76.7% of nearly 20 000 in a poll organised by pro-Union twitter group Save Our Union (202 followers) has expressed support for holding a second referendum on independence. The group now insists the poll has been shared in the main by Scottish Nationalists and may even have been manipulated. SOU is followed by Mark Reckless MS, Effie Deans, several ex-Army folk and one Orthodox Pentecostal Bishop. Continue reading Massive support for 2nd Independence REferendum

Last night, BBC Reporting Scotland’s Graham Stewart almost told us the facts: The prevalence of the virus in Scotland may be much lower than it is in England, but cases here have nonetheless doubled over recent weeks. Today 2 464 new cases were reported. That’s up 327 on yesterday and represents 15.2% of all those tested. Yes, yes, dad. We know. It’s still a lot. No house parties. You don’t have to keep telling us. How much lower is it than in England? Tell us? Say the prevalence of the virus in Scotland was higher, say twice as high, you’d … Continue reading Go on Graham, tell them. They’re adults. They can handle it

There were 2 464 new cases in the last 24 hours. There were 2 137 in the previous 24 hours and 2 539 before that. For three days the rate has been lower than the peak of 2 622 on the 31st. The rate is higher than before but it’s not ‘soaring.’ Melodrama helps no one. This looks like the stabilisation in the rate you get after tougher measures kick in and before it begins to fall. Tell folk the truth and they’ll work to get even better results. You can trust them, us, me. It’s when politicians and senior … Continue reading Can you soaR DOWN?

Another archaic arithmetic problem for you courtesy of the Lib Dumbs. 548 439 days of absence where mental health was cited as the reason over three years. How should we react to his whopping great number from Beatrice Wishart? It is big. Oooh, must be a crisis then? SNP must be to blame too? Tale a big breath and get your calculator out. 548 439 days over three years is 182 813 per year. There are 52 247 teachers in Scotland so that’s an average of 3.5 days each. ‘Mental health’ includes ‘stress.’ Are there any jobs with no stress? … Continue reading Average Scottish teacher suffers stress for three and a half days every year!

From Clyde 1 today: Scotland has the highest percentage of council areas which are recognised as Fairtrade areas compared with the rest of the UK, according to new statistics. Fairtrade UK data shows that 21 of Scotland’s 32 council areas (65%) are Fairtrade areas, compared with just 33% of councils in England and 41% in Wales. Endorsing Fairtrade products and practices means farmers in developing countries get a fair price for their products and are not exploited. Farmers in industries such as coffee and cocoa can earn a fair living, enabling them to put food on their tables. https://planetradio.co.uk/clyde/local/news/scotland-tops-uk-for-most-fairtrade-councils/ Some … Continue reading Scotland has twice as many Fairtrade councils

As I await delayed responses to previous complaints, today’s Andrew Marr Show suggested the need for another. Do follow me if you can. I wrote minutes ago to complain: On the 29th November, Andrew Marr confronted the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, using data from weeks 43 to 46 only to suggest: ‘The data does (sic) not really back you up. In terms of death rates over the over the last four weeks, Covid-19 on the death certificate, figures from the ONS and the National Records of Scotland, on every week, Scottish death rates are considerable worse than the English death … Continue reading Marr spares Boris the facts

At 8:36pm on January 2nd, Professor Linda Bauld tweeted: Abdication of responsibility at UK level during the most recent weeks of this crisis. Devolved nations cannot adequately protect their populations. Borders & limited powers are the main constraints. Decisions (or lack of) in England affect all of the UK – really worried. Within seconds, angry rebuttals appeared accusing her of being ridiculous, unscientific, non-academic, playing politics, and a member of the ‘Sturgeon fan club’. After two hours, there were 64 accusations including, most offensive for her, that she was making these comments in the hope of getting funding for her … Continue reading When women dare to speak out in Scotland

Inverclyde is the 232nd most infected part of the UK, Dundee is the 297th and all other parts are below the 300 most infected. The fatal incompetence of political leadership in England, Wales and sadly, soon in Northern Ireland is clear. Continue reading The fatal incompetence of political leadership

Two professors of public health at Edinburgh University, Linda Bauld and Devi Sridhar may not be calling explicitly for Scottish independence but the logic of the evidence they present is clear. The pandemic is helping to articulate the all-too-sensible basis for countries like Scotland having control of their borders and, we must hope, tipping the formerly unsure into the campaign for normalisation. Like Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland we can still be best friends with the New England and support it in its transition to normality after the defeat of Conservatives by the New English Social Democratic Alliance in 2024. Continue reading Leading academics make compelling case for autonomy

New cases, in Scotland, have fallen in the last 24 hours by more than 400 to 2 137. This is the second fall in the last 48 hours. Like the Herald, BBC Scotland was quick to headline the facts: BBC England haven’t even bothered to tell you the UK figures: I can’t find the UK or English figures. There were 53 285 cases across the UK in the previous 24 hours. That’s 25 times the rate in Scotland. The UK has just over 12 times the population of Scotland so the infection rate is more than twice per head of … Continue reading Covid infection rate falls again to less than half UK rate