Desperate and pathetic – Report damns all maternity services in England as ‘no longer fit’ so BBC Scotland put admin staff at one health board who ‘might’ strike into scrubs and repeat an old story of one woman put in a ‘lovely’ care home in the region where she lives but it was ‘too far away’
high quality or compassionate care. The top story everywhere in England today, the utterly damning findings of the Amos review of maternity care in England, being investigated by Nottingham Police as curiously ‘Operation Perth!’ You can smell the panic at BBC Scotland as they scrabble around their contacts to find something, anything, bad about NHS Scotland. There is no maternity crisis in Scotland. For proof of that see: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/06/04/baroness-amos-is-investigating-8-000-cases-where-babies-may-have-died-or-been-seriously-harmed-by-inadequate-maternity-care-in-nhs-england-todays-report-into-the-qeuh-glasgow-mentions-none/ What do they do? First they find a one health board strike by some admin staff then use images of front line nurses to suggest that’s where these admin staff work. … Continue reading Desperate and pathetic – Report damns all maternity services in England as ‘no longer fit’ so BBC Scotland put admin staff at one health board who ‘might’ strike into scrubs and repeat an old story of one woman put in a ‘lovely’ care home in the region where she lives but it was ‘too far away’
NHS England authorities paid £33 per patient to remove thousands of them from the lists, many still in great need
In the Guardian today: NHS England authorities have paid providers £33 per patient to remove thousands of them from the lists, many still in great need, and a survey of nearly 2,600 people in England found 16% had used the private sector in the past year. Fewer names on the lists help the government to seem to “reduce backlogs” and “meet waiting time targets”. NHS Scotland does undertake regular waiting list validation to remove those no longer requiring treatment but there is no financial inducement. I can’t imagine anyone think that this would be acceptable here. As for the private … Continue reading NHS England authorities paid £33 per patient to remove thousands of them from the lists, many still in great need
Scotland has only half the TB rate due to lower poverty, more affordable housing and better GP access
In the Guardian today: One person a week dies with undiagnosed and therefore untreated tuberculosis in England, a study has found. British-born, older men were among those most likely to have TB diagnosed only after death, researchers said, suggesting healthcare workers could be overlooking the possibility of the disease in these patients. Being diagnosed with TB postmortem should be considered a “never event” that prompts urgent investigations, they said, describing it as “the ultimate diagnostic delay”. Tuberculosis rates in England are at a 10-year high, with 9.4 cases per 100,000 people in 2024. The rate is only just below the World Health … Continue reading Scotland has only half the TB rate due to lower poverty, more affordable housing and better GP access
The real news – The SNP era sees massive increases in attainment by looked after children with three times as many passing at National 5 and eight times as many at Higher
In the Herald today, under a frankly creepy image: Scottish Labour has accused the SNP of “breaking The Promise” after new figures showed the attainment gap between looked-after children and their peers has widened in recent years. Looked-after children are young people in the care of their local authority, including those in foster care, residential care, kinship care or some children living at home under formal supervision. How many times have I pointed out that not one credible, peer-review published educational researcher, across the globe, cares about attainment gaps. They care about improvements within disadvantaged groups over time. They know that the middle … Continue reading The real news – The SNP era sees massive increases in attainment by looked after children with three times as many passing at National 5 and eight times as many at Higher
Children used as drugs couriers by English ‘county lines’ gangs increase in record numbers
In the Daily Record today: The numbers of children being ruthlessly exploited by ‘county lines‘ drugs gangs are at record levels, the Daily Record can reveal. County lines operate where criminals from major cities have expanded their trafficking operations into smaller towns often in rural areas. Organised crime groups have been known to use children as mules to transport the drugs long distances or to store or guard them. Shock figures released by Police Scotland under Freedom of Information (FOI) show a sharp rise in the numbers of children falling victim in the last six years. In the 12 month period from April 2020 to … Continue reading Children used as drugs couriers by English ‘county lines’ gangs increase in record numbers
