BBC today and all day no doubt, until at least Armistice Day on the 11th, if not longer, Harry (Are they all called Harry? Tom?) records a song with Aled Jones and takes a train from Penzance to Paddington dropping wreaths off at each stop. What no Paisley Gilmour Street? Does any nation go on about World War II as much as England does, implying they won it themselves and flying spitfires everywhere, forgetting the angry young Czechs, Slovaks and Poles who downed more Germans than any Brit ever did, forgetting the millions of Russians and east Europeans who died. … Continue reading Despite suffering more deaths we don’t bang on about it so much

This story which could easily scare you into thinking you might not get the best care if you had to be admitted to an Ayrshire hospital with Covid-19, is based on two-week old assumptions, made before the encouraging evidence that the surge is now under control. As with other reports in the Post it gives an easy credit to a local Conservative MSP to appear to be looking out for the people when really he is just looking out for his electoral chances in 2021. The Scottish Government report A levels approach to suppression of COVID-19 was written at a … Continue reading ‘Dire Warning’ is dangerous scaremongering with out-of-date figures by local Conservative MSP

It doesn’t matter when the First Minister knew about hospital discharges into care homes or what Conservative MSP Brian Whittle’s ‘common sense’ tells him because research reports now show that the hospital discharges did not cause the care home outbreaks. The outbreaks were mostly in the larger care home group homes because of failures there to control infections due to over-use of agency staff. The evidence: The charitable MHA with a presence in Scotland did research into its own homes and discovered this: Large numbers of staff could have been unknowingly spreading coronavirus through care homes, according to the UK’s largest … Continue reading Care home deaths not caused by Ayr hospital discharges

By Alasdair Galloway Letter to the Herald: Over the last two days you have included letters by Douglas Cowe and Ian Lakin, concerning the possibility of independence. I might have said “critical of independence”, but criticism demands evidence, and both your correspondents include as much evidence for their assertions as Donald Trump has for his claims of voter fraud. Basically, both have argued that independence is doomed. One can almost hear Private Frazer telling us “we’re doomed, we’re doomed ah tell ye’”. Mr Lakin dismisses the possibility of a successful independent Scotland with the claim that it would not be … Continue reading We’re doomed! Doomed, I tell ye!

From the Herald this morning keeping you ‘informed’ and perhaps a bit more tetchy than is good for you: Firefighters have had to deal with more than 500 bonfires on Thursday, with some crews attacked as they responded to incidents. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) handled 1,193 calls from members of the public between 3.30pm and midnight on November 5. There were 13 attacks though with no injuries. I agree any attacks of firefighters are deplorable but is this particularly bad? Is it worse than last year, say? Last year we heard from STV: ‘On November 5th last year there … Continue reading Attacks on firefighters still deplorable but no worse this year

In a piece about Trumpian politics and the lying it is based on, McQuillan invokes Boris but forgets about Douglas Ross, before letting one of the Lib Dems pretend they’re the nice honest ones. She doesn’t quote Alistair Carmichael on his fib about the First Minister or Willie Rennie on his silence about David Steele’s complicity with paedophilia. However, Ross is the main omission here. If anyone is going to contaminate the public sphere in the run-up to Holyrood 2021, it’s him. Remember these? On Question Time, a few weeks back, Douglas Ross revealed himself stupid, duplicitous (again) or both, as … Continue reading You mean like Douglas Ross? No?

Released at 00:01 today, The UK National Audit Office warns that: [A]lthough government departments have made progress in recent months implementing the changes required to systems, infrastructure and resources to manage the border at the end of the post-EU Exit transition period, it is still likely that widespread disruption will occur from 1 January 2021. In its fourth report1 assessing government’s preparations at the border, the NAO highlights that planning for 1 January 20212 has built on work done for previous EU Exit deadlines, but COVID-19 has exacerbated delays in government’s preparations and significant risks remain, particularly in relation to implementing the … Continue reading January 1st ‘Widespread Disruption’ and Significant risk to Northern Ireland Protocol for trade across Irish Sea but no mention of Scotland

Ian Lakin, former chairman of the pro-UK Better Together campaign in Aberdeenshire. was headline letter-writer of the day in the Herald, yesterday with: as just Ian Lakin of Aberdeen. Like Hugh Pennington, you have to wonder what he hopes to gain from concealing his membership of an anti-independence group. Does this concealment of one fact just reveal a deeper anxiety about those facts he want us to accept. It seems ‘the lack of a currency, massive debt and a large fiscal deficit‘ make independence a ‘pipe dream.‘ Does he think if Unionists just repeat lies often enough people will believe … Continue reading If you’re confident of your facts why hide who you are?

Scottish Independence: From Survation today, based on 1 071, 16+ adults, with fieldwork 28th October to 3rd November, online. The 12th consecutive poll with a majority for Yes and support up from the last poll by Survation: Scottish Parliament Constituency Vote: 15 polls in a row giving SNP more than 50% for the Holyrood constituency vote and Conservatives continuing to fade under Douglas Ross: Westminster Election: 8 polls in a row with SNP support for the Westminster election at more than 50% to almost wipe out opposition and Douglas Ross taking Scottish Cons into 3rd place: Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_on_Scottish_independence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_Scottish_Parliament_election Continue reading Yes and SNP surge ahead as Douglas Ross fails to impress

The Scotsman, perhaps not surprising us, is out of touch with what many people think is ‘Draconian‘. A poll this morning in the Herald, found: An Ipsos MORI poll on 11th October found 61% in favour of the even more Draconian banning all travel into and out of the country with only 21% opposed. https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/majority-britons-support-local-coronavirus-lockdowns-even-if-it-impacts-them-directly As for Nicola herself being accused of being the Draconian one, only three weeks ago that nice Welsh Labour leader, Mark Drakeford, was threatening to ban the English from Wales! Mind you, ‘Drakeford?’ I wonder what that name is all about? Continue reading Public support draconian laws to save lives