From the Seattle Times today: CalMac’s oldest comparable ferry, the MV Isle of Arran, is 40 years old. Continue reading Ferry Monitor – Washington State Ferries in ‘sorry state’

In the Guardian today: Strikes by junior doctors have “fractured” their relationship with consultants and increased the risk of patients dying during action, hospital bosses claim. The 28 days of industrial action junior doctors have staged this year and the nine days of fresh strikes starting on Wednesday have led to tensions with more senior colleagues who are “worn out” from having to cover for striking junior doctors as well as doing their usual shifts. Many consultants are frustrated that junior doctors in England are striking twice – this week and from 3 January – at the same time as the NHS … Continue reading Why is Humza not being praised for averting another health crisis as English junior doctors say relationship with consultants has ‘increased risk of patients dying?’

Condor Ferries, have recently joined our top 6 ferry services more troubled than even a Tory islander born in Hampshire thinks CalMac is. From BBC Guernsey yesterday: Guernsey’s States is refusing to deny it is in talks with Condor Ferries to secure the island’s sea links. The BBC understands the Civil Contingencies Authority (CCA) – the States’ emergency body – has been speaking with the firm. As part of contingency planning, the States of Guernsey and Jersey brought the 535ft (163m) DFDS Finlandia Seaways over for berthing trials. In a joint statement, the islands’ governments said the exercise strengthened the islands’ … Continue reading Ferry Monitor – Channel Islands government forced to intervene as £10m a year replacement ferry cannot be berthed safely in bad weather

From the Times Colonist yesterday: The union representing B.C. Ferries workers has filed an unfair labour practice complaint against the company, after months of wage talks have proven fruitless. In its complaint to the B.C. Labour Relations Board, the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union seeks costs totalling $2.1 million from B.C. Ferries. The union, representing 4,700 members, said in its Dec. 14 complaint that B.C. Ferries has “undertaken a concerted campaign to undermine the union’s exclusive bargaining agency and lower its reputation among its members.” “The employer’s efforts have stoked fear and animosity among members which has directly led … Continue reading International Ferry Monitor – Government-subsidised Canadian ferry provider sued by unions for decent wages despite soaring profits

and getting much less in return. BBC Reporting Scotland is happily reporting the above outrageous lie by the opposition parties as if it was a credible claim. 114 000 will pay the new advanced rate for those ‘Scots’ earning between £75 000 and £125 000, 2% of the population. The median salary in the UK is around £33 000pa. Most of the population earn less than that: £33 000 is around £20ph, earned by a small part of the UK population and with far larger numbers earning less, sometimes far less, than that. How do they survive? What they do … Continue reading 2% of the Scots population to pay a bit more for the best public services and universal benefits in UK

In 2019, CalMac carried 5.7 million passengers, 1.5m cars, 11 000 coaches and 80 000 commercial vehicles. In 2020, that had fallen to only 2.4m, 827 000 cars, 1 600 coaches and 68 000. By 2022, that had recovered to 4.9m, 1.4m, 7 300 and 80 300. https://www.calmac.co.uk/corporate/carrying-statistics-annual So, passenger numbers are back at 86% of the 2019 figure, cars at 93%, coaches at 66% and commercial vehicles at beyond full recovery. In Washington State USA, the troubled WS Ferries’ aging unreliable fleet and poor industrial relations mean that passenger numbers remain at only 55% of 2019 level and ‘might … Continue reading CalMac surges back to near pre-pandemic passenger levels but other ferry services linger

Labour is, of course, not the place where women get on: Scottish Labour has a shrinking female representation over time, as do the Lib Dumbs and contrary to the SNP, the Greens and even the Cons. Continue reading Labour Spokesperson for Misogyny has previous

I was a big fan of James Kelly’s work but he has not posted anything remotely contributing to the Yes campaign since October 26th’s ‘There are various ways in which independence may be won – but it’s not going to be won with a big petition‘. Since then, 18 out of 21 posts have been about Alba and 1 of the 3 non-Alba posts was about Pandas. Having said that, he can be entertaining. See Alba are starting to cook with gas on 30 October 2023. And before it became an Alba chatroom, it was a Trans chatroom. Continue reading Another pro-Indy campaign blog bites the dust to become a mere Alba chatroom

From Public Health Scotland today: 94.9% of patients started treatment within the 31-day standard, compared with 95.2% in the previous quarter, and 96.5% in the quarter ending 31 December 2019. 72.0% of patients started treatment within the 62-day standard, compared with 73.7% in the previous quarter, and 83.7% in the quarter ending 31 December 2019. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-waiting-times/cancer-waiting-times-1-july-to-30-september-2023/ The equivalent figures for NHS England are 90.3% and 64.8% but note that a 7% difference on the 62-day standard, means around 10 000 in England who might have been treated on time but were not and around 1 000 who were treated on … Continue reading Cancer waiting times – NHS Scotland continues to outperform, 95% treated within 31 days and around 1 000 in one quarter are treated earlier than they would have been in England

Source: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/media/24445/report-q2-2023-24-drug-alcohol-waiting-times.pdf What effect is this success having? Drug deaths fall by 21% in only one year as SNP policies begin to reverse long-term effects of decades of Tory/New Labour neglect Evidence emerges that significant drug deaths fall is largely due to Scottish Government programme first in world Drug deaths in England & Wales significantly under-reported according to UK Civil Service Significant falls in drug deaths among the young after 16 years of SNP rule Continue reading 94% of problematic drug users treated by NHS Scotland within 3 weeks and waiting time target of 90% beaten for 10th quarter in a row