Media Digest
September 2024
Listeners to BBC Scotland’s flagship lunchtime news show were told this week that “in Scotland there has been a decline in reading performance among 15-year-olds according to international tests.” That is a very misleading account of what the international test PISA shows. https://www.believeinscotland.org/mediawatch_bbc_misrepresents_scottish_pupils_reading_performance
April 2024
Scottish businesses more confident in SNP than Labour
SCOTTISH firms have more faith in the SNP than Labour, according to a major survey on business confidence in Scotland.
Scotland’s Hate Crime Act – A Letter from Scotland
It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good. Scotland correspondents battling for a slot on the flagship evening news shows, columnists defending free speech, and cartoonists looking for an eye-catching image have all benefitted from the Hate Crime row.
From Le Monde to the New York Times, Scotland made top billing on the news stands in the last week or so (the NYT wins the prize for the most error-laden report). On social media the famous line from Scottish detective show Taggart ‘There’s been a mur-dur’ was replaced by ‘There’s been a misgendering’.
Divergence in Child Poverty Trajectory ignored by Media
Twenty years ago, Scotland had higher rates of child poverty than England – now they are significantly lower. Scotland is on a completely different trajectory to the other nations of the UK. And yet media coverage of the situation ignores this…
September 2021
Charity could consider legal action against UK Government over compulsory election ID
A Scottish disability charity will consider joining forces with other human rights organisations to take legal action against “discriminatory” and “disproportionate” proposals for compulsory photo ID made in the UK Government’s Election Bill, The Ferret has learned. [Karin Goodwin, theferret.scot]
No 10 wargaming to stop Nicola Sturgeon using Cop26 as ‘advert’ for Scottish independence
No 10 has been plotting how to cut Nicola Sturgeon out of Cop26 to prevent the first minister stealing the limelight, The Independent can reveal.
August 2021
Common Weal has just published a 2021 edition of our Demographics of Independence series. In these Craig has been gathering all of the publicly-available data on public attitudes to Scottish independence since 2014 and doing a data analysis on them. The report has a very readable analysis of the findings, but what does it mean for campaigning?
Ellen Dalzell says the new demographics of independence data now available to all of us clearly tells a rather uncomfortable, surprising and radically different story: supporters aren’t as clear as we thought they were. Instead it’s diversity that is currently on track to be the saving grace for Scottish independence.
February 2021
Scotland reaps dividend of Covid response that diverged from England’s
It’s worth taking a few minutes to read the Financial Times assessment of how by locking down earlier and prioritising care home vaccinations we’ve saved lives here in Scotland.
Brexit: Ending the City’s Dominance of European Finance?
The future of the financial services industry – centred in the City of London – matters enormously to the health of the United Kingdom’s economy. The Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) has few provisions on financial services and the UK now appears set to drive a wedge between EU and British rules so it can “benefit” from its new-found Brexit freedom. In reality, this “wedge” is unlikely to benefit the economic prospects of the City or the United Kingdom.
Update on The Scottish People Vs The UK Government on Indyref2
I am pleased to confirm that Lord Malcolm has ruled on the motion for urgent disposal and has agreed that the hearings before the inner house should take place before the elections, ruling in our favour. Hearings are likely to take place in the 1st week of April, but I shall update you when I know for sure.
Martin Keatings
Crowd Justice, Forward as One
