Three men, perhaps deluded by a bit of power, to varying degrees offensive, but somewhat in the shadows of Prince Andrew and Harvey Weinstein and in no way connected to Cyril Smith, have been presented by our media as triggers for civil war within the SNP. The Horrid has often been in the vanguard if jackals and hyena packs have vanguards: Few of us have, of course, believed these wish-fulfilment headlines and polls tell us that they have no basis in reality. The SNP and the wider movement will not be derailed by the sins of a few individuals. The … Continue reading Three just men whose mistakes will cost nothing according to polls

By Legerwood Carbon Capture and Sequestration. How many times have we heard about money for such projects that never come to anything. Longannet anyone? Pilot project, money available to take it full scale but in 2007 SNP win the election and Gordon Brown does not release the money – did not want to hand a ‘victory’ to the SNP. 2010 Coalition takes over at Westminster and Chris Huhne, Energy Minister pulls plug on CCS. He says we can buy in the technology. Longannet eventually closes. Other sites mentioned – Peterhead – does not come to anything. 2014 Boundary Dam coalfired … Continue reading The Budget promises: Projects that come to nothing?

stewartb Mr Farquharson’s journalistic technique is transparently ‘shoddy’. He identifies a course of action (Scotland ‘self-isolating’) that no-one is suggesting either in reality or metaphorically – and which under no circumstances would be required except in extremis for public health reasons (cf. China or Italy). He then proclaims that this is not the time to do the very thing which only he has identified. How ‘clever’! Is he unaware of how much co-operation takes place on public health protection between nation states both on an ongoing basis and in emergency situations? Or is this just another attempt to re-play the … Continue reading More on Kenny Farquharson’s supposed self-isolation

Ludo Thierry Some rather interesting and enlightening evidence was presented at the Holyrood Committee looking into the Calmac Ferries’ order story. Wow – The CMAL Directors are taking no nonsense and no prisoners – A little reality check for the britnat MSPs trying their darnedest to suggest that the Scottish Govt would apply the sort of business tactics that their beloved Westminster/Whitehall crew routinely would do. Facts and figures from CMAL, arguably, do point to a scandal – just not the fictional ‘scandal’ which the britnats have been trying so very hard to create. Link and snippets below: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-51825113 The … Continue reading Ferguson Marine were Masters of their own Demise

Ludo Thierry A very rapid rush through the various beeb pages offers some interesting (and some puzzling) info re. Johnson’s budget impacts on Scotland. Links and snippets below; The beeb politics page talks about a Scottish site being included in the Carbon Capture and Storage project – see below: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51832634 An extra £640m for Scotland, £360m for Wales, and £210m for Northern Ireland. Treasury to open new offices in Wales and Scotland and civil service hub in the North of England, employing 750 staff £800m for two carbon capture and storage clusters, creating 6,000 new jobs in Teesside, Humberside, Merseyside … Continue reading The budget and Scotland: A Ludocrously quick assessment

Ludo Thierry Have new people been appointed to The Fraser of Allander recently? – The FoAI has produced several recent pieces being quite fierce towards Johnson’s Westminster Govt’s daft economic policies and have applied some wonderfully dry humour whilst doing so. Another good piece has appeared regarding the madness of the Johnson bridge/’Union’ Alister Jack tunnel proposal. Link and snippets below – worth a quick read of the full article if people have a spare minute: https://fraserofallander.org/scottish-economy/whens-a-bridge-not-a-bridge-when-its-a-tunnel-apparently/ When’s a bridge not a bridge? When it’s a tunnel, apparently… Fraser of Allander Institute – March 9, 2020 It is perhaps a … Continue reading Has the Johnson regime begun to push the Fraser of Allander away from Unionism?

In the Times today, under the headline above, Kenny Farquharson writes a rambling piece arguing: ‘Working with Westminster may not suit the SNP’s selective internationalism, but coronavirus proves it is essential.’ I’d agree with that headline if he meant not self-isolating from the EU’s health security system. Even the Telegraph was prepared to let three academics assert the vital need to maintain access to it last week: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/03/04/coronavirus-shows-future-access-post-brexit-eus-health-security/ But he doesn’t mean that. He means the broad shoulders of Britain in the form of NHS England. Has he read anything? Does he mean that wounded system trailing, bloodied, behind NHS … Continue reading Coronavirus: We’d do better in the EU and with a hard border at Berwick than relying on Kenny Farquharson’s wounded NHS England

By Helen Curdled, Health Correspondent A report today by the Care Quality Commission has condemned Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust as unsafe. BBC Barking & Havering Health Correspondent, Lucy Sommers, has described the board as ‘dysfunctional.’ The report states: Learning from serious incidents (SIs) was not always shared with staff. The trust lacked effective systems and processes to assess and monitor the risk of harm to patients because of delayed access to appointments or long waits for treatment.   There was a shortage of middle grade medical staff working within urgent and emergency services. However, the trust had gone … Continue reading Barking & Havering Herald exposes Barking and Havering Hospital

From Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update published by the Scottsish Government yesterday: Between 2007/08 and 2017/18, the annual average supply of affordable housing per head of population in Scotland has been 13.4 homes per 10,000 population, higher than England (9.5 homes per 10,000 population), Wales (7.6 homes per 10,000 population), and Northern Ireland (10.2homes per 10,000 population). In 2018/19 the figures were 17.5 homes per 10,000 population in Scotland, 10.2 in England, and 8.2 in Wales. Click to access housing-statistics-scotland-quarterly-update-new-housebuilding-affordable-housing-supply.pdf Continue reading Affordable housing supply in Scotland surges ahead of non-Scottish parts

In October-December 2019, NHS England Type 1 (full) A&E departments saw only 71.5% of patients within 4 hours. https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2019-20/ In the same period NHS Scotland saw 85.7% within 4 hours. https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/health-services/hospital-care/ae-activity-and-waiting-times/4-february-2020/ The 14.2% difference indicates that NHS Scotland performed 19.86% better [14.2 as percentage of 71.5]. *NHS England uses a counting system, restarting the clock after patients have been admitted, which suggests better performance than is actually the case. Continue reading As Coronavirus peak looms NHS Scotland A&E service is at least* staggering 20% better than NHS England