Talking-up Scotland

(c) scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk

According to Visit Scotland, the Edinburgh Chinese Social Media Campaign, launched in November 2016 by the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group has played a large part in a 40% increase in tourists from China in just one year. This is a rare example of Scotland’s booming tourism not being attributed mainly to the weak pound and the quality of our attractions or the efforts of those working in the industry getting at least some credit. See these for more detail on the likely causes of this wider growth:

‘BLOODY HELL Robert the Bruce movie Outlaw King will feature some of the bloodiest battle scenes in cinema history’, put Braveheart in the shade and boost tourism like Outlander.

‘Outlander links see visitors to historic sites soaring’

Tourism spending in Scotland surges ahead of UK figure

Glasgow wins two first places in global tourism awards and comes 4th out of 50!

North Americans lead surge in Scottish tourism because they feel safer here

As you no doubt expected, it’s a lot more complex than just a weak pound and it seems some attractions are so popular they now have delightful Chinese names given to them. See this from a Scotland Now / Daily Record piece in 2015:

Kilt = Ke Te Duan Qun – Translation: Ke-te short skirt (Homophone for “kilt”)

Highland Games = Qun Ying Hui – Translation: Strong-man Skirt Party

The Willow Tea Rooms = Wei Le Cha Wu – Translation: Always happy tea room

Arbroath Smokies = Hei Xue Jin Zong – Translation: Golden brown haddock

Malt Whisky Trail = Xiang Jiu Xiang – Translation: Fragrant liqueur lane

Loch Fyne = Hao Qing Hai Wan – Translation: Love oysters loch

Haggis = Mie Mie Bu Ding – Translation: Baa-baa pudding

Fingal’s Cave = Qin Jian Dong – Translation: Keyboard Cave

Glen Coe = Qi Yan Gu – Translation: Splendid and beautiful valley

The Style Mile = Feng Shang Chang Jie – Translation: Fashion long street

The National Wallace Monument = Yong Zhe Xin Bei – Translation: Monument to brave heart

Culzean Castle = Huan Jing Xuan Ya Bao – Translation: Dream castle on the cliff

Glenfinnan Viaduct = Tian Qian Fei Hong – Translation: Highland Rainbow

The Elephant House = Mo Fa Ka Fei Guan – Translation: Magic Café (refering to Harry Potter)

Royal Mile = Rong Yun Mei Jing – Translation: A beautiful street with long history and profound culture

Eilean Donan Castle = Sha Ou Gu Bao – Translation: Picturesque castle

Balmoral Castle & Estate = Wei Ai Cheng Bao – Translation: One True Love Castle (sounds like Victoria I)

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo = Bao Ding Sheng Li – Translation: Grand ceremony for Edinburgh’s soldiers

Loch Ness Monster = Ni Si Mei Ying – Translation: Phantom of Loch Ness

The Kelpies = Kai Po Ju Ma – Translation: Glorious armoured giant horses (homophonic with Kelpies)

Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park = Shan Hu Huai Bao Zui Meng Xiang – Translation: Mountain Lakes Get You Drunk on Dreams

Cairngorms National Park = Yun Yuan Xue Ling – Translation: Snow mountains reaching into sky

George Street = Hui Cui Tang Huang – Translation: Luxury Golden Palace

http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/people-china-rename-scotlands-most-5158496

 

(actually a North American orca hearing the Scottish results)

(c) Photograph: Martin Ruegner/Getty Images

See, the BBC can do good news about Scotland without any if or buts, when they try or don’t think it can be used to promote independence. They mis-underestimate my determination.

Here’s the league table of marine mammal sightings for 2017:

Scotland                                  608 (C)

England                                   555

Wales                                      231

Channel Islands (France?)       11

Isle of Man (Scotland?)           5

Northern Ireland                     0 (R)

Aye doan’t think NI are really trying. Maybe they doan’t see the porpoise in it? Could this be evidence of English dolphins heading north to get away from Theresa and Boris?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-43111949

Footnote: I will admit to slightly modifying the BBC headline. It’s just editorial discretion.

In the Herald today, we read one of the worst examples of bias by exaggeration and omission in an attempt to damage the SNP government by association with the national rail company, ScotRail. Here’s what they had to say:

‘Misery for passengers sees Scotrail fined a record amount. Rail passengers’ misery has been laid bare after ScotRail has received record fines for failing to meet required standards for the running of the nation’s trains and stations.’