Children’s mental health referrals and waiting times soar in England to three and four times the levels in Scotland as child poverty, youth violence, youth unemployment and domestic violence fall steadily here
In the Guardian today, the above graph and: More than 1 million children were referred to mental health services across England last year, with referrals up 10% from the year previous, according to a report by the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza. She said the country faced a “crisis” in young people’s mental health. The number of patients who had an active referral to children and young people’s mental health services across England surpassed 1 million for the first time in 2024-25. This was almost double the number recorded in 2018-19, and an almost 10% rise on the previous year. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/29/england-children-mental-health-crisis-million-referrals and … Continue reading Children’s mental health referrals and waiting times soar in England to three and four times the levels in Scotland as child poverty, youth violence, youth unemployment and domestic violence fall steadily here
Sorry Monica, Scottish Labour collapsed because Anas was so unpopular not because Sir Keir was
From BBC Scotland today, the above and: Scottish Labour’s Holyrood election result was a “disaster…made in Downing Street”, according to one of the party’s former MSPs. Monica Lennon, who lost her seat in May’s election, said voters could not get beyond the prime minister’s unpopularity, and therefore “Scottish Labour couldn’t get a hearing.” Mince. They’ve be working this line for years. Last September, 7 months out from Holyrood 26, they knew they were in trouble despite the July 2024 Labour ‘Change’ wave in the General Election, when we in the SNP got a chilling reminder of just how easily influenced … Continue reading Sorry Monica, Scottish Labour collapsed because Anas was so unpopular not because Sir Keir was
‘I see tourists pee in front of my house?’ – the real campervan crisis was in 2021
BBC Scotland this morning is going large on: ‘I see tourists pee in front of my house’: The campervan problem on the Isle of Skye. More than 30,000 trips by campervans and motorhomes are made to the Scottish Highlands every year – with many of them touring the Isle of Skye. For islanders, the tourists play an important part in the local economy. But some visitors bring significant challenges too – leaving litter and even toilet waste in the stunning landscape. Julia Dawber says people should be discreet when nature calls. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crlwj7z7481o As an aside, it is good to see … Continue reading ‘I see tourists pee in front of my house?’ – the real campervan crisis was in 2021
Per capita Scotland’s international football team performs 8 times better than England’s even BEFORE looking at the massive effects of her colonisation within the UK and beyond
Correlate population with international footballing results to show how countries like Scotland and England compare Analyses of FIFA rankings and population show a positive but moderate correlation (roughly Pearson r ≈ 0.5 between population rank and FIFA rank). Larger populations tend to produce better-ranked teams on average because they offer more potential players to select from. England vs Scotland: Direct Comparison Population (approx. mid-2020s estimates): England ≈ 57 million; Scotland ≈ 5.5 million. England is roughly 10–11 times larger. Current FIFA Ranking (around June 2026): England typically top 5 (e.g., 4th with ~1,830–1,840 points); Scotland around 38th–43rd (e.g., ~1,490–1,510 points). … Continue reading Per capita Scotland’s international football team performs 8 times better than England’s even BEFORE looking at the massive effects of her colonisation within the UK and beyond
All three of the first major hydropower projects in ‘Great Britain’ in 40 years due to be built in northern Scotland to double storage for Southern England
From the Guardian today: Great Britain’s first new major hydropower projects in more than 40 years are expected to move ahead after the energy regulator gave a provisional green light to three proposals as part of a plan to reduce the country’s reliance on energy imports. All three of the new pumped storage hydroelectric power station projects are due to be built in northern Scotland, where the region’s lochs will act as natural reservoirs to serve the hydropower stations. The Loch Kemp project, developed by Statera Energy, plans to draw water from Loch Ness, and SSE’s Coire Glas project expects to draw from Loch Lochy … Continue reading All three of the first major hydropower projects in ‘Great Britain’ in 40 years due to be built in northern Scotland to double storage for Southern England
