Scottish Government to raise £1.5bn more in income tax revenue than if it had followed the policy of the UK Government
From the Scottish Government on 18 December but ignored by the media: A new income tax band will raise additional revenue to deliver high quality public services and support the social contract with Scotland’s people, Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary Shona Robison has announced. The Advanced rate band will apply a 45% tax rate on annual income between £75,000 and £125,140. Other changes include an additional 1p being added to the Top rate of tax and the Starter and Basic rate bands increasing in line with inflation. There are no changes to the Starter, Basic, Intermediate and Higher tax … Continue reading Scottish Government to raise £1.5bn more in income tax revenue than if it had followed the policy of the UK Government
Telegraph reporting links England’s hospital and stabbing deaths to Scotland
The Telegraph front page for readers in Scotland places deaths associated with NHS strikes only in England and a London stabbing death alongside another ‘Sturgeon’ story. The first impression is that these deaths occur in Scotland and that, once more, the SNP have failed in some way. I’ve tackled the stabbing deaths already this morning at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2024/01/02/why-is-reporting-of-far-fewer-deaths-by-stabbing-in-scotland-not-in-the-public-interest-when-reporting-higher-drug-deaths-is/ The Telegraph report claims to have analysed ONS figures for England, Wales and Scotland to reveal 52 698 more deaths than would have been expected in 2023. There is, perhaps conveniently for them, no breakdown of the data for the three countries nor … Continue reading Telegraph reporting links England’s hospital and stabbing deaths to Scotland
Neonatal death – Herald’s irresponsible misrepresentation risks lives
Expectant mothers and their families are particularly vulnerable to stress and sensationalised media reporting aimed at shock, is frankly dangerous for them. The Herald today has the above report headlining ‘inadequate’ staffing based on recording at the beginning of shifts in neonatal units but only several paragraphs later acknowledging that health boards ensure staff relocation to mitigate these initial shortages. In 2023, the total number of midwives in Scotland had grown from 3 529 to 3612. https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/data-reports/may-2023/0110d-annual-data-report-scotland-web.pdf As for the ‘spikes’ in deaths, this is misrepresentation of longer terms trends within which their are fluctuations due to multiple and complex … Continue reading Neonatal death – Herald’s irresponsible misrepresentation risks lives
Community by-out projects increase by nearly 800% after SNP boost but are stalled in Tory England
In the Guardian today: Local communities, often in deprived neighbourhoods, are buying up derelict and unused property for village shops, play parks, community centres and, in one case, a film set for war movies, using buyout powers introduced by the Scottish parliament since its foundation in 1999. The land reform debate is often overshadowed by the buyouts of islands or totemic Highland estates. Yet those sales have ground to halt, partly due to competition from private buyers pursuing speculative investments using woodland and peat restoration as carbon sinks, which has sharply driven up land prices. Scottish government data shows that by … Continue reading Community by-out projects increase by nearly 800% after SNP boost but are stalled in Tory England
Why is SNP success in averting health strikes raising ‘fears for patient safety’ not worthy of comparison?
The SNP in Government is often blamed for supposed failures to run the NHS: SNP accused of leaving A&E in a ‘shameful and unacceptable’ condition as 300,000 patients have waited more than four hours to be seen Daily Mail 3 days ago Nicola Sturgeon accused of diverting ‘jaw-dropping’ £17.6bn away from the NHS Daily Express in February 2023 Call for answers over SNP probe and NHS in crisis (not ‘crisis’) BBC Scotland in April 2023 The SNP Government has now averted action by all NHS unions, representing nurses, consultants, junior doctors, radiographers, physiotherapists, ambulance and support staff. The first three … Continue reading Why is SNP success in averting health strikes raising ‘fears for patient safety’ not worthy of comparison?
Why is reporting of far fewer deaths by stabbing in Scotland not in the public interest when reporting higher drug deaths is?
The tragic news of another death by stabbing of a 16 year-old in London on New Year’s Eve is not being reported comparatively in the way that drug deaths are. Regardless of falling drug deaths in Scotland, Scottish and UK media and opposition politicians continue to feast greedily on comparisons with the rest of the UK or Europe. In the last few months: Drug-related deaths in Scotland lie squarely at the feet of Nicola Sturgeon Labour List Scotland drug deaths decrease – but rate still higher than rest of Europe Sky News Scottish Labour demands SNP take action on drug … Continue reading Why is reporting of far fewer deaths by stabbing in Scotland not in the public interest when reporting higher drug deaths is?
Scottish Lib Dumb luck my friend as their London pals reveal prison assaults were pro rata more than TWICE as common in England & Wales than in Scotland
From the Scottish Lib Dumbs, our 5th biggest and thus tiniest political party at Holyrood: Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today called for support for prison staff as he revealed that more than 1,500 prisoner on prisoner assaults and 265 assaults on staff took place last year. https://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/news/article/lib-dems-reveal-scale-of-assaults-on-prisoners-and-staff-in-scotlands-prisons From the Guardian yesterday: There were nearly 8,000 assaults on prison staff in the year to June 2023, almost one an hour on average, the Liberal Democrats have said, arguing that the statistic shows the consequences of prisoner overcrowding and low staffing levels. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/01/assaults-on-prison-staff-nearly-hourly-in-england-and-wales-data-shows With 11 times … Continue reading Scottish Lib Dumb luck my friend as their London pals reveal prison assaults were pro rata more than TWICE as common in England & Wales than in Scotland
‘Growing proportion of England’s flood defences in disrepair, analysis finds’
From the Guardian today: Ministers have been told they will be “punished” by voters after analysis revealed the decline of vital flood defences across England. The proportion of critical assets in disrepair has almost trebled in the West Midlands and the east of England since 2018, leaving thousands of homes and businesses more vulnerable to storms. Critical assets are defined as those where there is a high risk to life and property if they fail. The east of England, which spans the Conservative heartlands from Suffolk to Bedfordshire and Essex, has one of the highest proportion of rundown flood defences in … Continue reading ‘Growing proportion of England’s flood defences in disrepair, analysis finds’
Cancer checks, A&E waiting times, hospital Covid infections and drug deaths – Why England’s health statistics are even worse than we were told
Thanks again to Dottie’s Phone for alerting me to this. All sources below. Yesterday in the Guardian: NHS figures that show more people than ever are being checked for cancer have been criticised as “misleading” by experts. Official data published on Monday reported that almost 3 million people in England were tested for cancer in 2022, a 133% increase in the decade since 2013. The latest monthly figures also show that October 2023 was the highest month on record for cancer checks, with 269,492 urgent referrals. But leading cancer experts dismissed the figures as “misleading” and “smoke and mirrors”, noting that the NHS was … Continue reading Cancer checks, A&E waiting times, hospital Covid infections and drug deaths – Why England’s health statistics are even worse than we were told
When Wes Streeting puts a kilt on NHS reform
Leah Gunn Barrett Alex Massie (Times December 31) says that Labour is a national party or it’s nothing. Labour will never be a national party. It’s an English party, headquartered in and concerned only about England. Scotland is an afterthought, and Scots know it. Massie shows his contempt for Scots when he claims a Labour win in England will make it respectable in Scotland, as though we can’t think for ourselves but must take our cues from our southern neighbour. Massie is right about one thing. Boring and ruthless Keir Starmer has rooted out what remained of Labour’s working-class principles. … Continue reading When Wes Streeting puts a kilt on NHS reform
