Talking-up Scotland

 From Reporting Scotland yesterday:

‘Poverty and income inequality continues (sic) to rise according to the latest figures from the Scottish Government.’

‘You deal with it!’

As always, we got the bare facts and a quick reference to the Scottish Government blaming UK Government austerity and the latter saying the Scottish Government could compensate for it. The remarkable opportunity there to probe the morality of the UK Government apparently admitting responsibility for the poverty increase and then arrogantly telling Scotland to deal with it, was not taken.

‘SG Actions to deal with it’

The obvious link, also, to some of the actions taken by the SNP to compensate was not taken. Click on these for a reminder of some:

Scottish Government fighting Tory austerity helps thousands hit by benefits cuts

New pregnancy and baby payments to offset Tory austerity in Scotland

Scottish NHS performance holding up despite massive increase in demand and Tory austerity cuts

Against the odds: Evidence of how SNP policies have defended Scotland against a least some of Tory austerity

How steep is the increase?

We often see graphs on Reporting Scotland when the evidence is useful. Why didn’t we see these revealing graphs?

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics-publication/2019/03/poverty-income-inequality-scotland-2015-18/documents/poverty-income-inequality-scotland-2015-18/poverty-income-inequality-scotland-2015-18/govscot%3Adocument

No one wants to see any increase in poverty at all, but this information is important. Is the relatively small increase in relative poverty for children and the flattening-out, at least in part, a consequence of the Scottish Government’s actions. Should BBC Scotland inform us of the possibility?

Comparison with UK and long-term trends

Journalists love to talk of context and journalism educators make much of it, so how does child poverty, in Scotland, for example, compare with the UK? See these:

Child poverty and related low-income in Scotland is less common than across the UK and though it has been in decline long-term, it has begun to increase again.

How much is poverty expected to increase in Scotland comparative to the UK?

Once more, any increase is to be abhorred and decreases will be our aim after independence but it’s informative to see that only the affluent South-East is expected to have as low or lower, for children, increases than in Scotland. Should BBC Scotland at least consider the effects of the Scottish Government’s moderation of austerity and inform us?

After housing Scotland has the lowest poverty levels in the UK

https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN07096#fullreport

Could this be anything to do with Scottish Government action on, for example, building far more social housing and the unique ban on ‘no-fault’ eviction?

SNP Government builds affordable/social housing at almost twice the rate of Tories in England

We should be told.

 

 

 

 

 

Open wide, you’ll feel much worse, I mean better, sorree, after this kicks in.

Reporting Scotland mental health nurse, Graham Stewart, administered today’s pro-anxiety dose at 06:27am, using the new Scotanx from Rechem. Scotanx is an exciting new product based on the Sovietanx psychotoxin used by Pravda and tailored to the needs of many of Reporting Scotland’s older viewers.

BBC Scotland Audience Counsel heads for Pacific Quay (c) cartoonsnap

Based on practice by BBC Charge Nurse McRatched, Scotanx has been found to be most effective when delivered in the early morning to reinforce the effects of the stress hormone cortisol.

Today’s dose has been increased in response to four recent sub-polls suggesting a surge in your SNP pressure reading. UK pollsters have been asked to monitor things carefully.

The dose consisted of 10-30ms of:

1. The Brexit crisis continues. Contraindications: Patients should not be allowed to read or watch anything by SNP Brexit Minister, Professor Mike Russell.
2. Continuing financial problems for Scotland’s police service may inhibit its ability to adopt new technology. Contraindications: Patients should not be allowed to read Dr Robertson’s: Police Scotland more than fifteen times better at clearing up robberies than English forces! or BBC Scotland with Tories INSERTS LIES about ‘systemic problems’ as Police and Fire reform leads to actual and major benefits
3. Sepsis kills more than 50 000 people each year in the UK. Contraindications: Patients should not be allowed calculators to work out what the headline would be for Scotland or to read Dr Robertson’s: Scottish Tory finds massive 21% reduction in deaths from Sepsis under SNP
4. College lecturers on strike four times already: Contraindications: Patients should not be allowed to read or to watch: ‘EIS members accept improved teachers’ pay offer as strike averted’ by Jamie McIvor BBC Scotland education correspondent at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47720300

 Some earlier reports from the Scottish Journal of PsychOps on BBC Scotland’s ‘We’re doing well out of the status quo so just vote No’ campaign:

The Power of Early Morning Nightmares: The consequences including even death at home for expectant mothers of BBC Scotland’s reporting of one stillbirth

The Power of Early Morning Nightmares and Expectant Mothers: BBC Scotland callously undermines the morale of midwives, their patients, expectant mothers and their relatives, with highly selective and un-contextualised information

The Power of Nightmares: Waking up to early morning bad news on BBC Scotland and fearing the unknown

 

 

Typically, Anglocentric, the Telegraph, in May 2018 missed any variations within these islands. A TuS reader prompted this report. See:

The two graphs tell the story clearly but what could explain these contrasting trends? The Telegraph was in no doubt:

‘Experts said a lack of basic checks was leading to hundreds of deaths in Britain, two in three of which could have been prevented with the right care.’

