We happened to be looking at a couple of old articles this morning, and noticed that some of them had blank spaces where videos should be.
We didn’t think much of it at first, because people do sometimes delete old videos or shut down their accounts, but when we checked one of them we discovered it was hosted on the Wings Over Scotland channel.
An alert reader sent us a piece of interesting follow-up info to yesterday’s piece on NHS Scotland costs. Because comparable figures for NHS England are available too, and they make for surprising reading.
These are the Scottish figures for medicine costs at list price, ie before any negotiated discounts that the health service is able to obtain:
The population of England, at 55 million, is just over 10 times that of Scotland (5.4m). So one would imagine that its like-for-like costs would come in at around £12 billion.
The BBC front page headline for this is actually just the alarming-sounding “Scottish prescription costs rise by 25%”, without even the qualifier about the timespan.
It’s probably overdue that we start collecting these together. So here’s Sir John Major on the Andrew Marr show yesterday, explaining why a “once in a lifetime” referendum should in fact be held again because its outcome was determined by something that turned out to be untrue.
Which is, of course, totally different to Scotland being told to vote No in 2014 in order to stay in the European Union, because [REASONS TO FOLLOW AT SOME POINT]
The entire Scottish media has today leapt like starving dogs at a tin of Chappie on a new “study” by right-wing flag-crazed imperialist nutjobs T***e I*****s, which claims to prove that an independent Scotland would have a BLACK HOLE!!! of infinity squillion pounds and all the crops would wither in the fields and stamps would be £5000 each and we’d be invaded by space monsters and all the usual stuff you’d expect.
(In all seriousness for a moment, it genuinely tries to flog the “fiscal transfer” myth and the “Scotland would have to join the Euro” myth and a bunch of other Better Together Greatest Hits that were utterly debunked old hat half a decade ago, and in order to make its economic case work it basically pretends that Brexit isn’t happening.)
But at the bottom of its article the New Statesman offers to link its readers to the full extent of the author’s professional economic expertise and well-argued case, and in fairness if you click the link they do exactly that.
Credit where due, it’s an uncanny likeness of the gloomy wee fella.
Labour MP Stella Creasy, explaining to Sarah Smith on today’s Sunday Politics why she backs a so-called “People’s Vote” on Brexit because voters should have the right to change their mind about a referendum if circumstances change.
James Che on The value bet: “I foresee Scotlands independent country voting for a further three hundred years of Colonial rule and missing the open goal.…” May 6, 22:26
Geri on The value bet: “Let me see… Is it cause two of them actually attempt to serve Scots & they’re not genocidal peado apologists?…” May 6, 22:25
James Che on The value bet: “We hve been an independent Country in Scotlant since 1707, Whats wrong? You want to pretend that your in a…” May 6, 22:18
Rev. Stuart Campbell on The value bet: “Same either way: fuck-all.” May 6, 21:17
sarah on The value bet: “Cheer yourselves up, folks, by listening to Eva Comrie and others on today’s Barrhead Boy podcast. Then tomorrow go and…” May 6, 21:07
Campbell Clansman on The value bet: “Better question: How on earth could Scottish voters consider voting for the parties that have misgoverned them this century? SNP,…” May 6, 20:50
Campbell Clansman on The value bet: “What are the odds of the Alliance winning a “bucketload of seats?” Zero. Better question: What are the odds of…” May 6, 20:46
Dan on Seven Days Too Long: “No, Lorna. TH is right, as many didn’t speak out with any worth. Plenty supposedly pro returning Scotland to self-governance…” May 6, 18:38
Lorncal on Seven Days Too Long: “Geri: the police could be heard quite clearly saying: drop the knife, drop the knife. He wouldn’t drop it and…” May 6, 18:32
Mark Beggan on The value bet: “How on earth could Scottish voters consider voting for the SNP? 10 years of lies, mismanagement, theft, sexual deviation, bullying,…” May 6, 18:09
Lorncal on Seven Days Too Long: “They did and were silenced by various methods. As far as I am aware, all of them spoke out and…” May 6, 18:05
Mark Beggan on The value bet: “It wasn’t connected to the grass roots!” May 6, 17:54
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Binfire Of The Vanities: “With respect, you must ponder deeper. It is not philosophy as such which we are warned to be wary of,…” May 6, 17:53
Lorncal on Seven Days Too Long: “Wife: you make fair points. I know that ISP stands up for women, but they are not standing everywhere, and…” May 6, 17:53
Mark Beggan on The value bet: “The tent covered all the issues?!” May 6, 17:52
Effigy on The value bet: “How on earth could Scottish voters consider voting for Reform? 71 years of rejecting the Tories it looks like many…” May 6, 17:47
agentx on The value bet: “Alliance to Liberate Scotland don’t register on polls and don’t register on betting odds.” May 6, 17:43
Captain Caveman on Seven Days Too Long: “@Lorncal “We cannot rely on any of the parties to support women’s rights when push comes to shove and they…” May 6, 17:24
Sven on The value bet: “Tent collapsed eh, well, that’s poles for you.” May 6, 17:15
Mark Beggan on The value bet: “‘I took a poll recently and 100% of campers were very angry when their tent collapsed’!” May 6, 17:09
Shug on The value bet: “Give us an idea of Swinneys option if A) he gets an overall majority B) he gets a minority gov…” May 6, 17:07
Tommy on The value bet: “The Greens coming second would be the nightmare of nightmares. I mean, they even make the SNP look good. Another…” May 6, 17:05
agentx on Anas Sarwar is a winner: ““While critics have pointed to the lack of formal, traditional trade union recognition, in May 2024, the Usdaw union stated…” May 6, 17:00
Colin Dawson on The value bet: “Tactical voting could turn all current predictions upside down. What are the odds of Alliance to Liberate Scotland winning a…” May 6, 16:56
KOF on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Colossian 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the…” May 6, 16:47
Glenn Boyd on Anas Sarwar is a winner: “Ah its The Fearless New Labour “Socialist” Anas Sarwar, the multi – millionaire who’s employees are bared from joining a…” May 6, 16:38
Mark Beggan on Anas Sarwar is a winner: “I’m surprised the Daily Rangers never had this printed in Hurdu.” May 6, 16:12
Mark Beggan on Anas Sarwar is a winner: “SarwarLtd can always rely on the Cousin vote.” May 6, 16:07
Mark Beggan on Anas Sarwar is a winner: “Do people still read the Daily Rangers?” May 6, 15:59