Note: I had to add the apostrophe after ‘passengers’.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16031136.Misery_for_passengers_sees_ScotRail_fined_a_record_amount/

Now, I’m sure there is an inverse correlation between fines and customer satisfaction – the higher the fines the lower the satisfaction but you need to know a whole lot more before you start suggesting the passengers are all miserable. You’d need to ask them and that’s what the National Rail Passenger Survey for Autumn 2017, published in January 2018, did.

They found that 96% of ScotRail passengers were satisfied overall with their journeys. This placed ScotRail 4^th (equal) out of 26 UK rail companies. They didn’t ask if anyone had been made miserable by them.

http://d3cez36w5wymxj.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/29201549/National-Rail-Passenger-Survey-%E2%80%93-NRPS-%E2%80%93-Autumn-2017-%E2%80%93-Main-Report.pdf

Now for the fines which the Herald thought meant passengers must be miserable. It’s £3 million so far in this financial year. The financial year is nearly over. Is that a lot?

Well, Southern Rail were fined £13.4 million in 2016/17 for just the London to Brighton run.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/13/sothern-rail-unions-say-134m-fine-is-less-than-a-slap-on-the-wrist

And, in 2015/16, Scotrail provided 93.2 million passenger journeys over 2.8 billion passenger-kilometres.

http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/22384/scotrail-factsheet.pdf

So, ScotRail were fined an average of 3p per passenger-journey or 0.1p per passenger-kilometre. That making anyone miserable?

‘Honest, it was that big!’

(c) Herald

The Herald and the STV trumpeted:

‘NHS ‘spends £38,000 a day on consultants’ overtime’

and:

‘NHS spending £38,000 a day on consultants’ overtime’

In both cases the story had been largely researched and written by Lib Dem health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton. Both gave him space to have wee rant and to accuse the Scottish Government of a ‘chronically chaotic approach to workforce planning.’

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16030487.__38k_a_day_for_NHS_consultant_overtime/

https://stv.tv/news/scotland/1408541-nhs-spends-38k/

Neither, of course, thought to tell us just how many consultants there are working in the Scottish NHS and how many vacancies need to be covered by overtime payments, to let us put this in a kind of useful context.

As of September 2017, there were 5 189.8 consultants working in NHS Scotland. Though there are still 430.5 vacancies still to be filled, the shortage fell in the last quarter by 9.6% and the annual overall number of consultants rose by 3.5%. Vacancy rates for consultants are also down from 8.3% in 2016 to 7.5% in 2017. More strikingly, consultant numbers have risen by 43.1% under the current government! To put that in context, overall NHS Scotland staffing has risen by 25.4% in the ten years of SNP administration. Does this look anything like Cole-Hamilton’s ‘chronically chaotic approach to workforce planning.’?

https://isdscotland.scot.nhs.uk/Health%2DTopics/Workforce/Publications/data-tables2017.asp

https://news.gov.scot/news/latest-nhs-workforce-statistics

So, 430 vacancies out of more than 5 000 consultants and £38 000 spent per day to cover for them? That means, on average, just over £88 spent per day to cover more than 400 vacancies. It’s not exactly spendthrift is it?

Finally, to help the reader put this story in even more context by giving a better example of chaos, see this on the cost of private services:

In year 2015/16 NHS England spent £7 billion on private services. NHS Scotland spent £78.5 million. So, with 10 times the population to care for, NHS England spent nearly 100 times as much on private care. In 2016/17, NHS Scotland spending on private care fell again, to £72 million. The NHS figure for 2016/17 is not available but is expected to have risen even further.

https://www.bma.org.uk/collective-voice/influence/key-negotiations/nhs-funding/privatisation-and-independent-sector-providers-in-nhs-care

https://stv.tv/news/politics/1402987-nhs-spending-on-private-health-care-falls-year-on-year/

Once more, Scotland’s mainstream journos write as if they’ve never had any proper training in the essential use of context to make their stories actually informative and to justify their often-made claim of being public watchdogs. More like establishment poodles, feart of a British bulldog?

