https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/health-services/hospital-care/hospital-standardised-mortality-ratios/ https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiN2NlZDZlOTItZmVkYS00MzAzLWE0OGYtNDU5ZGM5OTI3OTNmIiwidCI6IjUwZjYwNzFmLWJiZmUtNDAxYS04ODAzLTY3Mzc0OGU2MjllMiIsImMiOjh9 Hospital mortality ratios are a useful if imperfect measure of performance. As you can see in the diagram above, all of the Scottish hospitals cluster around the national baseline and within the safe limits, suggesting a high level of performance including safety for patients with the Western General actually doing a wee bit better than expected. In NHS England, 8 hospitals have mortality rates above the control limit [bad] while 13 have rates below the limit. This suggests, I think (statistician alert!), evidence of a more unequal society. Continue reading SHOCK: Hospital mortality rate higher than expected in 8 NHS England trusts but none in Scotland’s more equal society

Ed: I couldn’t leave this lingering below a previous post on Pisa and Scottish schools. Alasdair Macdonald In 1929, the philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, wrote about what he decried as ‘inert ideas’: “Theoretical ideas should always find important applications within the pupil’s curriculum. This is not an easy doctrine to apply, but a very hard one. It contains within itself the problem of keeping knowledge alive, of preventing it from becoming inert, which is the central problem of all education.”. Here we are, nearly a hundred years later and still putting overwhelming emphasis on ‘knowing the facts’. Indeed, even earlier, … Continue reading ‘PISA and SATs and all these other pub quiz type of examinations’ loved by the Opposition

This story fed to us by independent researcher and ’emergency truffle hound’ bigjon999: And now, drum-roll, much missed and long-anticipated, the 8-percenters return to our stage: 8% of the population but 62% of the fish landings: How will we survive? Scotland: 8% of the population but more than 13% of the exports and soaring! 8% of the population but 20% of the electricity production: How Scotland subsidises Britain’s green power ‘achievement’ Not Reporting Scotland: 8% of the population but 85% of independent renewables projects are in Scotland Why Scotland has 8% of the population but 0% of the UK’s worst places for child poverty  … Continue reading Return of the Meme! 8% of the population but 100% of the aluminium smelters

It’s Number 1 story everywhere. ‘SNP bridge closure causes chaos for motorists.’ Just as with infected hospitals, only Scotland’s media think this kind of thing is headline news. Elsewhere, it’d be consigned to the transport bulletin. Readers might remember, of course, that this bridge rarely closes and has been praised by hauliers (link below). Scotsman readers (both) might also remember their own praise for the project voted the UK’s best infrastructure project. How will HS2 fare, I wonder? https://www.scotsman.com/business/queensferry-crossing-named-uk-s-best-infrastructure-project-1-5018229 It’s not even just that. It’s a world-famous example of how to run a major infrastructure project: https://www.enr.com/articles/43436-a-scottish-bridge-that-is-a-lesson-on-how-to-build-big-projects They cannot win. … Continue reading Britain’s best ever building project, loved by hauliers, closes ONCE and it’s ‘Commuter Chaos!’

When it comes to an SNP MSP texting a 16-year-old, Willie Rennie is right at the front baying for blood but when it was his old leader David Steel, clearly failing the victims of the serial actual physical abuse of boys by his pal Cyril Smith, he was in a more forgiving mood: The Lib Dems have reinstated former leader David Steel after a probe into what he knew about abuse claims against the late MP Cyril Smith. The peer was suspended from the party after comments he made about Smith to an independent child abuse inquiry. He said he … Continue reading Willie Rennie’s double standards on child abuse

Much hay has been made by opposition politicians and their media platforms, of Scottish education’s recent Pisa score for Science. It fell 7 points leaving it behind that of England and ‘only’ just around the OECD average. In the BBC Scotland report last December, we read these outrageous comments from their sponsors: Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith said the maths and science results were a “humiliation” for the SNP government. She said: “These two areas are so critical to the success of much of Scotland’s modern economy. We should be doing so much better.” Scottish Labour’s education spokesman Iain … Continue reading Why Scotland’s supposed decline in School Science performance according to Pisa is really a good sign

Contrary I had seen this short video clip floating about Twitter, but hadn’t watched it until now (a Lord commenting on the constitution ,,, meh), but it’s not actually meh, it makes a very good point: https://mobile.twitter.com/PeoplesAS30/status/1226912334532218880 A lot of ‘uk’ constitutional law (effectively it is English constitutional law, Scotland’s was ignored in the treaty of union) is based on *precedent* – that is, judges will look at how something was done before in the past when making a judgement on a similar thing now – so what this Lord is saying, that by allowing the first referendum to be … Continue reading In Favour of a Wildcat Referendum

Ludo Thierry Am seeing nil mention of this Guest Speaker engagement carried on beeb Scotland webpages. Gently, gently things are being steadily ratcheted up – note who is President of the EPC – Link and snippets below: https://www.epc.eu/en/events/Scotlands-European-future-after-Brexit~2e7c64 The European Policy Centre (EPC) is an independent, not-for-profit think tank dedicated to fostering European integration through analysis and debate, supporting and challenging decision-makers at all levels to make informed decisions based on evidence and analysis, and providing a platform for engaging partners, stakeholders and citizens in EU policy-making and in the debate about the future of Europe. The EPC was launched … Continue reading NEWS: First Minister is Special Guest Speaker at European Policy Centre

From Ludo Thierry: Interesting to see two unrelated observations from long-term BBC staffers – Poor old John Simpson really shows himself to be completely out of touch. Patrick Howse is at least recognising that his “country” (Ukania) is “..falling apart..”: Link and snippets below: https://www.rt.com/uk/480494-bbc-journalist-irish-populism-jibe/ World-renowned BBC Foreign correspondent John Simpson has triggered Twitter after claiming voters had “succumbed to populism” in the Irish general election, that saw left-wing nationalist party Sinn Fein make historic gains. Simpson — who has spent his working life at the BBC reporting from a host of war zones around the world — took to … Continue reading John Simpson struggles to see clearly again

Ludo Thierry Bit early for any of Johnson’s troops to get ‘restive’ but noticed this piece on Stephen Crabb (Tory MP for Preseli, former tory Secretary for wales and very recently elected (salaried) chairman of Welsh Affairs committee. (In the day he was also Baroness Ruth von Rape Clause’s preferred choice as Cameron’s successor – but that idea soon got ditched!) Anyway – Mr. Crabb seems prepared to point out that EVEL isn’t having quite the effect the Ukanian’s claimed for it. Link and snippets below: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-51422063 English votes for English laws makes Welsh MPs feel like “second-class” politicians, a … Continue reading EVEL is ‘bizarre’ says Crabb