Down with the sickness
We had to rub our eyes when we got up this morning, because we thought we must have opened the wrong issue of the Times tablet app by mistake – the lead Scotland story seemed to be a reprint of a piece from the previous day’s Sunday Times.
But we were wrong.
There’d been no mistake. The paper had indeed just more or less copied the Sunday edition’s article about retired cancer specialist Dr Anna McGregor straight over and presented it as news for a second day. There were no new quotes or information, just wholesale cut-and-pastes from the Sunday piece for the Monday.
Which was weird, because they’d already run it twice on the Sunday.
The second time was as the bulk of a three-page “investigation” into the state of Scotland’s NHS by Gillian Bowditch, which was just an excuse to print Dr Gregor’s attack once again. The investigation was surprisingly short on any sort of statistical evidence, with the only thing resembling actual facts and figures in it being an opinion poll commissioned by the paper which found that more Scottish voters thought the NHS had declined in the last 10 years than felt it had improved.
The most likely reason for the absence of any medical figures from the piece is that in reality it’s quite difficult to find any sort of stats connected with the NHS in Scotland that have worsened since the SNP took power.
Despite the pressures of increased demand from a growing and ageing population and years of UK government austerity, waiting times in A&E are hugely improved on 2007 (as well as being the best in the UK), waiting times for treatment in general are falling, bed-blocking is down and still dropping, staffing levels are at a record high and patient satisfaction is at 90%, having risen by more than 50% since Labour were in charge.
In Dr Gregor’s specialist field of cancer, the percentage of patients starting treatment within 62 days has risen from 78.5% under Labour in 2006 to 90.2% under the SNP. (This considerable level of progress was, it probably goes without saying, reported by the media as “Scottish hospitals miss cancer waiting time targets”.)
Nevertheless, Dr Gregor certainly does seem to be terribly angry at the SNP. Although it seems that she’s been angry at the SNP for quite some time.
Back in 2014 she was a leading member of “NHS Together”, a Better Together spin-off group which wrote letters to newspapers attacking the SNP and independence.
Before that she worked closely with the Labour-led Scottish Executive, and actively campaigned for Scottish hospitals to be closed down, for which Labour rewarded her in 2005 with a CBE.
She stepped down as “cancer czar” just a year later, and as far as we can tell retired from medical practice altogether no later than 2010, so she’s been nowhere near the Scottish NHS for at least seven years and possibly as many as 11.
It seemingly hasn’t reduced her ability to critique it (with lots of vague complaints and very little detail about what should have been done other than close more hospitals), though, and so pretty much every Scottish newspaper today (Daily Mail, Daily Record, Express, Courier) has dutifully recited the Sunday Times piece more or less verbatim without a single mention in any of them of her rather strident political affiliations.
If we were being generous, we’d note that it was a Bank Holiday and maybe everyone was short staffed and needing to fill pages easily. Readers might, on the other hand, feel that a media which has spent years constantly fabricating “NHS CRISIS!” stories is now merely reporting the news that their relentless barrage of negativity is finally being reflected in public opinion, despite there being no detectable factual basis for it.
You can, as ever, make up your own minds.
Mind made up. 🙂
This current outpatient is highly satisfied with the experience thus far. Competent, friendly staff, prompt appointments and apologies when they are very slightly less than prompt due to demand.
I was pleased to see that after my kidneys were scanned by ultrasound my abdominal aorta was scanned as well. I am a male in his 50s so at prime risk of aortic rupture which is very fixable if caught prior to rupture. Mine is apparently tickety boo, which is good as I exercise quite hard, 50 body crunches first thing this morning for eg.
As an aside, I wrote to the Sunday Times some years ago to complain as the hack Gillian Bowditch had nothing better to do than compare the leadership of Alex Salmond to Fidel Castro based on a holiday she had in Cuba as a teenager. Surprisingly my letter was published. However, that was before the first independence vote of 2014.
It therefore comes as no surprise that Bowditch is still a lazy and unbiased journal… no hack.
My mind is clear.
By the way stop rubbing your eyes or you’ll need laser vision. 😉
I had an appointment at Dumfries and Galloway infirmary last week and I was seen by a specialist at my appointed time. The doctor explained everything to me in great detail without any need to rush me through to get to the next patient who was also taken at his appointed time (I asked)
Disgraceful service, I never even had time for a coffee.
Peace Always
Well, there is the former editor of the Guardian who doesn’t want the sweaties to get their hands on his Scottish estate, so the Guardian lies and misrepresents to work against Independence.
So guessing that journalists and editors at the Times have shares in private health care companies and want Scottish Gov to fail so the SNHS will fall into the right hands to be sold off, like the English NHS.
And/as well they are Tories terrified at losing control of the ‘natural order of things’. t
If its that bad we should sell it to the Americans
Isn’t it amazing how the Tories have trashed the Britain that we thought we were voting for in the 2 and a half years since the referendum even with a majority of only 17. Think what they’ll be able to do in 5 years with a majotity of 170
In the words of our beloved Nicola Sturgeon and First Minister
These people are “Serial Misleaders”
In my words “Lying Bastirts”
The Times prints its usual propaganda. When will they understand that, here in Scotland, their flush has been well and truly busted?
Oh how we laugh at them.
SNP ALL THE WAY 4th & 8th
A Yoon doing what Yoons do.
However, given all the tweets from practicing medical staff in England about their concerns, presumably the Times can fill an entire weeks worth of headlines berating the Tories.
I am sure they will…any time soon…probably.
not for the first time has a predominantly English or welsh nhs story magically morphed into a crises in Scotland story ,
Wasn’t it Ruthie who was caught out at Holyrood citing figures and statistics not only out of date but they were compiled for NHS England , did she every apologise or wasnt she asked to by our observant media ? .
No SNP Government is ever going to get a fair shake from the UK state media circus but far worse is their willingness to publish misinformation and bare faced lies over and over for political gain and in the name and in support of political corruption.
It high time people noticed we live with despotism and not Democracy in the UK. Under a veil of criminal levels of corruption and suppression and its only going to get worse.
When the Tories win a greater majority we can expect the absolute worse.
We aint seen nothing yet.
The NHS will always be a fall guy until NEED and DEMAND are separated. No political party has had the temerity to prioritise either medical condition or intervention.
So a cry for the latest eg anticancer drug which gets mainstream media attention usually ignores the fact that there may be limited benefit in terms of quality or extension of life.
Lets face it, TB, scarlet fever, pneumonia etc which once were killers have gone. Just about the only things left are heart disease and cancer.
where is roulanish?
found it
Breaclete (or Roulanish;[1] Scottish Gaelic: Breacleit; Old Norse: Breiðiklettr) is the central village on Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides
Deceit, misinformation, propaganda on a industrial scale.
Sighs, just like every other day in the Northern region of Greater England.
I pity the pathetic fools who swallow it.
I just don’t trust tales of NHS catastrophe unless I hear it first from the BBC’s Eleanor Broadford.
This Times malarkey could just be someone nasty making stuff up.
I had to go for an examination a few months ago, i waited 5 minutes, was examined and out the door in 15 minutes, if that’s a bad scottish health service, then what do these people term a good one, and i know there can be problems with getting quick appointments at the doctors, my own doctors practice usually gives me an appointment on the day i call for one,,,, Brilliant service
Dr Gregor is a liar. Murdoch is a murdering, malicious criminal, who should be in jail. The world will be a better place when he is gone. Unsubscribe from SKy. There are more credible alternatives. Likewise the Times.
Problem for news journos is that most people actually visit hospitals, GP’s surgeries and outpatient appointments and despite huge pressures, manage to get by without any disaster befalling them!
Sure, you can hear folk complaining but the service we get is pretty damn good.
I know personally at least 7 people who have needed some surgical intervention over the past year and every single one has nothing but praise of staff and all stages of treatment.
So Times and others can GTF with your baseless insinuations and downright lies…
The SNHS is wonderful. Absolutely. People in Scotland know that as they use it.
The tories will solve it all (in England) with theur simple plan – Rik Mayall.
link to twitter.com
Gillian Bowditch is the `go to` hack when the owners of Sunday Times want a negative critique on anything Scottish,
she will twist and distort any subject for money,
like lickspittle Andrew Neil she is an establishment propagandist bought and paid for,
no morals no ethics no standards no principles.
Breeks
Of course, the Times has ben reduced to making things up abot NHS Scotland, for the simple reason, the fragrant Eleanor B now spouts her pish on behalf of Aberdeen University, where she is Head of Communications.
Breeks
🙂 That made me smile
Wings…I bloody love you! Always dig right down to get the truth! You’re worth your weight in gold to us! Thank you!
So it’s still alright to try and scare people into voting for you?
I used to buy the Times/Sunday Times as “the best of the worst” but eventually got completely scunnered by the relentless biased fixation on SNP BAAAD of the likes of Gillian Bowditch and the consistently unpleasant racist comments of Rod Liddell.
It does not surprise me that as another election approaches their Scottish edition will drag out some ennobled Labour loyalist to diss the NHS in Scotland although “any fool no” that the performance here is streets ahead of what the stats indicate is happening down South.
Can she trade in the CBE for something better?
The problem is that I might not be the only one pedantic enough to answer truthfully to a question about the NHS rather than NHS Scotland.
The joy of it all is that by thinking they’re being domineering in refusing a Scottish Six we still get to see all the agitprop against the NHS fed to the rUK. We also get to see one of the shite talked about Scotland and the general attitude towards us they foster.
So, in all honesty, if the BBC are in any way telling the truth then the NHS is in crisis in England. NHS Scotland is obviously going to come under greater strain as cuts to an already struggling service in the rUK lead to proportionate reductions to our own. Even moreso if the result of the propaganda down south results in a scaling back of the NHS to a basic emergency service with all else depending on private insurance. Why not go the whole hog and restrict free maternity care to the first two pregnancies?
“This Times malarkey could just be someone nasty making stuff up.”
Bad, bad. Very, very bad. Spanish Ayes & Eleanor’s Lies…
link to youtube.com
“So it’s still alright to try and scare people into voting for you?”
Apparently so…
link to imgur.com
@ Smallaxe
{Disgraceful service, I never even had time for a coffee. } Totally disgraceful I,ll make a complaint to Sister Julie at Gartnavel hospital tomorrow as she serves my Wife & Me with coffee & biscuits in the corridor outside the clinic my Wife attends. No praise is to high for her & her staff in going the extra mile in looking after their patients.
In the interests of completeness when it comes to comparison of the NHS in Scotland pre- and post- SNP, two things:
Firstly when Labour, and the LibDems, were in charge the A&European figures were taken annually in April. Yes, annually in April. A census was taken over a 3-7 day period in a selected number of A&E departments and the figures arrived at constituted A&European performance.
It was not until the summer of 2006 that they started to gather figures and publish them quarterly.
That was the system the SNP inherited.
Secondly, the level of hospital acquired infections (HAIs) particularly drug-resistant infections such as MRSA rose dramatically when Labour were in charge to the extent that people were afraid to go into hospital for an op because of the risks of HAI.
When the SNP came into power they bumped up the number of cleaners, instituted an aggressive campaign to make staff and patients aware of the importance of hand hygiene. In addition they instituted unannounced spot checks in hospitals to check cleanliness, and return visits to check if things had improved. Pre-checking of patients for infections before they come in for elective surgery was also started.
All of this and more had a dramatic effect on HAI going from some of the highest levels in Europe in some cases to some of the lowest although there are some age groups that still seem to have higher levels of some infections than others.
Just thought I would add that to the mix.
I don’t comment very often but I really need to vent on this.
I recently had my gall bladder removed as an emergency operation in Dumfries Royal Infirmary where the standard of care was simply exemplary. Every member of staff – porters; nurses, doctors and surgeons were professional, competent, friendly and compassionate.
