westminster decision, when it comes but his boss, Acting Prime Minister, Dominic Raab on April 16th said: the decision would be based on factors including a sustained fall in daily deaths and evidence the rate of infection was down to “manageable levels.” Raab said that if those conditions were satisfied the measures could be adjusted to allow “some economic and social activity to resume. It could involve relaxing measures in some areas while strengthening measures in other areas,” he said. https://apnews.com/af7d495db3c6e5f60012f1ffe7d8961e I’m … Continue reading Alister Jack contradicts his boss!

In Scotland, in March and April 2020, attendance at A&E departments fell by more than 20%. The number seen in 4 hours, as you might expect climbed to 89% in March and 95% in the first two weeks of April. https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/health-services/hospital-care/ae-activity-and-waiting-times/ In England, attendance in March and April 2020 was slightly higher than in January and February. Type 1 A&E performance fell from 79.5% seen in 4 hours, in March 2020, to 77.1% in April. https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2019-20/ It’s looking like Scottish A&E being at least 18% better in April 2020. Footnote: Is the fall in A&E attendance in Scotland but not … Continue reading Performance gap between Accident and Emergency in Scotland and England widens as attendance falls only in Scotland