Scotland’s poverty policies – The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence ‘new think tank’

BBC Scotland today are delighted to be able to headline: No evidence Scotland’s poverty policies are working – report They know that some, perhaps many, will read that to mean these policies are not working at all when all the new think tank was saying is that more data is required to prove they are. Read deeper to see the sneaky nature of the headline confirmed: The Scottish Health Equity Research Unit (Sheru) highlighted a “critical gap” in data on the effectiveness of programmes such as the Scottish Child Payment. The organisation – run by the Fraser of Allander Institute … Continue reading Scotland’s poverty policies – The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence ‘new think tank’

As BBC Scotland try to locate blame for the infected blood scandal IN Scotland, the facts speak of Labour’s incompetence and guilt

Headlining on BBC Scotland today: The head of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has apologised to the thousands of victims in Scotland who were infected by HIV or Hepatitis C through NHS blood products. Though apologising, he claims, astonishingly: In Scotland, the vast majority of infections came from Scottish blood donations. In the 1970s and 80s, the country was largely self-sufficient in blood products. In addition to having adequate local donations for the populations needs, the Protein Fractionation Centre in Edinburgh had the capacity to process blood plasma to manufacture treatments for haemophilia or certain forms of immune … Continue reading As BBC Scotland try to locate blame for the infected blood scandal IN Scotland, the facts speak of Labour’s incompetence and guilt

‘In a piece of self-aggrandisement BBC Scotland journalist Samantha Poling is implying that she solved the murder’

Image – Scottish Sun Alasdair Macdonald The media, with justification, are focussing on the failure to arrest the killer of Emma Caldwell in 2007. This was, indeed, a shocking failure of policing. This occurred during the period when police forces in Scotland were run locally and the force responsible here was Strathclyde Police. Police Scotland had not yet been created. It was Police Scotland which solved this crime. However, the media are not making much of that. As far as they are concerned the ‘police’ are responsible ergo Police Scotland is responsible and this enables them to blame the Scottish … Continue reading ‘In a piece of self-aggrandisement BBC Scotland journalist Samantha Poling is implying that she solved the murder’