The Herald headline and the report is based on estimates derived from an experimental methodology ‘consistent‘ with that used by the ONS. After a decade and more of pressure from a Tory Government, I’m not sure we can trust the ONS any more. They don’t publish hospital-acquired infections any more and their Covid mortality stats are extremely dubious. See these from late January 2021: Notice how the death rate from Covid goes up in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland after you add those whose death certificate mentioned it to those where there was a positive test? Logical? How then does … Continue reading Experimental estimates using distrusted ONS benchmarks to demonise Scotland again

He’s done it before, he’ll do it again. The boy just can’t say no to his backers and donors. They want the economy firing on all its exploitative cylinders as soon as deaths are low enough for their media to follow orders and ignore them. Twice the death rate in care homes, twice the infection level, around 50% more deaths overall but the BBC Scotland team can be relied upon not to tell their audience about any of this. Boris is talking cheerily again. He’ll go too quickly again. They’ll be back in lockdown by July. Scots will be left … Continue reading Scots saved by refusing to follow idiotic PM strategy

This is a repeat but the Scotsman needs it. Dr Deepti Gurdasani of Queen Mary University of London is not the first English academic brought on to BBC Scotland, ignorant of the new context they find themselves in, but quickly applying their opinions as if they somehow know better. Do they ever wonder why no Scottish academic has been set up against a senior Scottish minister? Gurdasani makes no pretence of presenting her data as even UK-wide, clearly content that things up there are probably just the same as in the English cities from which her data derive. Gurdasani says … Continue reading Scotsman uses flawed English research to try to sabotage schools return

On the 9th to 10th February as the MSM salivated over the massive threat to civilisation posed by some folk deciding they want to change their gender identity, YouGov reported a relatively low 45% support for the SNP in Westminster voting intentions. The inflatable Allan Cochrane of the Telegraph had shared his wisdom and foresight on this, with us, only days earlier. Today, with the people having had the time to dwell on this earth-shattering development, perhaps the greatest threat to Western civilisation since our women were being raped and our babies’ blood drunk, on a daily basis, during the … Continue reading Gender debate translates into massive surge for sNP?

I know, this is a bit of a haven. I’ve seen the kind abusive comment that other blogs suffer. Mostly, we get really fantastic comments here – clear, articulate, evidence-based and thoroughly enhancing my often sketchy starters. I love it, man! I’m rarely verbally abused and you rarely abuse each other. If I see anything of that kind, I delete it. If I miss some, as I must, email me and I’ll deal with it. More frequently, recently, it seems some posts, though not perhaps abusive, are getting a bit annoying, a touch patronising, maybe rude and often so long … Continue reading No bad manners here please!

He can write, like a Higher English and RE student with a thesaurus and, of course, a wodge of high church belief. Read and be dumb-struck as St Kev the Labourite sees religious fervour all around his old-time manhood [‘Keep your heid son’ anchors in square brackets. You’ll need them]: ONCE [upon a time in Bathgate?], when it operated as a mature political party, the SNP was known for its hospitality to strangers. At times, in the heady aftermath of the 2014 independence referendum, to attend one of their conferences was to encounter evangelical fervour. “Welcome! Come away in! Have … Continue reading And the Lord said unto Kevin let him who hath his own willie make all the decisions

I’ve been thinking. I used to be a sociologist. I liked the way sociology asked questions, all the time, about anything and everything. Especially, I liked the way it exposed how entrenched power differentials explain the suppression of some groups. I often say it changed me for the better and for good. I think I may have betrayed my younger self recently. In the debate on the trans community supposedly trying to possess the SNP, so busy with my thing – media bias – and the rest of my life, I’ve angrily batted away other issues that seem unimportant distractions … Continue reading The transgender Moral Panic: He not busy being born is busy dying

On Reporting Scotland, announcing a target for the whole UK, which he knows he cannot set, which BBC Scotland knows he cannot set, but dropped in casually in the hope that at least some viewers might pick it up as evidence we’re better together. Scotland has actually vaccinated every care home resident while NHS England has merely offered them with thousands of lives lost for their delay. Since early February, Scotland has vaccinated far more and is only just a bit ahead at the moment because of supply shortages. Watch what happens when supplies come back on stream. What possible … Continue reading What does it have to do with him?

Dr Deepti Gurdasani of Queen Mary University of London is not the first English academic brought on to BBC Scotland, ignorant of the new context they find themselves in, but quickly applying their opinions as if they somehow know better. Do they ever wonder why no Scottish academic has been set up against a senior Scottish minister? Gurdasani makes no pretence of presenting her data as even UK-wide, clearly content that things up there are probably just the same as in the English cities from which her data derive. Gurdasani says that in the data she is seeing, in England, … Continue reading One English researcher with English data used to undermine John Swinney

This might need updating from 2017 but it still make a point, I think: September 11th 2017 Anas Sarwar is a shareholder in United Wholesale (Scotland) Ltd, run by his mum, which is currently advertising jobs at £7.50 an hour rather than the £8.45 ‘real’ living wage and far less than the £10 an hour supported by his UK leader, Jeremy Corbyn and his current Scottish Leader, Kezia Dugdale who said during the election campaign: ‘The truth is our businesses can afford to pay a little more so that workers aren’t paid a poverty wage.’ Scottish Government staff are guaranteed … Continue reading Tell your mum?