Talking-up Scotland

With Richard Leonard, you sometimes think ‘puir auld sowel, he disnae ken ony better’ but with the altogether more cunning, Wilson (rattus hebrideus), we know he knows he’s spinning smelly wee fibs in this piece which seems to be actually suggesting a raised living wage for, just, Western Isles care staff. I suppose that apparent contempt for national standards is typically Blairite.

Wilson’s enthusiasm for better pay didn’t seem to be translated into visible action on his beloved Celtic FC:

 

I know, they have paid up now, grudgingly.

Back to the story today:

In the headline, we see the suggestion that the care staff are not being paid the correct rate and then:

‘The Western Isles is short of care workers but paying them a decent wage might alleviate that.’

‘The hard work of caring for the elderly and vulnerable in their own homes is currently rewarded at the bare Living Wage and councils have no money to change that.’

Now, I’m not for a minute, suggesting that the ‘living wage’ is satisfactory but isn’t the ‘national minimum wage’ the ‘bare’ payment and the ‘living wage’ the ‘correct’ one currently?

For a bit of balance, readers might like to be reminded of these:

Four humanitarian interventions by the Scottish Government in 4 days! ‘Scottish carer’s allowance to be 13% higher than the rest of the UK’

Scottish care workers to receive Living Wage for ‘sleepover’ hours while English care workers receive only the National Minimum Wage.

Perhaps most interesting for us propaganda students was Wilson’s opener:

‘Sometimes it helps to see national problems taking shape through the prism of a small community where numbers are comprehensible.’

When I read that, I thought:

‘Sometimes it helps a propagandist to present Scottish problems as if they were taking an unhealthy shape through the distorting prism of a small atypical community where numbers are too small to be reliable.’

Finally on the living wage level:

Like many of you, I’d much prefer a low-carbon future for Scotland but, until the great day, I think we need the strength of our oil and gas sector as part of the toolbox in the campaign for independence. If prices fall, we can be sure that those such as the state broadcaster’s Douglas Fraser, will weaponise them in his threadbare propagandising for Reporting Scotland.

Also, like many of you, I think, I’m not a big admirer of hedge fund managers, think Theresa May’s hubby, but when it comes to oil price ‘futures’, they’re the equivalent of bookies.

So, in World Oil today:

‘NEW YORK (Bloomberg) — Hedge funds are keeping their cool in the most tumultuous end of the year for oil since the 2008 financial crisis, betting on better days ahead. They boosted wagers on rising Brent prices for a third straight week amid expectations that OPEC and allies will follow through on a deal to reduce output. The vote of confidence comes against a backdrop of turmoil in financial markets that saw one measure of oil-price volatility jump the most on record in November and head for its highest year-end level in a decade. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg forecast Brent to average $70/bbl in 2019 as the market tightens, OPEC’s supply cuts take effect and unintended losses in Venezuela and Iran increase.’

https://www.worldoil.com/news/2018/12/30/oil-bulls-cap-wackiest-year-end-in-decade-with-bet-on-2019-rally

That’s quite a tame estimate given the several predicting up to $100pb. See:

Value of Scottish oil surges to $85pb on way to $100pb in 2019

Scotland’s Oil surging bullishly toward $100 per barrel

As Scottish oil heads for $100pb will the UK Treasury tax this massive revenue?

A fifth prediction of oil rising to $100 per barrel for Scottish oil, suggests pre-tax revenue of around $1 trillion!

 

In the Independent today:

‘A couple who had IVF treatment which was paid for by friends from a Facebook group have given birth to a girl. Marisha Chaplin, 26, and Jon Hibbs, 29, already have a daughter through IVF but were not able to afford a second round of treatment. Mothers from a Facebook group secretly managed to raise £2,000 for the couple despite the fact they have never actually met them. They then made the couple, who met while undergoing cancer treatment, a video to surprise them with the news. They played it to them via Facebook Live which made Ms Chaplin cry.’

It’s a touching story but one that should not be necessary in any modern society informed and concerned about the wider costs of infertility.

In all parts of Scotland, there is 100% free IVF treatment, on at least three occasions. From ISD on 28^th August 2018:

‘The four IVF centres in Scotland screened 373 eligible patients, compared with 370 in the previous quarter. 100% of patients were screened for IVF treatment within 273 days. The 90% target continues to be met since it was first measured in March 2015.’

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Waiting-Times/Publications/2018-08-28/2018-08-28-IVF-Summary.pdf?35583132506

This is an NHS Scotland target success ignored by BBC Scotland News despite their avowed commitment to keep the public informed when targets are missed.

Meanwhile in Tory-run NHS England, only 12% of boards offer three full cycles in line with official guidance. 61% offer only one cycle of treatment and 4% offer none at all. Private treatment costs between £1 343 and £5 788 per cycle.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/ivf-nhs-treatment-fertility-lists-wait-patients-lottery-budget-cuts-a8028116.html

Why is this so important?

1. Reducing associated mental health complications

Also, failing to treat infertility can result in problems and further costs for the NHS in other areas. A Danish study of 98 737 women, between 1973 and 2003, showed that women who were unable to have children were 47% more likely to be hospitalised for schizophrenia and had a significantly higher risk of subsequent drug and alcohol abuse.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22020-infertility-may-increase-risk-of-mental-disorders/

2. How IVF became a licence to print money.

As we tumble toward a hard Brexit and trade deals with the USA allowing the private sector into the heart of the NHS, we can see how things will work out in the already privatised IVF service in England and contrast it with the state-controlled and regulated version, in Scotland. See this from the Guardian:

‘Private fertility clinics routinely try to sell desperate patients add-ons that almost certainly don’t help – why isn’t more done to monitor the industry?  Around three-quarters of all IVF cycles fail. And results vary with age. Figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) published in March state the average live birth-rate for each fresh embryo transferred for women of all ages is 21%; for those aged under 35, it is 29% – the highest it has ever been. For older women, the picture is bleaker: 10% for women aged 40-42, for example. IVF is expensive. And what makes it worse, says Hugh Risebrow, the report’s author, is the lack of pricing transparency. “The headline prices quoted may be, say, £3,500, but you end up with a bill of £7,000,” he says. “This is because there are things not included that you need – and then things that are offered but are not evidence-based.”’

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/18/how-ivf-became-a-licence-to-print-money

3. Creating opportunities for the private sector

In Tory-run NHS England, only 12% of boards offer three full cycles in line with official guidance. 61% offer only one cycle of treatment and 4% offer none at all. Private treatment costs between £1 343 and £5 788 per cycle.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/ivf-nhs-treatment-fertility-lists-wait-patients-lottery-budget-cuts-a8028116.html

4. Why UK politicians would like more privatisation in the NHS

There are 64 Tory and Labour (New) MPs with ‘links’ to private health care. Why would we trust them to protect the NHS? See this:

https://defendournhsyork.wordpress.com/2017/02/14/selling-off-nhs-for-profit-full-list-of-mps-with-links-to-private-healthcare-firms/

 

The Madagascar pochard has been ubiquitous in UK media over the last two days because its not quite so ubiquitous in the wild and because an international team, which includes WWT, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Peregrine Fund and the Government of Madagascar is being led by the Gloucestershire-based WWT.

Central to the plan have been floating pens from ‘Scottish salmon farms.’ No further detail on the pens is given and we are left to think they were just imaginatively sourced by the WWT.

As I watched the BBC extended report from Gloucestershire, I thought to myself ‘pochard, why does that ring a bell?’ and did a quick search of my blog. From September 2017, I found:

‘The big challenge, however, is how to release the captive-bred ducks back into the wild and this is where we, sometimes a bit wild ourselves, Scots come in. Kames Fish Farming have designed and built a release pen. It’s all very technical so I’ll just quote:

‘Key features of the duck pen included a platform for the birds to preen and rest [not required for most varieties of salmon], ramps to enable access to and from the enclosure [again not required for most salmon], as well as lightweight construction so that it can be easily transported – an important consideration in a country with few roads and no power, transport or lifting equipment in the villages around the release lake. The enclosure for the ducks is made from knotless nylon netting with different mesh sizes to enable the ducks to be easily observed from outside [ooh that will cost ye!], and also ensure they are secure and minimise the likelihood of predation. To enable the ducks to exit the enclosure, heavy duty zip openings [can ducks open zips?] were also included in the design.’’

Quack if you think I’m being unfair to the Gloucester-based WWT, or a tad paranoid, but why did we not hear of the modifications to the pens, made in Scotland? Have the pens got Union Jack stickers on them?

Footnote: Can we trust the Peregrine Fund to be involved in the preservation of ducks?

From the Scottish Government website yesterday:

‘More people than ever are signed up to the Organ Donor Register in Scotland, latest figures show. In 2018, there were 148,000 new registrations from people willing to be organ donors. And the new registrations mean that the total number of people registered in Scotland has risen to a record high of almost 2.8 million – or 51.7% of Scotland’s population.’

https://news.gov.scot/news/organ-donor-registrations-hit-new-high

The Scottish Government site politely makes no comparison with the non-Scottish parts of the UK, but I am less restrained and have an agenda. In particular, I want to use this data to return to the theme of ‘difference’ – Is Scotland measurably different in terms of dominant values and in terms of political actions manifesting those values? Of course, that there might be a measurable difference of this kind, is not necessary for us to want to be independent, but if true it does add something to the case.

The figure for England is up from 35 to 38%. For Northern Ireland it is up from 39 to 45% and for Wales it is up from 37 to 41%.