Last Friday my father passed away in Glasgow Royal Infirmary after a short illness. He was elderly and his condition was a complicated mix of problems. Once again every member of staff (with one exception) were everything that we could have hoped for in their level of professionalism and care.
I am sick and tired of the politicians and journalists promoting the notion of a failing NHS in the desperate attempt to promote their petty little agendas. The only hope that our already good NHS is made even better, and kept from the greedy hands of American insurance companies is to become an independent country.
Thank you to every member of the NHS staff in Scotland for all that you do.
O/T
Ken500 says:
“Unsubscribe from SKy. There are more credible alternatives”
My wife has left me and she’s taken my Sky dish and my Bob Marley collection.
No woman No Sky.
🙁
Peace Always
Lies and deceit. I worked with the NHS for a lot of my career and still have contacts with people who work in it . It is far better than it was under Labour. In addition to high patient satisfaction there is a remarkably high level of staff engagement with their job of looking after the public.
That is not guesswork, it is demonstrable fact.
I hate these people who try to promote their own political career at the expense of those who provide us all with lifesaving care. Abhorrent.
What we ask of an organisation that is being starved of investment is truly hard, but they do it anyway. I admire them all, each and every one.
Perhaps in an independent Scotland we may be able to reward them appropriately.
If, like my brither Jim, you’ve recently had cause to praise the Scottish NHS, please do so here. I had a couple of health issues last year resolved satisfactorily and made the effort to let them know.
link to careopinion.org.uk
Rev how’s about a run down on what is happening in England v our SNHS. Plenty to point to if what we hear is remotely true.
A apt reply to the Yoons, and get it out across social media with your normal links that they cannot deny.? Just a thought.
To ronnie anderson, Thanks, Ronnie, ah wis too upset tae complain soawis.
😎
Peace Always
Police warn children not to be lured into forest around Banchory on promise of a birthday party.
link to facebook.com
I have always had a good deal from our Health Service in Scotland. Theresa M says the SNP is “Weaponising! Brexit. Dampt cheek. She has joined the B Tories in Weaponising the NHS and every other thing.
Great piece of research by the Rev. Stu.
This needs to be shared widely…….
Sinclair Macleod;
Sinclair, please accept my own and I’m sure all other Wingers sincere condolences on the sad loss of your father.
Peace and Love to you and the family Sinclair
Like others on here I use the NHS. Also people dear to me work in it. F*** the lot of the liars and thieves.
The NHS is brilliant and will be better when we are free.
Nuff said.
[…] Wings Over Scotland Down with the sickness We had to rub our eyes when we got up this morning, because we thought we must have […]
Dr Gregor is now, apparently a Director at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. I read with interest the only membership she holds is to the National Museums of Scotland and she states no declarable interests.
hmm. Directors make decisions about stuff and given QMU is concerned with lots of health and social care teaching and research, this doesn’t sit right with me. Surely you should be impartial in such a role?
It’s right up there with Prof Stephenson, Prof Emerita. (? retired) Could you imagine getting your paper marked by her when she noticed the vile cybernat badge on your lapel?
The mind boggles.
Run it down, sell it off, so only moneyed can afford good health care, then the trash will just die off.
nasty nasty people
Smallaxe says:
1 May, 2017 at 12:53 pm
Sinclair Macleod;
‘Sinclair, please accept my own and I’m sure all other Wingers sincere condolences on the sad loss of your father.
Peace and Love to you and the family Sinclair’
I second this, Smallaxe. Thoughts are with you and your family, Sinclair MacLeod.
I watched Andrew Marr’s interview with Theresa May. God, does she ever say anything that isn’t a meaningless soundbite?
And when Marr pressed her about nurses having to use foodbanks, her only response was that “people use foodbanks for a variety of reasons”. No wonder that she is being advised not to take part in TV debates. She’s toxic.
Jim Mitchell says:
Totally alright, as long as the scaremongering is based on reality and not some made up spun fairytale.
However, there’s another aspect to that strategy, positive campaigning does seem to win against negative. As we all know the SNP have a policy of being positive which has served them well.
Too much negativity and scaremongering and you just come across as not being constructive, competent nor confidence. It begins to wreak of fear from the perpetrator!
In IndyRef1 I am convinced BetterTogether lost as many as they gained by their antics. They won, IMO, by finally switching to offering a positive future with their Union.
There is much about the Tories and Brexit to be scared about, though. Some visions of reality won’t go amiss.
The Unionists, on the other hand, have nothing more than fabricated scaremongering left.
@ Smallaxe – surely not – hope you are not left on you own without your wife, sky dish and Bob Marley. Well perhaps the sky dish can go.
BREAKING: Theresa found…
link to imgur.com
Incredibly frustrating to see supposedly educated people behave in such a way.
But then I remember there’s an agenda there. A self serving agenda.
I will independence for the betterment of our people and everyone that lives here. To improve life chances for all. Including our friends in England.
There is a small part of me that wills it just to see the faces of people like Dr Gregor when their world is turned upside down.
I’m only human.
Fake Doctor, Fake Newspaper, Fake Journalist, Fake Story!
4 Cancers from the One corrupt Westminster Government and their support acts.
They need to be cut out of Scotland to allow economy to return to a state of good health and to deliver an environment where Truth and Justice can flourish!
Regarding Dr Anna McGregor and the Main Article at top of page.
“….Back in 2014 she was a leading member of “NHS Together”, a Better Together spin-off group which wrote letters to newspapers attacking the SNP and independence……”
I paid a quick visit to the registration body for medical practitioners,the General Medical Council Register,regarding this Dr and here is the response:
“Search Results
Sorry but we cannot find a record that matches your search.” 🙁
Well retired it seems.
Great article Stu
Not expecting to see it on the BBC – so you must be right
ha ha
these people are absolute Muppets
When we are independent I hope she shoves off south – we can do without these types
Another high paid public troughing disgrace in action.
Didn’t Eleanor Bradford end up as Aberdeen uni chief PR ligger? beats working for a living.
Its just hard core right roasters in action.
BBC r4 vote tory lunchtime news hard at work boosting Le Pen fascism just there, as beeb gimp somewhere in France explains how over 60’s French vote somehow associate Le Pen fascism with WW2 fascists of France, anti semite, mass deportations, “but they’re not like at all,” slimes another ghastly beeb gimp.
Its like endless BBC tory sewage sloshes out of the radio.
O/T sorry so soon.
Mayhems trip north – probably stage-managed by Ruthie and with full military precision, god help us if she ever gets into a position to have any influence in this country after this gem .
This whole fiasco that would embarrass even the Marx brothers should be made into a comedy presentation it’s a total gift, the SKY news clip of the closed doors leaflet drop was classic, a bit of planning Ruthie might have averted the sight of your leader looking like quivering wreck and having to be shown how to put leaflets through a letter box . Strong and stable ha ha Aye Right .
heedtracker says:
Fair enough. Funny how, in contrast, older English voters seem to be the most susceptible to the dubious attractions of the far right.
Apologies for going off-topic, but we REALLY need your help. Three days left to go and we’re only at 31% of target.
link to indiegogo.com
I know we’ve asked a lot of you, and that there are many worthy indy projects. But we’ve always delivered, and we need to make sure the Yes groups are ready for #indyref2.
Any help that you can give would be deeply, deeply appreciated. Thanks.
Didn’t Eleanor Bradford end up as Aberdeen uni chief PR ligger?
I thought I had noticed a pretty significant drop off in NHS doomed/SNPbaaad stories on the BBC. That must explain it.
Jack Murphy @ 1.33
The name in this article is wrong that is why you cannot find her registration with the GMC.
Her name is Dr Anna Gregor CBE.
Rev might want to check it out.
News we may have missed:-
The Metro newspaper.NHS England.
“The Red Cross has warned of a humanitarian crisis in English hospitals”.
“…..Several hospitals have issued pleas on Twitter for people to stay away from A&E unless they have a genuine emergency.
These include hospitals in Mid Essex, Ipswich, North Cumbria, Kingston, Bristol, Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Other data compiled by the Nuffield Trust shows a third of the 150 English hospital trusts warned they needed urgent action to cope last month.[December 2016]
In the worst cases, seven of the 50 trusts that issued alerts announced they were unable to give patients comprehensive care……”
link to archive.is
galamcennalath says:
1 May, 2017 at 1:40 pm
heedtracker say
The whole BBC r4 news thing today from France has several beeb gimps in action, for the far right and it is worth a listen, if you’re in need of an emetic.
Only upside is same BBC tory creepshow has absolutely no ability to make the French go hard right like here. Must really bug them.
Thankyou Legerwood at 2:07pm today.
Ronnie, smallaxe,
My commiserations, I too have suffered like that.
Earlier this year I went to Raigmore for surgery. I arrived a good hour early (having allowed plenty of time for messages on the way which I completed very quickly).
I sat down to wait and the surgeon came through, saw me, was surprised. ‘It’s Ok, I just arrived early’, quoth I.
‘Fine’,he says. ‘I can do it now if you just wait a few minutes for us to get ready.’
Shocking, eh? A whole hour early!
I’d like to see what Dr Gregor makes of the story above when its presented to her or she reads it?
In my experience, medics tend to be very cautious before making assertions, especially on a topic such as this.
That aside, I’d ask every medic, nurse, pharmacist. orderly, manager, technician and any other NHS worker – do they believe that are worse or better off than their colleagues in England?
Supplementary questions would be what other public services should be cut and which taxes would you raise to provide additional funding?
I would place this in the context of finite budget from uk, rising need, rising expectations and ability to employ NHS staff post brevet.
Of all the policies the SNP has succeeded at, the NHS is one, Sturgeon built the foundations, recovering the situation from the chaos left by Dr Gregor’s friends in the labour party.If something wrong, bring it to the correct peoples attention.
No one should be above constructive criticism, certainly not the SNP / Scottish Government, but when people throw stones from outside, one must ask what their motives are? In the case of the NHS in Scotland I would hope those motives would be to positively impact direct patient care – no arguments from me there!
But, in the case of the labour party, “weaponising the NHS” – Andy Burnham – I think we can see what those motivation are and they do not rely on fact.
I wonder if some will reflect upon their comments to news parers and if this comments were both fair and accurate?
I know Anna Gregor – or at least we were colleagues for a time some years ago. I once had dinner at her extremely large house in a very posh area in south west Edinburgh, which she shared with her husband – a banker as I remember.
Despite her Scottish sounding name, Anna is Czech or some such mittle Europe area – and as I recall a fierce anti-socialist and would rail against ‘leftist’ governments in a thick mittle-europe accent – and why not from her position of huge privilege?
Her experience of ‘socialism’ was limited to the Stalinist dictatorship of her youth, which she had somehow managed to escape prior to the wall coming down – much to the discomfiture of those who had to work for her – but did explain a great deal. We all assumed she was a Tory. This of course explains why Scottish Labour was a natural sponsor for her.
I recall a disdainful contempt for the idea of Scottishness – let alone a Scottish nation – like many in the former Soviet camp, who once they got out became hyper-Brits and hyper capitalists.
I am not surprised she makes comments not backed by statistical facts – folks in her position tend not to allow facts to influence a deeper truth they hold in the depths of their bosoms, whose provenance eludes mere scientific analysis.
I’m writing this only because of the amazing care received in 2015 at the New Southern General in Glasgow. Due to post op complications I had major organ failure and was on life support.
I tried two different operating threatres, ( totalling 13 hours)two spells in high dependency (two and 1/2 weeks) , one week in intensive care and 2-1/2 weeks in the single room ensuite wards. I had about every type of scan and X-ray known to man so about the only dept I did not try was the morgue and at times I was very close to visiting there as well.
The care I received every minute, hour and day For six weeks was exemplary.
