All things being equal, with 10 times the population, England might be expected to have 30 000 cases of Covid 19 over the wee-ending 6 October but, instead has 49 000. BBC Health is reporting the reintroduction of one-visitor and mask-wearing rules for English hospitals and advice to avoid visiting vulnerable relatives. BBC Scotland has nothing to say on the matter. Continue reading Scotland’s Covid infection rate last week only 61% of that in England

In this BBC Scotland (South) report we read: During a single day in 1545, a 15,000-strong force burned and pulled down more than a dozen strongholds in the Rule Valley. Fields of corn and smaller settlements were also destroyed. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-63146219 I think it’s the recent news of massacres in the Ukraine that have made me think there might be something missing from the above report. There’s no mention of civilians massacred by English troops. Do we think that 16th Century English soldiers were more decent than 20th Century Russians troops, when set loose suddenly upon people they had othered? Fields … Continue reading The terrible truth of the war we see in Ukraine was present here too

After watching her with Laura Interruptus Kuenssberg and observing the frothing Tory reactions on social media, I did a quick Twitter poll: In the space of an hour, nearly 500 responded with 91.4% saying Yes to the questions: Do you think it was acceptable for Nicola Sturgeon to say she ‘detests’ the Tories? My only quibble is that I’d narrow it down to Tory politicians and activists because many Tory voters just have to be innocent victims of gaslighting. Perhaps the FM meant that? Continue reading More than 90% agree with Nicola Sturgeon on detesting ‘Tories’

Based on YouGov’s poll on 4 October, YES support climbed 5 points to 43%. On 23 May it had only been 38%. While NO support only fell 1 point to 45%, the Don’t knows seemed to have shifted significantly, from 11% in May to only 7% in October. The recent Savanta ComRes for the Scotsman with YES only 1 behind on 45% has no data tables published. The smaller Deltapoll for the Sun (659) which excludes under 18s, has no indication of change from earlier polls. The longer-term British Social Attitudes study, with a sample of 44 280 households, had … Continue reading Poll: Surge in support for YES

According to YouGov with a sample of 1 067 Scots adults, based on field work on 30 September to 4 October 2022, Labour’s surge in England is not washing up here. Though support for Labour on the Westminster voting intentions, climbed from 22 to 31% as that for the Cons fell 7 to 12%, SNP support only fell 1 to 45%. On the Holyrood voting intentions, the Con vote only fell 5 to 13% and Labour only went up by 3 to 26%. On this, the SNP vote actually climbed by 2 to 49%. On leadership performance, things look even … Continue reading Despite Douglas Ross, Anas Sarwar makes NO ground on Nicola Sturgeon

Despite brief infamy on Valentine’s Day, 2021, after swearing at a woman, Maree Todd MSP, the Scottish Lib Dem leader seems to be disappearing from view. In the YouGov poll of 1 067 adults on 30 September to 4 October 2022, 72% of female respondents did not know about him. Even in the full sample, 62% were just as puzzled, making him by some way the least known of the five party leaders. Of the 1 067, only 2 thought he was doing very well. In terms of support, even as the Cons fell from 19% in May, to 12%, … Continue reading 72% of women voters don’t know who Alec Cole Hamilton is

Not, of course, in the public interest, unlike: Scotland’s Covid levels remain highest in UK: BBC Scotland on the 30 September. The rate in Scotland as of 5 October, 7.5 cases per 100K and falling compared to 14.9 per 100K and climbing in England. Continue reading Scotland’s Covid levels fall to only half that in England

‘Ferry fiasco’ has been a favourite for the delayed Calmac ferries, expected now to cost £240 million. The media and opposition frenzy has positively frothed and SNP ministers have been told to resign. The two new Royal Navy aircraft carriers costing, so far, £7.7 billion, are in deep trouble too. HMS Prince of Wales, the NATO flagship, is in dock now for the third time, as NATO confronts threats in the Black and South China Seas. Speaking personally, I’m quite happy with this situation but surely our current UK Government, keen to project English, sorry British, power beyond Portsmouth must … Continue reading Flagship Fiasco!

stewartb Sometimes one can juxtapose economic forecasts that should convince voters to take such judgements when expressed with certainty with a large pinch of salt. Forecasts associated with oil & gas especially fall into this category. For interest – and ‘amusement’ – here are quotes from two articles published in the online magazine, oilprice.com . Headline, 7 September 2017: ‘The North Sea Oil Recovery Is Dead In The Water’. Firstly, the positives about the North Sea: ‘The oil majors say they have overhauled their cost structures in the region, making production profitable in today’s $50 market, even when the region … Continue reading North Sea Oil: A significant ‘boon’ perhaps?

stewartb I’d like to share a recent article published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS – see below). Reading it triggered the thought that it must be a horrendously difficult ongoing task for a Scottish Government to keep abreast of – and ensure appropriate modelling of – the impact of Westminster’s tax and benefit changes. These changes not only affect the Scottish Government’s budget but also, crucially they affect the household incomes of the least well-off in Scotland. In a detailed assessment of what is happening to the UK’s complex personal tax and benefit systems, the IFS identifies significant … Continue reading A horrendously difficult task