Neil Oliver in the limelight again reminds me of his cancerous presence
“They left their windswept crofts behind looking for adventure and the promised land” Did he really say that about the folk burned and driven off their land in the Highland Clearances? I haven’t watched it but others are tweeting about this angrily. It’s been some time since Oliver, BA Archaeology 3rd Class with Merit in Grubbing, has caused me to froth against him but this gives me the opportunity to remind everyone of his suggestion that Indyref2 was a cancerous presence in Scottish politics and his petty attacks on the personal appearance of the great Prof Tom Devine when the … Continue reading Neil Oliver in the limelight again reminds me of his cancerous presence
Voting rights for all: One more thing adding up to Scotland being different enough to want to run its own show
From the Scottish Government two days ago: The right to vote in Scottish Parliament and local government elections has been extended today, with the passing of the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Bill. The Bill extends voting rights to all foreign nationals with leave to remain, including all those granted refugee status. It also extends candidacy rights to foreign nationals with indefinite leave to remain, and to those with pre-settled status.This also marks the first time in the history of the Scottish Parliament that a Bill has passed after requiring a super-majority, the support of two thirds of the 129 … Continue reading Voting rights for all: One more thing adding up to Scotland being different enough to want to run its own show
In one day three Welsh hospitals with serious threats to patient safety but no word of the Tory minister
Three reports published together on one day in the BBC Wales website. Toxic food supplies, life-threatening delays and the closure of an A&E are headlined. In these extended reports there is not one mention of the Tory minister for whom the buck would stop, were they in Scotland and not one accusation of betrayal of the people, from a Labour opposition politician. In Scotland, every death, of a child especially, regardless of whether the heath board can even be reasonably charged with clinical negligence, is laid with background trumpets, at the door of the Health Secretary or the First Minister. … Continue reading In one day three Welsh hospitals with serious threats to patient safety but no word of the Tory minister
In England schools are blamed but here it’s that SNP
Nothing more clearly and shockingly for democracy captures the anti-SNP bias in our MSM. I’ve shown before how only BBC Scotland uses images of politicians with reports of NHS problems. BBC UK, England, N Ireland and Wales rarely if ever even mention a politician, but blame the health boards or contractors. The Herald today, as did Reporting Scotland last night, travel in their challenged little minds, from the exam results quickly past many potentially responsible groups to point the finger of blame at the SNP [Government]. The headline claim is risible. First, these are one year changes which do not … Continue reading In England schools are blamed but here it’s that SNP
Tom Gordon is just teasing us, isn’t he?
I’m not counting but after 6 years and averaging around 3 posts a day, I must have written more than 6 thousand and, you can be sure, many of those have been correcting fibs from such as TG, above. It’s now all getting a bit déjà vu. Is it possible TG is just writing clickbait now and doesn’t actually care about anything any more? This is one more suggestion that the SNP will suffer for something or other but, when the next election comes along or the next poll comes out, they just haven’t. Today’s piece is a bit of … Continue reading Tom Gordon is just teasing us, isn’t he?
Standing up for Scottish education as our media parrot Tory myths
From stewartb In reply to Alasdair Macdonald [bottom of page] I agree Alasdair about the politicised nature of this ‘stooshie’. In fact BBC Scotland and its education expert is missing a huge opportunity: there is enormous scope for doing some sustained, serious, considered and informative journalism as a public service in what is actually a hugely important, complex and challenging subject in terms of both policy and delivery. (As there is for BBC Scotland on health and social care!) In 2015, at the request of the Scottish Government, the OECD published a review of Curriculum for Excellence (http://www.oecd.org/education/school/Improving-Schools-in-Scotland-An-OECD-Perspective.pdf ) As we are … Continue reading Standing up for Scottish education as our media parrot Tory myths
Average anxiety levels in Scotland rose after 2014
From stewartb: What can we learn about this supposed cause of bad ‘divisiveness’ from our recent past? Did the political division in Scotland in the lead up to 2014 and afterwards turn out so bad? – apart from the indyref result ofcourse! The ONS Annual Population Survey assesses a sample of UK citizens about personal well-being. It asks people to evaluate, on a scale of 0 to 10, how satisfied they are with their life overall, whether they feel they have meaning and purpose in their life, and about their emotions (happiness and anxiety) during a particular period. Source: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/measuringnationalwellbeing/januarytodecember2017#scotland-is-the-only-country-to-show-improvements-across-any-measures-of-personal-well-being “Between … Continue reading Average anxiety levels in Scotland rose after 2014
Scottish Labour to disappear?
From Ludo Thierry Has someone slipped a dash of truth serum into ‘Union’ Jackie Baillie’s lunchtime glass of champers? I note from STV news site that the Faslane Fury has been outlining how north brit labour sub-branch are likely to disappear without trace at 2021 Holyrood election – For once I reckon Jackie might be onto something – link and snippets below: https://news.stv.tv/politics/baillie-scottish-labour-facing-fight-for-survival?topBaillie: Scottish Labour facing fight for survival The Dumbarton MSP spoke ahead of a campaign event in Glasgow on Friday. Scottish Labour deputy leadership candidate Jackie Baillie has said the party is fighting for survival in next year’s … Continue reading Scottish Labour to disappear?
Scotland becoming more socially mobile
Image https://careerready.org.uk/ From stewartb: All this talk of divisiveness by Mr Brown today reminds of this from the Social Mobility Commission report ‘State of the Nation 2018 to 2019’: Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/798404/SMC_State_of_the_Nation_Report_2018-19.pdf “This data highlights that both Scotland and Wales are becoming significantly more socially mobile, as a person’s job and life chances are less determined by their socio-economic status at birth. This is encouraging and compares favourably to England, where social mobility has not improved.” (p. 138) And the report goes on: “The Commission recognises the Scottish Government’s efforts at tackling in-work poverty by becoming an accredited voluntary living wage … Continue reading Scotland becoming more socially mobile
Reporting Scotland at its most awful as it exploits another traumatised mother to unfairly associate NHS Tayside with negligence 7 years after the last case
Today, we heard: ‘A surgeon who harmed patients in Scotland for years, and can no longer work in the UK, is operating again. [Pause for dramatic effect] The BBC’s discovered that Muftah Salem Eljamel who was suspended in 2013 is working in…Libya! The former head of neurosurgery at NHS Tayside, Muftah Salem Eljamel, removed himself from the GMC register after restrictions were placed on him.’ A look at the surgeon practising in Libya is then suddenly and dramatically replaced, for no reason offered, with an interview extract of a traumatised mother condemning NHS Tayside and the GMC. I feel sure … Continue reading Reporting Scotland at its most awful as it exploits another traumatised mother to unfairly associate NHS Tayside with negligence 7 years after the last case
