From cuckooshoe The BBC Scotland headline.. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-62525975 “Water scarcity: Crop failure warning as ban comes into force in Fife” The quote.. “The National Farmers Union (NFU) said it was devastating for agriculture.” And then there’s the elephant in the room.. “It comes as Scotland faces a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms on Sunday and Monday.” Continue reading BBC audience confused as crop failure amid drought warning comes amid Scotland facing a right drookin’

Edinburgh Council’s Labour/Tory/Lib Dem coalition leader, Cammy Day, says: “Councils have been cash-strapped for many years. We are cutting services to the bone if we make any more cuts here in Edinburgh. “We are calling on the Scottish government, who we know have hundreds of millions of pounds in reserves, to dig deep. “If ever there was a rainy day that rainy day is now.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-62531938 Hundreds of millions eh? See this: I make that pushing £4 billion in reserves held by Scotland’s local authorities. Continue reading Averting strikes: Scottish councils have nearly £4 BILLION in reserves!

Comparing BBC Wales coverage with that of BBC Scotland offers ongoing confirmation of the bias of the latter against the SNP and the cosy lack of bias in the former against Welsh Labour. On the subject of one death in a prison, BBC Wales makes absolutely no reference today to any politician at all. I doubt they know who the minister for justice there, is. BBC Scotland in 2019 headline and picture the minister for justice. The report then calls on the minister to comment. For an extensive list of comparative coverage, see: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2021/08/11/nothing-proves-bbc-scotlands-bias-more-clearly-than-bbc-wales/ But, there’s more, much much more … Continue reading Once again BBC Wales reveals BBC Scotland’s institutional bias against Scotland

From SNP Media yesterday: The SNP has called on Anas Sarwar to end his “deafening silence” after his party, once again, stood side-by-side with the Tories – this time by rejecting a 5% wage rise for council workers. Following a £140million investment by the Scottish Government to COSLA, Labour and Tory council leaders opted to vote against the pay increase – reducing the offer to just 3.5%. It follows a litany of secret backroom deals between Tory and Labour in recent months.  Commenting, the SNP’s Depute Leader, Keith Brown MSP, said: “Once again, Scottish Labour has shown its true colours by siding with … Continue reading Labour colludes with Tories to try to scupper SNP’s 5% pay offer to council workers

As ever the SoS misses out the facts you might need to get an informed assessment of the situation. First: Sharp fall in alcohol-related hospital statistics In 2020/21 the rate of alcohol-related hospital admissions to general acute hospitals was 614 per 100,000 populations and was 10% lower than the rate recorded during 2019/20 (681 per 100,000). Second: NHS Scotland smashes drug and alcohol waiting times targets Of the 8,202 referrals to community-based specialist drug and alcohol treatment services completed in this quarter [January to March 2022], 92% involved a wait of three weeks or less. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/national-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-waiting-times/national-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-waiting-times-1-january-2022-to-31-march-2022/ The target is 90%. … Continue reading SNP Government’s alcohol treatment success: The Facts

Scotland has the highest drug death toll in the UK, indeed in Europe but something dramatic is happening. First, the NRS figure based on the presence of drugs in the bloodstream fell, by 1%, for the first time in nearly a decade while the Police Scotland figure, based of scene of death forensic evidence fell by 27%. See: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2022/06/16/massive-fall-as-predicted-here-in-scotlands-drug-deaths/ This has been largely explained by a natural consequence of the many older drug abusers who became addicted during the Conservative Government’s brutal de-industrialisation in the 1980s and the subsequent neglect of the New Labour period, coming together, to the end … Continue reading SNP Government reducing drug deaths among its Generation Hope

You have to read down in the above Scottish Sun article to see: Farmers will be banned from extracting water from the River Eden in Fife, though special dispensation may be made for soft fruit growers in the kingdom. https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/9294307/scots-first-water-ban-midnight/ You see what they’re trying to do with that headline? Scare Scots out of any feeling that water supplies are secure here when, obviously, they are. Note, it’s not a hosepipe ban and it’s not even a total ban on all farmers. Should we be scared? The Eden is one of 200 major water courses in Scotland and: Loch Ness…contains more water … Continue reading Sun news dries up as 1 in more than 200 Scottish rivers is affected by drought

Direct comparisons are slightly problematic as the NRS in Scotland and the ONS in England, use different categories. Scotland has 15-24, 25-34 and 35-44 age groups while England and Wales has Under 20, 20-29 and 30-39, so comparisons cannot be precise but we can still see that deaths among those up to 34 years in Scotland are almost certainly lower by some way. However, first, the trends are clear. In Scotland, the graph above from the NRS shows a clear fall in 2021 among the 15-24 and 25-34 age groups with what may be a Covid-related blip for the 35-44 … Continue reading Drug deaths among the young now falling and significantly lower in Scotland than in England& Wales

This happens often. A recent disaster is quickly labelled the worst in history and I twitch. Surely, anyone might think, wait a minute, what about those clearance things, Mr MacDonald was always going on about? I would contend however, that per head of population, the Highland Potato Famine caused as much misery, if not actual deaths [only 250 000 deaths], than an Gorta Mór. The effects on the Highlands and several islands, such as Skye, were devastating in that people emigrated in their droves after potato and other crop failures in 1836-37, which was the last major crop failure before … Continue reading Journalists should have to study at least some history?

FRI 12 AUGUST13:30 FOR THE MANY LIVE WITH DOUGLAS ROSS AND ANAS SARWAR Join LBC legend Iain Dale and his partner in crime, former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith for one of five unique live versions of their smash-hit political podcast For The Many.Expect the usual cocktail of political analysis, unfiltered opinion and outrageous smut. Different guests will feature daily, and all will be open to audience questions. Today’s guests: Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross MSP and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar MSP.“Lots of political banter and questions answered with gossipy insight. Far more fun than you might expect!” Observer. https://www.eicc.co.uk/whats-on/for-the-many-live-with-douglas-ross-and-anas-sarwar/ Only those with a strong stomach should tune in. Commenting SNP … Continue reading The not-so odd couple?