Dear All
Whoever wins the Scottish Election in 2011 will be cutting the NHS Scotland budget in real terms.
Anyone who thinks the next Holyrood Government isn’t is plainly off their hospital trolley and needs to climb back on and lie down.
No politician or wannabe politician between now till then will want to talk about real term cuts because they want to get elected.
The classic way round talking about cuts is to talk about 'efficiency savings'.
But that is cuts, between now and May 2011, you will hear plenty of PR spin and you will have to decide who you think will best protect the NHS in Scotland.
There is talk that NHS Scotland’s capital budget might be subject to a 20% cut but until such a figure is announced publicly by any party post election take that figure for what it is.
Nothing!
A trick in sales is first to highlight the spectre of massive loss and then come in with a lower figure so the public think they are getting a good deal, the reality is the opposite, smoke and mirrors.
Some people will fall for it but usually politicians highlight the worst then change at the last minute to try and buy kudos with the public.
It is how politics is done!
It is a sales pitch, no difference from trying to get you to buy any service or piece of merchandise.
They are selling themselves.
If they convince enough of the public on Election Day, they will get a four year job circa £55K plus expenses.
Or if they are publicly unelectable they can get elected to Holyrood by the regional vote on list system if they get a high enough party ranking.
There are two ways to get elected on the regional list for Holyrood, plead your case directly to members or try and rig the vote to get a high party list ranking.
You can legally rig the vote to become an MSP.
Health will be one of the key Holyrood election issues because it is a devolved matter, so we can expect pledges and promises which aren’t worth the paper they are written on.
And then when the next government gets in, they will have a prepared strategy of how due to financial circumstances they have had to change their plans which they couldn’t have foreseen.
Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland, said:
“I am pleased that there is a growing recognition among politicians that health inflation will place additional pressures on the NHS. As we approach the Scottish Parliament elections, politicians and the public need to go into the debate on health with their eyes open.”
I think Dr. Keighley should hop up on that hospital trolley for a minute himself, politicians won’t be talking about specific cuts or plans but generalities about efficiency savings, streamlining and value for money.
What does that mean?
It is code for covering up cuts to the NHS Capital budget in Scotland.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for human Rights at Glasgow University
Whoever wins the Scottish Election in 2011 will be cutting the NHS Scotland budget in real terms.
Anyone who thinks the next Holyrood Government isn’t is plainly off their hospital trolley and needs to climb back on and lie down.
No politician or wannabe politician between now till then will want to talk about real term cuts because they want to get elected.
The classic way round talking about cuts is to talk about 'efficiency savings'.
But that is cuts, between now and May 2011, you will hear plenty of PR spin and you will have to decide who you think will best protect the NHS in Scotland.
There is talk that NHS Scotland’s capital budget might be subject to a 20% cut but until such a figure is announced publicly by any party post election take that figure for what it is.
Nothing!
A trick in sales is first to highlight the spectre of massive loss and then come in with a lower figure so the public think they are getting a good deal, the reality is the opposite, smoke and mirrors.
Some people will fall for it but usually politicians highlight the worst then change at the last minute to try and buy kudos with the public.
It is how politics is done!
It is a sales pitch, no difference from trying to get you to buy any service or piece of merchandise.
They are selling themselves.
If they convince enough of the public on Election Day, they will get a four year job circa £55K plus expenses.
Or if they are publicly unelectable they can get elected to Holyrood by the regional vote on list system if they get a high enough party ranking.
There are two ways to get elected on the regional list for Holyrood, plead your case directly to members or try and rig the vote to get a high party list ranking.
You can legally rig the vote to become an MSP.
Health will be one of the key Holyrood election issues because it is a devolved matter, so we can expect pledges and promises which aren’t worth the paper they are written on.
And then when the next government gets in, they will have a prepared strategy of how due to financial circumstances they have had to change their plans which they couldn’t have foreseen.
Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland, said:
“I am pleased that there is a growing recognition among politicians that health inflation will place additional pressures on the NHS. As we approach the Scottish Parliament elections, politicians and the public need to go into the debate on health with their eyes open.”
I think Dr. Keighley should hop up on that hospital trolley for a minute himself, politicians won’t be talking about specific cuts or plans but generalities about efficiency savings, streamlining and value for money.
What does that mean?
It is code for covering up cuts to the NHS Capital budget in Scotland.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for human Rights at Glasgow University
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