This morning I listened to the radio news to be told about...

Hopsitals in England failing to care adequately for older patients

Roads in England being in a dreadful state due to bad weather

Sex offenders in England and Wales including many under 18.

Notice a bit of the theme here?  All the bad stuff is happening in England (and sometimes Wales).  I need to listen more closely to see if the good stuff is too.  I have a suspicion that maybe it's just any stuff that happens in England.  Maybe the BBC should be renamed the EBC?!

It's a distorted picture for sure...

I have seen older people being neglected in hospital in Scotland

The roads in Glasgow are in an appalling state after two hard winters

I haven't a clue about sex offenders in Scotland because no-one tells us.

I guess the flip side of this is evident in the reporting of the General Synod of the C of E and lack of reporting of the General Assembly of the C of S.  So we hear loads about the C of E tying itself in knots over the questions around who may or may not be ordained or appointed as a bishop and almost zilch about the C of S when it debates similar topics.

Courtesy of the e-news sweep from the BUGB (that's the Baptist Union of England and a bit of Wales, plus three in Scotland and one in Spain) I have been pointed to some reporting on the C of S debates about the ordination of openly gay clergy.   The position is quite simple, they've agreed that those already ordained can carry on and they will go away and think for a couple of years about what next.  Whether that's a helpful decision is another thing, but it's not exactly all that far from the C of E fudges at various times.  I felt it was telling in this report when the minister who was contemplating leaving the Kird said he'd be discussing things with his 'evangelical brothers'... are there no evangelical sisters?  Oh, silly me, they should be making tea not serving as ministers of the Kirk!