STEPHEN Jardine must have been quite proud of himself on Wednesday evening (October 25) as he successfully orchestrated another politically slanted BBC Debate Night consistent with what Jo Coburn in Politics Live and Fiona Bruce in Question Time also repeatedly achieve.
None of these supposedly professional hosts may actually be paid-up members of the Tory party, but they all apparently endeavour to allow Tory politicians as much uninterrupted speaking time as possible during which they are free to regurgitate the latest party slogans and make spurious claims about opposition parties and their policies. The representatives of those parties are invariably not afforded the same uninterrupted time to refute either the misleading propaganda or the false claims (some of which should have been corrected by an informed and objective host).
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In fact, these hosts not only interrupt those criticising the Tory party and the UK Government (which the hosts are usually quick to defend), their interruptions are constructed to counter the criticisms and divert the speaker from fully answering the question posed or from addressing even the wildest of claims made.
Of course, with any positive news to report relating to the SNP, the First Minister and the Scottish Government, ITV and Sky exhibit the same political bias in focussing only on negatives, but they are not publicly funded broadcasters supposedly representing a Scottish public which overwhelmingly does not support the Tory party and around half of which, or more, support self-determination. Yet Mr Jardine still afforded Tory MSP Brian Whittle considerably more time to expound his Conservative and Unionist views than other panel members were allowed to provide their insights.
Perhaps, however, the Tories are correct about one thing. It is now time to privatise the BBC or, as it is certainly not serving the Scottish public, for broadcasting to be devolved to a proportionately representative Scottish Government tasked with openly building an independently directed Scottish Broadcasting Corporation professionally staffed with genuinely objective journalists and reporters.
Stan Grodynski
Longniddry, East Lothian
THE NHS in Scotland may perform slightly better then England but in my opinion it is currently being held together by sticky plasters. Sadly under the previous Health Secretary Humza Yousaf it deteriorated further, as it was then that GPs were all allowed to stop doing their fair share of the Covid and annual flu vaccinations, thus causing a total balls-up.
There are eight surgeries in my area. Surely if they were at least doing a proportion of the vaccinations it would ease the situation in the rest of the NHS, saving people – especially the frail – from being sent here, there and everywhere, to wherever a hall etc is available and sitting for two-and-a-half hours to be vaccinated.
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That’s regardless of having an appointment, as my experience is of being given an appointment time, being told on arrival by a chap that “it disnae work that way” – in other words, the appointment meant nothing hence the sitting in pain for two-and-a-half hours.
My mobility is extremely bad so when I received my letter this time I phoned the number listed on the letter to arrange to get my vaccinations at home. As I hadn’t heard anything from them I called again as advised, only to be informed that there was no record of my previous call, so I had to go through all my medical details etc once again and was then told by the person that I should hear from them in around 16 weeks. That could be February 2024. Having heart disease, diabetes etc I should not have to wait this length of time for my vaccinations as I am more likely to be seriously ill if I contract Covid or the annual flu virus.
I wonder just how many people find themselves in the same situation as me? It’s time to get the GPs to do their share of the vaccinations and make things better for all their patients. I really despair at how thing are now in our NHS, This is only the tip of the iceberg. If surgeries can have in-house training during what should be consultation time and text people to tell them not to call, is this right? Why can’t they have their training sessions out of consultation hours and concentrate on seeing their patients?
Speaking to so many other people of my age group (70-80), they are of the same opinion that NHS IS GETTING WORSE. We all feel that it’s because of our age that we are just a nuisance!
Anne Smart
Glasgow
WHEN David Pratt speaks, we should all stop and listen (Propaganda and compliant politicians deprive Palestinians of their human rights, Oct 26). Few people truly understand first hand what is going on in the world but David Pratt is in that very limited band.
Stephen Stalker
via thenational.scot
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