Tag: politics

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Understanding Covid deaths in care homes in Scotland 1 – In the murderous first phase of the pandemic, they were 21% lower than in England & Wales

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In the Guardian 19th July 2020, six months after Boris Johnson’s incompetence and callousness allowed the virus free access t the UK and just over three months since the SNP Government got devolved authority for the pandemic tactics, here is what happened to care home residents. In a piece broadly sympathetic to the First Minister and Scotland’s Covid strategy, the Guardian writers seemed to feel the need for ‘balance’ and to use anything they can find even if it’s wrong. Truth, fairness and accuracy are what readers need. You wouldn’t expect to have balance on a piece about the health … Continue reading Understanding Covid deaths in care homes in Scotland 1 – In the murderous first phase of the pandemic, they were 21% lower than in England & Wales

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Why did cancer mortality drop in the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022 if the Daily Record’s contrary claims are true?

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The Daily Record today, has: Cancelled cancer appointments during Covid led to ‘loss of life in Scotland’ – Pausing bowel cancer screening appointments in Scotland during Covid-19 led to missed and late diagnoses, longer waits for colorectal cancer treatment and ultimately loss of life, an inquiry heard. The UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry’ has heard how millions of people had non-urgent operations cancelled during the pandemic. The claim comes from, as far as I can see, no actual figures, but just the views of the Chair, Baroness Heather Hallett when she said: The lack of screening for colorectal cancer, for example, led to missed and … Continue reading Why did cancer mortality drop in the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022 if the Daily Record’s contrary claims are true?

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Guardian’s Scotland Editor platforms Holyrood’s third party as the main and only opposition to Reform UK when polls make it clear the SNP is that

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Severin Carrell, the Guardian‘s ‘Scotland Editor‘ has this today: Reform UK has suspended one of its Scottish candidates after it emerged he had been struck off as a company director, and the party faces growing attacks for fielding candidates making Islamophobic remarks. Reform confirmed on Friday morning it had suspended Stuart Niven, its candidate for Dundee City West, after the Herald revealed he had been struck off after diverting tens of thousands of pounds of Covid grants into his personal account. Several hours after that admission, claims within Reform’s Scottish manifesto that it could save billions of pounds in Holyrood spending were … Continue reading Guardian’s Scotland Editor platforms Holyrood’s third party as the main and only opposition to Reform UK when polls make it clear the SNP is that

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NINE ways Scotland handled the Covid-19 pandemic better than the rest of the UK

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The Guardian today, with no reference to Scotland of course, has: The NHS “teetered on the brink of collapse” during the Covid pandemic and only managed to survive thanks to the “superhuman” efforts of healthcare workers, an official inquiry has concluded. In a damning assessment of how the UK’s healthcare systems dealt with the unprecedented pressure of the pandemic, the Covid-19 inquiry chair, Heather Hallett, said the impact of the virus was “devastating” due to the NHS being in a “parlous state” before the outbreak. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/19/superhuman-healthcare-workers-saved-nhs-from-collapse-covid-inquiry-concludes Is this true of Scotland’s experience? ‘Scotland’s’ media and opposition parties want it to be so it is, … Continue reading NINE ways Scotland handled the Covid-19 pandemic better than the rest of the UK

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BBC Scotland’s Sad Mould Alert! – Construction/renovation accounts for 50% of mould outbreaks, easily cleared up, zero deaths in UK

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Gleefully headlined today by BBC Scotland, another hospital mould story. The last time they had such fun was with hospital pigeon poo: Wall panels and insulation at two new Aberdeen hospital facilities have had to be ripped out because of mould before the buildings receive their first patients. Infection control teams sounded the alarm at the Baird Family Hospital and The Anchor Centre cancer unit after construction materials were allowed to get wet, BBC Scotland News has learned. The experts warned that dormant mould spores could reactivate when the overbudget and delayed facilities finally open, posing a health hazard for … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s Sad Mould Alert! – Construction/renovation accounts for 50% of mould outbreaks, easily cleared up, zero deaths in UK

