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Oxford researchers write thousands of words but fail to mention that significantly fewer ‘austerity children’ were ‘scarred by poverty’ here after nearly two decades of the SNP

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In the Guardian today: More than a fifth of all “austerity generation” British children have been scarred by poverty for at least half their childhood, a direct legacy of the welfare benefit cuts imposed by Conservative governments in recent years, research reveals. The proportion of children born after 2013 who spent at least six of their first 11 years of life in hardship surged after ministers froze working age benefits levels and imposed policies such as the two-child limit, it found. Austerity policies, which drastically shrank annual welfare spending by tens of billions a year and took thousands of pounds … Continue reading Oxford researchers write thousands of words but fail to mention that significantly fewer ‘austerity children’ were ‘scarred by poverty’ here after nearly two decades of the SNP

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How actual facts prove there is no two-tier health system in Scotland contrary the three wee anecdotes set up for the Unionist leaders

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In the last three weeks I know of someone who is 83rd in the list of seeing a doctor in accident and emergency. There were 83 patients before them and they had to wait ten hours to be seen. I know someone who has waited over two and a half years to get an audiology test. Driven towards paying £1800 to buy from a high street store. Within four days, they had their hearing aids. We also know of someone who has been on a waiting list, we keep talking about bringing them down, the Scottish nationalist party (sic) they … Continue reading How actual facts prove there is no two-tier health system in Scotland contrary the three wee anecdotes set up for the Unionist leaders

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NHS Scotland trains nearly TWICE as many nurses, per capita, as NHS England every year yet the Royal College of Nursing is only campaigning against the SNP in Scotland in an election run-up

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The Herald and other press operating in Scotland today have this story from the Royal College of Nursing: Scotland is currently missing the equivalent of an entire year’s cohort of nursing students, with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) warning that rapid action is necessary to address the declining number of people applying to study nursing. The RCN has stated that more than 3,500 fewer students have started nursing degrees over the last four years than the Scottish Government said were needed, leaving a gap that equals an entire annual intake. This “missing cohort” will impact hospitals, community services, and care settings for years to come. The RCN has urged politicians to take decisive action to promote nursing careers and support individuals who choose to study nursing, including providing clear pathways for career progression and stronger financial support for students. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26009297.nurses-stark-warning-parties-entire-years-cohort-missing/ It’s not on the BBC Scotland News website but I’m guessing that Reporting Scotland Down and Good Mourning Scotland broadcasts will be all over it. The RCN has nothing about nurse recruitment in England and yet: The Scotsman in February 2025 was front-paging Alarm over fresh drop in applicants for nurses course based on a 2% reduction in applications, from 4 650 to 4 560, six months before ‘clearing’ processes in the week and months before courses start, can fill the missing places. The ‘alarm’ was from a … Continue reading NHS Scotland trains nearly TWICE as many nurses, per capita, as NHS England every year yet the Royal College of Nursing is only campaigning against the SNP in Scotland in an election run-up

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CalMac ferries problems definitely not dominating real election campaign as they are of little interest to voters despite MSM efforts

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BBC Scotland today and yesterday: CalMac ferries problems dominate election campaigning – Ferries and the problems besetting CalMac’s services have dominated many of the day’s exchanges on the election campaign. First Minister John Swinney travelled to Stornoway, where he announced a new SNP government would set up a £10m resilience fund to help communities and businesses affected by the recent ferry disruption. His political opponents claimed it was a problem of the SNP’s own making, and Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said Swinney should be “ashamed” of the “ferry fiasco”. and: Labour promised to fix the “broken” ferries system with … Continue reading CalMac ferries problems definitely not dominating real election campaign as they are of little interest to voters despite MSM efforts

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Why Labour and others are wrong in seeking to merge CalMac and CMAL, why Norway does not compare and how the current system protects the islanders from the harsh economies they would face

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The initial decision to separate ownership/procurement (CMAL) from operations (CalMac) in 2006, by Jack McConnell and Douglas Alexander, was based on the notion that it can create better incentives for efficiency and performance while allowing the public sector to retain strategic control over fares, service standards, routes, quality, and subsidies, to protect islanders. Contrary to the media frenzy driven largely by an inarticulate, evidence-free, media-constructed popular culture and/or explicit opposition party opportunism, it has worked to protect islanders. While some have insisted on comparison only with Norway, $2 trillion in the bank and full independence, while Scotland, one hand tied … Continue reading Why Labour and others are wrong in seeking to merge CalMac and CMAL, why Norway does not compare and how the current system protects the islanders from the harsh economies they would face

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The list of scandals connected to this Labour party is growing

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By Liz S BBC Scotland Disclosure team catch-up three years after we disclosed Anas Sarwar backing a care home cash cow milking the tax-payer. Indeed , but did they disclose in their disclosure programme that he, Sarwar, once backed them in the past ? If not , why not ? The list of scandals connected to this Labour party is growing , yet as scandals they are not given the same treatment and attention by the BBC as they , the BBC, give to any #SNPBAD stories, be they true or false as #SNPBAD stories. Remember also this: Labour in Scotland “using … Continue reading The list of scandals connected to this Labour party is growing

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As US/Israel/Iran war escalates out of control, new generations of terrorists are produced and US experts warn Washington, a former officer with UK Civil Nuclear Constabulary says Labour’s new mini reactors cannot be protected

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On April 3, 2026, The American Nuclear Society supporting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reacted to the spiralling destruction in Iran, spreading violence in the Middle East and President Trump’s latest apocalyptic threats, in the wake of existing threats to nuclear plants in the Ukraine, by calling for urgent steps to ensure nuclear safety and security during armed conflict. https://www.ans.org/news/2026-04-06/article-7908/ans-joins-iaea-in-calling-for-protection-of-nuclear-plants-in-armed-conflicts/ The UK Labour Party, fully backed by the Governor General for Scotland, Douglas Alexander, by Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour, plans to build large numbers of small modular reactors across the UK, including in Scotland. In the i in April … Continue reading As US/Israel/Iran war escalates out of control, new generations of terrorists are produced and US experts warn Washington, a former officer with UK Civil Nuclear Constabulary says Labour’s new mini reactors cannot be protected

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Always choosing the darkness for you – BBC Scotland give you one rape and hide both that it’s TWICE as common in the rest of the UK and that resident doctors are NOT on strike here

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Above BBC Scotland, below BBC UK: In more than 1 000 words, BBC Scotland’s report on a rape case, above, offers no context of the kind student journalists must have or they fail, eg, ‘Is this offence more common in Scotland than elsewhere as drug deaths apparently are?‘ Would a bit of context have been useful for readers? This kind of thing? On 25 June 2025, I wrote: The media in Scotland are headlining the increase in recorded cases of rape and attempted rape in Scotland. Though the increase may in part be a consequence of a greater confidence by victims … Continue reading Always choosing the darkness for you – BBC Scotland give you one rape and hide both that it’s TWICE as common in the rest of the UK and that resident doctors are NOT on strike here

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‘Stealing food from the mouths of animals north of the border’ – Is an English animal charity still taking millions from Scots while doing no work in Scotland?

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As with O-levels when it should have been O-Grades and 11-plus when it should have been the ‘Qualies’, UK-wide media have confused Scots for decades and RSPCA and SSPCA remains a bone of contention. My family often say RSPCA yet the RSPCA does no work at all in Scotland? Does it raise money from Scots who see the adverts on ‘national’ TV? In 2009, the Herald revealed the above. Is there evidence that people in Scotland still give to the RSPCA though they only work in England? Yes, there is clear evidence that people in Scotland donate to the RSPCA … Continue reading ‘Stealing food from the mouths of animals north of the border’ – Is an English animal charity still taking millions from Scots while doing no work in Scotland?

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Are there similarities in the psychology used by Donald Trump against Iran and that use by Sir Keir Starmer or Wes Streeting against the resident doctors? Yes, indeed, there are.

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Listening to Trump and Starmer, as a former teacher, I couldn’t help but notice how they’re both using psychologies long discredited in teaching – they just don’t work. I have a familiar, a raven on my shoulder called Grok! I asked him. He saw it too and he researched a fully-referenced for me as I tire after a Saturday afternoon beer: Yes, there are notable similarities in the psychological tactics and negotiation strategies employed, though the contexts differ dramatically (high-stakes international statecraft versus domestic public-sector labor disputes). Both involve coercive bargaining, public framing to shift moral responsibility, and pressure through … Continue reading Are there similarities in the psychology used by Donald Trump against Iran and that use by Sir Keir Starmer or Wes Streeting against the resident doctors? Yes, indeed, there are.