Scottish Ministers and Drug Deaths
Picture of the day from Holyrood by Getty Images - where
— Philip Sim (@BBCPhilipSim) December 15, 2020
Joe Fitzpatrick was making a statement about drug deaths (and fending off calls from the opposition for him to resign). Sadly can't quite make out what he's got written on his hand... pic.twitter.com/sYUfc7Or0v
The Scottish Government's health minister, Joe Fitzpatrick, is having a torrid time at the moment.
After a bumbling parliamentary performance over the roll-out of the Covid vaccine, opposition MSPs called for his resignation in the wake of official statistics showing Scotland having the worst 'drug death' figures in the whole of Europe.
Apparently when Joe rose to make his statement the first minister (Nicola Sturgeon) and health secretary (Jeane Freeman - his immediate boss) both left the chamber which I would take as a sign that his ministerial coat is on a 'shoogly peg'.
Because the SNP tends to be ruthless at throwing people under the bus, if they cause the party or Scottish Government any real embarrassment.
'Trainspotting', Spud and Scottish Ministers (04/12/20)
I had to laugh at this 'Trainspotting' joke on Twitter which captures the insanity of a recent ministerial intervention in the Scottish Parliament by Joe Fitzpatrick, the minister for public health.
Now wonder the Scottish Government has become such a one-woman-band under Nicola Sturgeon when the performance of other ministers is so shockingly bad.
Here's the original version featuring Daniel 'Spud' Murphy.
ScotGov In Action - Holding Ministers to Account (03/12/20)
Politics, Covid and Key Workers (01/12/20)
I never thought I'd see the day when Scotland's first minister would be playing Santa Claus, in front of an SNP party conference, in the middle of an unprecedented health emergency.
But that's what Nicola Sturgeon was up to yesterday with the announcement of a £500 'bonus' to just some of Scotland's key workers which failed to recognise the essential contribution of all the unsung heroes who have been risking their heart and safety over the past nine months.
The 'key workers' who have been keeping the country going throughout the Covid epidemic are not just health workers and if Scottish Ministers have lots of public money to splash around, I would have thought it only fair for other, equally indispensable groups to be included in the big Christmas giveaway.
As regular readers know, I've written previously about Covid's unsung essential workers and my list covered the following jobs - without whom we would all be up 'shit creek' without a paddle:
But yet again a major announcement on public spending has been made at an SNP conference instead of in the Scottish Parliament where ministers can be questioned and properly held to account.
Glasgow's Unsung Essential Workers (28/03/20)
I take my hat off to Glasgow refuse workers who came to the rescue of our bin store the other day, as it threatened to become a huge problem for local residents in this little part of the city centre.
Without the rapid response of the refuse crew the bin store would have become a horrible mess and a 'no go' area, as well as a real health hazard for everyone living in these buildings.
Which just goes to prove that during these days of lockdown and Coronavirus there are lots of 'unsung' essential workers who are out there every day ensuring that civil society doesn't collapse including:
- Refuse Workers
- Home Carers
- Residential Care Staff
- Childcare Staff
- Clerical Workers
- Technicians
- Farm Workers
- Delivery Drivers
- Post Office Staff
- Supermarket Staff
- Grocery Store Workers
- Pharmacy Staff
- Support Workers in local communities
- Water, Gas, Electricity and other Utility Workers
- Police and Firefighters
- Nurses, Doctors and all other Health Care Staff
- The Armed Forces