See this for evidence on treatment plans including regular tests:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs25/documents/briefing-paper

Scots asthma sufferers seem significantly more likely to have a treatment plan in place than those in England. The situation in Labour Wales is very bad with less than a third being treated properly. What other factors might there be? See this:

Are some asthma sufferers in England choosing to eat rather than treat? The Express seems to think so:

The Express does not of course suggest that its readers stop voting Tory.

 

 

 

 

http://www.fdf.org.uk/news.aspx?article=8114

The above report: ‘UK Food and Drink Exports growth slow to a crawl in 2018’,

does not mention Scotland but the map below from the same site does, to dramatic effect:

http://www.fdf.org.uk/exports-2018-q4.aspx

Only the mostly rural South East compares. Every other part of England has a deficit.

With regard to growth, in Insider on March 15^th 2019:

‘Value of whisky exports rises 7.8% as Scotland’s food and drink sold abroad brings in record £6.3 billion. Total exports increased by £293 million in 2018, a 4.9% rise, according to HMRC. Food exports have grown by 125% since 2007.’

https://www.insider.co.uk/news/value-whisky-exports-rises-78-14134882

Total UK food and drink exports for year ending 2018 were worth £16.4 billion.

http://www.fdf.org.uk/exports-2018-q3-data.aspx

So:

Return of the meme! 8% of the population but 38% of the food and drink exports. How would Scotland survive?

 

 

 

Yesterday’s Herald shunting the old ‘Scotrail is failing and the SNP government is failing to do enough about it’ story going. There is, of course, a wider, sunnier, picture and there are more up-to-date data. See, for example this, showing very high levels of reliability with 98.6% of all rural trains running and around 98% of all trains across the network running.

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/web_upload_p12.pdf

With regard to punctuality, the real, current, news is one of improvement and not of supposed ‘chaos’. See this:

https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2019/02/scotrail-performance-reaches-new-high.html

 

Measles outbreaks increasing globally

We know it’s a monstrous story with measles outbreaks in the USA and falling uptake of the MMR vaccine in England heavily reported a big on BBC 1 News but in Scotland, important news is missed.

Despite ongoing controversy (see below) NHS Scotland has achieved 96.6% adoption of the one-dose MMR vaccine by 5 years-of-age and has now beaten the 95% target for ten years. The uptake in England is only 91.2% and falling.

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Child-Health/Publications/2019-03-26/2019-03-26-Childhood-Immunisation-Summary.pdf

Though some might worry about vaccine overload (see below), for BBC Scotland, I’m sure a target is a target and failure to hit any target is a crisis in NHS Scotland.

Note: There is almost 100% support for the MMR vaccine among professionals. See: https://www.nursinginpractice.com/article/%E2%80%98children%E2%80%99s-immune-systems-are-being-overloaded-all-these-vaccines%E2%80%99

 

SNP at 45% so not quite as good as the two sub-polls from Opinium (13-15 March) with SNP at 51% and from Ipsos MORI (15-19 March) at 50% but pretty much the same as Opinium (20-22 March), at 46%, and still significantly up on the previous six, consistently putting them at 41%.

400 sampled giving SNP support at between 45% and 51% so well on the way to recouping many losses?

Interesting to note only Opinium suggesting Tories up at 25/26% in sharp contrast to YouGov and Ipsos MORI putting them at only 17% and 15% respectively.

By YouGov for the Times with 181 adults for 24^th to 25th March:

• Conservative   17%
• Labour             18%
• Lib Dems         8%
• SNP                  45%
• UKIP                3%
• Greens            5%

 

By Opinium for the Observer with 118 adults for 20^th to 22 March:

• Conservative   26%
• Labour             17%
• Lib Dems         4%
• SNP                  46%
• Greens             1%
• UKIP                6%

 

By Ipsos MORI with 91 adults for 15^th to 19^th of March, for all respondents:

• Conservative   15%
• Labour             16%
• Lib Dems         10%
• SNP                  50%
• Greens             1%
• UKIP                 2%

Looking only at those certain to vote:

• Conservative   12%
• Labour             15%
• Lib Dems         8%
• SNP                  55%
• Greens             2%
• UKIP                 1%

 

 

By Opinium for the Observer, 13^th to 15^th March, with 110 adults, online and with The Independent Group included:

• Conservatives              25%
• Labour                         8%
• TIG                               4%
• Lib Dems                     4%
• UKIP                            6%
• SNP                              51%
• Green                          2%

 

Footnote: Still no sign of any pollster asking Scots how they would vote in Indyref2.

 

 

Drug rehab centre near Edinburgh

In the period from 1st October to 31^st December to 31^st December 2018:

• 6 105 people, 94.4%, waited less than three weeks for alcohol treatment;
• 4 445 people, 93.1%, waited three weeks or less for drug treatment.

The target is 90%.

In Scotland’s prisons 97.8% were seen within three weeks or less.

Click to access 2019-03-26-DATWT-Summary.pdf

For context, in England: