Tag: news

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SNP Government protecting Scotland from deadly measles outbreak spreading across Europe and ‘third world’ UK

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Thanks once more to Dottie for alerting me to this. After the bombing of Yemen, this was the top story at 6pm on BBC News. The focus was on the West Midlands after describing a surge in cases across Europe and attributing this to a fall in vaccination rates. No Scottish data were presented and Reporting Scotland at 6.30pm clearly felt no need to inform let alone reassure. Typically in the West Midlands, they’d see no cases but in the last month they’ve had 50! Globally infections, according to the WHO had gone up from less than 1 000 to … Continue reading SNP Government protecting Scotland from deadly measles outbreak spreading across Europe and ‘third world’ UK

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Scottish MP backs dangerous reduction in safety standards to expand UK nuclear power

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From Policy Mogul today: Government roadmap includes exploring a new power station as big as Hinkley C and Sizewell C  UK becomes first country in Europe to launch high-tech nuclear fuel programme with up to £300 million investment into UK production, pushing Putin out of global market  Measures such as smarter [sic] regulation will help quadruple UK nuclear power by 2050 up to 24GW – the biggest expansion for 70 years  Minister for Nuclear Andrew Bowie said:   “The government’s investment in nuclear will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of technological developments.  “Our plans will give investors the confidence to back … Continue reading Scottish MP backs dangerous reduction in safety standards to expand UK nuclear power

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NHS Scotland staffed and equipped for 98% of operations to be done on time despite major increases

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From Public Health Scotland yesterday: The number of planned operations has been steadily increasing since pandemic restrictions first affected provision of services in March 2020. In the 12 months to November 2023, there was a 11.3% increase in the number of planned operations compared to the previous 12 months. This compares to a 16.8% year-on-year increase when comparing year ending November 2022 to year ending November 2021.  Of all planned operations during November 2023 in NHSScotland, 820 (3.2%) were cancelled by the hospital based on clinical reasons, 737 (2.8%) were cancelled by the patient, 582 (2.2%) were cancelled by the … Continue reading NHS Scotland staffed and equipped for 98% of operations to be done on time despite major increases

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Does BBC refuse to release viewing figures for Reporting Scotland because they’re even worse than we’d guess?

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The response to my FoI requesting the viewing figures for Reporting Scotland, below. Note that they freely tell us the tiny figures for the Seven and the Nine, broadcast only in Scotland, on the BBC Scotland channel. What are they hiding? I think we know. British Broadcasting Corporation Information RightsWogan House, 99 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 7NY bbc.co.uk/foifoi@bbc.co.uk John Robertson10 January 2024 Dear John,Freedom of Information Request – RFI20231614 Thank you for your request to the BBC dated 16 December 2023 seeking thefollowing information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (‘the Act’):“Please provide me with the annual viewing … Continue reading Does BBC refuse to release viewing figures for Reporting Scotland because they’re even worse than we’d guess?

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‘Exposing Scotland to risk’ – Some reflections on the devolved fiscal settlement

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By Alasdair Galloway Once Scotland took powers over income tax a settlement with the UK became necessary for several practical reasons However leaving boring practicalities to one side, this arrangement offers political opportunities to Westminster. For one thing it puts the risk entirely on to Scotland because if the Scottish economy operates less well than the UK average, the income tax allowed for in calculating the block grant will be greater than what is actually raised by the Scottish Government. If, on the other hand, Scotland does outperform the UK average, then there will be a windfall for the Scottish … Continue reading ‘Exposing Scotland to risk’ – Some reflections on the devolved fiscal settlement

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Midwife shortages in Scotland between only two-thirds and a tenth of those in other parts of the UK

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From BBC Health today, but BBC Scotland focusing on Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the deaths of three babies in North Lanarkshire and avoiding its use as context: A former midwife has told the BBC she quit because she could not live with herself if she provided poor care. Hannah Williams says staff shortages meant she kept patients safe, but sometimes only “by the skin of her teeth”. We did a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to 106 trusts with maternity units. We asked how many full-time midwife posts they were budgeted to have in the summer of 2023 – … Continue reading Midwife shortages in Scotland between only two-thirds and a tenth of those in other parts of the UK

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Does Scottish Labour support French energy company extending lives of unreliable, inefficient and unsafe nuclear power stations including one in Scotland?

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In the Guardian today: EDF Energy is planning to extend the life of four nuclear power stations in the UK and step up investment in its British nuclear fleet. The French energy company said it would make a decision on whether to extend the life of the four UK plants with advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR) – Torness [East Lothian], Heysham 1 and 2, and Hartlepool – by the end of the year. This would require regulatory approval. A spokesperson for the company said it would depend on inspections, adding there would not be long lifetime extensions but “incremental”. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/09/edf-energy-uk-nuclear-power-plants The Scottish station, … Continue reading Does Scottish Labour support French energy company extending lives of unreliable, inefficient and unsafe nuclear power stations including one in Scotland?

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Crime and Policing – How Scotland’s media hide our successes

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On the Today programme, a BBC Radio 4 interviewer enthuses about the reduction in knife crime and homicide in Scotland over nearly two decades, as he interviews Will Linden Depute Head of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit You can hear the whole interview, around 53 mins in, at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001v3bj BBC R4’s interests comes against the background of high levels of knife-related deaths in England and, today, the actor Idris Elba’s call for a ban on sales which he says the Conservative Government has neglected: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67903124 BBC Scotland and the newspapers are not interested in this but, rather, focus on two … Continue reading Crime and Policing – How Scotland’s media hide our successes

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SNP not accused as real firearm offences grow to TWICE as high in England & Wales than in Scotland

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STV today have Scotland’s biggest firearm scare story: Police who were called out to investigate reports of a possible firearm in Glasgow discovered the item in question was a toy. https://news.stv.tv/west-central/police-scotland-called-out-to-reports-of-a-firearm-in-glasgow-find-toy That prompted me to check the facts. First in Scotland: In 2021-22, the police in Scotland recorded 273 offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been involved, a decrease of 23% from 2020-21 (353 offences) and down 20% from 2019-20 (341 offences), In England & Wales: The police recorded 6,645 offences involving firearms in the year ending June 2023, a 13% increase compared with the year ending June 2022 (5,860 … Continue reading SNP not accused as real firearm offences grow to TWICE as high in England & Wales than in Scotland

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As NHS England staggers into a ‘third world’ crisis, BBC England ignores yet BBC Scotland platforms Labour and Cons to make one up here

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BBC Scotland above and BBC England below: You’d be forgiven for thinking things were difficult in NHS Scotland but hunky dory in England, yet in the Guardian today: NHS chief warns trusts in England are ‘stretched to limit’ amid strikes. Several NHS trusts in England have already declared critical incidents during the walkout, which continues until Tuesday. Some have asked staff to return to work, citing patient safety. It means that Sunak’s key pledge on NHS waiting times risks going into reverse. Official data suggests that since the PM made his pledge a year ago, the waiting list has gone up by … Continue reading As NHS England staggers into a ‘third world’ crisis, BBC England ignores yet BBC Scotland platforms Labour and Cons to make one up here