This at a time when Bradford and co were calling the best Hospital in Europe the Death Star. My contempt for the BBC and reporters knows no bounds. They are nothing but scum.
i have a terminal son since age 7,,the nhs aberdeen have gone head over heals to work with him,if not for aberdeenNHS then what may have happend,,he has no cure non at all,but 1 day at a time,,he is now 18 and walks tall.all thanks to the SCOTLAND NHS,yes may nothing to do with your goverment or specilasts,,just plain old NHS help and advise,,so to you experts show me an answer to the NHS yes ill give you it tory party stop cutting the NHS budget AND ALSO stop SELLING IT OFF TO YOUR FILTHY RICH FRIENDS,,MAY YOU JUST SOLD A CHUNK TO YOU BUM CHUM BRANSON,A FEW MONTHS AGO THE CARE FOR ELDERLY THAT YOU ALSO CUT THE FUNDING
@galamcennalath, 11:58am
I don’t because they are either totally unobservant airheads or wilfully ignorant with their heads in the sand.
HandandShrimp says:
1 May, 2017 at 1:56 pm
Didn’t Eleanor Bradford end up as Aberdeen uni chief PR ligger?
I thought I had noticed a pretty significant drop off in NHS doomed/SNPbaaad stories on the BBC. That must explain it.
BBC Scotland more like, never watch it now, its just way too barking UKOK mad.
BBC r4’s the home of the great upper class English tory roaster though and I respect their shameless flat out refusal to be anything less the torygraph on the radio.
Does the good Doctor Anna take the Daily Record? hope so:D
link to dailyrecord.co.uk
To my mind this freak show of total lies is one of the best weapons the independence movement has in its armoury.
Every Yoon voter who finds them out as bare faced liars is another potential voter who changes their mind.
When a brain washed Yoon gets really good treatment after expecting dirty hospitals and below standard treatment it makes them think.
If an YES activist then asks them how they got on and gets a positive answer then never forget to get in your fulsome praise for The SCOTTISH NHS and the improvements made by the SNP since replacing Labour. Not to forget to compare the rest of the UK’s NHS services with the SNHS.
A little thing like that can have a lot more effect that a massive great poster or a leaflet through a letter box. We must think on our feet and look out for such opportunities.
Such lying Yoons are never too shy to tell their lies – why should Yessers be shy to tell their truths?
Re Bradford ex BBC and now of uni of Aberdeen. The hi Heid yins there are Tories with A Mrs Bowels – Windsor their matriarch. I remember well the Indy ref debates with the place men and women and planted questions by the BBC sitting centre stage in the audience. You would almost think it was staged managed.
Many of our university leaders , NHS boards etc are still full of place men and Tories. I include labour in that one. NHS GG&C officials all have close links with No’s, Tories or labour and the rest linked with UNITE and unison trades unions.
What kind of hatred has this woman in her heart that she would lie about health care in Scotland to such a degree that it would worry older patients and mothers of young children especially who face going into hospital for medical treatment?
I hope that she’s fucking happy: Project Lies and Distortion, to prop up the most corrupt Labour administration since the ‘sixties.
Have you no shame, woman?
There you’ve been cybernatted Dr McGregor. Keep taking the bitter pills, why don’t you?
Never read or watch the MSM propaganda. Fear and lies is all they have.
OT. Just watching the unfolding drama surrounding an apparently disastrous dinner between Theresa May, David Davis, Jean Claude Juncker and Michael Barnier.
It seems likely Brexit is going to get very real, very soon.
The penny is beginning to drop I think… Just gonna quote a BTL comment verbatim from the Independent from someone called Azulmania:
“Share of global GDP @ 2015 by PPP – World Bank
UK – 2.36%
EU 27* – 16.9%
USA – 15.9%
This is all going to get out of hand rather quickly…
Brexit has the very real potential to smash the UK economy into tiny little pieces. And then potentially usher in a new era of near-fascism…
Just who in their right mind walks away from their largest export market? Who voluntarily risks their largest manufacturing sector, automobiles, and their largest services sector, finance? Who dares do it at the same time?
Who does this after years of austerity on the basis of a fragile economy? The UK has one of the largest debt-GDP ratios in the developed world. All the hardship austerity engendered was on the basis of balancing the books. All that pain for nothing now. People have actually died because of austerity. And of course the financial markets are still inclined to downgrade our debt, increase our risk and the amount we must pay to borrow, potentially bankrupting us in the process.
Its delusional. Absolutely delusional. But the Brexiteers are shielded from reality by their jingoism. Its all spitfires, bunting on the green, WWII and GREAT Britain. Like Enid Blyton on steroids, beefed up for the 21st century with a select view of British history, an alcohol problem and a Union Jack iPhone case.
Only a weak nation harks back to its past. We should be looking forward, not to our imagined Jerusalem on the hill. Our ancestors must be spinning in their graves. This is all most un-British.
Its almost as if May, Davis, Boris, Gove et al want the negotiations to fail, so they can blame the EU fully whilst ushering in the ultra liberal, low tax, low wage economy they have threatened. I mean, it wouldn’t be like the Tories to try and sabotage negotiations with the EU in order to capture the electorate’s sympathy, harness them against the EU and have them support the greatest Tory wet dream ever? A Neo-Victorian Britain. That couldn’t actually be the plan, could it?
*EU without UK”
Well said Azulmania, but sorry my friend, I’m still going to break your heart and wave a wee Braveheart inspired saltire in your general direction. “The Lord tells me he can get Scotland out of this mess, but he’s pretty sure you’re f…….”.
Heedtracker – thanks for the daily record poll link .
Daily record headline
Most Scots would prefer Independence in Europe rather than a Tory government
And yet below that we have
Our report reveals support for the SNP is way down from it’s 2015 level .
Now given the SNP are the only route to Independence one of these statements must be wrong ,or in daily record land speak both right both wrong ? Confused you bet I am .
What is really surprising is that the over 65s preference was to vote Tory I guess age doesn’t install wisdom in a lot of folk , they surely must know the Tory party has never supported the NHS , and they more than most are more likely to require its services , and unless they are totally gaga they must have noticed their pension is at risk with a Tory government .
Looking at the Daily Record poll and those Labour voters who might vote Tory, then the majority who would vote for an Independent Scotland within Europe i understand why the Tories could control the Scots so easily.
They wouldn’t want a Tory Government but would vote Tory to give them a Tory Government.
Robert Graham
Its maybe a good prod SNP activists and party need to get going though.
Headline just reminds me of Saturday nights at Studio 24 in Edinburgh…
The Times is absolutely the worst of them. How low it’s fallen from its once proud history. The reason it’s worse than the Express or the Mail is that they don’t pretend to be decent newspapers, whereas The Times still has pretensions.
I’m a long time proponent of a Scottish Six. However recently I am grateful to the EBC telling us almost daily of another failing in NHS, England, or shortages of funds and teachers in education or the near collapse of the Prison Service, all very interesting and useful but the EBC really gets up my nose by their lack of balance they more often than not fail to tell their ‘National and now International’ audience that they are referring to the situation in England ONLY. Not Wales, not N.Ireland and most certainly not Scotland where from my own personal experience I have found the SNHS here in the Gilbert Bain Hospital Lerwick and the ARI in Aberdeen to be exceptional given the savage austerity cuts forced on the Scottish Government by the ‘NASTY PARTY’ at Westminster.
It was really good to see that STV stole a march on the EBC when they started their very own Scottish news – only wish we got it here! I am served from a small satellite transmitter and with a number of this type of transmitter nearby, the number of channels we receive is limited to avoid co-channel interference.
Auld Rock
How demoralising for all our Scottish NHS staff who offer outstanding service, day after day, to receive such horrendous criticism. I have had three emergency situations in the last year and the care and attention I received from all concerned was exemplary. How very dare she insinuate that the service is less than satisfactory. My heartfelt thanks to all who work in Scotland’s caring professions.
Yerkitbreeks @ 11.58 am.
You forgot to add the Tory party.
Something, I think, which needs brought home to those currently firmly of the hardline unionist vote.
You’re going to get everything you voted for (for a short time).
You’re going to see a dominant Conservative government in control of the United Kingdom. You’re going to experience a Brexit and the launch of empire 2.0 in the next couple of years. Everything you ever wanted on a plate, no question.
Couple of things though.
When, not IF, but when it doesn’t quite work out as billed (pretty much the same way your pledges on Better thegitherness haven’t worked out as billed). When workers rights are rewritten to suit the corporate world’s needs. When your democractic and human rights are abused. When your weekly living costs suddenly become unbearable.
You don’t get to complain, not once. NOT EVER. You suck it up and think proud thoughts of the government you voted for, you enabled and YOU mandated, mkay?
link to archive.is
NHS Scotland in very good hands
Under Labour .. I saw the people with placards Save St Johns ! as Labour were moving it department by department to Edinburgh
I too have had recent experience of the Scottish NHS.
My Father died of a stroke.His care at the ARI was wonderful.His consultant rang myself & my Mother separately & saw us both in person on our visit to explain frankly & in full how they would manage his dying as there was no hope of his survival.
Even at 91 they treated him as if he was a 20 year old with the chance of survival.No private care could have been better.He had his own room & we could visit any time & stay as long as we wished. The nurses talked to him even though he never regained conciseness.How caring is that.
All the staff we saw were so kind & professional.
I hate Tories & any person who tries to undermine our wonderful NHS.
You now what the say about bad workmen blaming their tools etc. I wouldn’t want that quizzer anywhere near me or any member of my family. Oh wait a minute the article says she has retired well thank fuck for that. Armchair doctor then okay!
link to caltonjock.com
The PPP/PFI legacy left by the previous Labour / Lib Dem administration will be felt for many years to be come. The reckless Tony Blair/ Gordon Brown ‘buy now, pay later’ policy is adding further pressure to the public sector spending, already under strain due to UK Tory budget cuts.
Both the health service and the education sector will suffer the impact as interest mounts on the PPP/PFI funded schools and hospitals.
The Effects of PFI/PPP on the NHS in Scotland:
– The NHS faces a massive bill of £6.7 billion in repayments over the
next 30 years.
– The 27 capital projects covered by the £6.7 billion, have an estimated
value of the much smaller sum of £1.28 billion.
– £1 billion of repayments have already been made.
– From 2011-12 over £200 million a year will leave the NHS in
repayments, peaking at 281.5 million in 2027
– Overall, £1.5 billion will be paid for the £228 million Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
When he was an MSP Jim Eadie highlighted that under Edinburgh Royal Infirmary’s PFI contract, Consort Healthcare were paid £47.8 million a year in Unitary Charge payments for a hospital that cost £180 million to build. The hospital will cost the taxpayer £1.4 billion by 2034, allowing Consort Healthcare to make profits of around £14 million per year.
The public has been suckered by Labour and Tory governments’ claims that PFI/PPP was a painless way of financing big ticket items like schools, hospitals and roads but local council and health board budgets are continuing to have to pay the price.
The Google / Daily Record poll at ….
Independence within EU : 56.7%
Brexit under the Tories : 43.3%
It may not be accurate, but to me the premise of the question makes much more sense that the usual question.
“Should Scotland be an independent country?” Doesn’t actually make much sense right now.
I believe fundamentally “yes” but a lot of people need more info. For instance, ‘what is the future within the UK?’, ‘Are the Tories still dominant?’, ‘What is the Brexit deal like?’, ‘Will iScotland be guaranteed EU (or EEA) membership?’ … and more.
However, of all the possible scenarios the most likely (IMO) is a straight Indy Scotland in the EU versus Brexit Tory UK. And that is what this poll’s question tests.
If it had explicitly asked Hard Brexit under the Tories, presumably the gap would have been wider, or is everyone beginning to assume Brexit will be hard and under the Tories?
The oft asked question, why are Unionist running around like demented angry wasps? Perhaps some of their private polling has been asking such probably scenario questions for some time and the answers they see terrify them!