(c) Holyrood Magazine

From the STV website:

‘Scotland ranks third in the world for political empowerment for women and is significantly ahead of the rest of the UK. Research carried out by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) found Scotland follows Iceland and Nicaragua in terms of female political empowerment while the UK is ranked 13th.’

https://stv.tv/news/scotland/1408546-scotland-ranks-third-in-world-for-women-in-politics/

Iceland is no surprise to me, but I must admit Nicaragua caught me out. A bit more research and I found that my surprise was sadly justified. See this from Quartz in November 2015:

‘Nicaragua, one of the world’s poorest countries, has made the most progress in narrowing its gender gap over the past 10 years, according to a World Economic Forum report released Nov. 19. The group’s “gender gap index” for the country rose to 78% in 2015 from 66% in 2006, as women there scored big gains in health, education and political representation. The measure for total equality is 100%. But that doesn’t mean Nicaraguan women are doing great. In fact, when compared with their counterparts around the world, they are doing pretty poorly. That’s because the index measures women’s position compared to men in their country, not to women in other places, as the BBC pointed out (link in Spanish) when Nicaragua scored highly last year. So even being at the top of the ranking isn’t a sign that women are doing well.’

https://qz.com/556722/nicaragua-the-worlds-unlikely-champion-of-gender-equality/

Also, with regard to domestic violence, ‘one out of every two women in Nicaragua has experienced some form of violence in her lifetime.’

https://nacla.org/news/2017/04/28/nicaragua-failure-address-violence-against-women

The contrast with Scotland is quite stark where reported domestic violence is now among the lowest in the world. See:

Reported domestic violence in Scotland falls. Is this part of wider change?

(c) Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

From the Observer today:

‘Observer analysis of inspection reports shows two in five jails are unsafe and inadequate conditions prevail in over two-thirds. The scale of the crisis engulfing Britain’s (sic) prisons can be revealed, after an Observer investigation found that two-thirds are providing inmates with inadequate conditions or unacceptable treatment. An analysis of hundreds of inspections covering 118 institutions found that a staggering 68% are now providing unsatisfactory standards in at least one respect, with two in five jails deemed to be unacceptably unsafe.’

It’s only when we get down to the ninth paragraph that we read:

‘The Observer investigation found that in the most recent inspections of adult prisons in England and Wales, 80 out of the 118 jails examined were providing insufficient or poor standards in at least one area.’

and that this might be due to a 30% staffing cut since 2010 under Home Secretary, Theresa May.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/17/uk-brutal-prisons-failing-violence-drugs-gangs

I know, we’re all used to the conflation of UK with England but surely the ‘intelligent’ Observer could get it right? As you’ll see, I’m ‘sic’ (Latin for ‘thus was it written’; prætentious mē?) of pointing it out.

But, wait a minute Jacobus, surely Scottish prisons are even rougher and proud of it (?) but, no, it seems we have another sign of the softening of the Scots like the lower homicide, domestic abuse and knife-handling rates that I’ve reported here. See this from David Strang (sounds like a strongman), HM Inspector Prisons (Scotland):

‘As Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland (HMCIPS), I am responsible for the inspection and monitoring of the conditions in prison and the treatment of prisoners. The general conditions in prisons have improved in recent years, as old prisons have been replaced or refurbished and new prisons have been built. The majority of prisons have modern facilities and residential accommodation of a suitable standard.  Across the 15 prisons in Scotland, prisoners have generally told me that they feel safe. It is a fundamental requirement of a well-run prison that people who live and work there should feel confident in its stability and order. We should never take for granted the good order that is maintained in Scotland’s prisons and that they are in general stable and secure environments.’ 

https://www.prisonsinspectoratescotland.gov.uk/publications/hm-chief-inspector-prisons-scotland-annual-report-2016-2017?page=1

I met an older (even) Jock (it’s not racist when another Jock says it) yesterday, who was keen to have a wee rant about how the younger generation don’t remember and take pride in the old fighting Scots regiments and their willingness to die in battle at twice the rate of those soft English regiments. He’d be devastated by this news.

In a survey of radio audiences, from July to December 2017, by media.info, BBC Radio Scotland audience figures have fallen from 1.1 million per week in 1999 to 839 000 at the end of 2017 and, critically, are falling so fast and so steeply, that they are in real danger of falling so low that the licence fee becomes even more indefensible.

No doubt this decline has multiple causes but the outrageous bias against the SNP and independence featuring daily on Good Morning Scotland and Call Kaye, must surely be playing a part.

