Tag: news

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The Scotch Whisky Association on US tariffs: ’Scotch Whisky and US Whiskey share a close and longstanding trade relationship, and industries on both sides welcome the First Minister’s leadership on this issue’.

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By stewartb I’m pleased that independent whisky distillers in Scotland will benefit from the removal of trade tariffs on their exports to the USA.  (As someone who greatly enjoys a single malt, I’ve long since shunned for the most part the brands of the big corporates in favour of Scotland’s burgeoning independent sector.) The role of FM Swinney in achieving this change in US policy seems to be ‘triggering’ Unionist politicians. Mr Swinney’s release of the text of the message he received from the US President is not going to help Unionist blood pressure! Here is some additional, background information … Continue reading The Scotch Whisky Association on US tariffs: ’Scotch Whisky and US Whiskey share a close and longstanding trade relationship, and industries on both sides welcome the First Minister’s leadership on this issue’.

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Scotland’s model for pharmacy offers lessons for predicted ‘Iran war’ shortages

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hours searching for stock of common medicines like antidepressants and HRT and government (UK) payments no longer cover the cost of some drugs. BBC Breakfast this morning has the above in a fuller report on the problem. Neither they nor the subsequent Reporting Scotland news, report what is happening in Scotland Here’s why. In the Guardian 29 March 2026: Britain [sic] is “a few weeks away” from medicine shortages ranging from painkillers to cancer treatment if the Iran war continues, according to experts, while drug prices could also rise. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/28/uk-weeks-away-medicine-shortages-iran-war-impacts-experts-warn The above makes no mention of Scotland. Searching for reports … Continue reading Scotland’s model for pharmacy offers lessons for predicted ‘Iran war’ shortages

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Violent crime in Scotland has fallen by 27% since 2008-09 with 30 000 fewer Scots experiencing it every year after two decades with no service-cutting right-wing government and the SNP maintaining 24% more police officers

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From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: March 2026 published today: Non-sexual crimes of violence recorded by the police increased by 5%, from 70,635 in the year ending December 2024 to 74,384 in the year ending December 2025. Common assault (up 5%) made up the clear majority (83%) of all non-sexual crimes of violence recorded in the year ending September 2025. The SCJS showed that in 2023-24 the volume of violent crime increased by 73% since 2021-22. However, this is still 27% lower than 2008-09 and does not show a statistically significant change from 2019-20. It also showed that … Continue reading Violent crime in Scotland has fallen by 27% since 2008-09 with 30 000 fewer Scots experiencing it every year after two decades with no service-cutting right-wing government and the SNP maintaining 24% more police officers

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Charity is calling for implementation of graded model of miscarriage aftercare already available in Scotland across the whole of the UK – NHS England still considering a pilot

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From BBC Health and on BBC Breakfast News today: Early care scheme could prevent thousands of miscarriages a year – In the Women’s Health Strategy announcement last week, the government said it was considering “wider adoption” across the NHS in England. Baroness Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care said: “This will be carefully considered as part of our ongoing work to make sure women get the high-quality, compassionate NHS care they deserve.” NHS Scotland is already making improvements in miscarriage care, including not waiting until a third miscarriage and providing separate rooms in … Continue reading Charity is calling for implementation of graded model of miscarriage aftercare already available in Scotland across the whole of the UK – NHS England still considering a pilot

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‘The SNP won the 2011 Scottish election on an anti- austerity platform focused on tackling child poverty, reducing inequality, and building a more inclusive and universal approach to welfare’

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By stewartb Views on the economic and social policy context that Scotland in Union experiences can pop up in unexpected places. In this example, it’s in a report from the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, University College London (UCL) on the implementation of free school meals in different countries. It’s co-authored by the Institute’s founding director, Mariana Mazzucato, professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value. The latter has a notably high reputation in the UK and internationally, including for work on various aspects of political economy and government policy development. This is the source document: Macfarlane and … Continue reading ‘The SNP won the 2011 Scottish election on an anti- austerity platform focused on tackling child poverty, reducing inequality, and building a more inclusive and universal approach to welfare’