A excellent reminder of these pfi contracts that have only recently been aired in Hollyrood, they should have top billing every bloody week , call out, name and shame the culprits, even the BBC can’t cut, chop , censor or tamper with feeds from Hollyrood, I doubt if half the country knows about the involvement of these parties, the BBC has recently been caught attempting to cover the fact that the Labour Party and Mr Willie Young are involved in this latest scandal of work done to repair a boundary wall on his land, indeed they went out of their way to leave out any and every reference to Labour, much the same as these pfi contracts regarding the schools in Edinburgh, the only thing missing from the BBCs extensive reports are Labour, missing in every clip. They must have a Labour removal tool imbedded in their website just in case it slips out .
That Daily Record poll is very interesting!
The 57-43 poll also the SNP on 39% but the Tories on 24% – giving the SNP their lowest polling for a while, but their biggest lead of the general election campaign so far!
Having had a quick look at UK wide polling. Labour seem to have pulled back about 8-10% on average too on the Tories since May announced the election two weeks ago tomorrow. The tactic of going to a town she can’t name, standing behind 30 Tory activists and repeating ‘a good Brexit’ doesn’t look like it will last the 5-6 weeks until polling day.
Although the Tories might well get a false sense of victory with the council elections on Thursday. The STV vote system will ensure that the only losers this time around will be the Labour party, and the Tories will see their modest increased in councillors as the perfect excuse to continue down their current campaign route, but 6 WEEKS of the same old shite we are hearing will not work.
We’ll do this folks. Keep the heids up..
Glasgow’s hospitals are much better.
Glasgow’s Much Better 😉
Glasgow.
X.
Just saw a post on a group I belong to. It states a new Poll has revealed that 51% now support Scottish Independence.
I am recovering from a car crash, and had frequent clinics at Southern General, and my nurse always gave me a big cup of coffee and shortbread no less, before I left, all on time. I am still receiving treatment on time at Dumfries Infirmary.Thanks to all concerned.
I think our Scottish NHS deserve all praise, not snide english politics
Anyone else getting this wee feeling that the wheels are starting to look a little bit shaky on Mayhems wagon, small little things, like her disastrous trip to jock land, the recent leaked reports of a very uncomfortable dinner with the European president, and her failed insistence of secrecy during the Brexit talks, The ambush by Andrew Marr on his Sunday program, when he compared her to a robot, her sound bites strong and stable were ridiculed , her attempted defence of nurses having to go to food banks, was embarrassing, its not been the glorious start her minions promised her , Oops and with the recent dip in her ratings let’s hope the English finally waken up .
Thank you all Wingers for your kind wishes.
Cheers to all of our excellent hospital people X
Fae wiki:
“..in later phases of the campaign the catch-phrase was adapted in a number of ways, such as “Glasgow smiles better“.
Edinburgh apparently responded to the campaign with a billboard and banner advertising campaign bearing the slogan, “Edinburgh: Count Me In.“”
Dae ye remember that one Edinburgh?
We’re after the same thing.
To be independent.
We’re awe alike.
Robert Graham says:
Indeed. And I hope more comes out about the alleged election fraud. My understanding is the MPs under investigation are standing again. I hope their constituents all know what is being alleged!
There will be more from the EU and Brexit no doubt. Also, May is going hi have to face the public sometime and that can hardly go well.
They will probably win an increased majority, but let’s hope not by as much as some suggest.
My latest experience of the NHS was in march.
Monday 6th March.
Saw consultant, examined, x rayed within 30 mins, sent for MRI. Told waiting time could be 6 weeks.
Thursday 10th March.
Got letter offering MRI on 20th March (2 weeks since consultancy).
Phoned up to confirm appointment, was offered cancellation for THE NEXT DAY.
Friday 11th March.
MRI carried out before mid-day!!
Our NHS is awesome.
Mart scot not a proper poll, two different options in/out Europe lumped together
“Back in 2014 she was a leading member of “NHS Together”, a Better Together spin-off group which wrote letters to newspapers attacking the SNP and independence.”
“Ordinary” cancer specialist exposed as anti-SNP, anti-independence activist.
How they must detest this website and its author.
“pretty much every Scottish newspaper today (Daily Mail, Daily Record, Express, Courier) has dutifully recited the Sunday Times piece more or less verbatim without a single mention in any of them of her rather strident political affiliations.”
No doubt the “independence supporting” “The National” will put the record straight in tomorrow’s edition.
If yer ever gonna believe in something, if not yerself already…
Believe in Scotland.
1, 2 and 3.
Less than 3 days remaining to go until it all begins again.
😉
Sad when a respected doctor would shit all over the Scottish NHS, that looked after her and gave her a successful career, just for some political point scoring.
I wonder if Dr Anna McGregor’s response to the publics reaction will be front page news tomorrow.. cover page mibbies?
She’s got to say something now yes.. left, right?
What say you Doctor Anna?
Clearly doon tae the dregs when they’re diggin’ up easily identified post indyref better the gether ‘characters’ like her who is, as the Rev’s shown completely out of her depth on how well NHSScotland has been performing under our SNP government since 2007. What’s remarkable as ever is that there seems to be no editorial oversight on the veracity of her claims, more wind and pish signifying propaganda.
Thankfully since 2014 we now have a wealth of information regarding the ‘players’ from the BT campaign and can quickly ascertain exactly their political agenda from past involvement. Other than that she’s of nae concern and is in fact ‘some arsehole’ given free reign and ah would imagine a ‘fee’ for services rendered.
I always see it as a good sign when britnat hysteria reaches a new high – low?!
It seems May has no friends in Europe now. Thank god Scotland does have friends on the other side of La Manche. May going in the huff with the EU; a nasty hard brexit will be the result.
I can’t see for the life of me why The Times is demeaning itself with such low-grade pish. Pandering to its hard-core readership, no doubt, but who else gets to see it? (One might be tempted to say it’s a mirror image of what happens on here, except that the WoS readership is far more varied/ And not forgetting the slightly important detail that Stu’s articles also happen to be true!)
Maybe Murdoch’s minions hope that Reporting Scotland will pick up on their story, since the BBC tends to slavishly follow the lead of the press these days.
I think Mr. Peffers has a point, all this unrelenting negativity is increasingly self-harming the Unionist cause. The constant denigration and smearing of the SNHS is flatly at odds with the vast majority of our own experiences or those of our families who have need of its tender ministrations.
Diminishing returns, I would say.
Talking of which, wheeling out the old BT worthies like Tuba Man and Lord Mogadon doesn’t strike me as an astute pitch to a very savvy electorate now either. But time will tell.
The Daily Record poll has the SNP on 39% and the greens on 8.5%. Given the Greens will not be fielding many candidates and have already expressed a preference for supporting the SNP to keep the Tories out I think the Record poll may be slightly misleading. However, what is interesting is that the Tories have dropped a fair bit after what has not been a great week of campaigning for them. That is probably the most interesting aspect of the poll and the fact that so many are concerned about a Tory Brexitland. These must presumably be Lib Dem and Labour voters and that is encouraging.
This one’s for you:
link to youtube.com
Scrubs up 😉
Sorry for off topic, but i have just stopped laughing (almost certainly temporarily) after reading who labour are standing as candidates in Falkirk East and West in the upcoming GE….
CRAIG MARTIN and JOAN COOMBS.
Craig Martin was Falkirk Council leader the last 5 years and Joan Coombs was deputy leader.
This pair of nuggets, as folk will know, led the LABOUR/TORY Coalition, where they presided over constant attempts to waste £22 million of taxpayers money while the local services went to pot.
NOW they are claiming to want elected to WM to oust the tories !!!
Oh ma sides …..help…!!!
I can only echo Lenny Hartleys experience of the new Southern infirmary.
Without the dedicated care of the staff, I would be dead.
The Scottish Nhs undoubtedly saved my life.
The BBC are scum.
The situation we face with the UK media is truly dire and this is just another example of how those with an anti Independence agenda will be given prominence over and over again.
I mean the’re even using the same picture of her in 2017 that was used in 2014, yet the Times print it twice yesterday and again today. Then all the rest of the media follow suit and get it in their newspapers. Then no doubt we will have all this read out by the BBC, Sky and the rest in their review of the papers.
This is desperate stuff and makes me want to weep to see what the UK has become. It works though for them and there are those who will believe everything they hear on TV, Radio or read in the paper.
I had my No voting brother in law and wife visiting this weekend, I took it easy at first by showing them a funny clip from Burniestown that I had put on Off Topic. Then I asked them to watch some of the Phantom Power Yes to No videos.
I managed to get 3 in before they were getting a bit fed up with it. Then I showed them May and Ruthie in Aberdeenshire. When he left yesterday I says “take this with you and please have a look”. It was the DVD London Calling about BBC bias.
Now I doubt he will watch it but you have to try and that’s all any of us can do is spread the word of the lies and bias by ourselves. His wife on leaving said “you huv given me something to think about but I’ll just do what Jim thinks best, I don’t listen to politics”.
That’s what we’re up against, give people as much true information as you can. Let’s expose the liars as much as Wings does. Sadly there doesn’t appear to be much other option, so we continue to do what we can. Every conversation helps.
I found an ancient article in the Scotsman (2004) listing Scotland’s top 50 most powerful women. Amongst some other stormers (J.K. Rowling -number 1), I found one Dr. Anna Gregor (number 5) described as the cancer czar. I assume it is the same person. It also describes her as a Czechoslovakian native. She has been living and working in Scotland for some time. I wonder how she feels about her native country’s own independence. I also wonder how she feels about possible outcomes for other EU nationals in post-Brexit land. Shame, I hope, but I would not hold my breath for any sign of that.
Dr Anna McGregor’s family have traditionally been Doctors down the years.
She has great uncle Hawley Crippen, hanged in London’s Pentonville Prison for Murdering the Truth.
Cousin Dr Harold Shipman who killed senior citizen’s for telling the truth about the Tory Party, and of course.
This stuff is on the same level of reality as the faeces the quack Doctor has produced, but the next evaluation of her actions are a true assessment:
Dr. Kinnel makes the following points:
1) The medical profession seems to attract some people with a pathological interest in the power of life and death
2) Doctors have been responsible for killing not only patients and strangers but members of their own family.
3) The political killers par excellence were the Nazi doctors and the Japanese doctors engaged in biological warfare.
Thanks Dr Kinnel.We can see Dr McGregor fits this profile
Folks, just remember how far we’ve travelled in the last few years – and against all the odds. One last push and we’re there.
Another great piece Rev.
We really need to get the Rev`s articles exposing the truth behind the Unionist lying propaganda by flooding the country with leaflets in pubs, waiting rooms bus and train stations etc. Too many people are not getting the information provided by this site.
Thank God that woman has retired.
Her negativity and inacuracy could not be good for her patients.
Alert readers, has anyone got a link to the FOI request confirmation that Ruth Davidson has made NO representations to any UK Gov Dept over Brexit?
There appears to be a media and Google black out on this story.
@Dan Huil says: 1 May, 2017 at 7:27 pm:
” May going in the huff with the EU; a nasty hard brexit will be the result.
It was always going to be the result, Dan.
These Establishment numpties were always in Cloud Cuckoo Land with their stupid assumption that the other 27 EU states would pat them on their collective backs and wish them God Speed to set up a rival trading zone to the EU with an open border into the EU via the Republic of Ireland.
Especially when the penny dropped in the remaining EU 27 that the United Kingdom was NOT a member country but a political union of two equally sovereign Kingdoms and one of those kingdoms did not wish to leave the EU and was being treated very badly by their partner Kingdom in the United Kingdom.
The stupid buggers actually believe their own propaganda that the United Kingdom was really the renamed Kingdom of England of and it punched above its weight.
They imagine that the Commonwealth Countries they also treated badly would all rush to welcome them back with open arms to lead them again in a new British Empire.
I believe in the not too dim and distant future they are about to find out they cannot punch their way out of a wet paper bag and have few, if any, friends they once treated with utter contempt.
The Britnat dream is about to become a nightmare.
‘Sad when a respected doctor would shit all over the Scottish NHS, that looked after her and gave her a successful career, just for some political point scoring.’
