Readers' Letters: How can we believe Swinney's assurances on Scottish NHS?

Reader says NHS in Scotland is in a dire position, despite First Minister’s assurances

First Minister John Swinney claimed a few days ago that the Scottish NHS is coping, in spite of the increase in demand due to flu. Back in September the chair of doctors’ trade union the British Medical Association (BMA) warned government ministers there was a greater risk than ever that the NHS would struggle to cope this winter. The Royal College of Nursing also urged ministers to end the indignity of patients being treated in corridors.

The BMA is now warning that the NHS in Scotland may not survive another year if urgent reform is not undertaken (your report, 31 December) The Auditor General, Stephen Boyle, reported at the beginning of December that a fundamental change in how services are provided is needed to safeguard the NHS.

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Who to you believe? Those on the frontline and the Auditor General whose job it is to raise issues or a career politician whose party has had 17 years to improve our NHS?

John Swinney, pictured getting a Covid jag in 2021, says Scots can be confident in NHS (Picture: Andrew Milligan / POOL / AFP)John Swinney, pictured getting a Covid jag in 2021, says Scots can be confident in NHS (Picture: Andrew Milligan / POOL / AFP)
John Swinney, pictured getting a Covid jag in 2021, says Scots can be confident in NHS (Picture: Andrew Milligan / POOL / AFP)

Jane Lax, Aberlour, Moray

Not to mention...

Fact: for nearly two decades Scotland’s devolved administration has been run by a party most of the electorate don’t vote for. Their “achievements” have been higher social welfare spending, heavier taxes and a bigger state, as well as disintegrating public services and infrastructure.

Add to this the creation of a deeply entrenched dependency culture and an environment hostile to economic growth. Not to mention “succeeding” in making us a bitterly divided society split over carefully stoked constitutional grievances.

David Patrick (Letters, 31 December) accuses Robert Scott of an “anti-nationalist rant”, “vacuous polemic” and “cant, pure cant” because this correspondent pointed out the monumental incompetence of the Scottish Government, backed until recently by the ridiculous Greens.

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Interestingly, Mr Patrick declines to address most of Mr Scott’s “factual inaccuracies” due to “space considerations.” How very convenient. Mr Scott described the Greens as being “unelected” during that shortlived Holyrood marriage of convenience with the SNP on account of their having zero constituency seats, so diluted was their eight per cent share of the vote.

Rules need changing so that no party with this level of support can wield such totally disproportionate, undeserved influence ever again.

Mr Patrick is careful to avoid mentioning that the brief separatist coalition was a costly and unmitigated disaster which ended acrimoniously.

Martin O’Gorman, Edinburgh

Blame game

In his rush to blame the SNP, Martin Redfern fails to notice that the Glen Sannox is much larger than its diesel predecessor (Letters, 31 December) or that significant reductions in other atmospheric polluters are realised when running on Liquefied Natural Gas, which has no sulphur content so emissions of sulphur oxides are virtually zero and reductions of nitrogen oxides are up to 90 per cent less on LNG than with Marine Gas Oil, which is similar to diesel.

Fraser Grant, Edinburgh

Paying twice

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It is depressing going into a new year and having to begin by again asking the SNP simply to concentrate on making things better for the people of Scotland. No more, no less.

Angus Robertson, External Affairs Secretary in the SNP administration, is quick to tell us how his department has supplied funds to Chad, Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Sudan and Malawi. This is all very well and good, but I have always understood foreign aid to be a function of the UK Government, into which every part of the UK contributes, not a regional, devolved administration.

Perhaps Mr Robertson and his backers feel their contribution makes Scotland somehow appear separate and entirely outside the UK, despite the majority of Scottish people voting in a referendum for exactly the opposite.

Intended or not, it is making the matter of helping the poor overseas a political, nationalist football. Please, no more lists of gifts. No more fake “embassies”. No more jaunts and jollies overseas. Put Scotland, not the SNP, first.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Herculean task

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In Greek mythology, Hercules was tasked with cleansing the Augean stables which had not been cleaned in 30 years. It is time that the UK and Scottish governments cleaned out the bloated public sector. Public sector workers working from home and even from abroad is unacceptable. Many are refusing to return to their office.

Sickness is far higher in the public sector because sick leave is viewed as an extra holiday entitlement.

The public sector gets final salary pensions schemes which are extinct in the private sector. Billions are spent on woke non-jobs such as equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). There is a resident climate officer plus staff in every nook and cranny.

No wonder taxation and council taxes are so high. Add on quangos, special advisers, the House of Lords and consultants and the savings would be billions.

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Unfortunately, there is no politician in Scotland or the UK with the strength and courage of Hercules.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Ageless prose

Many regular letter writers seem to be much concerned about the choice of 16 as the voting age for Scottish elections and rely on some piece of research which suggests the human brain is not fully developed until age 26.

That may or may not be true, but it is as well established that, from its peak, mental acuity is in constant decline as we age. The evidence for that is clear from The Scotsman letters page.

James Scott (92), 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.

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