‘Almost all households will be better off due to policy changes announced in the Autumn Statement and Scottish Budget’
cuckooshoe From the above report but not reported by the media: If Scottish and UK Government tax policy changes are considered together, almost all households will be better off due to policy changes announced in the Autumn Statement and Scottish Budget. Only 6% of households – almost all in the top decile – will be worse-off as a result of these changes, on average seeing their income reduce by 0.2%. OMG!Wow!No way!You’re kidding!Are you serious?I can’t believe it!Holy cow!Unbelievable!Quelle surprise!You don’t say!That’s incredible! Continue reading ‘Almost all households will be better off due to policy changes announced in the Autumn Statement and Scottish Budget’
If every ‘failure’ results in hostile media and political scrutiny, we will never encourage creativity, entrepreneurial thinking and risk-taking in how we deliver public services.
stewartb BBC Scotland doesn’t miss a trick! On the Scotland page of the BBC News website today (4 January) there is this headline: ‘Nicola Sturgeon warns flagship care plan may not be meeting goals’. The article is based on a contribution the former FM gave to a BBC Radio 4 series earlier this week called ‘Fixing Britain’. Given the nature of the programmes (see later), I wonder (!) what prompted BBC Scotland to include this in its daily news/politics coverage? The article quotes a Tory politician in Scotland with a typical ‘SNPbad’ comment so might BBC Scotland have been given … Continue reading If every ‘failure’ results in hostile media and political scrutiny, we will never encourage creativity, entrepreneurial thinking and risk-taking in how we deliver public services.
Care – Astonishing praise for Nicola Sturgeon on BBC Radio – 4, not Scotland, don’t be daft!
On BBC Radio 4’s Fixing Britain with Louise Casey, a powerful account of the SNP leader’s competence married with deep humanity, at 11.45 mins in, for 20 mins. Casey says: I’m not somebody that listens to party conference speeches on the whole but there was something she was saying that totally grabbed my attention and I thought ‘Wow!’ You need to listen to it. This is a fascinating and deeply moving account of a great politician but one for whom the Scottish media and opposition party chums is their greatest fear. Continue reading Care – Astonishing praise for Nicola Sturgeon on BBC Radio – 4, not Scotland, don’t be daft!
Does their Ferries Community Board want to stick islanders with a more expensive and less reliable ferry service?
Perhaps they only read the Herald’s Second-class Ferry Correspondent (Scotland only) but the CalMAc Ferries Community Board apparently “unanimously” do not support a direct award of the next contract. So they want to open up the bid to for-profit operators like Washington State Ferries in the USA, BC Ferries in Canada, Condor in the Channel Islands, Red Funnel in the Isle of Wight or KiwiRail in New Zealand? Regulars here will know that all operate less reliable, older vessels, at far greater cost to the passenger. For confirmation of this and to get a sharp cold water shock, read these: … Continue reading Does their Ferries Community Board want to stick islanders with a more expensive and less reliable ferry service?
In Cambridgeshire with 6 Tory MPs hire cars are needed for ambulances but it’s just one of those things
From BBC Cambridgeshire today: An ambulance service is using hire cars to respond to calls amid claims of a maintenance “crisis” within its fleet, it has emerged. The East of England Ambulance Trust (EEAST) has leased 15 vehicles to help during the busiest time of the year. In October, almost a quarter of the trust’s 500 ambulances were off the road with the majority undergoing unplanned maintenance. Glenn Carrington, who chairs Unison’s EEAST branch, said the trust was going through a “fleet crisis”. “I’ve lost count of the number of my colleagues who have turned up to do extra shifts … Continue reading In Cambridgeshire with 6 Tory MPs hire cars are needed for ambulances but it’s just one of those things
Scotland’s electricity transfers to England are worth $365 billion per year
Scotland is currently transferring 1.69TWh of electricity per month to England, more than 20TWh in 2023 and on some days (above graph) pushing 30TWh. You could fully power 70 000 homes for 1TWh. There are fewer than that in the whole UK. With the rest, you could power all the hospitals, schools, colleges and universities and still have some left. https://news.duke-energy.com/releases/duke-energy-customers-surpass-1-terawatt-of-energy-savings-through-my-home-energy-report-program 1TWh would sell globally for about $120 000 per hour, so on that basis Scotland’s 20TWh could generate $2.8m every hour or $1bn every day or $365 billion per year. So much for that £1bn SNP black hole in … Continue reading Scotland’s electricity transfers to England are worth $365 billion per year
More than FOUR TIMES as many, proportionally, wait more than 12 hours in England’s A&E departments than in Scotland!
From Public Health Scotland today, for November 2023: 15,532 (65.1%) of ED attendances were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours.Attendances of over 8 hours 2,572 (10.8%) patients spent more than 8 hours in an Emergency Department.Attendances of over 12 hours 960 (4%) patients spent more than 12 hours in an Emergency Department. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/our-areas-of-work/acute-and-emergency-services/urgent-and-unscheduled-care/accident-and-emergency/#section-2-2 The equivalent figures for NHS England, were 55.4% within four hours and for 12 hours, a shocking 42 854! https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2023-24/ So, for 4 hours, NHS Scotland was 18% faster. On >12 hour waits, with 10 times the population, NHS England might haver been … Continue reading More than FOUR TIMES as many, proportionally, wait more than 12 hours in England’s A&E departments than in Scotland!
SNP government has saved over 100 000 doctor appointments in 2023
I’m grateful to Dorothy once more for both alerting me to this and for largely guiding the both the sums and the framing of the narrative. As First Minister and, before that, as Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf has been careful to put in the hours, do his day job, to meet with health service union representatives and avert damaging strikes. In England, the story has been very different. From the Guardian, today: Tens of thousands of patients will have their care cancelled from Wednesday in England amid massive disruption caused by a six-day strike by junior doctors – the longest in the … Continue reading SNP government has saved over 100 000 doctor appointments in 2023
Better Together BMA Scotland shop steward doesn’t call for GP staffing in Scotland to be lowered to UK average
In the Guardian today: The leader of Scotland’s doctors has called for rural GPs to get higher pay and special status to cope with a critical shortfall of medics in the Highlands, islands and rural counties. I have no doubt there are shortages in Scotland’s rural areas. I’m guessing there always were, even before the flood of middle-class settlers used to urban-levels of staffing and ambulance waiting times, from Central Scotland too before you accuse me of Anglophobia, arrived to age self-importantly in our glens and on our islands. The Guardian writer does not, of course, wish to put this … Continue reading Better Together BMA Scotland shop steward doesn’t call for GP staffing in Scotland to be lowered to UK average
A GP surgery with no GPs at all! BBC Norfolk are unconcerned
BBC Norfolk’s reporters are concerned about lack of space in one GP practice but not about lack of GPs in another. Mundesley Medical Centre plans to operate with no GPs at all and just one part-trained Physician Associate: Local MP, Duncan Baker (Con) is young, fit and on £93 000 MP salary plus being ‘a beneficiary of the MJM Baker Discretionary Will Trust, a trust with property and investment income (undeclared)’ doesn’t need the NHS, thank you very much: Why am I telling you this? As Anas Sarwar says ‘We don’t care about Norfolk, we want more GPs here!’ Well, … Continue reading A GP surgery with no GPs at all! BBC Norfolk are unconcerned
