Readers' Letters: Crises in the NHS is being replicated worldwide

In Scotland a pincer movement of increasing health needs of baby boomers being squeezed and crushed by the austerity, antitaxation and anti-government ideology of neoliberalism is playing out.

Freidrich Hayek’s launch in April 1947 of the Mont Pelerin Society and the launch of the NHS in July 1948 set in motion the clash of philosophy and economics that is driving the crisis in health and much else in contemporary politics and society.

The Mont Pelerin Society imagined a world of minimum government, taxation and regulation. The NHS required a world of active government, adequate taxation and effective regulation. Initially, the support needed to nurture and sustain an NHS was in ascendancy. However, the Reagan-Thatcher era and subsequent Labor governments compliance turbo-charged the emerging Mont Pelerin Ideology to become normalised into the now dominant varieties of centrism of the left and right.

It will take another shift in the tectonic plates of ideology and politics to reduce let alone eliminate waiting lists and the NHS health crisis. The good news is that tectonic shift do occur. The other news is that it needs to start and it takes time. In the meantime the struggle over bandaids must continue.

Stewart Sweeney, Adelaide, South Australia

Ukrainian defence

“New Nato Chief Says Arms Can Be Used In Russia” read your chilling article today. Mark Ruitte already looks out of his depth though he was only echoing the words of Sir Keir Starmer when they were grandstanding in the White House in mid September.

Nato is a DEFENSIVE alliance of 32 countries set up in 1949, whose members are committed to safeguarding the freedom and security of the members, the backbone of their article 5 commitment to defend each other.

There are times when the public are so caught up in the emotion surrounding Ukraine that we lose sight of the fact that Russia is a superpower with more nuclear warheads than eg the USA or China. Our support amounts to £12.7 billion so just how prepared are we for a nuclear attack? Given the efforts by President Zelensky to ratchet up the war, eg by putting pressure on the UK to grant the use of precise long range storm shadow missiles, which fly 155 miles and can penetrate bunkers, ammunition stores, and destroy airfields; it is a legitimate question.(Yes they have them already but they can only be used within Ukraine).

It was in September 2022 President Putin marked the biggest escalation of the Ukraine war saying Russia could use a tactical nuclear weapon if Ukraine continued offensive operations. Until then Russia had said they would only be used if the very existence of Russia were threatened. Defence think tanks argue ATACMS missiles would be far more effective than storm shadow. They point to the effective defensive anti missile systems notably the Israeli “Iron Dome” or the “Aegis Ashore” missiles currently deployed in Poland and Romania. Tellingly, how would the West justify thousands of Russians civilian dead killed by British missiles?

A month after Putin’s terrifying threat, Chinese Premier, Xi Jinping, warned Putin against this, but cautioned Nato not to give Zelensky long range missiles nor tanks nor aircraft. As the red flags of tanks and aircraft folded, with no response, we have, seemingly, become empowered. However, Vasilly Nebenzia, the Russian Ambassador to the UN, has repeated the alarming words of President Putin. An attack on Russia by Nato would be a declaration of war.

John V Lloyd, Inverkeithing, Fife

Envoy goes Awol

Once again Ms Gray is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, as Government Envoy for the Nations and Regions, one would have assumed her presence at the first meeting of this body, held in Edinburgh, would be essential, not so.

But then, Ms Gray was not the only one to be conspicuous by her absence. Because the Leaders of Scotland’s thirty two local authorities were not even invited, yet England’s Mayor’s were all round the table, something just not right there.

If we are to achieve better dialogue going forward between the new Labour Government and the devolved nations, then surely this body has got off on the wrong footing.

Catriona C Clark, Falkirk

Hands off Gibraltar

Sir Keir Starmer, having given the Chagos islands, including the strategically vital for US and UK militaries base, Diego Garcia to Mauritius, is currently having discussions with Spain about Gibraltar.

I understand that with workers crossing the border in both directions, the border should be open. It’s as much in Spain’s interests as it is the UK’s to keep it this way.

But Gibraltar is sovereign British territory legally ceded by Spain to Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1714. Spain should have no say in Gibraltar’s future status which is, and must remain, a British Overseas Territory in perpetuity.