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The story of Covid was not the same across the UK – this is a deliberate lie to conceal Scotland’s demonstrably and significantly better performance and recovery

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across the UK, but recovery after Covid is perhaps one area where Scotland has performed a little bit worse than England England in terms of the waiting times for non-urgent operations that people are facing right now. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002szh1/reporting-scotland-lunchtime-news-19032026 BBC Reporting Scotland today, ignoring all the evidence that does not fit their agenda and trying to tell you that the SNP Government did no better and even, in recovery, even worse. First excess deaths First, Excess Deaths – From the Covid Inquiry documents, Table 13, during the pandemic period from March 2020 to February 2022, in England, excess deaths were 6.5% … Continue reading The story of Covid was not the same across the UK – this is a deliberate lie to conceal Scotland’s demonstrably and significantly better performance and recovery

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Covid Inquiry returns today – The Scottish Government took a significantly different approach to achieve the lowest death rate in the UK ‘in spite of the relatively high levels of poverty-related ill health in Scotland, which might have been expected to result in a higher Age-standardised Mortality’

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BBC England and Wales are headlining this but BBC Scotland is not. Perhaps this is why. – excess deaths during the worst of the pandemic, March 2020 to February 2022, were nearly twice as high in England and 20% higher in Wales, revealed in the above archived document for excess deaths and in this on the overall death rate: The Scottish Government took a significantly different approach to extending NPIs in September and October 2020 at a time when it is suggested that there was a delay in the UK Government acting. 12. In this context, a key question that … Continue reading Covid Inquiry returns today – The Scottish Government took a significantly different approach to achieve the lowest death rate in the UK ‘in spite of the relatively high levels of poverty-related ill health in Scotland, which might have been expected to result in a higher Age-standardised Mortality’

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Labour’s crisis in social care disappears when the figures come in

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In December 2025, Jackie Baillie, Labour Party Health spokesperson said: That the Parliament believes that the Scottish Government’s failure to prioritise social care has fuelled a crisis, harming some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people, and calls on the Scottish Ministers to work to close the funding gap facing health and social care partnerships and value Scotland’s care workforce. In response, Health Secretary Neil Gray said: As an amendment to motion S6M-19977 in the name of Jackie Baillie (Crisis in Social Care), leave out from “Scottish Government’s” to end and insert “UK Government must reverse its hostile and damaging migration policies, … Continue reading Labour’s crisis in social care disappears when the figures come in

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Affluent Washington State refuses to fund even starting the replacement of 50 year-old plus ferries and considers return of one at nearly 70!

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From the Washington State Standard: Budget writers in the Washington Legislature on Monday declared their intent to eventually buy more hybrid electric ferries to modernize the state ferry fleet.  But newly unveiled House and Senate transportation spending proposals left at the dock a $1 billion borrowing request from the governor to pay the tab, raising doubts about when and how a new shipyard order might happen. The budget plans would also further pause the conversion of existing diesel ferries to electric power. Washington State Ferries urgently needs more vessels — and more reliable vessels. The average age of the fleet is 35 … Continue reading Affluent Washington State refuses to fund even starting the replacement of 50 year-old plus ferries and considers return of one at nearly 70!

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Pollster YouGov long-mistrusted by the Yes movement and the SNP may be up to the same dodgy practice with Reform UK

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YouGov responds above, after these claims in the Times: YouGov to publish more data after Nigel Farage row – The Reform UK leader had accused the pollster of being ‘deceptive’ and underplaying the popularity of his party in its voting intention surveys I couldn’t help but smile after our years of noting YouGov‘s complete inability to ever find a Yes lead and to always find a smaller SNP lead, than in all the polls around them. See: I’ve written before about YouGov‘s unerring and almost unique (Survation too) ability to pluck a No lead out of a trend dominated by Yes … Continue reading Pollster YouGov long-mistrusted by the Yes movement and the SNP may be up to the same dodgy practice with Reform UK