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That BBC Scotland journalists ‘did not cover the referendum in the way they would have liked because of commands coming from London’ is untrue. It was because of this guy and others like him

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In the often excellent analysis by Prof Happer in the Herald yesterday, because it correctly identifies the bias in BBC Scotland as, for most staff, ‘structural’, ‘cultural‘ I’d say, I’d have to disagree with this: Happer, who speaks extensively to BBC Scotland staff, said: “BBC Scotland journalists felt they couldn’t cover the referendum in the way they would have liked because of commands coming from London” That’s a clear excuse, rewriting history. In 2014, I was approached by two younger staff at BBC Scotland News and neither mentioned commands from London. They did both say that the then Head of … Continue reading That BBC Scotland journalists ‘did not cover the referendum in the way they would have liked because of commands coming from London’ is untrue. It was because of this guy and others like him

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Poverty – Given the Labour Party’s track record in government in Cardiff over decades, what credibility can it have now in Scotland?

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By stewartb In its news report of the JRF’s statement on the election manifestos of political parties in Scotland regarding poverty, The National newspaper quotes the social justice spokesperson for the British Labour Party in Scotland. This demonstrates yet again the party’s political hypocrisy. On poverty reduction, Claire Baker states: “The SNP’s shameful lack of progress over the last two decades has made this all the more challenging and all the more urgent.” And: “Scottish Labour is determined to tackle poverty at its root, support the next generation and make life more affordable.” Fortunately we can assess the Labour Party’s … Continue reading Poverty – Given the Labour Party’s track record in government in Cardiff over decades, what credibility can it have now in Scotland?

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Four years after top Swedish health officer praises hospital safety programme now 15 years in place NHS Scotland pays out less than one sixth of the amount per head in malpractice claims compared to NHS England

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The Herald still desperately stoking the fires of supposed discontent with NHS Scotland which they hope might help save Anas Sarwar from a near extinction event on May 7/8. There is far bigger news on this issue. In 2023/2024 (latest) NHS Scotland payed out £47.3m for health-related complaints.1 All things being equal with ten times the population, you might expect the NHS England to be around £480m. It was £3.1bn! 2 More than 6 times as high, per head of population. Why such a difference? Scotland’s hospitals are safer. See this from 2022: Dr Pelle Gustafson, chief medical officer, of … Continue reading Four years after top Swedish health officer praises hospital safety programme now 15 years in place NHS Scotland pays out less than one sixth of the amount per head in malpractice claims compared to NHS England

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‘Will party manifestos meet Scotland’s child poverty targets?’ Has this fragmented think tank left out the obvious factor, based on their track record in Scotland or in the other parts of the UK so far, is there much chance they will deliver anywhere near the level the SNP has achieved?

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The Joseph Rowntree Foundation today asks: Will party manifestos meet Scotland’s child poverty targets? and opines straight-off: All parties have published their manifestos for the 7 May Holyrood elections, but they fall well short of the action needed to meet child poverty targets, leaving the next Scottish Government to match rhetoric with action. The researchers, above, base this largely on reading the manifestos and giving all the benefit of the doubt as to whether they might deliver them. This is hugely naive or predisposed to not consider what the SNP has done in Scotland with Labour in Wales and in … Continue reading ‘Will party manifestos meet Scotland’s child poverty targets?’ Has this fragmented think tank left out the obvious factor, based on their track record in Scotland or in the other parts of the UK so far, is there much chance they will deliver anywhere near the level the SNP has achieved?

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Sky News reports on maternity ‘horror stories in this country’ but it’s not THIS country

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Thanks to Dottie once more for alerting me to this. This Sky News special on maternity services, ‘in this country’, is of course about England. They go on quickly to relate their special to the report by Baroness Amos and remind us that it made ‘pretty horrific reading.’ I watched no further. Why? Baroness Amos looked only at England. Is the Sky News special likely to be informative on Scotland? No, because: Thousands of babies and mothers avoidably dead in maternity trusts, twelve trusts under investigation and two trusts face police investigations into potential corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter … Continue reading Sky News reports on maternity ‘horror stories in this country’ but it’s not THIS country