The fact is,out of 27 NHS doctors and nurses whom I can think of off the top of my head,only 2 are SNP and pro Indy.
The other 25 are ‘death star’ hard core Yoon BritNats who despise SNP and use their ‘inside’ knowledge of NHS Scotland to traduce it and attack SNP.
Not sure if this is representative but it is my experience?.
My own experiences with the NHS are a mixed bag.
One thing I do know.
It is run more for the doctors who work in it rather than the patients.
Otherwise we wouldn’t have legions of part time GPs.
Sinky; A LADY CALLS!
For Sinky on the MT
link to facebook.com
Peace Always
LINK FROM THE LADY!
link to byline.com
Sources say the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team have launched an inquiry into whether there is a conflict of interest between Theresa May and her husband, Philip, over his job at the Capital Group, which makes millions of pounds in market sensitive information, including from Brexit.
Peace Always
I did wonder when I read this piece. I smelt a rat and I was right. Thanks as ever Rev for your useful services.
If there’s any justice in this world MacGregor will be struck by something life-threatening & can check out the standards of care at first hand.
Thanks Smallaxe @8.53 xxxxxx
This Ruth Davidson not getting on with the day job revelation deserves much wider coverage particularly given Tory fake news over fishing.
link to archive.is
Also interesting is this poll showing support for Indy at 57%
link to thoughtcontrolscotland.com
O/T We reminder for people round about Airdrie .
Wee Ginger Dug is at the Wellwynd Centre 35 Wellwynd tomorrow night at 7.30pm.
Airdrieonians for Independence Tea/ Coffee available.
@dakk says: 1 May, 2017 at 8:50 pm:
“One thing I do know.
It is run more for the doctors who work in it rather than the patients.
Otherwise we wouldn’t have legions of part time GPs.”
Now I may be wrong but there is no such thing as a part time GP. GPs are not employed by the NHS directly. They are mainly either self-employed, partners in a practice or have their own practices. They are, I believe, contracted to NHS Health Boards to provide a service.
I found this on-line:-
just finished leafleting and gotv knock ups, shattered
tomorrow will be another long day
New Southern general on bbc1 now, at friends watching it, mostly positive although being the bbc they do manage to get digs in. Ffs somebody complaining about having your own single room with ensuite facilities with free telly and wifi. When I first took Ill In 2003 labour were in power I was in Aberdeen , I paid out of my own pocket about £35 a night for a month to get away from a ward of around a dozen, it was a friggin nightmare, even being very ill it was a nightmare, but according to bbc having peace , quiet and privacy is snp bad. Wankers , oh and the robots have a mind of their own!
Re;dakk@8.50
As far as I know, and can’t find much online, the GP practices are a wee bit independent of the NHS?
If so, and I vaguely recall something about this, the UK gov gave them some amount of autonomy.
Look up bma.org and you can read about the ‘GP contract agreement Scotland’.
Scotland’s NHS is being buffered by the SNP, any tory, red, or yellow tory at the helm would take it down the privatisation route quick as you can say, help! The various UKGovs, used Scotland as a testing ground for many of their right wing, extreme ‘reforms’. They would do so again and actually the people, mostly, south of the border, would not be too unhappy about that.
It’s not perfect and I know that some staff are certainly not SNP supporters, but that is perhaps changing now. A friend who works in the NHS has recently come to realise just what the unionists are doing in england and what they are trying to do to Scotland. There is hope yet.
I just hand it to anyone working in healthcare, it is such hard work, such long hours and very stressful. Rewarding I am sure, but very hard and challenging work. The SNP gov knows that, and only with more powers, and more money, will thy be able to improve on it.
With new hospitals and some crucial ones being kept open, like the Western General in Edinburgh, (the Labour gov in Holyrood, had it targeted for closure! It was a close call! ), the Scotgov are doing a good job against huge odds.
@Smallaxe says: 1 May, 2017 at 8:53 pm:
“Sinky; A LADY CALLS!
For Sinky on the MT
link to facebook.com
Peace Always”
What a great post, Smallaxe.
I’ll make full use of that information.
Sinky;
No problem my Friend.
Here’s that young American guy on a rant about Ruth Braun and the “R” clause. Very passionate wee guy.
Ruth Davidson and other Scottish rants
link to youtube.com
Peace Always
@Smallaxe says: 1 May, 2017 at 8:56 pm:
“LINK FROM THE LADY!
link to byline.com
Sources say the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team have launched an inquiry into whether there is a conflict of interest between Theresa May and her husband, Philip, over his job at the Capital Group, which makes millions of pounds in market sensitive information, including from Brexit.
Peace Always”
Oor Nana is worth her weight in gold, Smallaxe.
If she isn’t reading Wings, pass on my best wishes to the lady. I share some of her problems as I have Arthritis in I’m my hands too.
There is an on screen keyboard for windows that can be operated with a mouse or by touchscreen. I’ve used it before when the fingers were locking up or being extra painful. It does help a bit.
O/T but can’t resist! Why are todays media when reporting on Alis
dair Darlings latest inane comments so loath to remind folk that he is now a Lord for all his efforts?
Would everyone please note: the doctor’s name is Anna GREGOR.
The Rev got it wrong – even Homer nods – in the text of his article which you would have read the extracts from the Times etc. used to illustrate his article.
Aye that so called Death Star Hospital at the edge of medical technology implanting laboratory grown veins for a dialysis patient . I hope the Bbc Hack at some point find out how good the SNHS is.
Almost forgot about this interesting little encounter which was around tow to three months ago.
I was talking to a guy who had been travelling to Raigmore hospital to do a weekend shift, he started his journey in Munich and went via Amsterdam to Inverness. What he did to earn a crust I do not know but I dare say the NHS picked up the tab.
Not all the folk who work in the SNHS care about it, plenty only care about money and if they can get agency or bank work for even more money and sod the patients
I unfortunately know of a few nurses who fall into that category and they work in Geriatrics and what makes it even worse they’re Ukippers
One in particular has a husband who’s never worked a day in his life claimed every benefit known to man has a disability car and has always been perfectly able to do a job he just chose not to, but he and his nurse wife voted NO to Independence and Ukip because they don’t like dark skinned folk in their country, and that’s me making his words polite
And the reason they give for voting NO to Independence, Scotland would be able to police the benefits scams better than the UK because we’d be smaller and they would be caught scamming the system
Iv’e known these people for around 55 years and they’re still getting away with this horror story
Now if you were going to throw anyone out of the country it would be these two and people like them, although no other country would want them, so maybe in the sea
@Sinky
Couldn’t find anything related to that one, but did find this in the Herald last August 2016 – Ruth Davidson forced to plead for reply from UK government…
link to heraldscotland.com
Also, in the same article, there is a link to another story “Ruth Davidson leaves door open to second EU vote”.
There’s a pattern there. Line in the sand, and all that.
Last time I was at A&E I had to wait for 2 hours with a torn harmstring. Why I had to wait well there was 2 suspected heart attacks, a wee one with blood pouring from his head and a suspected cerebral haemorrhage with the guy screaming the place down
I was happy to wait. Unfortunately there were plenty other greetin faces who had sprained their ankle playing football, a tennis elbow and someone who had a sore wrist.
I think the % see by times are useful up to a point for emergency cases but where someone can live with 4 ibrubrofen and to rest the injured limb I think should be excluded. Particularly if they are not really an A&E case or even a GP visit
Robert Peffers:
I will most certainly pass on your good wishes to the Lady, it will be my pleasure sir. I don’t think that she will mind if I tell you that she is dining out tonight with friends and enjoying her sojourn on her beloved Island home.
May I thank you, sir, for the immense amount of knowledge that you have imparted to us all here on WoS, I for one am most grateful for your generosity and patience and wish you a respite from your painful condition.
Peace Always Sensai Peffers
Marker Post
FOI requests show Ruth Davidson has failed to make the case to her Westminster colleagues for retaining Scotland’s place in the single market, letters released under freedom of information laws showed.
Davidson has repeatedly claimed that as Scottish Tory leader she would ensure Scotland’s voice is loudly heard in Theresa May’s Cabinet.
However, the UK Government’s major offices of state all confirm there were no representations from Davidson about retaining Scotland’s single market membership.
Davidson also failed to ask Ministers about the rights of EU citizens to remain in Scotland after Brexit, it emerged.
The Scottish Tory leader campaigned for Remain in last year’s In-Out referendum.
link to facebook.com
Please share
I found an interesting Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party political broadcast on-line.
link to youtube.com
Now don’t all rush to view it at once or you might overload the bandwidth.
@ Robert Peffers
LOL that video came to a abrupt end, lets hope thats the fate of the Tories in Scotland.
Polish girl buying her house through mortgage asked me if they deported her surely they couldn’t take her property off her?
Any answers to put her mind at rest?
Thanks to Robert and Artyhetty for their input re GPs.
There does seem some ambiguity about GP employment status and I don’t blame Scottish Government for any issues here.
Their income I presume still comes largely from from NHS funds even if not directly, for providing their service.
The main reason I made the point was that a GP himself told me recently himself that ‘it’s almost unheard of to work full time in GP world’.If that is the case then there is something seriously wrong.
In what other profession is it almost unheard of to work full time apart from lollypop men/women?
Here’s the BBC gimps attempting to do a number on Tommy Shepard and failing miserably:-
link to youtube.com
By the way. Notice the several places that show how the guys & gals behind the soundproof glass delay the signal to monitor, and thus edit out, what gets onto your screens.
Watch how the lip-sync goes out of sync here and there. Really sloppy BBC editing work there. We are not supposed to see these out of sync bits – we might then know how the BBC is broadcasting lies and propaganda,
Schrödinger
Hat’s off to you and all the others doing the hard work for the cause.
Robert Peffers:
If you look back up this thread you will find a post from myself, sir.
Peace Always
@dakk says: 1 May, 2017 at 10:36 pm:
“The main reason I made the point was that a GP himself told me recently himself that ‘it’s almost unheard of to work full time in GP world’.If that is the case then there is something seriously wrong.
In what other profession is it almost unheard of to work full time apart from lollypop men/women?
You answered your own question, dakk.
You say, “what other profession”. That is the difference. The lollypop lady & gentleman are employees but Doctors, and many others. are self employed professionals.
There are millions of professionals as well as millions of small business people who work whatever hours suits them personally.
Some, small business people work far longer hours than would be allowed by any trade union. A small shopkeeper who lives behind the shop sometimes is open all hours.
I know a lady, a trained hairdresser and beauty consultant that only works very few hours and a Taxi Driver who had another full-time job.
My last GP and his wife were both highly qualified Doctors and the wife was higher qualified than the husband. He worked well over the normal 40 hour week but she worked only part time as she was bringing up several children.
Mind you to my knowledge at least two of those children later qualified as Doctors or Surgeons and the others were still at school when the parents decided to retire back to their own country.
LINKS! For all so please perceive, is T.May trying to deceive?
link to twitter.com
May’s massive conflict of interest
link to nicholaswilson.com
link to twitter.com
Peace Always
Jim @ 22:35,
Just goes to show how worried EU residents are getting, and no wonder. No, they couldn’t take her property away from her, that would be theft. It’s going to be bad, but not that bad.
But it wouldn’t be much fun having to keep up mortgage payments on a house that you could only live in during holiday breaks from Poland. So selling-up or renting out might have to be the answer then.
But please tell her to hang on for indyref2, and vote for freedom. Then she’ll be able to stay. Problem solved!
@Robert Peffers 11.11
All of what you say is true and I am self employed myself,but I am sure that whether employed or self employed it is an aberration that it is’almost unheard of to work full time’.
It is obvious to me they can only be bothered working part time since they are paid so much by the NHS.
Is there another profession,employed or self employed apart from lollypop people where it is almost unheard to work full time?
re;dakk@10.36
It is the case. You can maybe look at your own GP practise website and see which Drs work which days. Maybe they do more than one job, who knows, or earn enough as part time GPs.
