– probably yes, tho’ BBC Scotland would react differently! By stewartb A notable feature of Scotland’s polity is the intense holding to account of the Scottish Government and its agencies by the corporate media and the BBC. This is a ‘good thing’ in principle. However, there are aspects of media practice here that are notable for less positive reasons: a tendency towards bias by omission – substantive good news stories about Scotland and the achievements of the Scottish Government get short shrift; a tendency to avoid giving context or perspective, especially with respect to the wider UK – despite the … Continue reading Will damning audit of Whitehall department be ignored by BBC?

Some of you may be tiring of this but until I get an answer, I’m still interested in why, over many months, Scotland has had at least as many Covid cases admitted to hospital, sometimes more, than England & Wales, it consistently has, pro rata, far fewer serious cases in ICU. This could be evidence of several aspects of health care in Scotland which are performing better than elsewhere in the UK. I won’t repeat them. See if you remember, find the earlier posts or, better, offer an explanation I haven’t thought of. Continue reading Covid ICU cases still 2 to 3 times more common elsewhere in UK

incidents between pupils last year. Only on Reporting Scotland today, no doubt on BBC radio, not in the newspapers and not even on the BBC Scotland website, the above claim. A 45% increase in violence in one year? They’d call in the Army. Needless to say we can’t see the data anywhere. Try searching ‘EIS violent incidents freedom information’ in the last week and get: It looks like there aren’t many great matches for your search Try using words that might appear on the page that you’re looking for. For example, ‘cake recipes’ instead of ‘how to make a cake’. … Continue reading A 45% rise in violence in schools in one year? Unbelievable! No, really it’s not believable.

stewartb At FMQs today in Holyrood, the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland – is he the most unctuous performer in the Parliament? – returned to attacking the Scottish Government on A&E waiting times. Was Mr Sarwar’s choice of questions today an attempt to dilute any impact on the news agenda of significant improvements in NHS Scotland’s waiting times performance plus early signs of attendances at A&E dropping, presumably due in part to NHS Scotland and Scottish Government actions. As Mr Sarwar again berates the Scottish Government he is in denial about the significance of Westminster decisions taken over … Continue reading The most unctuous performer in the Parliament?

Today, the Joseph Rowntree Trust has published: ‘UK Poverty 2023.’ It contains several indicators of the relative success of the SNP in government in tackling poverty despite having one-hand tied behind its back in terms of control of the economy. No one, I’m sure, is satisfied but it’s important that the Scottish electorate is informed on matters such as this. None of ‘our’ media are covering it. Reporting Scotland and the Scotsman are covering the right-wing rubbish think tank, the IFS, claiming that the Scottish Government will have to make cuts in the future. We’ve been there before with this … Continue reading Poverty: Researchers praise SNP Government

There have now been nurse and ambulance strikes twice in England and Wales. In December 2022, more than 25,000 healthcare staff in Northern Ireland had a one-day strike. The strike by staff from Unite, Unison and Nipsa members, involved some nurses, ambulance and hospital support staff. Today physiotherapists in England will strike, with plans for further strikes to include staff from Wales. There have been no strikes by any health workers in Scotland. Ambulance staff have settled and nurses continue to talk with the Scottish Government. BBC Scotland, a public service broadcaster with a responsibility to inform us, and our … Continue reading First nurses, then ambulance staff, now physios NOT going on strike in Scotland: Sturgeon must explain?

From the FindOutNow poll for the National on 18 January 2023, the young are with us, the middle-aged divided and only the elderly agin. From the same poll, less sharply than for age, only social grade AB are opposed and, oddly, not so likely to vote, like the DE grade. Finally, only the South and West regions seem opposed with the NE looking like having shifted after a few years of Tory MPs. Should we do something based on this knowledge? Targeted campaign material aimed at AB grade pensioners in the Borders? Or just accept that sort are not going … Continue reading Independence: The age, class and regional divides

I don’t for a minute doubt that there is too much bullying going on in Scotland’s schools, of for that matter workplaces too, but there is absolutely no evidence of a epidemic emerging in recent times. The ‘leading children’s rights campaigner’ has only anecdotal evidence. The Daily Record bases its claim on a handful of recent cases caught on mobile phones. I can find no reliable data to tell me either what the current level might be or whether or not there is a trend. I do know: and: Continue reading More a lying epidemic than a bullying one

Not in the Scotsman, above: The British Heart Foundation also publish comparisons of stroke mortality rates within the UK(figure 9). The mortality rates in Scotland were higher than England, Wales and NorthernIreland for most of the last 50+ years. However, the absolute gap in mortality rates narrowedover this time. Hospital activity data relating to cerebrovascular disease in England, Wales and NorthernIreland are available separately. Please note that these figures are sometimes not directlycomparable with published data from Scotland due to differences in recording and definitions. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/media/17341/2023-01-24-stroke-report.pdf Continue reading Risk of stroke continues to fall and gap with rUK narrows

This would normally be right up there as a headline story, is still available if you look for it, and was briefly prominent last night but has now disappeared from their headline stories at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland It seems also to be of no interest to Reporting Scotland nor to any of the other BBC nations. The Herald had it up last night but it’s go from their front page today. You can still see the Herald piece at: https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23272208.lives-line-sharp-rise-suspected-drug-deaths-scotland/ but it’s gone from any prominence on their site. I did post ‘Is the dramatic fall in Scotland’s drug deaths for 2022 … Continue reading Drug deaths ‘increase’: Why have BBC Scotland and Herald ‘dropped’ this report?