MYSTERIOUS HIGH DEATH RATE

Glasgow, once the Second City of the British Empire, now lies next to a dangerous nuclear weapons base.

Just as Detroit is famous for its high crime rate, and Monaco is famous for its high life expectancy, Glasgow is famous for its high death rate.

Life expectancy in Monaco is 90.

In 2006, life expectancy in one part of Glasgow was 54, lower than in Bangladesh.

Glasgow is famous for its sectarian violence - Catholics and Protestants.

The Economist, August 2012, examines the mystery of Glasgow - No city for old men

1. "Wander out into the streets of Glasgow... and it is possible to mistake the place for an unexplored corner of New York."

But, Glasgow has a higher death rate than New York.

In Glasgow the death rate is particulary high for those in the age range 15 - 44.



2. Even in rich parts of Glasgow, death rates are 15% higher than in similar districts of other big cities.


The UK's Trident nuclear missiles are based at Faslane just 25 miles west of Glasgow. The Polaris nuclear missile programme began in 1962

From the Sunday Herald, 16 May 2010

The UK Ministry of Defence is struggling to deal with hundreds of safety blunders, pollution leaks and environmental lapses at the nuclear weapons bases on the Firth of Clyde.

Official reports obtained by the Sunday Herald reveal that Faslane and Coulport have been plagued by nuclear accidents, radioactive contamination and fires over the last two years. 

Nuclear weapon safety 

The MoD is responsible for up to 220 nuclear warheads, used to arm Trident missiles on four submarines. The warheads are stored at Coulport, near Glasgow, and are regularly transported by road to and from the bomb factories at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire. 

 
Website for this image...

3. Up until 1950 Glasgow looked normal.

But between 1950 and 1980 a gap opened up between it and other big cities in Britain.

One reason was deaths from cancer.

Then, starting in about 1980, the gap widened again.

The old Glasgow, with its sense of community, seemed healthier?

4. "Adjusting for age, poverty and gender, Glasgow has more than twice as many deaths from drink and drugs as Liverpool and Manchester."

But, Glasgow smokes and binge-drinks less than Manchester and Liverpool.

The old Glasgow slums have been replaced by large anonymous housing estates where drugs gangs are a major problem.

5. The Glasgow Centre for Population Health examined 20 regions in Europe which, like Glasgow, went through rapid deindustrialisation.

Glasgow came out sicker than all of them.

This was "even when its residents were richer and better educated than their continental peers."

Glasgow was built on the River Clyde and many of the worlds ships were built in Glasgow.

6. In Glasgow, there has been an increase in the number of deaths from drugs, drink and suicide since 1980.

But, Glasgow smokes and binge-drinks less than Manchester and Liverpool.



Do certain Glasgow gangsters have links to the 'powers-that-be'? 

Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair and his friend Glasgow gangster Tam McGraw were deeply involved in the drug trade between Scotland and Ulster (Northern Ireland)' ( McGRAW: PETTY THIEF TO A £30M FORTUNE HOW DRUG-DEALING ) 

The Daily Record wrote: "Local uniforms and CID could often be found sitting in the McGraws' home drinking tea and smoking."

 When McGraw bought The Caravel pub, certain well-known detectives were in regularly, drinking heavily and never putting their hand in their pockets." (aangirfan: THE UK LABOUR PARTY'S STEVEN PURCELL AND COCAINE GANGSTERS 

7.  Unhealthy diet?

The people of Manchester and Liverpool eat just as few green vegetables as poor Glaswegians.


Thatcher wrecked Scotland's economy.

8. Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, in their book 'The Spirit Level' claim that in very unequal societies everyone’s health suffers.

Greater income inequality in Britain followed Margaret Thatcher’s election in 1979.


Council Estate in Glasgow. The Labour Party, the party of Tony Blair, has run Glasgow for many years. 

9. Glasgow moved many people from its friendly inner city 'slums' into vast, poorly policed, council estates, like Castlemilk, which had few amenities.

But, other British cities also created these horrid housing estates.


Extracts from the comments on The Economist article: 

Huw Sayer - Business Writer

Note: Glasgow has the highest levels of child poverty in Scotland .

http://jech.bmj.com/content/56/6/436.full
http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_129721_en.pdf http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/29150444/68

richardlith

In Glasgow, the middle classes moved postwar to such placed as Milngave, Bearsden, Whitecraigs or Newton Mearns (all very posh), or more moderate suburbs such as Bishopbrgigs, which are beyond the city boundary and are not included in Glasgow statistics...

This means that far fewer wealthy suburbs (Pollokshields, Newlands, parts of the West End, as noted by the writer) exist within the city boundary than in other comparable cities

Yet the people who now live beyond the Glasgow city boundary still see themselves in the main as Glaswegian, use Glasgow’s hospitals, streets, state-funded theatre etc, though importantly not the state schools (though they are major patrons of the city’s private schools).

As results, while Glasgow’s health, education and income statistics are bad, while statistics for surrounding council areas, where most of the wealthy live, mainly East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire, are some of the best in Scotland.

If Glasgow’s boundaries were extended to include large parts of East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire, then its statistics would improve somewhat, although this in no way dismisses Glasgow’s well known and, as the article argues, almost unsolvable health problems.

Jose Oei

Kevin Bridges, a local talent, noted that according to surveys, Glasgow was both the murder capital in Europe and the friendliest city in the UK. As he says, that is the kind of place where you can be stabbed, but you will be told the correct directions to the hospital.

It is actually a very safe and friendly city. The violent deaths are most related with football (Celtic Vs Ranger, they go crazy), and drugs (a serious world problem).