Read bma.org.uk, GP contract agreement Scotland. Not sure if its ok to link to that kind of thing. Easy to find anyway.
I will leave it at this.
Is it acceptable that the front line core service of the NHS is a part time work force ?
Getting back to the main article, there ought to be a word for people like this Dr Gregor who are represented in the media as neutral when in fact they are activists for some particular cause.
We have all seen the like: the nurse in a Labour election leaflet a year or two back who was also a Labour activist and union rep, or that Merryn Somerset-Webb merely introduced on Question Time as a financial magazine editor, which she indeed was, but more importantly, was also a partisan of Scotland in Union.
A word to describe these fake neutrals like “astroturfing” for fake “grassroots movements” which are nothing but professional PR fronts.
Any suggestions…?
@Robert J. Sutherland
Thank you for that, I will pass it on to her, no kidding, her and her husband are two of the nicest people you could wish to meet and I feel heart sick for them.
I will indeed be hold on and vote to free our country.
On another note I was talking to a Polish lad that drives for a haulage company and he says that he has lived in Inverness for the past eleven years and as he described it to me, when he sees the city after a long journey he feels like he is coming home.
‘or earn enough as part time GPs.’
That is my point of NHS being run more in the interests of the NHS than the patients.
I will leave it at this.
Is it acceptable that the front line core sevice of the NHS is a largely part time work force ?
The fact they are honking rich part timers is neither here nor there is it ?
Just going to say I have had outstanding treatment from the NHS, from a hip resurfacing just after the SNP were the SG to cancer treatment in 2011/12.
Can’t fault them at all.
@Still Positive
That is good to hear and I agree the NHS does a lot of amazing work.
But we need to talk about the part time desk jockeys.
Jim @ 00:08,
You’re welcome, Jim. As are that couple. They are an economic and social asset to the country that we would be stark staring bonkers to lose. Far better to give the old heave-ho instead to those parasites the UKGov!
The policy operated by the current UK Home Office on those in Scotland who are not even protected by EU citizenship rights is in effect a new kind of clearance. And just as scandalous as the historical ones.
Time to take charge of those kind of decisions for ourselves. No surprise to hear that here, of course, but it’s true anyway, and becoming more obvious to more people every day.
Dakk don’t know where you get your information form, but from my extension personnel experience of the Scottish NHS, the Doctors or GP’s are not part time, there is the odd one who only do a couple of days a week, but that is because they are retired and doing locum work.
Lenny Hartley
It is GPs who have told me such and whom have told me they too are part time.
I’m not sure about the partners in GP practices,but from what I hear from the horses mouths it seems to be the norm.
@dakk
Some doctors (GPs) are part-time, and some jobshare. What’s your problem with that – would it be better if they all had to resign so we had less doctors? Isn’t it better to have a doctor part-time in a practice that has other doctors, rather than not have him or her at all?
“part time desk jockeys”
Eh? These are doctors – GPs. They see patients!
The SNHS is one of the best in the world. It is excellent. Many migrant workers work in the NHS. Without them the economy would collapse.
The best way to improve health and happiness in Scotland is lifestyle changes. Minimum pricing being brought in to stop people poisoning themselves. Lifestyles are changeing slowly. Less. People smoking (20%) and drinking too much.
The unionists crooks actually non mandated, manipulated the electoral system to make sure Scotland could not get the government that the majority wanted. To ensure Democracy in Scotland was thwarted. How low could they go? To line their own pockets on other people’s misery. Just despicable. Darling was illegally manipulating the BoE libor rate, which affects the world economy. Trying to destroy the world economy. He should be in jail. .
EU membership is the best bargain the UK could have. Really important for Scotland not to be depopulated by Westminster lying, unionist crooks any further. They will not be content until Scotland is empty. The twisted, greedy lazy troughers. Taking £20Billion a year out of Scotland, which could be saved or better spent. High Tory taxes on the Oil and Gas sector. Deliberately damaging it. May hawking for her husband’s Hedge fund. All over the world. The reason she joined the Tory/Unionist Party, Enough is never enough for them. Killing and starving children and vulnerable people the world over.
The Westminster unionist crooks caused the migration into Europe because of their illegal wars. Causing the worst migration crisis in Europe since 11WW. That is why there is a higher number of migrants in Europe. Other European counties have to pick up the cost. The migration figures are being manipulated by the Westminster unionist criminals. They are including foreign students etc. Not including UK citizens who have taken cutusenship in the EU and around the world. Often for tax reasons.
Germany has one of the most successful economy in Europe. Has taken in 2million migrants. 20% of the German population are migrants helping in the successful German economy. In massive surplus. Population 90million.
Ken500:
Good Morning, Ken, keeping up the good work I see. Good Man.
Peace Always
Dont know if anyone has read this yet.
Scotsman reports Google survey has yes at 57% if its a choice between tory run post brexit uk and independence.
link to archive.is
LINK;
A “Proud Cybernat Production” is first up today, to remind you what London has STOLEN AWAY!
Gallas – The 40 Year Fleecing of Scotland’s oil wealth by Westminster
link to youtube.com
Peace Always
LINKS! From the Lady! Hard working, as usual, sending these facts
for WoS Perusal.
HSBC, IPGL and a spread betting firm owned by Tory Party Treasurer making £ms in donations to CCHQ.
link to twitter.com
link to twitter.com
DOJ subpoenas three European banks on Treasury rigging
link to archive.is
Peace Always
LINKS; From the Lady:
Sir Ivor Roberts says he wants an Irish passport to hold onto his EU citizenship
link to archive.is
Pregnant Women Considering Abortions Because Of Tories’ Benefit Cap, MPs Reveal
link to archive.is
Brexit: UK must abandon ‘fairy tale’ ideas, says Germany’s Europe minister
link to archive.is
Peace Always
LINKS; From the Lady.
link to scottovoce.wordpress.com
Listen to Prof K Pickett as she tears apart Tory welfare reforms explaining what damage it is doing to poor, sick & disabled people
link to twitter.com
link to irishtimes.com
Peace Always
LINKS; From the Lady.
‘A Deadly Kind of Cowardice’ – May in Scotland
link to youtube.com
link to thirdforcenews.org.uk
link to scottovoce.wordpress.com
Peace Always
I wonder if we could campaign for mighty Luxembourg or Brussels direct to issue a special diplomatic passport to existing EU citizens where they become disenfranchised?
snhs saved my sons life from cancer. One of the consultants treating him was dutch,after the brexshiters get their way i wonder if more eu doctors will come to the uk where they are made unwelcome
LINKS; From the Lady. A double slipped in I don’t know when, no matter I say, just read it again.
A couple of upcoming events
link to europa.ed.ac.uk
link to eventbrite.co.uk
Who’s for the high jump?
link to infacts.org
Peace Always
Why can’t the decommissioning of oil rigs be undertaken in Scotland? Why should England, Gibralter and others get the jobs?
WEATHER; Where we are:
Sun is shining all looks bright, but remember that brolly to hold off Tory Sh?TE
Peace Always
New Scotsman editor mission statement to-day says they won’t tell us how to vote but elsewhere it is a puff for Ian Murray and Alastair Darling whom the paper describes as “political box office”. They obviously haven’t watched his video pitch on behalf of Murray.
Also no mention of Ruth Davidson’s failure to make representations to any UK departments on Scotland’s place in Europe.
link to facebook.com
justin F.N. minty says:
2 May 2017 at 7:56 am
“SNHS saved my son’s life from cancer”.
Justin, so pleased to hear your good news. We need more of that!
Peace Always
Justin F.N @ 7.56
That’s good news about your Son
I don’t know about consultants but I believe that recruitment for nurses from abroad is down 40% since the Brexit vote .
Nobody wants to come and work in a country where they are not welcome .
Call Kaye on Buying British food.. a Union Jack fest coming up
Being discussed on BBC Radio Scotland Morning Call at 9 a.m.
Contact details
• Phone
0500 92 95 00
• Sms
80295
• Email
morningcallscotland@bbc.co.uk
Smallaxe says
I’m always wary of drawing too close comparisons between Scotland and Ireland.
There is one current parallel however. They seem to be moving towards reunification and we to independence. One issue we share is a sizeable minority of die hard Unionists. As the constitutional reconfigure develops we both need to think about how we can attempt to offer an inclusive future for our BritNats.
“Brexit and reactionary unionism only offer tomorrows based on myths of the past; we must offer one based on the real possibilities of the future.”
Certainly one way to ‘soften the blow’ for Unionists is to offer them a better future outside the UK!
Just to add my own anecdote and feelings on the matter.
Four years ago my father’s life saved not once, but twice within the same year. Heart condition (triple bypass) and a subdural hematoma which wiped four months of memory from the man and took him to the brink.
The staffs of the Golden Jubilee, Southern General, the Royal and Stobhill are, so far as I am concerned, champions one and all. Months of painstaking care and rehab by dedicated and caring staff for which I have only the greatest respect and gratitude.
Health services are under threat across the UK, but not by the Scottish government or their handling of their brief.
Smallaxe says
Online polls like this tend not to show voting intention, but highlight which groups are more active on the internet.
At the moment …
SNP 55%
Labour 24%
Tories 9%
Greens 4%
… the main conclusion is that Tories are generally less likely to be involved in online discussion like WoS.
Macart;
More good news, my Friend, keep it coming Wingers, you’re on the right thread.
🙂
Peace Always
Decommissioning will be undertaken in Scotland, there is a big project in Dundee and other facilities in Scotland. The premises has to be big enough etc. Dundee Harbour will be ready in six months. A big project. Money is being invested in it. Firms in Scotland do maintenance work all over the world. Big business. Not just in Scotland. The Tories have tried to destroy the Oil & Gas sector in Scotland. Reneged on CCS projects for coal and gas. Spent £2Billion build coal fired plants near Clegg’s constituency. Banned onshore wind turbines in England.
The Tories are borrowing and spending £Billions in Hinkley by the sea, HS2, Heathrow and Trident. All a total waste of money. Two tidal barrages (Humber + 1) would produce more energy, be safer and cost £Billions less. The present rail line should be improve, especially in Scotland where journey’s take far longer because of lack of investment. To improve the times of rail journeys throughout Britain. Not an under capacity another line to Birmingham not supported by passenger numbers. A two tier system that will fail and fares will be higher. Ditto Heathrow and Trident. Redundant.
There could be more commercial activities on the Clyde which Faslane prevents..Thatcher. They leave the poisoned hulks in Scotland and do all the work and maintenance elsewhere. Scotland has to pay for it. The Tories took all the maintenance to Devonport, even though it costs £Millions more. Left all the poison in Scotland, Against the majority people’s will. Sanctioning and starving people to death. The bureaucracy costs more than the benefits.
Johnston is trying to start a 111WW with, Russia, China or the US. Anyone it doesn’t matter. To distract to what he has done to try and destroy the world economy. Fallon is living in the 1950’s, trying to take the UK back to the 1930’s. May is illegally hawking around the world for business for her husband’s £Billion Hedge Fund. Illegally not declaring it. Described as delusional seems about right. Declares an election to try and hide the criminality of her Party members.
galamcennalath says:
2 May 2017 at 8:50 am
“Smallaxe says”
The Lady provides the links that are on, I’m only a conduit, a lowly Pawn.
😎
Peace Always my Friend
@dakk says: 1 May, 2017 at 11:49 pm:
All of what you say is true and I am self employed myself,but I am sure that whether employed or self employed it is an aberration that it is’almost unheard of to work full time’.
I don’t know what sources you are relying upon to draw your conclusions, dakk. Nor do I understand what your agenda is in pushing that agenda but whatever it is it certainly is untrue.
First of all many practices are single practitioner concerns. Especially in more rural areas and most practices have consulting times that are spread across the day. In between times the GP makes home calls and has paperwork to cope with.
In other cases there are husband and wife practices where, usually the wife, only works part time running the family the rest of the time.
It simply is NOT true that a majority of GP are part time. In any case, as they are self employed the NHS only pays then for the hours they work.
“It is obvious to me they can only be bothered working part time since they are paid so much by the NHS.”
claptrap.
Is there another profession,employed or self employed apart from lollypop people where it is almost unheard to work full time?”
State your sources that what you claim is in fact the case.
As to is there other cases – yes, and there are many.
Including most elected politicians and their constituency staff.
My wife was diagnosed with inoperable cancer at the start of the year. The consultants, registrars, nursing staff, cleaners and porters at Ninewells plus the community teams have all helped us tremendously at this time. We are sick of unionist politicians and journalists running NHS Scotland down to further their failing agenda.
O/T but.
Man rescued after drifting on surfboard for 32 hours.
link to irishtimes.com.
Rescue co-ordinated from Belfast.
Where are Scotland’s centres? Aberdeen, Stornoway and Shetland.
Refer
link to nidirect.gov.uk.
WTF?
What will happen after Brexit and Irish Unification?
All will be well if Scotland and Ireland are both in Europe. BUT!
Robert Peffers says:
1 May, 2017 at 9:39 pm
“@Smallaxe says: 1 May, 2017 at 8:56 pm”
Smallaxe says:
1 May, 2017 at 10:15 pm
Robert Peffers: YOU HAVE MAIL! UP THERE^
Peace Always
Just switch the BBC off. Do not give them oxygen. The temptation is to scratch the sore. Do not give in to it. Keep it covered up. Unsubscribe from SKy. Fox News us getting it’s comeuppance losing viewer figures. O’Reilly’s gone. Along with the executives. US Prosecutor is after them. Many lawsuits in the pipeline for historical sexual, racial abuse, unfair dismissal etc.
Murdoch should be procecuted for bribing public officials. A criminal business offence under US Law in any country. Murdoch should be put in jail. SKy have even pulled out Blair to display. The man who destroyed the world. How low can they go? He should be charged for crimes against humanity. Along with murdering Murdoch who aided, abetted and encouraged him. To cause the present crisis in world Democracy and destroy the world economy. The US and UK can’t have independent defence, foreign, social or economic policies they are so indebted. Trns.
Scotland can be Independent in the EU. Just vote for it. SNP/SNP. Vote for Independence and prosperity. Do not be dragged down by the lying criminal unionists. Most of whom should be in jail. Troughing, lazy, lying greedy criminals, and their green enablers. Reneging on their principles with their nonsense policies. The enemy within. Corbyn the useless liar. Voted through every Tory policy. Stayed and troughed in a a party for over 30 years. With every major issue he disagreed. Instead of going off and doing something useful. Useless. Labour got what it deserves. It destroyed itself. A bunch of ruthless criminals. Deja Vu.
Doctors- some are full time, some are part time. Just like dentists, accountants, architects…..
Doctor qualifies, sets up new practice. Over time the practice grows. Too much for one doctor, so he sub-lets part of his practice to another doctor. Eventually the practice has enough doctors that the original practicioner can drop his work load and begin to enjoy their spare time more.
It’s called work-life balance, and it just so happens yhat these professionally qualified persons are in a position that they can do so. Fair play to them.
When my sister worked as a dental nurse for example, the practice owner was renting out 2 “chairs” for £2000 per month. Likewise a hair salon ot bury salon owner will rent out a chair at perhaps £50 a day to a newly qualified hairdresser.
I have yet to see anyone demonise the likes of Rita and Irvine Rusk for working part time after their hairdressing chain took off for example.
@dakk says: 2 May, 2017 at 1:57 am:
“It is GPs who have told me such and whom have told me they too are part time.”
If you imagine your quoted sources would be accepted anywhere as good evidence you are kidding yourself.
The truth is there is a real shortage of GPs in Scotland and that is a verified statistical fact. Here’s one :-
link to app.croneri.co.uk
Now, dakk, why do you imagine that is?
Many rural areas cannot recruit any GPs and there are good reasons for that. A single GP in a country practice has a large area to cover and may have to maintain several consulting premises. They work long, hard, unsociable hours that few people find acceptable and if it were as well paid as you seem to imagine GPs would be queuing up to get into that practice.
Your sources are not in any way acceptable or believable. Has the Rev Stu not taught you to check all sources and accept nothing as true unless you can verify it?
I’m not sure about the partners in GP practices,but from what I hear from the horses mouths it seems to be the norm.
You need to change horses in midstream, dakk.
Visions of London calling came to mone after reading this.
Thanks for exposing. It is a constant disease against the SNP. The only cure will be independence.
@dakk says: 2 May, 2017 at 12:18 am:
“The fact they are honking rich part timers is neither here nor there is it ?”
Matter of fact it isn’t – unless I’m missing something – rather than, “here or there”, it is, “hearsay”.
Like some others, I would probably be dead but for the fact that nine years ago, the S.N.H.S, in the guise of the staff at Ayr Hospital, saved my life. And the follow up treatment at Hairmyres, and then Monklands Hospital, set me on the road to recovery.
As I’m sure we all know, two out of these three hospitals would not have existed if a Labour/LibDem administration had been re-elected in 2007. Who reversed that decision? Nicola Sturgeon.
And more recently, a close relative had a serious, though non-life threatening, accident last year, and from the prompt arrival of the paramedics, to the follow-up treatment in hospital, it couldn’t have been done more professionally. I would also add that at all times the patient was treated with great courtesy and kindness, facets sometimes overlooked in todays world.
My concern is that if we do not become an independent country, then the creeping privatisation that is taking place in the E.N.H.S, must eventually have an effect on services in Scotland.
While the S.N.P Scottish Government are doing their best to insulate us from the wrecking ball that is the tory government in Westminster, there must be a limit to their ability to do so, so independence is a priority, to keep our N.H.S safe, and in public hands.
Mayhems wagon wheels appear to be getting decidedly shaky by the day , Her strong and stable mantra is being widely ridiculed even the media are joining in , whats the odds on this being quietly dropped and replaced with a new shiny slogan .
This only confirms what I have been telling all our Pensioners for years. I’m an octogenarian and not once, not once, has NHS Scotland let me down. In an massive employer of talented people (our NHS) there are bound to be times when things go wrong. I detest those who constantly denigrate the service in Scotland. I, and I’m sure thousands of others, would not be here right now but for the wonderful service given to us by NHS Scotland. Why do you think so many folk from south of the border sell up and come to Scotland? Many to David Mundell’s constituency (with their votes), alas! When our NHS does well, tell everybody, especially unionists who always point out how inferior we are in Scotland at every opportunity. Never trust the Tories with Scotland.
Galamcennalath @ 8.50
What I never hear though and espically when it comes to Gibraltar and the Falklands.
What plans do Westminster have to take in their loyal subjects who are so in love with British rule they cannot live under another….
There must be some who are making plans to leave these countries who are no longer a part of British Government rule?
We never hear or see a interview with them!
I have often thought that the Chagos islanders would have got their Island back and right quick if they would have claimed to be loyal British subject’s and were intending to move to the big island!
But let’s hear a UK minister offer that every Scot or N.Irish person who wants to remain British is welcome in England after these countries leave.
Surely the Westminster government view’s them as British first,and loyal at that.
Or are they still seeing Paddies and Jock who believe they might be accepted by the people who they are “subjects” (subjects for fucks sake) of.
Robert Graham says:
‘Strength and Stability’. Like something from the Mussolini Guide to Building a Fascist State. I don’t have too many concerns about ‘stable’, through it is conservative with a small ‘c’. ‘Strong’ has uncomfortable fascist overtones!
So what will the replacement be? All soft, compassionate and caring? Or, will it be something we can all goose step along to?
I think the main Scottish NHS is doing fine (especially compared to England’s) but where the NHS – and I mean all over the UK – is failing is in mental health services. My own experience has been of rescheduled appointments where initial assessment was brought forward, then pushed back, then pushed back again to beyond when the very first appointment, I had that then was referred for an autism assessment… I’m still waiting and it will be two years in July.
Do I need to have completely degraded to the point of self harm before I get the help I asked for 2 1/2 years ago?
Off topic but true to form, the day before the local elections The Herald fills its letters pages with anti-SNP headlines and the usual Unionist correspondents.
Liz g says:
To be honest, I don’t think imperial UK cares much about its ‘subject’ populations. They are disposables. The value with the Falklands is the asset of the off shore shelf, Gibraltar is strategic and a convenient tax haven, and Scotland is strategic and oil.
Of course when it suits the UK’s agenda it will have a referendum of subjects. Falklands and Gibraltar inhabitants voted massively to keep the status quo. Like the UK however, neither Spain nor Argentina care what the colonists want, these countries want what the UK has, the assets.
Which is where your point kicks in. What does the UK plan to do with the loyal subjects it has played as pawns for centuries, if the real estate changes hands / reunifies / gains independence?
Will they be ‘welcome home’? A hae ma doots.
SKy discussing fake news. You couldn’t make it up.
Ken500 says:
🙂 Nice one!
Oh Jings…
link to archive.is
link to archive.is
Just had my personal invite from Lib Dem Jo Swinson asking for my help to crush the nasty and vile SNP
She tells me in her personal posted letter to me that the SNP are on 40% in East Dunbartonshire while she is on 36%
In her letter she shows that Labour are on 12% and Tories on 9% but points out that if Labour and Tories vote Lib Dem as a United front the Union wins by getting her as a Unionist MP
These are the tactics the Lib Dems always employ at elections, the only problem with this tactic from Mz Swinson here is everybody knows in the 2014 independence referendum she went around old folks homes helpfully filling in their postal votes for them because the old dears couldn’t possibly understand all that complicated democracy stuff
John Nicolson is the MP for East Dunbartonshire and a fine man he is too having on many occasions biffed the noses of the media and Unionist politicians whereas Jo Swinson did absolutely nothing in the coalition Tory Lib Dem government except mouth all the words she was told to by Nick Clegg
and any constituents who had a problem were usually told to “get a lawyer” to handle their problems
I resent Jo Swinson for lots of reasons but the main one is she’s a cheat and not even a very clever one
So I’ll be doing what it is I do to undermine every single word that flows from her gub in every way I can so that Mr John Nicolson who’s a real MP can return to Westminster and keep sticking it to the Tories and not supporting them which is what Jo Swinson did the last time she was an MP
There of course is another reason why I want Mr John Nicolson as my MP
I more than rather like the idea of Independence, in fact I love it
Mz Swinson will wish I hadn’t received her letter now coz that’s my dander up again
Muscleguy
Just wanted to say sorry for snapping the other day and put my hand up to not being particularly helpful in how the post was framed.
I was just a little hurt and disappointed that you appeared not to have spotted the efforts I’ve made to introduce science into the debate, especially semiotics (the science of understanding human meaning making). Let’s just say crestfallen when you appeared to dismiss insight in to cultural modes of thought as being of little vale. Are we not up against a national malady in perception and cognition?
Admittedly I could have been more prescriptive in the intro, which I struggle with some times. Not only because of the scope and breadth of topic under consideration, but as I’ve said, I’m rusty. Over quartet of a century rusty. Anyway, hopefully that’s that. 😉
Hamish100 10:06 pm
You wrote “I think the % see by times are useful up to a point for emergency cases but where someone can live with 4 ibrubrofen and to rest the injured limb I think should be excluded. Particularly if they are not really an A&E case or even a GP visit”
I wholeheartedly agree Hamish!
Moreover, whilst the “% see by times” are an indicator, it is by no means the whole story anyway. I know via a person “in the know”, that no hospital is ever going to report that it saw all of its A & E patients within target – because they would either end up losing budget – or increasing the number of patients that turn up in their A & E!
Being efficient and productive is not rewarded in the NHS – other than by getting more patients which then means that you have more work to do on the same budget!
I don’t profess to know what the answer is.
