Scottish independence, Dr Philippa Whitford, SNP member and WFI, fronting the Yes campaign on the NHS for votes is 'exposed' for spreading bogus claims about cancer treatment; you would think you could trust a qualified doctor to tell the truth in this day and age, apparently not if they hold SNP membership!

Dear All

People tend to think when you talk to a doctor; it is someone you can trust with reservation.

Dr Philippa Whitford became the public face of the SNP’s campaign to convince voters the NHS is under threat of privatisation; she also represents and is part of Women for independence group as well as allegedly being an SNP member.

Now it seems that the breast surgeon has rather come unstuck after being exposed for spreading bogus claims about cancer treatment.

Earlier today I blogged on how Elaine C Smith was unhappy that the women’s voice wasn’t getting heard enough in the Scottish independence debate.

You could say with Dr Philippa Whitford being exposed on bogus claims regarding such a serious issue as cancer, Smith probably wishes now that she had kept her own council.

The Nationalist side have lied, cheated and deceived through-out this entire campaign; whereas you expect the SNP leadership to be completely dishonest and without dignity, you don’t expect someone from a medical background to join them in the gutter.

After Dr Whitford put her bit of scaremongering in, the medical staff at one of the UK’s top cancer hospitals in Newcastle are really angry with her. Whitford wrongly claimed a privatisation agenda was forcing them to consider cancelling cancer operations.

The scale of what Dr Whitford said had senior staff condemned her claims as “codswallop” and “a load of crap”, that’s the for the public domain version, the private view maybe more robust and less pleasant.

One of the things I observed in the SNP was how people connected to Alex Salmond and unpopular Nicola Sturgeon would lie, the SNP doesn’t represent working class people as I painfully found out.

SNP member Dr Whitford said:

“The guys who do the upper GI surgery, that is gullet cancer have been told that they are in danger of being told they cannot do gullet cancer because the fee they are being paid doesn’t cover how much it costs to do.”

She added:

“So this hospital, a big hospital in Gateshead, are thinking about unilaterally declaring ‘We don’t treat gullet cancer anymore’. What happens if every hospital in area does that?”

So; big sweeping statements, the problem with what has been said is that the content is baseless.

Maybe Dr Whitford should have done some research and found out that the only major hospital in Gateshead, the Queen Elizabeth I, does not offer gullet cancer operations.

Already many people are saying online that Dr Whitford is a “liar” and should be “sacked”.

All cancer operations in the North East of England are done at the specialist unit in the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Sir Leonard Fenwick said:

“This is the biggest lot of crap I have ever heard.”

I am sure that Sir Leonard Fenwick may wish to revise that statement to put into a smaller timeframe but I think the punters will get the jist.

He added:

“It is just codswallop. Newcastle has referrals from all over the UK and beyond. We are one of the biggest providers of cancer treatments in Europe. We have a very strong relationship with Scotland which we would hope to maintain. Whatever happens in a referendum, that is up to the people of Scotland, but it is outrageous to mislead the public at large with these kinds of claims.”

In the spirit of honesty post deception; Dr Whitford has admitted she had no proof of her allegations and hadn’t checked them out before making them.

She pipes up:

“It is not something I have investigated.”

Tonight sees Round two of the faceoff between Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond, the SNP had banked on using health as a stick to try and restart their failed independence campaign.

The revelations are a pure embarrassment for Alex Salmond, he was going around the place previously praising SNP member Dr Whitford.

And quoted her to anybody who would listen, that support his claims the NHS could be in danger if there is a No vote in the referendum.

The Scottish NHS is in No danger of being privatised.  

Earlier this month Salmond said:

“One of Scotland’s prominent breast surgeons, Dr Philippa Whitford — someone who, as far as I know, has never previously been involved in politics — has spoken out so articulately on the issue precisely because she can see the danger to the NHS in Scotland, which is the consequence of privatisation.

I can vouch for Alex Salmond on Dr Philippa Whitford, I never saw her once when I was in the SNP and I was known for getting around more than anyone at else by-elections.

Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont said:

“This is the most shameful, blatant lie of the campaign”.

She added:

“Alex Salmond lied when he said he had EU legal advice when he hadn’t. John Swinney said he was in discussions with the Bank of England on a currency union when he wasn’t. Now the Yes campaign are trying to scare cancer patients, the sick and the vulnerable with stories which are simply untrue”

Lamont turned the knife in by saying:

“Alex Neil knows that the NHS in Scotland cannot be privatised – he said it himself. Nicola Sturgeon said the NHS in Scotland cannot be privatised. Alex Salmond’s decision to lie about the NHS being privatised is the most shameful thing I have seen in my time in Scottish politics. He must apologise to the people of Scotland immediately.”

You have to wonder about Dr Philippa Whitford using the sick and vulnerable for political advantage, only for it to then backfire on her.

In future I wonder if rather than ask for a second opinion, Scots women would say, ‘can I get someone else who I can have confidence in who doesn’t make bogus claims’.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University