The Sunday Times today has their latest poll as the fifth in a row putting Yes ahead. Wikipedia has 6, above. Channel 4 on November 23, had a different question and got an ever better response: Take out the don’t knows/cares and it’s nearly 60% for YES in the above. AND the longer-term British Social Attitudes study, on October 8 2022, with a sample of 44 280 households, had 52% in favour of YES: https://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/latest-report/british-social-attitudes-39/constitutional-reform.aspx Continue reading ‘Fifth poll’ is really eighth?

Former Scottish First Minister, Jack McConnell, headlining in the Sunday Times below, attracting apparent ridicule from the article below, with : His claim: The evidence? A poll indicating 68% ‘believe the changes pose a safety risk in women only spaces.’ The actual data were 51% for Yes, 24% for No and 25% for Don’t know. Excluding the Don’t knows changes the meaning of the response. The Don’t knows might be just relaxed about the idea. #https://forwomen.scot/04/10/2022/public-opinion-polls/ Anyhow, that’s a poll of what people, based on what they’ve read and heard in media largely campaigning against the act. What’s the real … Continue reading Jack McConnell should be ashamed of himself, again

More than 1000 words, in the above BBC UK report today, but not a trace of Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting attacking the Conservative Government for refusing to take any part in this real crisis. He’ll be busy writing for the Telegraph to tell everyone how tough he’d be with nurses. In the above from BBC Scotland, in 944 words, plenty of space for these 193: Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane told the programme the problem was not new and recalled one of his patients waiting eight hours for an ambulance in 2018. Highlighting the stress on all … Continue reading Labour Shadow Health Secretary won’t criticise Conservatives over ambulance emergency

From People Polling on 7 December, UK Labour at 47% but Scottish Labour at only 24% with SNP at 54% From YouGov on 14/15 December, UK Labour at 48% but Scottish Labour at 27% and SNP at 46%. Other recent polls have no ‘regional’ breakdown. Two weeks ago, I could write: Regular readers will now have seen reports here of more than 10 sub-polls with 80% suggesting the same thing. Scottish Labour’s reported resurgence is a media myth and wishful thinking by media supporters of Anas Sarwar’s rightist, Starmerite, politics. You can add another two today. Time for a Scottish … Continue reading Two more polls confirming Scottish Labour lagging behind lead to call for a new leader

From the ever-jaundiced Tom Gordon today: THE Scottish Budget delivered by John Swinney overstates the amount of money going to public services and hides likely cuts to schools, a leading thinktank has said. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23196611.ifs-says-scottish-budget-overstates-spending-hides-cuts/ Leading thinktank eh? The IFS likes to present itself as impartial but the evidence says otherwise. In August, I wrote: The Institute for Fiscal Studies has an ‘observation paper’ ie no actual research, just opinion, arguing that the Scottish Government’s plans to standardise care across the country will only make things worse. They argue: Does anyone think that NHS health boards should be broken up and shared … Continue reading SNP budget attacked by pro-Union thinktank

In the Herald of Fake News Enterprise today: THE number of investigations into patients dying or being seriously injured in A&E as a result of potential failures in their care has more than doubled in Lothian during the pandemic. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23191468.surge-number-severe-adverse-events-lothian-es/ There were 60 Significant Adverse Event Reports (SAERs) to end October 2022, in Lothian. So, first of all, the sneaky wee ‘in Lothian‘ delayed till after the first impression that this applies to all of NHS Scotland, confirming, of course, their disappointment that it doesn’t. Second, here are the figures for the carefully chosen previous two years: but, of course … Continue reading A perfect case of misinformation on NHS Scotland

For the week ending 5 December 2022 for England, Wales and Scotland, and the week ending 3 December 2022 for Northern Ireland, the above graphic interests me and might interest some Scots but not, it seems, any of our media outlets. I hope you find this reassuring. Kind regards, The Editor Source: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveypilot/16december2022 Continue reading Scotland’s Covid 19 infection level amongst lowest in UK

From iamsoccerdoc I have a letter in this morning’s Herald, replying to one by Senior Yoon, Alan Sutherland, bemoaning that there aren’t enough of “us” to vote out “them” and “them” keep voting for them. His letter: The SNP is clearly failing, so why isn’t the message getting through? I fully agree with his analysis of what the SNP should have done after the referendum – actually start the transformation of Scotland, show what can be done and explain what could be done with independence, then go back to the electorate for permission. But it didn’t and in truth the … Continue reading Scotland in Union activist undercover again in the Herald demolished by TuS reader

The Conservative Democratic Organisation That might be an oxymoron, but it is true. I only came across it the other day, though it was published in the National last weekend – “Priti Patel and billionaire Tory donor launch campaign against Sunak” (https://www.thenational.scot/news/23183885.priti-patel-billionaire-tory-donor-launch-campaign-sunak/). The report concerns the launch of a campaign, headed up by Priti Patel, and funded by Lord Cruddas (no relation to the Labour MP of the same name) “in an attempt to ensure members can “take back control” of the party” Reading it, the thing that pulled me up was that the campaign had been launched, we are … Continue reading The Conservative Democratic Organisation: If Sunak isn’t centre right, then where exactly is he?

Equivalent quality newspapers, the Herald and the Mail, claim together that yesterday’s tax increase announcement constitutes some kind of ‘raid’ or ‘punishment’ of middle-earners in Scotland. Some facts: The average annual salary in Scotland based on 2022 data is £31,605. Everyone earning more than £43,662 in Scotland will have to pay more income tax next year, an extra penny in the pound – taking it to 42p. Someone earning £50,000 in Scotland will pay an extra £63.38 in tax compared with this year, and £1,552 more per year than someone on the same salary elsewhere in the UK Anyone earning £150,000 … Continue reading Sturgeon is looking after ‘Middle Scotland’