Guilt Free Railing 14

[WouldBeGood]

😱 I think we will need this thread.. could it be the last?!

I'm grateful to have had my booster and flu jag on Tuesday. But can I have a tiny wee rail about how absolutely knackered I am? I feel and look like a burst couch.

Oh, pf course @Justmuddlingalong. Hope you feel better 💐

@WouldBeGood

I’m actually disgusted that Ian Blackford is not swathed in tartan as usual! How are we to know how Scottish he is?

Maybe he has haggis with his breakfast? And a tattie scone of course...

Actually I don't care what he was eating or that he was flying. I care about the hypocrisy though and the fact he's a nasty stupid lump of shite

Wear a mask
Avoid crowded indoor places
Eat healthily or we will tax your food
Don’t fly
Save the planet

Fucking hypocrisy SNP

Yep, all that and more..

Don't drink
Don't travel with covid
Work from home

What they mean when they say all those things is that the lowly populace shouldn't do those things, it's not for them though as they are special. Also the ex pat clebs who think we should have independence, not for them though living in the US, they can fly their scottish flag without dealing with the consequences. All the word leaders saving the planet with their 50 car entourage flying about everywhere.

I did see in the news the call to raise minimum pricing of alcohol again apparently the pandemic has reduced the benefits (no shit!)
Thing is if costs go up by £6 a bottle of vodka a alcoholic will just eat less, put less heating on etc.
Surely a better way is to tackle why people's drinking has gone up....... due to anxiety, uncertainty and constant rules

It’s another “it hasn’t worked, let’s do more of it!” stupid tactic

Maybe introducing minimum pricing on drugs would resolve that problem too?

Yes! And cooked breakfasts

Actually, I shouldn’t joke about that: that would be serious 🤣

A square sausage tax? Now you are talking....

Oh please don’t give them ideas.

Min

Ooops fat fingers.

Where does the revenue go from minimum pricing? Retailer, wholesale, government?
65p a unit is significant. That takes a bottle of wine to around the £6.50 mark, more mileage in a wee jaunt to Carlisle to stock up if this goes ahead.

As far as I can see, the money goes to producers and retailers, it's not a tax so there is no money generated in the public domain that could go towards treatments or the NHS who deals with the fallout.

A missed opportunity that is no doubt Boris' fault.

But it’s for our own good! Cos they care…

But then I'm sure they will say that it's to compensate businesses for the reduction in sales....

Even if they couldn't wangle it into the tax system, surely they could have made some way of passing the money onto worthwhile recipients through direct donations from producers and retailers?

@WouldBeGood

But it’s for our own good! Cos they care…

yes they do of course, i forgot about that. Did you see NS face when Sarwar was having a go about the QEH? Pursed lips and a shake of the head. Swinging brick for a heart imo.

So twitter is reporting that Scotlands amazing vaccination app we have to do it our way don't want the English one for free has risen to £4.5 million when the facial recognition part is included ..........
It's still not currently showing 3rd boosters either.....

Yep definitely value for public money there in comparison 🙄

Just imagine what could have been done with £4.5 million pound?

I know in the grand scheme of things it's not enough to resolve the NHS crisis or sort out education, but it could have funded drug schemes, helped small businesses to recover, or a myriad of things that could have benefitted deprived communities.

It just annoys me so much the money that has been wasted on mistakes and useless stuff including legal awards and all sorts. I know it's easy to criticise and no government is ever going to get it right 100% of the time but the sheer amount of wasted money in a relatively small budget is atrocious.

or a myriad of things that could have benefitted deprived communities.

This.
£4.5m goes A LONG WAY when distributed through micro projects supporting deprived communities, or positions for children’s hospices as support workers. Charities providing respite for families etc, etc. Instead, it’s been spent on an app to control the very lives of those of us privileged enough to go to theatres, cafes or wherever in good health.

Sigh.

Yep with an estimated 1.2million downloads - not people and most people I know had to download it twice minimum to get it to work (I personally was 4!) so the actual number of people using it isn't that high!

I haven't downloaded the app and wont unless I have no option.

Did you see NS face when Sarwar was having a go about the QEH? Pursed lips and a shake of the head.

I admit I am rather bemused by that whole story. Of course it's sad for the family involved, and very bad that QEH (and the sick kids in Edinburgh) has been such a disaster construction/ management wise - which NS should take responsibility for. But it still seems to be top news story on the BBC, for 2 days now - and I'm not sure why.

As I see it, the widow is annoyed that a) Her husband caught covid and it appears this fungal infection in the hospital, both of which likely contributed to his death - though ultimately doctors decided the Covid pneumonia rather than the infection should go on the death cert b) the hospital didn't tell her about the fungal infection at the time and c) once she got hold of the medical records which "admitted" the infection, there are still documents/ explanations they are withholding (also d) Jason L was a wanker when asked and implied that basically her family gave him covid, which is the kind of thing he WOULD say, but should be stopped from saying, really, in polite society). All of those individually are very poor practice, and together probably signify something a bit more than "just" individual errors on behalf of the medical team - but I'm not sure why they are specifically NSs fault, or why cases like this won't be dealt with in the upcoming inquiry, with procedures put in place now to stop them happening again.

The cynic in me is wondering whether its laying some ground-work for some big high profile sackings, so NS can say "look how seriously I'm taking this" or alternatively, covering up something even worse going on. Not wanting to be too outing, but it's no secret that the family are friendly with NS (understandably to a large extent, due to ASs professional role) and it does all seem a bit odd that this very personal and painful story is coming out now for no apparent reason, or what NS is supposed to be doing about it other than saying it shouldn't happen and the health board should get its act together.

I'd like to think it's nothing to do with the £4.5 million or alcohol pricing. But I just can't be sure any more.

And no - I still can't get the app to work either. So that's my £4 ish out of the £4.5million having been well spent... Just think how many full breakfasts that could have bought Blackford. Shame.