4,000 jobs are to go in the NHS in Scotland. This is a measure which will undoubtedly have a large impact on frontline services and patient care. In Holyrood, the SNP and Labour seem to be locked into a confrontation over who is to blame.
The SNP say that this situation is caused by the previous Labour government at Westminster and their mishandling of the UK economy. Labour counter that the job losses are down to the SNP's decisions in what to prioritise within the health service. To some extent, they're both right - the cut in the health budget was a decision made by Labour in response to the horrific financial predicament they found themselves in after having to bail out the banks. This resulted in a budget cut in the money available to the Scottish government. On the other hand, that government has decided to continue pursuing policies (worthwhile at the right time) such as free prescriptions, etc... which have budget implications. Re-prioritising could almost certainly have saved some of those jobs.
Meanwhile, the Tories and Lib-Dems sit quietly on the sidelines, knowing that next year it will be Coalition imposed cuts that are causing the job losses. Enjoy the breathing space while it lasts. The Tories are busy trying to re-brand themselves into credible Scottish political force and the Lib-Dems are probably pondering the great mystery of how the Coalition will effect their electoral share and awaiting the next attempt by the Daily Torygraph to force them out of government.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment