Tag: politics

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No hospital postcode lottery in Scotland as Glasgow’s giant is revealed as one of safest in Scotland and far safer than several of NHS England’s really troubled hospitals

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From Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios January 2025 to December 2025 published today, the above chart and: No hospitals had a significantly higher standardised mortality ratio than the national average. HSMR acts as a signal, highlighting hospitals where mortality is higher or lower than predicted. This prompts hospitals to review their care processes, check for possible issues and identify areas for improvement. In Scotland, the national HSMR is set at 1.00. A hospital with an HSMR less than one has fewer deaths observed than predicted within 30 days of admission, whereas an HSMR greater than one indicates more observed deaths than … Continue reading No hospital postcode lottery in Scotland as Glasgow’s giant is revealed as one of safest in Scotland and far safer than several of NHS England’s really troubled hospitals

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Ad Hominem Attacks

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By TuS friend and helper, Frances McKie, from a letter to the Times she does not expect to see published: From football to politics, most of us eventually learn that targeting  the opponent- instead of the goal- is foul play. It is also the mark of fear, desperation and- most importantly- losers.  Scotland has been witnessing such behaviour since September 19th 2014  when, apparently, according to her loyal servant, David Cameron, Queen Elizabeth the First of the UK  “purred” with relief that  Westminster’s grip on what is more or less the ” last colony”  was still- just- intact.  However, in … Continue reading Ad Hominem Attacks

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Former Labour MP who allegedly threatened to give a woman ‘a doing’ to advise Malcolm Offord

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By Liz S I read this yesterday. The former Labour MP, Ian Davidson, who lost his seat in 2015 to the SNP, has now taken up a role as adviser to Malcolm Offord following the Scottish elections. Davidson was selected in 2017 and also in 2019 to be the Labour candidate but failed to win yet again. So what possible political advice could Davidson provide to Offord ? Well in October 2011 the BBC reported that: “An SNP MP has withdrawn from a Commons committee over allegations that she was threatened by its Labour chairman” (Ian Davidson). “Dr Eilidh Whiteford, the MP for … Continue reading Former Labour MP who allegedly threatened to give a woman ‘a doing’ to advise Malcolm Offord

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US ferry system in a State with nearly three times Scotland’s GDP is ‘fragile’ due to lack of Government-funding

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From AOL yesterday: SEATTLE – Gov. Bob Ferguson is intensifying his call for federal support to stabilize Washington State Ferries, warning that while the system has returned to full service levels for the first time since 2019, that progress remains “fragile.” During a briefing at the Seattle Ferry Terminal, Ferguson emphasized that the nation’s largest ferry system cannot sustain its recent gains without a significant increase in investment from Washington, D.C. The governor highlighted a stark disparity in how the system is funded. Currently, federal dollars account for: State leaders argue these figures must rise to keep the system afloat. The … Continue reading US ferry system in a State with nearly three times Scotland’s GDP is ‘fragile’ due to lack of Government-funding

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How can the Guardian claim to be a member of the free press when it supports colonialism in Scotland and its editor won’t even acknowledge a polite letter asking why?

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The Guardian continues to locate itself among the ‘free press’: The Guardian has something many news organisations today don’t: guaranteed independence. With no billionaire or large corporate owner, our journalists are free to report without interference. Our role is to hold power to account, not answer to it. We value whatever you can spare, but a monthly subscription makes the most impact, enabling greater investment in our most crucial, fearless journalism. Thank you. Those of us ‘up here’ know that the Guardian, to this day, reports events in Scotland biased in favour of the Scottish Labour Branch’s interests. For many examples, … Continue reading How can the Guardian claim to be a member of the free press when it supports colonialism in Scotland and its editor won’t even acknowledge a polite letter asking why?

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What does a political mandate for putting a major constitutional question to the electorate look like in the UK?

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By stewartb Recall that Prime Minister, David Cameron announced on 23 January 2013 that if the Conservative Party was elected to power following the 2015 general election, it would hold a referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU in the next Parliament. Cameron’s government published a draft European Union (Referendum) Bill in May 2013. The Tories won the 2015 GE: the European Union Referendum Bill 2015-16 was introduced in the House of Commons in May 2015 and it received Royal Assent on 17 December 2015. In the 2015 general election, the Conservative Party won: The referendum was held with … Continue reading What does a political mandate for putting a major constitutional question to the electorate look like in the UK?

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Scottish Labour collapsed because Anas was so unpopular not because Sir Keir was

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The Guardian‘s supposed Scottish correspondents, Libby Brooks and Severin Carrell, today, repeat this myth: Starmer’s unpopularity was insurmountable for Scottish Labour – and a boon for Reform – Long before the final votes were counted in Scotland, veteran Labour politicians said it was a defeat made in Downing Street. When the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, strode into the Glasgow count arena on Friday afternoon flanked by sombre-faced activists, the scene was a mirror image to the same venue in 2024, when his resurgent party won 36 seats from the Scottish National party, playing a significant part in Keir Starmer’s landslide … Continue reading Scottish Labour collapsed because Anas was so unpopular not because Sir Keir was

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Businessmen and wealthy donors ARE bankrolling Scottish politics but only the Unionist parties

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The Ferret has been good recently. I’ve shared their latest reports but this one smells a bit, like some of their earlier ones, of Scottish Labour residual loyalty and of Unionism. They offer us this: before going on to name Robin MacGeachy: Companies he owns or co-owns handed £910,000 to the Scottish Liberal Democrats and £700,000 to Scottish Labour. This represents nearly half of all of the Lib Dems’ donations, and nearly a quarter of Labour’s. and Sandy Easdale: The Easdale brothers, who are among Scotland’s richest men, gave £150,000 to Scottish Labour via one of their firms. The bus … Continue reading Businessmen and wealthy donors ARE bankrolling Scottish politics but only the Unionist parties

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Let’s not vote to have Scotland changed to be more like Labour’s Wales!

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By stewartb British Labour Party politicians and the MSM in Scotland have been working hard (colluding?) to shield voters here from the overwhelming evidence that whatever improvements Scotland’s NHS needs, there is no reason to believe they will be delivered by electing a Labour government to Holyrood. The Party’s track record of governing with (just) devolved powers in Wales provides ample justification for this view. The authoritative health think tank, the Nuffield Trust lays out the state of NHS Wales under a Labour government in power for c.30 years. It compares NHS Wales to the NHS elsewhere in the UK. … Continue reading Let’s not vote to have Scotland changed to be more like Labour’s Wales!

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Latest polls says immigration 2nd in concerns for UK voters but only 7th for Scots voters yet BBC Scotland keep pushing it here in a dirty tactic to help Reform UK

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BBC Scotland again telling us that immigration is one of those issues that most concern voters. It’s not true. In September 2025: Immigration & asylum climbing from March to June 2025 as an issue in Scotland after a summer of media frenzy amplifying a handful of tiny peaceful protests here had pushed it into poll respondents’ minds. Less than two weeks earlier one poll by the David Hume Institute was fuelling a media frenzy suggesting Scots too were prioritising immigration as one of the top three issues concerning voters. That the issue was at only at 21% compared to 48% … Continue reading Latest polls says immigration 2nd in concerns for UK voters but only 7th for Scots voters yet BBC Scotland keep pushing it here in a dirty tactic to help Reform UK