It’s 15 days since the first of 100 000 climate change protestors and COP26 attendees began to arrive in Scotland. But 7 days earlier in the Sun, we heard: But Scottish Labour deputy leader, Jackie Baillie, accused him of having “no answers to the potential impact of Cop26 on our NHS. “We are looking down the barrel at a winter of extreme pressure on our NHS and potentially surging levels of Covid. “We need action from the Health Secretary to avoid this, not warm words.” Scottish Lib Dem leader and health spokesman, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, warned: “The NHS is already … Continue reading Jackie Baillie and Alex CH wrong again?

happen quicker if Scotland brought back mass vaccination centres. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0011qf6/reporting-scotland-lunchtime-news-15112021 We’ve been here before. An opposition party gets to repeat an accusation long disproven and gets away unchallenged by BBC Scotland. We’re now long past the advantages of mass vaccination centres where people just turn and queue. Why? In July, the attendance at one of the last mass centres was ‘disappointing’ and was closed, to mass protest by Labour, Tories and DLs despite it having become UK Government tactics a month earlier: And why did it become UK policy? Because mass vaccination centres only work well at first when most … Continue reading Regurgitating and failing to challenge Tory divisions

In last 25 years, serious fires have reduced by more than 50% from 66 000 to 25 000. Fatal casualties in fires have fallen by even more from around 125 000 to around 50 000. In 2020 Scotland hd 3 636 firefighters. England has 32 171. All things being equal, with 10 times the population, England should have 36 360 but only has 32 171. Scotland has 13% more pro rata. I know bigger area per head but very wet and with few fires in much of it. Sources: https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about-us/who-we-are/statistics https://www.statista.com/statistics/877562/leading-fire-brigades-by-firefighter-numbers/ https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-and-rescue-workforce-and-pensions-statistics-england-april-2019-to-march-2020/fire-and-rescue-workforce-and-pensions-statistics-england-april-2019-to-march-2020 Continue reading Scotland sees huge reduction in serious fires and deaths but still retains more firefighters than England

In the Herald today: SOME 15,000 Scots landlords are expected to pursue evictions for rent arrears totalling £126m, leading to fears of a homelessness “tsunami”. As the Covid eviction ban has effectively been lifted as lockdown restrictions eased, a new survey has found that one-in-five landlords reported current tenancies in arrears at July 2021, which scaled up to 45,000 across Scotland. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19716120.15-000-landlords-pursue-evictions-126-million-arrears/ I don’t doubt the good intentions of the researchers, the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence nor that there is genuine risk an increase in evictions but, I’m not sure how you get a ‘tsunami’ in this context, unmentioned … Continue reading If it’s half the peak of that in England can it still be a tsunami in Scotland too?

From the Herald, that bastion of socialist values, today: Tories Alexander Burnett, Donald Cameron, Finlay Carson, Sandesh Gulhane, Jamie Halcro Johnston, Liam Kerr and Edward Mountain all had second jobs registered on their interests as of November 1. SNP MSP Michelle Thomson, who was elected to Holyrood in May, is a “sole trader of Thomson Holdings”, a property investment company according to her register of interests Ms Thomson received between £10,000 and £15,000 for the role per year, and will spend one hour per month working in the job. She is also a director of a property management company, Senza … Continue reading 88% of MSPs with second jobs are Tories, 12% are estate agents but Sarwar gets his for zero hours

From the Herald, ignoring the background data and so clearly underwhelmed by the good news, judging by the headline and the use of ‘only’: Some 1666 people were either killed or seriously injured on Scotland’s roads last year – despite the Covid lockdown curbing people’s movement. It amounts to a 38% drop from 2019 when there were 2692 serious casualties. According to Department for Transport data, the numbers who were killed on Scottish roads only fell by 13% from 165 in 2019 to 143 last year. In its latest publication the Scottish Government states there was an original ambition for a 40 … Continue reading Massive drop in road casualties not in public interest

From stewartb I agree wholeheartedly with the criticism of BBC Scotland’s coverage of this BMA story. However, the ‘problem’ goes way beyond its uncritical amplification of one trade union spokesperson’s assertions and claimed statistics regarding consultants in Scotland. The BBC article includes this: ‘Dr Eunson cited an ongoing complex row over tax bills for consultants’ pensions which he said has left some colleagues facing the prospect of retiring or working less to ensure they are not out of pocket.’ There is a reference to a survey of doctors on the BMA website dated 4 March 2021. It is entitled: ‘Pensions … Continue reading ‘Perhaps the BMA is using fear mongering amplified by the BBC to influence the upcoming Scottish budget announcements’

After months of watching Scotland’s media accuse the SNP Government of destroying the hospitality industry and platforming night club and pub owners as experts in virology and epidemiology, I wondered how the media in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands might react to the latest fourth wave lockdowns there fuelled by millions of people who refused to be vaccinated and by political leaders who have allowed the opening up of nightclubs. Spiegel has blamed the politicians for not doing what the Scottish Government has done, delaying opening up of nightclubs until vaccination levels were high enough and vaccine passports were in … Continue reading German media ignore nightclub experts on virology!

In the Times, today, by that foul trio of Allardyce, Glackin and former BBC Head of News and serial bully of young staff, John Boothman, the claim that First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon has earned the nickname ‘Elsie McSelfie.’ Leaving aside the now frequent misunderstanding of how selfies work, among Tory trollers, had you heard the FM earned that? Says who? Me neither. I looked and found the likely source – the Clown Office at https://clownoffice.tumblr.com/ Their identity is not revealed but Google then suggests only one other user of the term in Scotland: Is this the Clown? Or Boothman? I … Continue reading Is Andrew Neil The Clown here?

Key extracts from BBC Editorial Guidelines: Where appropriate to the output and wherever possible, we should: gather material using first-hand sources check facts and statistics, identifying important caveats and limitations validate the authenticity of documentary evidence and digital material corroborate claims and allegations made by contributors weigh, interpret and contextualise claims, including statistical claims. 3.3.2 In news and current affairs content, achieving due accuracy is more important than speed. 3.3.3 We should try to witness events and gather information first-hand. Where this is not possible, we should talk to first-hand sources and, where practicable, corroborate their evidence. 3.3.4 We should be reluctant to … Continue reading Major breach of editorial guidelines