Talking-up Scotland

From that throbbing and reliable organ, the Shropshire Star (Google keeps it popping up for me), TuS can report dramatic good news about Scotland’s rail service:

On April 25, 94.4% of ScotRail services met the rail industry standard public performance measure. Across Scotland, 89.9% of the operator’s trains met the rail industry standard public performance measure (PPM). This means they arrived at their destination within four minutes and 59 seconds of their timetabled arrival time having called at all scheduled stations.

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2019/05/02/train-punctuality-in-scotland-reaches-eight-month-high/

Having recently travelled across England, by Virgin and Chiltern, late, wildly overcrowded and choking from badly maintained diesel engines in grubby stations, I can understand why the Shropshire Star is so keen to draw attention to ScotRail.

 

Aaah, a nice BBC-loving Tory. My kind of gal!

Without a word of the ridicule it deserves or even a mention of the polls showing how ridiculous a claim it really is, against the cutesy backdrop image of the chubby one and Ms Davidson herself, Reporting Scotland’s presenter said:

‘The Scottish Tory leader will use her speech on Saturday to insist her party could beat the SNP in 2021.’

We couldn’t see the presenter’s face, but her voice betrayed not even a wee titter. Go on Brian! Put some money on that!

The last three Holyrood voting intention polls show clear evidence of very strong even growing SNP support against falling Tory support to LESS THAN HALF. The notion of the Tories beating the SNP in 2021, other than in Narnia, is just plain daft. See these:

YouGov/Times 24-26 April

• SNP 46%
• Con 22%

Panelbase/Wings 2-6 March

• SNP 41%
• Con 27%

Survation/Daily Mail 1-4 March

• SNP 43%
• 24%

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_Scottish_Parliament_election

 

 

https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I%20am%20attending%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventbrite.co.uk%2Fe%2Fthe-bbc-the-snp-and-the-scottish-nhs-tickets-61239476924%3Fref%3Destw&source=webclient

 

 

From Tus reader William Henderson, on BBC Scotland’s strangely negative headline which might reasonably have been the TuS one above:

With appropriate shock and horror, I noticed this morning on BBC Scotland’s web site the above headline. My mind instantly turned to thoughts of the great oil spill of a few years back in the Gulf of Mexico and the catastrophic damage done to the American coast, not to mention the billions of dollars in fines and clean-up costs piled upon BP by the US government. This had to be really bad news for Scotland!

 

However………on reading the article under that stark headline, I discovered that, far from catastrophe, the situation is that a Scotland-based group of seriously clever engineers are at an advanced state of development of a novel method of monitoring the security of oil wells which have been exhausted and securely capped.

 

The technique, which is designed to be viable for at least 100 years’ operation, will ensure that at the earliest sign of leakage at the seal a buoy will be released to the surface of the sea, there to broadcast to a satellite monitor that there is a possible problem which requires immediate attention. This is one of the best pieces of news for a long time about the Scottish oil industry and the preservation of the environment.

 

So, I have a question for the BBC’s team of science and technology expert journalists -“What the hell was going on in your heads when you put that headline over this article?”

 

(c) The Manufacturor

From Anarcho-syndicalist, Cybernat (NOT), Insider, yesterday:

The rate of growth in the Scottish economy has overtaken that of the UK, according to official statistics. Figures published on Wednesday show that in the fourth quarter of last year, Scotland’s GDP rose by 0.3%. It is above the GDP growth for the UK over the same period, which was 0.2%. The value of Scotland’s GDP is estimated at £178.6 billion, or £32,800 per person, including oil and gas extraction in Scottish waters. Analysis suggests the most influential industry sector in Scotland last year was in manufacturing, with output increasing by 3.2% in total. On average, over the three years from 2015 to 2017, Scottish GDP has grown by 0.8% a year. The growth in 2018 (1.3%) is higher than the recent average growth rate, indicating an improvement in the economy.’

https://www.insider.co.uk/news/scottish-economy-growth-overtakes-uk-14978752

Recent TuS reports on the Scottish economy:

Unemployment in Tory UK is 15% higher than in Scotland

Unemployment in Scotland 13% lower than UK and wages higher AFTER SNP government gives businesses more than £4 billion in rates relief

Further evidence of better employment practices in Scotland

Unemployment in Scotland below UK level and employment better paid

Or see below the merciful other reality of employment in modern Scotland?

