Scotland’s drug deaths were headlined and savoured right across the full range of BBC output, on BBC 1 News, BBC Breakfast, Reporting Scotland, Politics Live and on Newsnight. I did not watch BBC Wales or Northern Ireland, nor did I listen to Good Mourning Scotland, but I feel sure the same or worse was done there too. It was done often without any or sufficient consideration of the limits Westminster sets on the extent to which the Scottish government can tackle the problem but Sarah Smith was to, typically, win the prize for sheer dishonesty and naked Unionism as she lied about drug patient treatment and suggested, sickeningly, that the deaths were convenient for the SNP because they enabled them to blame Westminster:
Had the SNP said that the deaths were convenient for the UK Government because they enabled them to blame the Scottish Government, imagine the righteous, hypocritical indignation.
We may have a drug deaths problem but there’s much to be pleased with in SNP-led Scotland. See these many but recent stories often selectively edited, distorted or ignored by the BBC but known to many of us as evidence of the many ways in which Scotland is drifting way from the horrors of the Land of May:
NHS waiting lists nearly FOUR times longer in England than in Scotland
Scottish patients have far better access to GPs than those in England
Already better-staffed NHS Scotland doctor training meeting recruitment targets
NHS Scotland’s astonishing performance in operations completed
NHS Scotland’s steadily improving home care strategy for last days
The untold story of NHS Scotland’s 100% IVF service creating AND saving lives
SNP Government acts again to stem obesity increases and avoid UK ‘crisis’
Homophobic hate crime surging SIX times faster in England and Wales
Almost all ethnic groups in Scotland experience significant fall in crime
Racist hate crime charges in Scotland fall by nearly half
Reporting Scotland ponder what to say as crime in Scotland falls 16% in one year
Scottish Water has NO serious pollution incidents while England’s nine privatised companies have 56!
Scotland on target for affordable homes and way ahead of non-Scottish parts of UK
Customers of state-controlled Scottish Water much more satisfied than those elsewhere in UK
8% of the population but 28.5% of the wind-powered electricity
Do not think I could not find more like these.
Talking-up Scotland 
There’s been a startling lack of humanity to the msm reports on this. They have chosen to make this political. I’m aware that I’m perhaps over sensitive to the media spin but this is really sickening to watch them scrabble gleefully over the destroyed lives of so many people.
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Yes, sickening.
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In their own social and work circles there dishonesty is probably applauded. The closer we get to ending this union, the worse it gets.
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The Better Together shroud waving actually toppled over into a carrion-fest. I heard a tiny bit of Ian Dale’s programme on LBC and heard ‘Orange?’ Cammie frae Kilmarnock report that the Scottish drug’s deaths could be explained “..in 3 words (sic) ESS – ENN – PEE” – Ian Dale reverted, sadly, to his right wing tory roots and came out with a pile of tabloid pish so I – thankfully – re-tuned to the Scottish League Cup Group Round coverage and had a much more stimulating and educational listen for the next 90 mins. For a bit of accurate and useful info re. how the SNP Scottish Govt management of Drugs Policy (within its very restricted authority and funding within this Westminster/Whitehall ‘reserved’ policy area) is finding smart ways to tackle the PROFITEERS rather than the users. See the link and snippet below from the Scottish Legal site:
https://www.scottishlegal.com/article/drug-possession-virtually-decriminalised-in-scotland
In 2017-18 there were 32,399 recorded drug offences, 84 per cent of which were for possession. Of these, 19 per cent reached court, compared with 29 per cent in England and Wales.
Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC recently told the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee: “In relation to offences of simple possession, I have, through the recorded police warnings scheme and prosecution policy, supported the use of alternatives to prosecution, including diversion.”
Prosecutors tend instead to go after people who profit from drugs.
There were 5,228 recorded crimes related to the drugs trade including supply, importing and cultivation and 5,390 convictions, implying only a fraction of people are convicted for possession alone.
Three per cent of those convicted of drug offences are jailed, most are fined or given a verbal warning or community service.
Police Scotland said: “Drug crime data can be influenced by a number of factors such as trends. While enforcement activity alone is not enough, we will continue to target drug dealers.”
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I’ve heard that many of the deaths relate to people who have been long term drug users, probably dating back to the time that her own party, Labour, were in control. Has she considered the implications of that?
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Good point
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You’ve given me an idea! Thanks
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