The man who felt able to lead a committee setting up standards for the treatment of pigs in 2019 turns out two years later to be practising cruel treatment of intelligent animals. You may not want to read the detail above. In 2018, Sleigh hosted a media event at his farm with Tory MSPs invited to comment, in an effort to divert Brexit blame onto the Scottish Government: Patrick Sleigh, also a farmer came 4th for the Conservatives in the East Garioch ward in 2007. Continue reading Tory farmer is hypocrite and cannot be trusted with animals – surprised?

I should probably give up on responding to Kevin McKenna’s occasional stuff on the SNP. We’ve seen for years now, since his unconvincing damascene conversion to independence, regular attacks on the SNP, regardless of or perhaps because of, the contribution to weakening the only group that can take us over the line. In October 2016, he wrote:  ‘There is a curiously illiberal and reactionary strain running through its (SNP) core which seems to belie its socialist credentials’ Here were his claims: Named Person Scheme was soundly trashed A Party whose language is a Caledonian version of Orwellian double-speak Army of … Continue reading Sarwar loves McKenna’s contempt for the SNP

On October 1st, Scotland’s new cases, based on tests, fell to the lowest in the UK: More than a month later, using the UK’s ONS estimates we hear: SCOTLAND had the lowest Covid-19 infection rate in the UK last week, new figures suggest.  https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19697996.covid-19-infection-levels-scotland-lower-rest-uk/ To be fair to the Herald, they’re first to bring us this good news. Continue reading Not keeping up?

I don’t see a number, just ‘thousands’ but it looks a lot and some nicely light-handed policing. Continue reading Don’t they look fantastic?

The BBC presenting a BMA Union scare uncritically does not look at actual data. According to the Nuffield Trust, in 2018, the number of GPs per 100 000 population was: Scotland 76 N Ireland 67 Wales 63 England 58 UK average 60. In 2019, the BBC repeated the same figures. As of 30 September, Public Health Scotland reported gradually increasing numbers from 2015, to 5 134 in 2021, including ‘trainees’. With a little trepidation I redo the calculations. Scotland’s 5 440 000 population can be represented as 54.4 sets of 100 000. So 5 134 divided by 54.4 gives 94.3 … Continue reading Does Scotland have even more GPs than we are being told?

Comically, under the heading ‘Analysis’, BBC Scotland’s Health Correspondent offers only tabloid rumour-mongering based on unreliable sources. I’ve added some of those fact things. The NHS is under severe pressure at less than 50% admission levels as in the February peak and with 50% more beds than England and some one or two doctors with an agenda warn that already patients are suffering or dying unnecessarily based on no statistics whatsoever. A&E is seeing record waits but is still far better than that elsewhere in the UK. Thousands of people can’t get the operations they need and will become sicker … Continue reading Making non-analysis out of mere rumour

From cuckooshoe A BBC Scotland article this morning ignores obvious reasons, and then speculates on several worst case scenarios.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59145685 “Covid-19 in Scotland: Why are confirmed cases flatlining?” The obvious reasons? I can think of five, (three of which were introduced in September) that could be responsible.. 1. The decision to vaccinate 12-15 year olds from the 20th September. 2. The wearing of face masks in secondary schools. 3. It is still the law for everyone over the age of 12, unless exempt, (unlike in England) still has to wear a face covering in indoor public spaces such as shops, … Continue reading Why are confirmed cases flatlining? BBC expert misses the human/political factors

…recruited across Scotland. In a survey by the British Medical Association, more than80% of GP practices said demand was exceeding supply. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcone There was a time when trade union leaders’ claims were reported more critically but hey BBC Scotland can just get Sturgeon or Yousaf to respond to this. Better still they can get get Sarwar, Ross or ACH to froth unconvincingly about it. I’m not saying they’re not busy. I’d need evidence for that but, equally, I’d like to see evidence for their claim and some professional reporting. First, the BMA are not ‘Doctors’ leaders.’ They’re a trade union … Continue reading Only 6% of Scottish GPs report overload?

In the Herald today: NICOLA Sturgeon has been urged to intervene on “heavy-handed and highly disproportionate” policing at COP26.  Environmental groups hit out at “an atmosphere of fear and intimidation”, with a “disproportionately high” number of officers deployed and “intrusive police surveillance”. https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19695554.sturgeon-urged-intervene-heavy-handed-cop26-policing/ I’m sure there has been some. Among the 10 000 bussed in from all over the UK, there will have been those ‘trained’ to deal with riots but Scotland’s police chief made it clear that upholding human rights was central to their values and that the heavy-handed form favoured by Douglas Ross in his ‘zero tolerance’ call … Continue reading There’s ‘heavy-handed’ and there’s heavy-handed policing

With ten times the population, England should, pro rata, have done 660 000 doses today but only did 268 000, less than half. Scotland has been doing more than England for weeks now. Wales and Northern Ireland were even further behind. BBC Scotland, of course, is no longer interested in our booster rollout. They liked us as a loser but now they’re scared that we just might win. Who sang that? At the bottom. BBC Wales, by contrast, say loyally today: Booster jab rates in Wales are currently the highest in the UK https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-59164532 Well not really: Leonard Cohen, First … Continue reading Scotland’s booster rollout today more than twice that in England and far ahead of that in Wales and N Ireland