The gap of 14% (38% to nearly 52%) between England and Scotland is significant. The Scottish figure is thus 36.8% higher!

https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/supporting-my-decision/statistics-about-organ-donation/

That we have the highest voluntary donor rate made me think. Our media and political elites are always keen to tell us we’re not so different from our neighbours in England and I do recognise we’re not radically different in that there are selfish individualists here and caring communitarians there but that doesn’t mean the countries are not still different enough in overall tendencies to be seen as worthy of autonomy from each other. I’m thinking of little things that all add up to make us less like England than we’re told. Look at this:

1. Free bus pass for the over 60s
2. Free care for the elderly
3. Superior NHS
4. Free HE tuition
5. More GPs per head of population
6. Compensation for the bedroom tax
7. Stronger fire and flood safety regulations
8. Less child poverty
9. Lower stillbirths and early deaths
10. Better police/Muslim community relations
11. No junior doctor strikes
12. Tories who support the winter heating allowance!

Don’t these add up to evidence of the dominance of a more caring communitarian set of values even in our Tories? If you need the evidence for the above, search my site. It’s all there.

Footnote: The figures for England seem likely to have been affected by the larger BAME population there. Black and Asian donors made up only 4% of the total in 2017/18 yet were 13% of the (UK) population at the 2011 census.

As the Scottish branch attempted to pose as champions of the poor and hungry, they were quickly reminded of the contrary actions of their host party in England:

Those with a little recall had not forgotten that the Scottish branch also voted against free school meals in 2014, under their admittedly post-Blairite leader, Johann Lamont:

Meanwhile out of the media glare, the Scottish government acted:

‘More than 7,000 children from low income families will have access to healthy and nutritious food during the Christmas school holidays, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said. The Scottish Government has invested an additional £100,000 in charity Cash for Kids to support community projects across the country. These will provide food and activities for children during the Christmas holidays who may not otherwise have had access to them. In addition, a further £48,000 is being awarded by the Scottish Government to 12 smaller, community organisations to provide food and activities to children in their local areas during the Christmas and February half-term school holidays.’

https://news.gov.scot/news/tackling-food-insecurity-1

Come on Dickie, check your employer’s address on your P45.

The contrast could not be sharper. Scotland’s prisons have taken their eye off the ball over the Christmas period and have failed to maintain the strict standards Scots expect and which the Scottish Tories have courageously defended:

Readers will be asking, justifiably: ‘Why were Christmas cards not banned in Scottish prisons?’ and ‘Why were prisoners having fun in Scottish prisons at our expense!’ The evidence that the English approach to crime and punishment is more effective is there for all to see:

BBC Scotland silent as murder and violent crime soar in England and Wales but not in Scotland

As religious hate crime soars by 40% in one year in England and Wales, Reporting Scotland struggles to keep up

Despite non-significant 1% rise this year, the Scottish crime record under SNP administration is down, down, down, deeper and down

Knife crime offences rise to highest level since 2010 in England and Wales while they fall 64% in Scotland

As all kinds of crime fall, high value fraud plummets to a tiny fraction of that in the non-Scottish parts of the UK

Staggering drop in Scottish youth crime after Jack McConnell quits reported by only Northern Echo and Evening Times

Also, the greater effectiveness of the English prison system has been reported:

England’s prison officers and mental health nurses, the ‘canaries’ first to show effects of poisonous Tory policies? ‘Not on our watch’ in Scotland

Why are prison officers staying in post in Scotland as they flee the tide of violence and self-harm in England and Wales?

Exclusive: shock figures reveal Scotland’s prisons NOT included in Observer report on state of UK’s (sic) ‘brutal’ prisons

As England’s prisons sink into crisis, Scotland’s prisons benefit from a ‘consistent government’ with ‘political guts’

 

In the Herald today:

‘Professor Jackie Taylor, the newly-appointed president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, said she was aware of situations where NHS bosses have extended the training period for junior doctors so that they can be sent to busy departments, such as A&E, as part of health board plans to cope with winter.’

Hmmm, in that headline, should the apostrophe be before or after the ‘s’ in ‘doctors?’ Prof Taylor, convenor of a posh trades union’s Glasgow branch, ‘is aware of situations’ and that’s the basis for:

‘Top medic warns junior doctors’ training in jeopardy as hospitals battle winter pressures’

Really? Is the convenor of a trades-union branch a leading medic? Wouldn’t a leading medic be far too busy researching or implementing the latest methods to be bothered with local branch meetings? Just how many individuals have had their training extended?

To what extent are these extensions really damaging to a career to the extent of it being in jeopardy?

Are other medics being redeployed to busy departments any less so than these staff? Are these junior medics learning something useful as they share in the typical experience of more experienced colleagues?

Finally, returning to the headline, are hospitals really ‘battling winter pressures’ as we experience mostly frost-free nights and no major flu outbreak as yet. A&E waiting times are marginally up in December but there is no other objective measure of severe problems being reported.

Is this an even minimally credible story?

If our NoMedia had anything substantial to go on, we’d know all about it. Hey, let’s look over the border. Maybe a crisis this way comes?