Scotland’s ‘trends of high employment and low unemployment’ persist but our media prefer to headline only a wee bit of bad news

As oil prices soar and exploration increases, employment in Scotland’s oil industry returns to record levels

 

 

 

 

From the Social Mobility Commission this week inverting the BBC Scotland editorial guidelines of finding something, anything bad, among hunners o’ good things, I’ve picked out these comments:

The Commission is particularly excited about the new Fairer Scotland Duty, introduced in 2018, which is encouraging public bodies in Scotland to consider how best to help disadvantaged people. The Commission will continue to monitor the impact of this new duty in helping to increase social mobility. The Scottish Government has also introduced a duty to reduce child poverty to under 10 per cent by 2030. (129)

There has also been a reduction in Scotland in the gap between the most deprived and least deprived initially going on to education, employment or training after leaving school: the gap was 14.6 percentage points in 2009/10 and has reduced to 6.8 percentage points in 2017/18. (132)

Despite the recent rise in child poverty rates in Scotland, which can be partly attributed to UK-wide benefit changes, it is clear that reducing child poverty is a priority for the Scottish Government. To support the ambitious intention to reduce relative child poverty (after housing costs) to less than 10 per cent by 2030, the Scottish Government published a detailed delivery plan.10 It is too early for these policies to have had an impact. (136)

The Commission welcomes the Scottish Government’s introduction of the socio-economic duty which puts in place a requirement for public bodies to consider the impact on all members of society when making important decisions. (138)

The Commission welcomes the Scottish Government’s decision to maintain a clear focus and set of objectives on child poverty, including legislating to reduce child poverty to under 10 per cent by 2030. (139)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/798404/SMC_State_of_the_Nation_Report_2018-19.pdf

 

By David Roberts

These examples of Scotland being an internationally and nationally competitive place for investment across a range of sectors are drawn from the Scottish media. Some may note a bias away from the Central Belt and urban Scotland, well that’s where a lot of action takes place, and where I live.

Trespass – Glasgow based outdoor wear company employing 1700 people hit £100 m in turnover as sales grew sales up 15% due to Britain’s changing weather. Its re-tax profits doubled.

Tulloch Homes builds profits to £12 million, growth of 60% in profits based on turnover up 15 % from £49.9 m from  £ 43.4 m “helped by a focus on Inverness.”

Aberdeen headquartered Well-Safe bought first rig for de-commissioning. Will spend more than £75 m on modifying the vessel for well plugging and abandonment.

Scotland’s  largest offshore wind farm expected to create up to 90 workers in the 84 turbine Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm with the majority based in Wick

Islay’s first new distillery for nearly 15 years is officially opening its doors. Ardnahoe Distillery was built with a £12m investment from Scottish family-owned Hunter Laing & Company. It includes a visitor centre with retail facilities, a whisky bar and a restaurant.  Up to 30 people will be employed across retail, dining, tours and functions throughout the year.

Farmers co-op ANM group announce work on £20 m abattoir and meat processing plant in Inverurie to begin in early June 2019

Edinburgh tidal energy firm wins £3.5 m  backing from a German energy company, equity investment secured from the Scottish Investment Bank and marine propulsion and renewable energy company Schottel Hydr that has put up £2.5 m of the total.

Digital youth tourism campaign reaches 5 m across the globe. #UncoverEdinburgh encouraged  visitors aged 18-26, from key European markets to come to Edinburgh on a year round basis.

Scotland’s international centre of manufacturing expertise is a step closer to being realised following the appointment of the design team.  Glasgow based HLM will lead the team delivering The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), hosted by the University of Strathclyde, aiming to make Scotland a global leader in advanced manufacturing.

As an industry-led international centre for manufacturers, NMIS, adjacent to Glasgow International Airport, will include a Digital Factory 2050, Manufacturing Skills Academy and collaborative working spaces; complementing the existing University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC).

Plans for a new £30m tourist development at Loch Lomond have been unveiled. The proposals include a 60-bedroom apart-hotel, 32-bedroom budget accommodation, a craft brewery, boat house, leisure centre and restaurants. It is estimated the Lomond Banks development at Balloch would create 80 full-time jobs, 50 part-time jobs and 70 seasonal roles in the area.

Developer to build 200 industrial units.  Saltire Business Parks has acquired 3 development sites and plans to invest £10 m to address a shortage of industrial space for businesses between 1000-5000 square feet.

Johnnie Walker distillery begins major upgrade.  Caol Ila distillery on Islay has been given approval to invest in improving the visitor experience. This forms part of the £150 m investment in whisky tourism by the world’s largest drinks company, Diageo.

A Scottish chocolate fountain machine maker is to expand after securing a £500,000 loan. Kirkcaldybased Sephra will use the cash to buy the intellectual property (IP) rights to its branded products, previously held by a US company, and expand into new markets.  It now expects to hire a further 10 people and more than double turnover to £10m over the next few years

Previous report from David:

A Voice from Deepest Argyll: How Scotland Punches above its Weight

 

Why did we not see this man at the beginning of this dark and confused saga?

After weeks of confused and agenda-driven poking around in the, too complex for them, matters of cancer treatment, Reporting Scotland have apparently stumbled upon someone who knows something about this and who is based only a short distance away from NHS Tayside, across the bridge, in St Andrews. Professor Mark Chaplain is clear.

‘Women on the lower dose, the same as used in Tayside benefited from fewer side-effects and they did not suffer any inferior chemotherapy treatment because they had statistically speaking, the same recurrence rate and survival probability as the women on the higher dose.’

IF Reporting Scotland had been more thorough, intelligent, ethical or honest, in their reading of the earlier expert review which they have used but selectively, on April 16^th, they might have reassured anxious patients and family with this:

The Review Group report says quite explicitly of the 300 plus patients involved:

‘The overall assessment of the increased risk of recurrence within the treated cohort is extremely difficult to quantify but probably of the order of 1-2%. A risk of harm of 1-2%, allows an estimate that around 1 patient per year in NHS Tayside may have suffered an adverse outcome.’

https://www.gov.scot/publications/clinical-risk-assessment-healthcare-improvement-scotland-report-clinical-management-breast-cancer-nhs-tayside-april-2019/

NONE of the 14 patients who died in the same period can be said to hae died BECAUSE of the lower dose

So, the Review Group, two weeks ago, had made only the smallest, most hesitant connection between the lower dose treatment and perhaps a single death from the 300 plus patients treated. The BBC with its Royal Charter to inform has clearly failed to do so and, disgracefully, has contributed to an uninformed and dangerous scare story which might, in itself, damage the mental health and thus life-prospects of hundreds of breast cancer patients being currently treated by NHS Tayside.

Will we see an apology for this disgraceful slur made by Lisa Summers on the 1^st April?

‘The report today pointed to the possibility of a dysfunctional department. ‘Detectives’ spoke of pharmacy and nursing staff who said they had concerns about the change of procedures, but they felt they were not being listened to and that their position was one above.’

Only Reporting Scotland used the word ‘dysfunctional’. The BBC website and all the papers I looked at (8) did not use the term either. Why?

And, Reporting Scotland’s dysfunctional health team have previous. See:

Complaint into irresponsible coverage of bipolar disorder treatment by Reporting Scotland

 

(Editor to junior: ‘You sure this is him?)

Thanks to Miles Briggs, again, we see another indicator of how well NHS Scotland is performing under this SNP administration. Notably, the median wait is only 35 days and the median wait from decision to treatment is only 2 days!