Scottish government Covid briefings on the BBC

There is absolutely no reason at all for St Nicola to appear every day. Updates can easily be read by newsreaders just as they read every other item of news. No need whatsoever for personal presentation.
Elderly people can hear the latest updates in exactly the same way as they find out all the news and weather.
There's plenty of real work for Nicola to be getting on with in her day job.

Well seeing as you’re baffled I’ll explain it to you SueDonim.

The FM has admitted that she made mistakes and that she will take the criticism. That’s more than some leaders do, e.g. those who say everything will be fine by Christmas and that everything we do will be world beating. People aren’t unaware of the care homes situation, or of the initial lack of PPE, or anything else, but we see someone in charge who is doing their best in unprecedented circumstances and not pretending they know all the answers. Scots generally like that kind of thing.

Its not advice she’s giving, it’s the rules. Most of us obey them, not because we’re “sheeple”, but we understand that the government are trying to keep us alive.

And in closing, I find the term “sheeple” offensive and derogatory. It implies that the person its directed at is unable to reason and is easily led. As we’ve never met, I’ll just enlighten you. That’s not me. Maybe it’s someone who’s convinced the leader of our country doesn’t like Aberdonians?

Exactly, Callistemon re your 19:37 post. I admire for that, I’ll admit.

Parsley3

The briefings are informative and journalists are able to question the PM and her advisors. I like that. I would expect a FM of any political persuasion to take on the same responsibility.
Perhaps the English Grans can tell us if having no daily briefings made any difference to them.

Hi Parsley? Well, this English Gran hasn’t missed daily briefings at all, they had just become too repetitive in any case.
I follow the figures and what’s happening Covid wise online.

suziewoozie

lemon I see your posts are scraping the bottom of the barrel again

Whaaaaaat? ?
Perhaps somebody other than suziewoozie would care to say why my two posts above are ‘scraping the bottom of the barrel’ because all I can see is that I offered an opinion on perhaps why the BBC had stopped the broadcasts.It’s a guess, much as all other opinions on the matter are.
You should have gone to Specsavers I think suzie

What a cheek the BBC have.

I do agree, Elaine
We pay for this service and they should be answerable to the licence payers, should be totally impartial and not have their own agenda.

I’m interested to know why people think Sturgeon has done such a good job when the figures don’t support that. The R rate is now 1.4 in Scotland, the highest in the UK and it has the third highest death rate in Europe.

She hasn't but she is good at spin, SueDonim.

Perhaps the daily update should be continued by someone other than a politician who does have an agenda to peddle.

I’m baffled that anyone thinks that advice doled out on the basis of who-votes-where vis a vis Aberdeen/Glasgow and which leads to an R rate of 1.4, the third worst death rate in Europe and the percentage of deaths in care homes is good advice.

They are valuable and very clear and NOT political! Just having paid my mother's full license for BBC for 85yo who is very partially sighted (not severe enough to only pay half though she can't see the screen a foot away) I am furious. She listens every day and has no access to mobile phone or computer! We also listen as it impacts people sometimes at very short notice. What a cheek the BBC have. If I could watch over channels without BBC and not pay a license fee I would. Hopefully STV will take over.

I was led to believe the fm was only going to hold briefings mon wednesdays friday however I do enjoy them I’ve supported NSwith her briefings she’s been totally clear in her delivery not like some I could mention. Now I’m not going into politics cause it’s a minefield of varying opinions not necessarily true.we all believe what we want to believe it’s our basic human right to do so

No, Alegrias I’m interested to know why people think Sturgeon has done such a good job when the figures don’t support that. The R rate is now 1.4 in Scotland, the highest in the UK and it has the third highest death rate in Europe. That’s not exactly a success on the lines of New Zealand.

To use another poster’s term, maybe it’s the sheeple who are being led to believe that the SNP can do no wrong.

The briefings are informative and journalists are able to question the PM and her advisors. I like that. I would expect a FM of any political persuasion to take on the same responsibility.
Perhaps the English Grans can tell us if having no daily briefings made any difference to them.

Not everyone is able to access updates online. I personally know several “elderly” people who are unable to access the internet and watched this daily update while shielding.
At a time when numbers are creeping and we are repeatedly told the elderly are most at risk it’s bad timing to withdraw this service.

I don't think briefings were going to stop the impacts of a global pandemic SueDonim......

However they do tell us what's going on. Did you read my post above? That I would want regular briefings whoever was in charge? Or are you just fixated on the whole "SNP baaaad" thing?

So, what does everyone think?

I think that the BBC is broadcasting so many repeats at the moment that they're working with a skeleton staff.
DH came in to watch Escape to the Country yesterday only to find it was another repeat of a repeat which was broadcast just last week.

Lazy broadcasting is why this could be happening.
We're paying for an inadequate service.

The Scottish briefings are just a facade of control. They haven’t stopped the virus from taking the same toll as elsewhere. The number of deaths in care homes in Scotland is shocking, after they were forced to take untested patients from hospitals. The Nike Conference outbreak was hidden from us for as long as possible.

Briefings have failed to stop the same surges and hotpots as England and Wales have seen so I cannot see what purpose they serve or why people think Sturgeon has done any better than anywhere else.

Thanks Callistemon

There is an increase in cases in Wales, Alegrias, with Caerphilly in lockdown.
Rhondda Cynon Taf has a rising number of cases as has Cardiff.
Face masks will be compulsory from Monday in shops and the 'rule of six' will apply to gatherings indoors although children under 11 will not count in that number..

It is as predicted months ago.

lemon I see your posts are scraping the bottom of the barrel again

Cross post, Callistemon!

Oh yes, it's a BBC decision, as NS said herself at the briefing today. She's far too savvy to get caught up in any arguments about that.

But for the 576th time, (approximately), the content is not political. Whoever was in charge, I would want them on the national broadcaster telling me what the latest situation is. Especially as the virus seems to be taking off again. I wish we could have equally good communication from WM.

Not sure what the situation is in Wales, maybe someone else here knows?

Why are they not being broadcast on BBC Scotland?
Surely (most) people in Scotland would still want updates?

The Welsh government stopped giving daily briefings a while ago but I wonder if they need to be resumed too.

I don’t think daily briefings are necessary for any country, but once a fortnight would be good IMHO.
The facts and figures are easily accessible online.

Surely this is a BBC decision? However, as the content can be political, it may be that the Beeb has to give equal airtime to all countries ( devolved) as well as England, in political matters.

Oh yes! She managed to address many of the queries about the app. Very well prepared.