Henry McLeish - A Voice of Reason
I listened to Henry McLeish on Sky News last night and the former First Minister of Scotland was fair and measured in his criticism of the Scottish Government and the SNP.
Henry McLeish resigned as First Minister over what were very minor charges compared to those now facing Nicola Sturgeon, but his main criticism was that the SNP's dominance of Scottish politics has led to a lack of respect both inside and outside the Scottish Parliament.
Now that strikes a chord with me and I would say that the SNP now finds itself in the same kind of dominant position that Scottish Labour was in 30 years ago.
The difference is that under Donald Dewar's leadership Scottish Labour acted in the national interest rather than his party's narrow self-interest by supporting proportional representation (PR) for the new Scottish Parliament in 1999.
Scottish Labour also supported PR for Scotland's local council elections in 2007 onwards which made them more representative and accountable while loosening Labour's grip on power.
I find it hard to believe the SNP would act in such a way now because its overriding objective is independence and the party behaves as if nothing can be allowed to stand in the way of achieving this dream.
Here are two topical examples:
- Ministers continue to ignore two votes by the Scottish Parliament demanding to see the Scottish Government's legal advice in the Salmond affair.
- On 30 November 2020 Nicola Sturgeon announced new public spending of £200 million to a conference of SNP delegates without first putting her proposal to MSPs.
So Scottish Ministers including the First Minister are not truly accountable to the Scottish Parliament - the reality is they treat the parliament, its committees and its MSPs with complete contempt when it suits their purpose.
What Does the SNP Stand For? (06/02/21)
Neil Mackay's interesting think piece in The Herald ponders the current state of the SNP - the civil war, the threats, hate, spin and plotting:
"How did the SNP get here? Today, its once legendary discipline is in tatters. It’s consumed by a ‘culture war’ over trans rights. Nicola Sturgeon had to denounce transphobia personally. Some days later, Joanna Cherry – who says she’s “not remotely transphobic” – was sacked from the Westminster frontbench. Throw in the Curse of Salmond and raging differences over indyref2 – and the SNP has more factions than imperial Rome."Covid's Big 'Losers' Deserve Better (23/02/21)
I read recently that in addition to paying a £500 bonus to the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the Scottish Government is planning to pay a £400 bonus to school teachers who will be asked to mark their pupils' course work now that the 2021 exams have been cancelled.
I haven't discovered, as yet, what the cost of this teachers Covid bonus scheme will, but the one for NHS and social care workers is estimated to cost around £200 million and covers lots of well paid staff including senior managers, of course.
What I object to is if Scottish Ministers have hundreds of millions of pounds (of public money) to give away, why don't they give a good chunk to people who have actually lost out during Covid - for example low paid workers in the hospitality sector?
But maybe this has nothing to do with fairness or equity - and everything to do with the Scottish Parliament elections in May.
ScotGov's Cockamamy Covid Bonus Scheme (08/02/21)
Scotland's health minister Jeanne Freeman insists the Scottish Government is right to consult the Scottish Parliament before announcing its new quarantine plan.
Now I agree with Jeanne Freeman's admirable insistence on 'parliament first', but how on earth does she explain the First Minister announcing a cockamamy Covid bonus scheme to an SNP conference on 30 November 2020 - without first putting her proposal to the Scottish Parliament?
Because scheme costing around £200 million of public money should surely have been debated by MSPs before being shared with delegates at an SNP conference.
Especially when lots of people have been very badly hit by Covid, in the hospitality sector for example, and there is a very good argument that at least some of this £200 million could have been put to a far better use.
So why pay the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde a £500 bonus when the CEO earns over £200,000 a year and haven't lost a penny piece from Covid?
Who Gets What and Why? 6 (24/12/20)
The Scottish Government's £500 bonus scheme has some major flaws which I am addressing one-at-a-time on the blog.
Patient Facing vs Non-Patient Facing Jobs
"A pro rated payment of £500 will be made as soon as is practicable to all NHS and social care workers employed since 17 March 2020 - including staff who have had to shield, or who have since retired."
Now the issue here is that not all NHS staff are in patient facing jobs - and not all NHS staff have been stretched to the limit and beyond, in the battle against Covid-19.
In fact, large parts of the NHS have been effectively closed down for months - NHS dental services, for example, which only began to come back on stream in August 2020.
On the other hand, there is a good argument that the NHS is a team and that the backroom staff who are not in the 'front line' are every bit as important as those dealing directly with patients.
But the same is true of other groups as well of course - support staff and teachers in schools, for example, who have been looking after the children of NHS workers because without them the whole system would break down.
As it would if the thousands of delivery drivers, supermarket staff or refuse workers all decided it would be safer to stay at home - instead of risking their own health and safety by going into work.
So where is the logic or fairness in singling out some key groups while excluding others whose contribution is just as important?
I've spoken to lots of people who are in line to receive a £500 bonus (or part thereof) and I'm pleased to report they all say they'd prefer other 'essential workers' to be recognised as well - even if this meant they would receive less themselves.
