Tag: politics

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First GP Walk-in clinic – Herald evaluation is too quick, asks wrong questions and their ‘top medic’ is far from that

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The Herald today has: Doctors have told the SNP to drop its plans to expand walk-in GP clinics after new figures showed patients waited up to six hours to be seen at the first facility in Scotland. The clinic at Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre in Edinburgh, opened in February and was the first of around 30 walk-in clinics promised by the Scottish Government, currently led by the SNP. and So, another combined effort by Scottish BMA and the Herald to undermine the top party leader, John Swinney and the SNP. Are they stupid? Don’t they know this? Early reporting (including the article you … Continue reading First GP Walk-in clinic – Herald evaluation is too quick, asks wrong questions and their ‘top medic’ is far from that

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The new Welsh government, of whatever party or coalition, has a particularly difficult inheritance in health and social care

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By stewartb The Nuffield Trust has published a companion to the Scottish briefing , for the NHS in Wales. It concludes (with my emphasis): ‘The new Welsh government, of whatever party or coalition, has a particularly difficult inheritance in health and social care. Waiting times are poor and the public deeply unhappy. ‘Wales’s older, more deprived population means that needs for care are elevated, and sustained high levels of health funding reflect that. ‘The incoming ministers will know that there is not enough money in the coffers to simply spend their way to success. Improvements in delayed discharges and waiting lists provide a … Continue reading The new Welsh government, of whatever party or coalition, has a particularly difficult inheritance in health and social care

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Starmer and Farage on St George’s Day – ‘Today, we fly OUR flag proudly’ to ‘be English’ but he’s poor Lebanon’s patron saint too

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By Liz S Saint George’s Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, regions, and cities from which he is the main patron saint, including England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Catalonia, Aragon, Palestine, Rio de Janeiro, Alcoi, and Genoa, and also where he is an important patron saint, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Syria, and Lebanon “Today, we fly our flag proudly and we’re reminded of the values it represents – service, generosity, and respect. When we stand together, united in our communities, we are stronger than any attempt to divide us. Happy St George’s Day”! (So “our flag“.and “our communities“, what about other communities in other nations within the UK State , as surely many of them are … Continue reading Starmer and Farage on St George’s Day – ‘Today, we fly OUR flag proudly’ to ‘be English’ but he’s poor Lebanon’s patron saint too

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How the ‘Scottish’ Daily Express made up a quote not actually in the Nuffield Trust report revealing NHS Scotland’s superiority

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Neither the word ‘deadly’ nor the word ‘domino’ appear in Health and care performance and promises: the track record for Scotland’s 2026 election published by the Nuffield Trust, yesterday: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/health-and-care-performance-and-promises-the-track-record-for-scotland-s-2026-election While, I’d argue, with evidence, that there is much good about healthcare in Scotland which is missed by the Trust, far far more is missed by the Express, including the above hugely important evidence of superior GP numbers in Scotland, way above the level elsewhere in the UK. Also avoided by the Express: People in Scotland are much more likely than they were five years ago to spend more than … Continue reading How the ‘Scottish’ Daily Express made up a quote not actually in the Nuffield Trust report revealing NHS Scotland’s superiority

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‘British government has wasted more money on failed projects than some countries spend building entire infrastructure’ So next time any unionist has the temerity to mention the word ‘ferry’ you know what to do…

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I’ve lifted this excellent piece from Eve Robertson Armstrong on Facebook who lifted it from Josh Hunt on twitter (X). I’m guessing a Josh Hunt wrote it but can’t trace him. The British Government has wasted more money on failed projects than some countries spend building their entire infrastructure. After hearing about the cancellation of the Stonehenge Tunnel project, yet it still racking up £179 million in cost, I wanted to look at other projects and costs to see what the picture looks like this century. Every number here comes from official reports, the National Audit Office, parliamentary committees, and … Continue reading ‘British government has wasted more money on failed projects than some countries spend building entire infrastructure’ So next time any unionist has the temerity to mention the word ‘ferry’ you know what to do…

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Lib Dems confirm that they share Scottish Labour’s values – protecting the wealthy, punishing the disabled, bombing the innocent and increasing child cancers

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By Liz S “Lib Dem leader signals party could back Sarwar as first minister”. ( “could” in that sentence is quite interesting, as one wonders if currently that is only a possibility as a scenario, then what would it take to definitely make the Lib Dems to then confirm that they “would back Sarwar as First Minister”) ? The BBC wrote that “Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has signalled that his party could back Labour’s Anas Sarwar in a vote to nominate a new first minister” He also “confirmed he would not support Conservative leader Russell Findlay or Reform chief Malcolm Offord in a … Continue reading Lib Dems confirm that they share Scottish Labour’s values – protecting the wealthy, punishing the disabled, bombing the innocent and increasing child cancers

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In the UK today – “Things fall apart, the Centre cannot hold, mere anarchy rules”

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By Alasdair Macdonald Comments. I think all of this shows the unionists are really fears that their ‘precious union’ might indeed be falling apart due to Starmer’s and his government’s lack of a narrative and a direction, the rise of Reform and collapse of the Tories, the DUP’s recognition that a united Ireland is coming accompanied by the mollifying words of the president of the Gaelic Games Association, the rise of the Green Party to the left of Labour (Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are more leftwing than Labour), the likely third party status of Labour in Wales and the … Continue reading In the UK today – “Things fall apart, the Centre cannot hold, mere anarchy rules”

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Anti-social behaviour in Glasgow – This SNP council should be praised for implementing dispersal zone to further combat it even though it has fallen by two thirds in ten years

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From BBC Scotland today, the above and: Police have arrested 43 people in the first month of a new dispersal zone to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Glasgow city centre. Officers have used their powers 438 times since the zone was introduced on 20 March – on average 14 times a day – with the majority of warnings to adults over 16. The zone allows police to ban groups of two or more people from the area for 24 hours if their behaviour is “impacting on the safety and well-being” of others. Police Scotland said those arrested had returned … Continue reading Anti-social behaviour in Glasgow – This SNP council should be praised for implementing dispersal zone to further combat it even though it has fallen by two thirds in ten years

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New research report – The Politicisation of BBC Reporting in the 100 days before the Scottish Election 2026 – Comparing BBC Wales and BBC Scotland

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On Friday 17th April 2026, only three weeks before the Scottish Parliament election on May 7th, 2026, a research team at Talking-up Scotland completed a 100-day survey of the BBC Wales and BBC Scotland’s inserts in BBC Breakfast, Monday to Friday 6 to 9am. Despite both operating within a dramatic political context with pro-independence parties, Plaid Cymru (PC) and SNP, for the first time likely to win in both countries, the coverage differed markedly in terms of the politicisation of reports and in the overall level of negativity know to influence voter behaviour. A 2023 study published by Talking-up Scotland, … Continue reading New research report – The Politicisation of BBC Reporting in the 100 days before the Scottish Election 2026 – Comparing BBC Wales and BBC Scotland

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Contrary to England, vulnerable children in Scotland must be placed in regulated safe settings

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. In the Guardian today: Ministers must get to grips with the “national scandal” of England’s shadow child social care system, the children’s commissioner has warned, as a report reveals the number of children in unregulated settings has increased by more than 370% in five years. Some of the most vulnerable children in England are being temporarily placed in unregulated caravans, Airbnbs and holiday camps, which risk the “accumulation of increasing levels of harm for children who have already faced enough distress for several lifetimes”, according to the report. Analysis of Ofsted data has … Continue reading Contrary to England, vulnerable children in Scotland must be placed in regulated safe settings