London Deputy Mayor comes up to repeat urban myth of job flight to south as 12 500 flee north to fairer Scotland in just last year

The Scotsman tells us today: Exclusive: SNP must narrow Scotland-England income tax gap in Budget, says City of London. The City of London Corporation said there were ongoing concerns in the financial sector SNP ministers should act to narrow the income tax gap between Scotland and England when they set out their spending plans later this year, the governing body for London’s financial district has said. Chris Hayward, policy chairman at the City of London Corporation, said there were ongoing concerns within the financial sector over the tax regime. He is due to meet First Minister John Swinney today. RUBBISH … Continue reading London Deputy Mayor comes up to repeat urban myth of job flight to south as 12 500 flee north to fairer Scotland in just last year

Up to 80% of Scotland’s drug deaths were among those who became addicted before the SNP came to power, 93% of nearly 30 000 referrals per year are treated within 3 weeks and more than half within only 1 week!

From Public Health Scotland’s National drug related death database (Scotland)Analysis of Deaths Registered in 2019 and 2020, published today, it’s clear that Scotland’s drug deaths are to a very large extent a legacy of the Labour and Tory governments that ruled the UK and devolved Scotland for decades before the SNP came into power, with limited powers over drug use, in 2007. Treatment for these users has been, for years, top notch, with above the 90% target seen within three weeks or less: Between 1 April and 30 June 2024, 7,361 referrals to community-based services started treatment. Of these referrals, … Continue reading Up to 80% of Scotland’s drug deaths were among those who became addicted before the SNP came to power, 93% of nearly 30 000 referrals per year are treated within 3 weeks and more than half within only 1 week!

The SNP’s phantom decorators – A new sisterhood in Scotland’s mainstream media revealed – Daily Record/Sunday Mail and Scottish Daily Express!

By stewartb Once upon a time not so long ago these ‘Scottish’ newspapers – the Daily Record/Sunday Mail and the Scottish Daily Express – would occupy quite different places on the political spectrum on most issues.  That was then and after all, we’ve been told we are in a time of ‘change’!  Of course they would be united for the Union and this is probably the key factor in this tale! On Sunday 6 October, the Sunday Mail on its front page and website had this ‘exclusive’: On the same day, the Scottish Daily Express had this: Note the journalists … Continue reading The SNP’s phantom decorators – A new sisterhood in Scotland’s mainstream media revealed – Daily Record/Sunday Mail and Scottish Daily Express!

Water companies in England & Wales fined ‘infinitely’ more per head for poor performance than Scottish Water

From BBC Science & Environment, this morning: Water companies have been ordered to return £158m to customers via lower bills next year after missing key targets on issues like pollution. The industry regulator Ofwat announced the rebate following its annual review of water and wastewater companies’ performance in England and Wales. Google AI searches find no examples of rebates from Scottish Water but does suggest discounts for those businesses on lower incomes. With regard, to fines, the AI Overview does seem to have some cheer for Unionists, with: Scottish Water has been fined multiple times for environmental and health and … Continue reading Water companies in England & Wales fined ‘infinitely’ more per head for poor performance than Scottish Water

Guess who signed off the 53 redactions to conceal what Angus Robertson really said to the Israeli Depute Ambassador?

Remember all that above a few minutes ago, here? @TomlinJeanne just asked me: Redacted by whom? Good question, I thought. Here’s the first part of the answer: The External Affairs Directorate, eh? Sounds very professional. Who are they? I really want the SNP to win in 2026. There’s still time. He needs to go. It’s not the first time. In November 2023: An SNP MP has said he is “dismayed” at a Scottish government minister’s trip to China. External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson is visiting several Chinese cities this week. A press release announcing the trip made no mention of … Continue reading Guess who signed off the 53 redactions to conceal what Angus Robertson really said to the Israeli Depute Ambassador?

53 redactions to protect Angus Robertson from scrutiny is the real and ONLY SNP scandal

We all know that the Alex Salmond case, the camper van, the HQ decoration and the never ending SNP ‘fraud’ investigations were and are deliberate UK security services conspiracy attacks on the SNP, but their own circling of the wagons to protect Angus Robertson is a total self-inflicted cock-up. From an information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, published today: Information requested 1. The minutes of Angus Robertson’s meeting with Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK which took place on 8 August 2024. Please also include the full list of attendees and any decisions that … Continue reading 53 redactions to protect Angus Robertson from scrutiny is the real and ONLY SNP scandal

Latest Scottish sub-poll has SNP 8 points clear and Reform ahead of Tories

Just a sub-poll of only 122 but it comes as the SNP humiliate Scottish Labour in 4 local by-elections in Perth and in Dundee, just after an Ipsos poll puts Anas Sarwar well behind both Swinney and Forbes in the popularity stakes and two weeks after a full Survation poll showed the SNP had caught Scottish Labour in period that should normally have been honeymoon period for the latter. We’ll need more evidence for confidence in a full SNP recovery but things are looking shaky for Sarwar. As for the Cons, Reform were only 3 points behind them, two weeks … Continue reading Latest Scottish sub-poll has SNP 8 points clear and Reform ahead of Tories

New SNP hate crime legislation praised for giving public confidence as opponents trigger flood of politically motivated complaints in early weeks

I’ve had to modify, in the interests of accuracy, Libby Brooks’ Recorded hate crimes in Scotland up 63% since law introduced in April in the Guardian two days ago. She opens with this to feed me the better headline above: Recorded hate crimes in Scotland have risen by 63% since new legislation came into force, with officers saying the increase reflects greater public confidence that offences will be investigated. You have to read on to see: The deputy chief constable, Alan Speirs, said: “When there is increased public trust and confidence, people will speak out. I don’t think this rise suggests any … Continue reading New SNP hate crime legislation praised for giving public confidence as opponents trigger flood of politically motivated complaints in early weeks

Royal College of Emergency Medicine opts NOT to share own analysis with Scotland’s voters – that A&E performance in NHS Scotland is best in UK by FAR!

By stewartb Let’s begin by taking back control of the ‘framing’ from BBC Scotland: ‘A&E performance by NHS Scotland is indeed by far the best in UK’. The Scotland section of the BBC News website on 4 October ran one of its regular features on the state of A&E services within NHS Scotland. The article was constructed around the remarks of the Vice President for Scotland of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM). It followed a common pattern – negative, in parts alarmist, reported uncritically and without context or perspective. And being a BBC Scotland article, it omitted that … Continue reading Royal College of Emergency Medicine opts NOT to share own analysis with Scotland’s voters – that A&E performance in NHS Scotland is best in UK by FAR!

Ferret Factchecked – Levels of recorded crime ARE at 40 and even 50-year lows and victims themselves report a halving of incidences since 2007/2008 – read the proper research, read your own graph

By Professor John Robertson: Once again, thanks to Dottie for sharing this with me. The often unreliable Ferret, so much less trustworthy than the English Canary factchecker, has this today: John Swinney defended the Scottish Government’s record on justice during first minister’s questions (FMQs) on October 26, claiming crime was at an all-time low. During questioning from Douglas Ross, appearing at his last FMQs as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Swinney said he must “put on the record” that “levels of crime in Scotland are currently at 40-year lows”. Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it Mostly False. The Ferret base their … Continue reading Ferret Factchecked – Levels of recorded crime ARE at 40 and even 50-year lows and victims themselves report a halving of incidences since 2007/2008 – read the proper research, read your own graph