Also, these figures are extremely generous in that someone who listens for at least (only) five minutes (per week?) is counted as a ‘listener’.

https://media.info/radio/stations/bbc-radio-scotland/listening-figures

Glasgow Herrod owner, J K Herrod

In the Herrod today:

‘More than 2,000 NHS staff await parking permits. The Scottish Government has been urged to carry out a national review of NHS parking and transport after it emerged more than 2 000 NHS workers are waiting on parking permits. A total of 2,247 NHS workers across five different health boards currently do not have permission to park at hospitals and health centres.’

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16029524.More_than_2_000_NHS_staff_await_parking_permits/

There were 161 329 people employed by NHS Scotland in 2016.

https://news.gov.scot/news/latest-nhs-workforce-statistics

Unlike in England & Wales, nearly all get free parking spaces, as do patients. See:

NHS England outperforms NHS Scotland……in making huge profits (>£120 million!) from car parking including that from disabled patients. SNP Government abolished charges in all but three, where they could not do so, in 2008

Well done, the Herrod, investigative journalism at it’s best, talking something pointless to power!

This SNP government, letting 1.39% of NHS staff wait for free parking permits, makes my blood boil! Get me an ambulance! If it’s a minute late, I’ll be writing to the Horrid unless they stop me with their endless SNP treatment procedures. Making me better, I hate them!

Next week in the Herrod:

The Scottish Government has been urged to carry out a national review of NHS parking and transport after it emerged that more than 160 000 staff, all patients and visitors, get free parking spaces, at the taxpayer’s expense!

(c) raconteur.net

In Energy Voice yesterday:

‘A new company based in Scotland will be the first to offer a new facility in Ayrshire for North Sea decommissioning work. CessCon Decom plans to start handling oil and gas infrastructure at Peel Port’s Hunterston site as early as the first quarter of 2019. Peel Ports is transforming Hunterston into a “decom campus” capable of delivering the full range of dismantling, recycling and asset management services. UK ports have been at a disadvantage to Norwegian counterparts which boast “ultra-deep water” quaysides capable of accommodating heavy lift vessels. But with water depths of 78ft alongside its main jetty, Hunterston will be able to challenge Norway on that front.’

https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/163785/exclusive-first-decommissioning-specialist-signs-ayrshire-yard/

This comes after another report on decommissioning in Scotland:

Aberdeen-based oil rig decommissioning firm creates 200 new jobs and pioneers more economical technique

However, it’s fair to say that we need much greater investment in this market to reap the massive income already known to be there for decommissioning work. See this prediction

‘The estimated bill for decommissioning on the UK Continental Shelf is £17.6 billion between 2016 and 2025, says Oil & Gas UK. It places a £2-billion price tag on decommissioning costs for 2017 alone.’ 

https://www.raconteur.net/business/decommissioning-the-north-sea-oil-and-gas-rigs-a-great-opportunity-for-the-uk

Needless to say, an independent nation would be making sure it got a decent share of this work. I doubt it’s high on the agenda of the Tories in Westminster.

The demise of the North Sea’s oil and gas bounty has been a major plank in Unionist attempts to undermine the idea of an independent Scotland. Like many Unionist arguments it’s a myth.

With Neptune Energy’s deal to buy Engie’s E&P business, Energy Voice reported yesterday:

 ‘The North Sea is still opportunity-rich for investors, Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) said today.’

The OGUK chief executive said:

‘Having an enterprising company like Neptune growing with the North Sea at the heart of its business is also good news for the future of the UK oil and gas industry. Our industry supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, energy security and provides billons of pounds to the UK economy. Its continued success requires investment like this.’

https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/north-sea/163850/neptune-engie-deal-shows-north-sea-full-opportunity/

Remember, this is merely another confirmation of the long-term prospects for an independent Scotland’s revenue. See, these for more:

Survey of oil industry chiefs shows confidence in North Sea doubling in one year

More evidence that North Sea oil has years of wealth generation still in it.

New technology to extend life of North Sea oilfields. Reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated

An Edinburgh University Professor says North Sea oil and gas has only ten years left while the Wall Street Journal describes it as an ‘oil hot spot’ and Oil and Gas UK doesn’t recognise his figures. Who’s right?

An additional 900 million barrels in the North Sea by raising recovery factor from only 42%

‘Oil Giants Still Love North Sea’

There are even more if you search the blog for ‘North’.