With his MPs up in arms about Rachel Reeve’s withdrawal of pensioners’ Winter Fuel payments, the Sue Gray resignation, the Freebies scandal and much else, Starmer should get back to his day job, running the United Kingdom.

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

Preposterous praise

The latest passenger on the SNP bandwagon, frantically clutching at a straw long gone, is Jamie Hepburn.

Piling praise on the Scottish Parliament for its preposterous “debate” and vote on the winter fuel payment, he tries to make some political capital out of a problem the SNP have demonstrably brought on themselves. Anyone with even a soupcon of political knowledge would quickly grasp the crassness of their move.

It is hypocrisy as only the SNP can do it; the one thing at which they are competent. They and no one else have control over the winter fuel payment and they decided to cut it in Scotland. It is as simple as that. Not Labour, not Tory, the SNP. Their sham debate was simply an attempt to deceive.

Mr Hepburn should be ashamed of himself.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Prisoners waiting

Sadly, we’re used to waiting times on the NHS, but a new phenomenon is a waiting list for prisons. Never have prisons been so popular and now cell blocking is becoming a feature of prison life (your report, 11th October). Scotland has one of the highest per capita population of prisoners, an alarming percentage of whom reoffend.

And so do prisons work and what is their point? Partly they're a place for punishment, but surely more so, they are there to rehabilitate those who are released, from the sheltered security of prisons to the sometimes stark reality of freedom. In the latter, prisons seem to be failing.

I would argue that many who are imprisoned shouldn't be there in the first place, as too often, prison has a negative result. Prisoners are institutionalized. Much more investment should be made towards community care for those convicted for nonviolent crime. Lessons could be learned from those countries with less of a prison population and indeed, more shorter sentences. To society in general, the vital work of strenuous rehabilitation into far too often hazardous freedom should be emphasised for us all.

Ian Petrie, Edinburgh

Lurch to the right

With the Labour Party under the leadership of the Right Honourable Sir Kier Starmer Knight Commander of the Order of Bath now firmly ensconced in the middle ground of right wing politics can anyone be surprised by the Conservative Party's rejection of front runner James Cleverly in favour of two candidates far to his right.

Why would the Conservative Party want to sit and scrap for votes on ground where Mr Cleverly is separated from Starmer by the thickness of the proverbial cigarette paper when they can carve out their own territory somewhere further to the right than both.

Thank you, Sir Kier for pushing politics in England further to the right and ever more distant from the principles your Party was founded upon. No Workers Rights Bill will bring back what has gone while it does not repeal one single clause of Thatcher's legislative attack on the Trade Unions. Under your new legislation there may be improved rights for workers in some respects but the power still resides with the ruling class. Those rights are only upheld at the whim of the powerful and just as easily denied or withheld.

If Scotland does not regain its independence soon we will be dragged down the slope and into the mire of right wing politics from which there will be no easy return. The working class that founded the Labour Party will be destined to feed off crumbs and scraps handed down to them and only then if the Labour Party is in government. We are already seeing the impact of this on our push for social justice with detrimental effects on the most needy people in our communities. Let's put a stop to the rightward movement before it is too late by drawing a line that separates us and our principles from our neighbour and theirs.

Ni Holmes, St Andrews

Deposit problem

David Alexander’s informative article on Thursday seems to be encouraging for the housing market. However, it does not cover the problem of the size of deposits needed by buyers. If I have read it correctly the figures shown for Edinburgh indicate that at a price of £250,000 a buyer with an average 80 per cent loan to valuation mortgage would require a sum of at least £50,000 to complete the purchase. I suspect that finding sums of that size is the biggest problem particularly as there is no move by lenders to return to the days of higher loan to valuation percentages to first time buyers.

Ian lewis, Edinburgh

Write to The Scotsman

We welcome your thoughts – NO letters submitted elsewhere, please. Write to [email protected] including name, address and phone number – we won't print full details. Keep letters under 300 words, with no attachments, and avoid 'Letters to the Editor/Readers’ Letters' or similar in your subject line – be specific. If referring to an article, include date, page number and heading.