In the Herald today: ‘Scotland’s employers are facing a 25 per cent hike in the total business rates burden in just three years, according to official forecasts. The scale of the increase emerged on the eve of today’s final Holyrood vote on the Scottish budget for 2020/21.’ https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18281677.storm-scottish-firms-face-paying-674m-tax/ Absent from the Herald, of course was the SNP Small Business Bonus Scheme: The total overall savings to businesses as a result of the Small Business Bonus Scheme covering the period 2008-09 – 2018-19 are £1.79 billion. The estimated savings for 2019-20 will add a further £272 million. 120,420 properties received Small Business Bonus Scheme … Continue reading Storm as Scottish businesses forget the £1.79 BILLION they’ve already had from SNP Government

7 times, on BBC UK this morning but not considered in a Scottish context, to inform viewers, by BBC Scotland: ‘The NHS in England doesn’t have enough nurses according to a new report as officials warn that an epidemic of Coronavirus is likely. The National Audit Office says there are 43 000 nursing vacancies.’ Here’s what Reporting Scotland might, but probably won’t tell you: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-00620/ NHS Scotland has 50% more nurses per head of population than NHS England. Continue reading Coronavirus Update: NHS Scotland has 50% more nurses per head of population than NHS England has!

BBC Scotland, not-so-proudly tell us, above, that the some of the newspapers have mentioned the Scots-born researcher leading the race to develop a vaccine for the Coronovirus which is, itself, a headline story, across all media, including BBC Scotland. BBC UK interviewed her more than a month ago: The Times, often written for by John Boothman, ‘sacked’ former head of news at BBC Scotland, which I know arrives in the big pile of English newspapers, every day, at Pacific Quay, interviewed her in January: Also in January, the Courier identified her as a Fifer while the Glasgow Times insisted she … Continue reading Is there a vaccine for the Scottish Cringe?

From stewartb BBC Scotland has over recent years made much of the Scottish Government’s shortcomings when implementing changes to farm payments. These caused delays in some farmers receiving funds they were due. We wait to see whether our public service broadcaster will pick up on today’s GOOD NEWS story that has been covered online by The Scottish Farmer. It is also the subject of a press statement today by the Scottish Government: as we suspect BBC Scotland monitors these – and given its past interest in farm payments – we might expect to find this story covered later on the … Continue reading Will BBC Scotland compare the SNP and Conservative’s attitudes to farmers?

Research: Brian McGowan Once more evidence emerges of the high quality of Glasgow’s hospitals yet this is consistently ignored by BBC Scotland as they dig for rare cases of suffering which they can amplify in broadcasts. Parkinson’s patients in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) have rated their care as significantly better than the UK average, according to a national audit. Parkinson’s affects one in 375 adults in Scotland. UK-wide Parkinson’s Audit of patients showed far higher satisfaction rates in NHSGGC, compared to the rest of the country, in almost every element of their care. Patients were asked to rate … Continue reading NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Parkinson’s care rated far higher than UK average

I agreed with Goring’s headline when I first saw it but then discovered it was for very different reasons. Hers is a purely literary critique apparently unconcerned with any effects of the dominance of tales from English history across the cultural experiences of most Scots. The word Scotland doesn’t even appear. There is a bigger concern for me. In my years in teacher education (1984 – 2014), I had students asking for help in teaching the Tudor period in places such as Cumnock, even though the formal curriculum by then had no place for English monarchs. It turned out the … Continue reading Moving on from the Tudors and toward Scottish history on our screens

You didn’t see the above, anywhere but BBC Northern Ireland were brutally honest: We also found out from them, the facts: Northern Ireland 4.2 deaths per 1 000 live births England 3.9 Scotland 3.2 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-51725510 For context, the rate in Denmark is 3.04 and in Germany it’s 3.2. In the USA it’s 5.7 Continue reading As NHS Scotland achieves lowest infant mortality in UK BBC looks away

STV News loves to remind us that it is the most-watched Scottish TV News every time they’re on. To be fair, they’ve lived in the shadow of the BBC for decades so the emergence of data for 2019, showing they pull in more punters, must have been quite a boost. For some time, I’ve detected a more balanced approach to issues affecting Scotland’s image and the debate over independence, though they too feed at the trough of NHS ‘scandals.’ I suppose you have to remember they are a business which, on the one hand, is not going to deliberately offend … Continue reading Why STV News is more popular than Reporting Scotland – evidence?

Credit iStock Ludo Thierry Meanwhile Baroness Bull – No – Not the one you’re thinking of (no Buffalo riders here) – This Baroness Bull is the rather wonderful former Principal Ballerina Deborah Bull who sits as a cross-bencher and is the Patron of the Osteoporosis Society. On their behalf she is pushing in the HoL’s for NHS England and NHS Wales to come into line with NHS Scotland and introduce a Fracture Liaison Service (shown to save lives). Curious how – with all that scrutiny they selflessly devote to matters NHS Scotland – beeb Scotland have managed to miss this … Continue reading BBC Scotland blind to superior hip fracture treatment here

Ludo Thierry Remember ‘Vote No Borders’ the ‘grassroots’ anti-Indy campaign funded by City of London ‘dark money’ and given huge tranches of beeb airtime in 2014? They even released a single record (it was a ‘Miss’ rather than a ‘Hit’ for those able to recall Juke Box Jury – chart topping it weren’t). Where are Vote No Borders when you need them? – Apparently Johnson has pulled Ukania (and, by current default, Scotland with it) out of the European Early Warning System for epidemics. Truly, we HAVE to get out of this place – It’s britnatery gorn maaahd. Link and … Continue reading As Coronavirus strikes, Britain pulls Scotland out of European Early Warning System for epidemics