I know, get ye a life! It’s Christmas you old saddo! I couldn’t resist this one though. It’ll only take a minute. On Friday 23 December we had the above triumphal Telegraph piece sticking it to those unions. I responded then with: Drugs, criminals, and ‘illegals’ flooding in, in ultimately ’embarrassing’ blow to UK Government? And sure as you like, today I get this wee gift: Emails reveal that people suspected of crimes such as carrying a false passport, drug smuggling, people trafficking and victims of modern slavery cannot be stopped by members of the armed forces if they hold … Continue reading Army running criminals through airports ‘better than usual’

In yet another sub-poll, Scottish Labour lag behind UK Labour at 24% compared to 46%. The Cons just beat the Lib Dumbs at 7% to 4%. The SNP come in at only 55%! https://peoplepolling.org/tables/202212_GBN_W51_full.pdf#subsection*.12 This makes around 13 out of 17 sub-polls telling us that Scottish Labour’s appeal is half as strong as UK Labour. See: Continue reading Santa disappoints Scottish Labour at 24% Cons 7% SNP 55%

Professor John Robertson OBA The table above, makes clear the scale of loss, not at first apparent in percentages, and the significantly higher Covid death rate in England [145 per 100k people] compared to Scotland [123 per 100k). Had Scotland’s pandemic response strategy been managed by the UK Tory government, 14%, 1 867, more might have died. 23 December 2022, I posted: On 21 December 2022, there were only 8 patients in ICU in Scotland but 174 in England, nearly twice as many per head of population. Even in Wales with a smaller population, there were more, 10. Throughout November … Continue reading Evidence that free asthma prescriptions in Scotland may have saved thousands from a Covid death

stewartb I see the BBC News website now has an article in its Scotland section entitled: ‘Scottish government to ‘impose’ pay deal on nurses’. Notably, amongst expressions of outrage from the RCM’s leadership, it also includes this: ‘Wilma Brown from Unison, who, along with Unite had accepted the last offer, told BBC Scotland the implementation of the pay deal was “FULLY AND GRATEFULLY RECEIVED” and was overdue.’ (my emphasis) But the article also includes this: ‘SCOTTISH LABOUR CALLED ON MR YOUSAF TO RESIGN. Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “I asked Humza Yousaf yesterday whether he would refrain from imposing a … Continue reading Nurses pay: Jaw-dropping, level of hypocrisy being displayed by the Labour leadership in Scotland

It’s clear why the Telegraph has rushed their anecdotal reports to headline. They hate the unions with a passion. But, and with absolutely, no harm to the soldiers on the desks, when I read: It was probably the best experience I’ve had – no more than five minutes,” he told The Telegraph. “The e-gates were all open and the Army on all the border control desks were rapidly getting people through – far better than usual, to be honest. Airports running ‘better than usual’ in ‘embarrassing’ blow to Border Force strikes (msn.com) I’m reminded of this earlier reliance on the … Continue reading Drugs, criminals, and ‘illegals’ flooding in, in ultimately ’embarrassing’ blow to UK Government?

This quick snap poll of 453 followers of the Talking-up Scotland twitter feed suggests that only around 1 in 5 Scots is actually that bothered about the gender recognition reforms currently fuelling an ill-informed media storm in support of the the Scottish Conservatives. This poll has its weaknesses but it, nevertheless, suggests a very different picture from that in the MSM where supposedly most Scots oppose the reforms. So 453 votes, only 100 times better than a Reporting Scotland vox pops in Prince Street? A self-selecting poll of a type often ridiculed here but, actually maybe better than you think … Continue reading Snap poll: 70% of Scots not opposed to gender recognition reforms

stewartb It is clear that the provision of public services in England is in crisis and the underlying cause is a decade and more of Tory policies which have under-resourced services. Crucially, this situation over time has knock-on adverse impacts of the funding provided by all-powerful Westminster to governments in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Every decision – every example of under-resourcing described in what follows – has had a consequence for those voters looking to governments in NI, Scotland and Wales to meet their needs and wants. I focus here on funding for health services. However, when one adds in, … Continue reading Every spending decision in Westminster has a consequence for Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh

I used to, only 40 years ago, teach 11 year-olds, and then student teachers, to understand scatter graphs like the one above. I suspect few will have maintained my enthusiasm for them, the scatter graphs, for long after that. Independent research by Ipso FACTO for TuS suggests that 99.9% of TuS readers are BAF and often construct a scatter graph over breakfast, just for fun. Just in case, a non-TuS regular is reading this, I better explain. If a country or region has a low Covid infection rate AND it’s not increasing fast, then it appears low and left. If … Continue reading SNP Covid strategy paying off for Christmas

On 21 December 2022, there were only 8 patients in ICU in Scotland but 174 in England, nearly twice as many per head of population. Even in Wales with a smaller population, there were more, 10. Throughout November and December as Covid hospitalisations began to climb again, there have been 2 to 3 times as many, pro rata, in English Hospitals than in Scotland. What is going on? Scotland has an older population with historically worse health outcomes and life expectancy, yet fewer in ICU. Could it be the effects of vaccine hesitancy amongst some ethnic groups? I can’t see … Continue reading Why are so few Scots Covid cases in intensive care?

Alasdair Galloway It has been well trailed in the media that today sometime Humza Yousaf will meet the health unions, including the GMB and the RCN who have voted for strike action in the New Year. Since, according to Yousaf himself, there is no more money what can he do except move the payments around in a way more to the liking of the unions. However, bearing in mind that RCN claim for 19% it’s hard to see what their chosen direction would be other than upwardly. And, there’s no more money. Why is there no more money? Well, first … Continue reading Humza’s Day