@Ken500
yeah saw that ultra right wing harridan Isabel Oakeshott sticking up for the Fake News Daily Mail,
didn`t know that Wikipedia had banned the Daily Mail as a reliable news source because of it constant lying and Fake News,
`blame the Russians!` says the idiot Tory politician Damian Collins,
Fake News on a program about Fake News.
All
Controversial question: Given the general praise for the work of GPs in genberal, is this an instance where people agree that some privatisation of some areas of the NHS is working well?
Mrs May seems to think Brexit although a car crash can be made whole again by just saying so, whereas when a car crash becomes a write off even if you make it whole again it’s still a category D motor that requires a warning on resale
Just like Britain will become a category D
D for Dodgy!
@Smallaxe says: 1 May, 2017 at 10:15 pm:
I will most certainly pass on your good wishes to the Lady, it will be my pleasure sir. I don’t think that she will mind if I tell you that she is dining out tonight with friends and enjoying her sojourn on her beloved Island home.
If there is a good side to illness and disability, Smallaxe, it is that when you become restricted, in getting out and about, it leaves a big gap for busy minds to fill with something worth doing.
I spend many hours researching things on the internet. Mind you the once trim garden is now a mess, the property is neglected and the wee dog is getting fat from being under exercised. A rewire job for both my mains electrics and my wired home network is taking months for a job that once would be hours but the mind is hyperactive.
I’ve no doubt Nana is in much the same kind of condition.
My old Grannie used to say about me when I was a wee laddie, “Oor Robin wullna stick. If he canna dae it ae way he’ll fund anither way tae dae it”.
May I thank you, sir, for the immense amount of knowledge that you have imparted to us all here on WoS, I for one am most grateful for your generosity and patience and wish you a respite from your painful condition.
Peace Always Sensai Peffers”
I need no thanks, Smallaxe, like everyone else on Wings, it is my pleasure to do whatever I can in the long fight for Scotland’s freedom. The only thanks required will be to see Scotland standing up for herself. I’m sure most Wingers feel the same way.
My main problems stem from a car crash when my late wife and I were hit head-on by a drunk driver.
It took the emergency services from around 17:10hrs till around 21:30hrs just to cut us out of our car.
It resulted in her being wheelchair bound for what remained of a very painful and shortened life and me becoming increasingly more disabled as the inevitable Arthritis and other effects of reduced mobility become increasingly more severe.
That, so they say, is life. You can choose to lie down and slowly die or do the best you can and continue to live within your capability a bit longer.
I’ll try to hang on until I can live in a free Scotland. None of us can do better than that and as the monkey said when it piddled in the sea, “Every little helps”.
sensibledave:
– is this an instance where people agree that some privatisation of some areas of the NHS is working well?
No.
Macart says:
“All of these facts have been available to British journalists writing on Brexit for months. Nothing is new. “
This is true, there has really been little new from the EU for six months. Their position has been consistent.
The problem is, both Brexiteers and media have been in a vicious circle of supporting each other’s improbable views of how Brexit will unfold. The absurdity of what they have been pushing has become increasingly difficult to sustain.
Having been ‘caught out’ what do they do? Continue in denial, admit they have been deluded and deluding, or pretend things have changed? We see a mix of the first and third!
All
As a bit of light relief for us all, I gift you a link to the very recent “car crash” interview where Dianne Abbot, the woman that wants to be voted in as Home Secretary, shares her grasp of her brief ….
link to lbc.co.uk
(LBC is a local radio show in London)
Galamcennalath @ 10.32
Aye…Ah hae ma doots as well.
When will they wake up (espically the N.Irish) and realise that Westminster doesn’t give a shit about them and never has.
I’ve told my lot many many times… another no vote….get qualified and get out.
But I never hear we are moving to England as we cannot bear to be under the rule of the Holyrood Parliament, it’s the London Parliament we are loyal to!
I suspect we never hear of it because the response of the public in England to more “migrant’s” would indeed let the cat out of the bag about how the Scots and the Irish are really thought of.
The English people themselves, I don’t think buy this “we are all Brit’s “shit any more than we do.
How could they and why would they?
Having to pretend we are all one country at the point of a gun is one thing,but it’s not a real thing this Union and it never has been.
At most we are allies and that’s about it!
But those who have been lead to believe that Westminster is their only legitimate ruler, should be offered a home in it’s realm.
They should demand it…. mibbi they should learn how to march or sumthin.
sensibledave says:
2 May, 2017 at 11:48 am
All
As a bit of light relief for us all, I gift you a link to the very recent “car crash” interview where Dianne Abbot, the woman that wants to be voted in as Home Secretary, shares her grasp of her brief ….
Sensibledave your silly little UKOK toryboy comments are all the light relief we need, thanks.
Spotted the BBC is willing to join in the misrepresentation of Nicola Sturgeon quote. They are following the unionist cause as they want to turn this into a election on the referendum, as they know in a multi party election it is near impossible to achieve more than 50% of the vote.
For those at the BBC who seem to now struggle with English. The quote was about the authority of the Scottish Parliament and people, and should it be over-ridden by Westminster, mainly MP’s from outwith Scotland.
@galamcennalath
This is beyond parody at this point GM. You can see the pitch for the public the Tories are formulating from a long way off.
From day one after the EU vote most commentators with two neurones to rub together could see what the EU’s stance HAD to be. They’re not going to sacrifice the EU charter for one country’s wish list and never were. They’ve been utterly consistent and transparent in their statements from the get go.
The UK public are in for a rough ride and their government are treating them like mushrooms attempting to avoid responsibility and catastrophic electoral and societal fallout.
@sensibledave says: 2 May, 2017 at 11:12 am:
” … I don’t profess to know what the answer is.”
And from where I’m standing, sensibledave, you don’t generally seem to know what the question is either.
So I suppose your admission of not knowing the answer is progress – in some way.
Robert Peffers;
I thank you, sir, for your welcome and very moving reply, there are few of us who, like your good self, do not have our sorrows to seek. I as you will probably know am suffering from an incurable form of blood cancer (Myelofibrosis) and was told in 2014 that I had less than six months to live. However, as you can see I’m still up and fighting.
I think the thought of freedom from this insanity of a union keeps a lot of us “douring it oot”, for the sake of the generations to come after we have faded away.
I will continue to enjoy and learn from your entertaining and informative posts.
Once again, thank you, for your massive contribution to WoS.
Lang may yer lum reek!
Peace Always Sensai Peffers
@ Robert Peffers
‘It simply is NOT true that a majority of GP are part time.’
If you can supply me with a source for that ,then it would go some way to assuring me what my GP client told me was untrue.
I don’t have much time to research data on GP working practices.
I just thought I would relate my own experiences if that is allowed.
@sensibledave says: 2 May, 2017 at 11:15 am::
” … Given the general praise for the work of GPs in genberal, is this an instance where people agree that some privatisation of some areas of the NHS is working well?”
Why, sensibledave, do you stick your nose into matters you are totally ignorant about?
The history of the Scottish NHS is totally different from that of the other three countries in the other equally sovereign Kingdom of the United Kingdom.
link to ournhsscotland.com
As the GPs in Scotland have never been nationalised there is no point in asking Wingers if privatisation is an acceptable privatisation.
BTW: sensibledave I was around in 1948 so was born and lived for a time before the Scottish NHS. I was born on a farm in what was then Midlothian and the local GP practise had two full partners and a junior partner who eventually became the third full partner.
That junior partner covered the Farms and Small Holdings while the two full partners covered the several villages and hamlets. I’m going to say no more than that as the rural people were very, very poor they could not pay with cash for medical care or medications.
Yet that junior GP lived very well indeed even during WWII. He was almost as poor as his patients. So you might well ask how that could be so – he got fed on the very best farm produce when he visited his patients and for his fees would accept a ham, chicken or pack of beef, a box of eggs or a quantity of milk, pat of butter or a cheese.
Get the picture, sensibledave? GPs in Scotland have never been directly employed by the state. BTW over 30 years before the NHS there was a state system of public health care in The Scottish Highlands and Islands.
link to ournhsscotland.com
Did you imagine that England invented health services?
In my youth Scotland, and Edinburgh in particular, still led the World in medical science. Ever heard of Doctor Norman Dott? Surgeon Slessor who was called in to operate on the Late King George? Doctor Anna Herdman? Just to mention a few I knew personally.
My mother was part of Slessor’s operating theatre team.
Another BTW:
The father of Laura Juliet Kuenssberg, the political editor of BBC News, was once my GP in Edinburgh. A real genius of a GP who later became Medical Director of Health for Scotland. First ever GP to do so. A really great man.
@sensibledave says: 2 May, 2017 at 11:48 am:
“!(LBC is a local radio show in London)”
Oh! Dear! sensibledave is not having a very good day today, so far.
LBC is a UK wide broadcaster, sensibledave and the, “L”. in LBC does NOT stand for London. It stands for, “Leading Britain’s Conversation”.
It is available UK wide on at least DAB and the TV frequency channels and may also be on FM or even medium wave for all I know.
Perhaps sensibledave is suffering from just having changed shifts.
‘The truth is there is a real shortage of GPs in Scotland and that is a verified statistical fact.’
That was kind of my point.
If it is true that full time is almost unheard of in GP world(and I have seen nothing to prove otherwise),then the shortage could possibly be rectified by having a mainly full time GP workforce.
Anyway that’s enough of that.Sorry I started.
@dakk says: 2 May, 2017 at 12:48 pm:
“If you can supply me with a source for that ,then it would go some way to assuring me what my GP client told me was untrue.”
I think I already did supply the answer.
In fact GPs have always been self employed and there is GP coverage 24/7 but not necessarily would you get your own GP or even a GP from your own practice.
As to your claim they are all stinking rich the truth is some GP practices cannot be filled and there is a big shortfall in GP posts :-
link to stv.tv
It is obvious if we are training junior doctors but cannot fill GP posts that qualified Doctors are going into other fields of medicine. If GP practice was paying better then it would be some other field of medicine attracting the newly qualified doctors. Either that or there are better jobs on offer in other countries.
Labour and in particular Dianne Abbot – what a fuckin joke they are. Couldn’t beat a one legged man in an erse kicking contest.
I honestly do not know what ‘Britishness’ is..
Anyone have any truthful, identifiable, non-geograpgical ideas?..
louis b argyll @ 2.32
Nothing printable… LOL
@louis.b.argyll
Near as I can tell, it’s whatever they need it to be for their marketing du jour.
Personally, I don’t answer to the state’s definition of who or what I’m meant to be, I kinda decide that. So I guess that means I don’t conform. (shrugs)
Ha ha hee hee someone has to say it.
Down with that sort of thing!
RE: GPs.
My own health centre (in Dundee) was a three GP practice. Within a year, two had retired and one had moved to Aberdeen to, I understand, a teaching post. No replacements applied to join the practice.
The practice is now managed by Tayside Primary Care, using a couple of permanent GPs and the third position provided by locums.
I think it should be realised that some GPs also undertake teaching roles in Medical Schools – maybe a couple of days a week – which may give the impression that they are only ‘part-time’ GPs.
In the past, I could get an appointment the same day, if I phoned as soon after 8am as I could and mentioned the password phrase “I think it may be an infection”. Otherwise, I could make an appointment for a time to suit me, sometimes up to a week ahead.
Under TPC management, it seems that you have to phone as near to 8am as you can and you’ll get an appointment that day. If none available, the advice is to phone again the next morning.
“Infection” still appears to be the word that can get you slotted in to an ’emergency’ appointment the same day. (The sooner you’re on antibiotics, the better.)
I find the new system a tad inconvenient, if you want to make an appointment to discuss a non-emergency matter a few days ahead.
GPS
Information Services Division Scotland produces workforce statistics on GPS. You will find links to a number of relevant reports – either executive summaries and/or full report at the links below:
link to isdscotland.org
link to isdscotland.org