I used to vote Labour, until Blair. I know folk who have stayed loyally with them, as those who care about progressive policies have drifted to the SNP or the Greens and as others have put the Union before Labour values, to support the unspeakable Tories. I respect them. I admire their dedication and optimism. When Corbyn won and seemed to be dragging the party back to where it belongs, I hesitated but I knew that it could not last in England. With the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer announced and his expulsion of socialists from his shadow cabinet, I … Continue reading Message to Scottish Labour voters: With respect, it’s time to move

From the muculent Michael Gove today: The number of coronavirus tests being carried out in Britain every day has hit 10,000 for the first time, Michael Gove has announced. The Cabinet Office minister confirmed the milestone as he acknowledged there was “more to do” to ensure frontline health workers treating coronavirus are checked for the disease. https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/michael-gove-confirms-coronavirus-testing-has-hit-10000-a-day-amid-calls-to-get-more-nhs-staff-checked From the reliable BBC four days ago: Scotland’s testing capacity has increased from 390 samples per day at the beginning of the outbreak up to 1,900 tests per day now. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52133634 Continue reading Scotland: 8% of the population but at least 20% of the coronavirus testing

I’ve been listening to the First Minister and BBC reporters saying that the peak is some way off and that there is worse to come but I don’t understand why then the number of new cases is on a downward trend. I know little of epidemiology but I just don’t see it. I do know that around 80% of cases will be too mild to ever enter the statistics but surely that doesn’t matter. We need to know about the trend in those cases hospitalised and in the trend for deaths. Only two recorded deaths again today but I understand … Continue reading New cases fall again

From Civil Justice Statistics in Scotland 2018-19 published today, There were 72,100 civil law cases initiated across the Court of Session and sheriff courts in 2018-19 (excluding summary applications). This represents a decrease of 11% from 2017-18, which continues the long-term downward trend in court business levels over the last ten years. The main contributors for the decrease in initiations in 2018-19 are debt and eviction actions, down 20% and 15% respectively. Family and Eviction actions were second and third most common, at 18% and 17% respectively. Click to access civil-justice-statistics-scotland.pdf Continue reading Has SNP eviction legislation protected the poor in insecure housing?

I’m sure we’re all shocked to hear of the furloughing of 1 in 5 Daily Record staff. Wasn’t furloughing a WWII GI thing? When did we get it? It could be worse. At least they’re not getting de-fenestrated from their Windows platforms. Readers will be most exercised to hear of the fate of Paul Hutcheon, only recently poached by the Record from the sinking Herald. I, for one, was a bit worried about his fit with the Record as it drifts toward a pro-Indy stance in an effort to save it’s collective neck. There’s only one place for him really … Continue reading Will ‘Poached’ Paul Hutcheon be furloughed or plucked by Pacific Quay?

This YouMug poll for the Talking-up Scotland Collective sampled 4070 varied followers to establish the level of support for key figures in the coronavirus outbreak. Just over 10% responded to a task that might have taken them all of 10 seconds. Heartlessly, we feel, they went for Boris with 81.3% calling for his head even though they knew he was in the hospital suffering for the nation. Shockingly, given the Scottish media campaign to protect them from civil service failure, only 20 or so wanted the CMO to go back to Fife. Notably, 93.3% appear to blame the Westminster Tories. … Continue reading Adding insult to injury as poll calls for Boris to go and ignores Scottish media campaign against Dr Calderwood

The Panelbase poll of 1023, 16+ adults, based on fieldwork on 24-26 March, reported today in the Sunday Times yesterday, is the fourth in short order, to place support for the SNP above 50% and collective support for pro-Indy parties into the mid 50s. On Holyrood voting intentions an overall SNP majority is predicted: Con 26% Green 3% Lab 14% LibDem 6% SNP 51% On voting in Indyref2 it was, as before, too close to call: Yes 46% No 47% Don’t know 7% On the effects of the Alex Salmond trial it was bad news for him with 41% now … Continue reading Fourth poll puts SNP support above 50% and suggests mild coronavirus boost for independence

So, that’s 7 stories on the same thing all on the same thing. OTT certainly but not the Herald’s low point. Back in February, they manged 11 stories on Derek Mackay, all on the same day: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2020/02/06/jackal-journalism-as-herald-offers-11-derek-mackay-stories-on-1-day/ Continue reading Herald feeding frenzy but only 7 stories on the same thing this time

For four days now the level of new cases in Scotland has stayed below what now looks like a peak of sorts on the 31st March. I’m no expert and it’s no doubt early, but if the number of cases was increasing toward a peak around Easter, 7 days from now, as Gordon Brewer told us this morning, wouldn’t we have some evidence 4 days after a steep incline at the end of a whole month of increasing numbers? Isn’t that a plateau? A bumpy one but still a plateau? And, look at the new cases across the UK: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uk/ … Continue reading Is the ‘peak’ some way ahead or just behind us?

Above, the Scotsman, BBC Scotland and the Herald are all unable to write the headline because only 2 were recorded as dying in the last 24 hours. When it was 46 it was splattered everywhere across the Scottish and UK media AND Nicola Sturgeon’ face was always there beside the number. Where is she today? BBC Scotland could not even bear to tell you in the full text, how many had died in the last 24 hours. You had to check back to find what the total was the previous day and subtract. Doesn’t this tell us something? I know … Continue reading Only 2 deaths today and nobody can bear to say it