Nationalised ScotRail performing far better and not paying bonuses of up to £2.1m!
In April 2023, ScotRail transferred into public control and ownership In 2022/2023, ScotRail cancelled 2.9% of planned journeys (source below) up from 2.8% in 2021/2022 but the same as the pre-pandemic figure in 2018/2019 . According to a report by iNews (above) From Avanti to Northern, the UK’s worst rail firms cancel 200 trains a day but bosses still take bonuses, the cancellation rates were: Despite this bosses were paid bonuses of up to £2.5m! So, Scotrail at 2.9% is cancelling between only a fifth and a half of the above and is not getting worse like these four. ScotRail … Continue reading Nationalised ScotRail performing far better and not paying bonuses of up to £2.1m!
SNP’s Scotland seems very attractive to the world if you look at actual evidence, Chris Deerin
From Ernst & Young on 19 June 2023: https://www.ey.com/en_uk/news/2023/06/scotlands-foreign-investment-grows-with-record-results Who is Chris Deerin really? Not just a journo. See this from October 2023: That’s according to research for a think tank. The Commission on School Reform says ministers must work with councils to reverse the trend. The Scottish government says it’s looking at challenges that influence attendance…..the figures are based on Freedom of Information requests from the Scottish local authorities who were able to respond to them. The figures suggest nearly one in three children are missing an average of one day a fortnight, while nearly 20% of high school pupils miss … Continue reading SNP’s Scotland seems very attractive to the world if you look at actual evidence, Chris Deerin
Scotland and nuclear power – Research suggests small modular reactors increase waste quantity by up to 30 times
stewartb Small modular reactors (SMRs i.e. nuclear reactors that produce <300 MW electricity) have been getting a lot of attention because of claims of inherent safety features and reduced cost [from GMB, Cons and Labour]. It is possible that it will be SMRs that the UK government pushes towards Scotland. Adversely critical or sceptical voices on SMRs don’t get much coverage by the media. The peer reviewed academic paper on SMRs referenced below notes that ‘remarkably few studies have analyzed the management and disposal of their nuclear waste streams.’ Comparing three distinct SMR designs to a conventional 1,100-MW elec pressurized … Continue reading Scotland and nuclear power – Research suggests small modular reactors increase waste quantity by up to 30 times
Scotland raises £87bn in tax but spends only £54bn – more pro rata than raised in the rest of the UK
Anonymous Scotland raises £87Billion in tax revenues. Up from £76Billion. Scotland spends £54Billion. More pro rata than raised in the rest of the UK. (£644Billion} The UK raises £731Billion (down from £817). Westminster is spending £1090Billion. The rest of the UK borrows £100 more. Pro rata £10Billion. 2019/2020. 2020/21. UK Gov whole accounts. June 2022. Scotland has to pay for waste projects and Westminster mismanagement. HS2, Hickley Point, Trident, redundant weaponry, illegal wars etc. £13Billion is spent a year by Westmibster decommissioning nuclear energy. For 10 years £130Billion. More in the future. Yet Westminster wants to build more. Years late … Continue reading Scotland raises £87bn in tax but spends only £54bn – more pro rata than raised in the rest of the UK
SNP Taxes – On £100k a year you’d be nearly 10k WORSE OFF in England!
From Christopher Wynne on twitter via https://twitter.com/maryadavy Continue reading SNP Taxes – On £100k a year you’d be nearly 10k WORSE OFF in England!
Why should anyone be surprised over Scotland’s dismal state?
Leah Gunn Barrett There’s been a chorus of criticism of the Scottish government over its recent budget from unionist politicians and media. But why should anyone be surprised over Scotland’s dismal state? The reason is our status as a de facto English colony. As a colony, we don’t own our own resources so we can’t provide heat and power for the costs of production which is what nationalized energy companies do. Instead, our resources are owned by private corporations that cream off profits for shareholders. We can’t create our own key industries for transport or control our ports because they … Continue reading Why should anyone be surprised over Scotland’s dismal state?
Refused by the Scotsman: Nuclear power – How the media and Westminster are trying to ‘ensnare’ Scotland
Frances McKie Today in The Scotsman, Mr Tom Greatrex, whose position as Chief Executive for the Nuclear Industry Association was preceded by a varied career within the Labour Party, has objected to the Scottish Governments criticism and rejection of nuclear power as unsafe and uneconomic. Mr Greatrex must be hoping that no-one has noticed the latest news from the UK Government’s “Great British Nuclear ” project at Hinkley Point . On Wednesday this week, the China Nuclear Power Group withdrew from funding the building and operation of this EPR so that EDF, the only other major participant, must now obtain … Continue reading Refused by the Scotsman: Nuclear power – How the media and Westminster are trying to ‘ensnare’ Scotland
97% of over half a million hospital discharges were on time! Hear that anywhere else?
BBC Scotland is headlining a single case of a delayed discharge but what is the situation more widely? You’d be forgiven for thinking there was some kind of crisis, based on media reporting. Even I though it might be a really quite big problem. Imagine my surprise when I had a look at Delayed discharges in NHSScotland annualAnnual summary of occupied bed days and census figures – data to March 2023: Of 541 747 cases in Scotland in 2022/2023, only 3% were delayed. It’s been 3% since records began in 2016/2017 other than in 2019/2020, when it was 4% of … Continue reading 97% of over half a million hospital discharges were on time! Hear that anywhere else?
Hospital discharges – Another single BBC Scotland source who doesn’t declare their interests who has chosen to settle on an island and a report devoid of context
Update: Dr Gould seems determined never to reveal that she is not a local but her partner is from Glasgow. From BBC Scotland today: A wheelchair user says she has had to sleep in her van in a hospital car park while her husband is treated for an illness. Dr Caroline Gould said she could not find suitable accommodation in Inverness due to visitor demand for hotel rooms after Denis was transferred to the city’s Raigmore Hospital from their local hospital in Skye. Mr Gould had expected to be discharged home on Tuesday, but the required care package discussed three … Continue reading Hospital discharges – Another single BBC Scotland source who doesn’t declare their interests who has chosen to settle on an island and a report devoid of context
A&E waiting times are not politicised anywhere but in Scotland
From BBC Scotland in 2016: Commenting on the statistics, Scottish Labour’s health spokesman Anas Sarwar said that Health Secretary Shona Robison needed to “get a grip of the growing NHS winter crisis”. “These figures show that A&E performance across Scotland is getting worse. The fact that one quarter of A&E patients at the £850m Queen Elizabeth University Hospital aren’t seen within four hours is unacceptable. “These figures are yet more evidence that the SNP’s decision to allow the closure of the minor injuries unit at Yorkhill Hospital is senseless, reckless and ultimately dangerous.” The Scottish Liberal Democrats said the waiting … Continue reading A&E waiting times are not politicised anywhere but in Scotland
