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The Herald Scotland
26-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland's public sector cuts and a stinking metaphor
They had to pee in the showers, which was fine until the drifting ship hit choppy waters and the overflowing shower trays spilled into the cabins and hallways. The trickiest choice for passengers was over what to do with number twos. The hen party interviewed in the documentary mainlined Imodium, while the young man trying to impress his father-in-law-to-be spent an age searching the boat's 13 decks for the last working bog. Others tried to hold it in, but most opted for the small red carrier bags doled out by the ship's crew. They left them filled and tied up outside their doors, leaving the ship's corridors like a Glasgow city centre street ahead of a major event. Sometimes circumstances leave you with nothing but poor choices. Take, for instance, the near £5 billion black hole in the Scottish Government's finances. Shona Robison is opting for Imodium, hunting for the one working loo and using the red bag all at the same time. To plug the gap, the Finance Secretary is hoping for growth, searching for efficiencies and cutting the number of public sector jobs. The red bag option here is the threat of compulsory redundancies. The minister believes she should be able to reduce staffing numbers by 0.5% annually for five years, through retirements and general churn, eventually saving £700m per year. Read more from Unspun: But when asked if she could rule out compulsory redundancies, she could not. You'd be right to think that 0.5% of roughly 460,000 devolved public sector workers isn't actually a huge amount, particularly when the workforce is now up 39,000 on pre-Covid levels. But what makes this choice tougher is that the government probably isn't going to be looking at the frontline. NHS staff, for example, will likely be protected. It'll be back office staff who are targeted Suddenly, that makes the pool much smaller. Will retirements, voluntary severance and a recruitment freeze be enough to get the Scottish Government to their target? As Professor Graeme Roy, the Chair of the Scottish Fiscal Commission told journalists on Thursday morning, if this "doesn't get you the number that you need, then you're going to have to find it either through direct redundancy policies or by trying to find and free up resources elsewhere from the non pay budget." Basically, if ministers don't want to fire public sector workers then they will need to find the money from somewhere else. Where this properly awful metaphor that I've hammered to death over 500 words falls down is that the Carnival Triumph was eventually towed to safety. There's no tugboat on the horizon for the Scottish Government. The messiest situations demand the toughest choices — and sometimes, even the best options still stink.
The Herald Scotland
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Why don't they ever highlight the benefits of moderate drinking?
There is no doubt that alcohol consumed in excess is very harmful, but it is also clear that consumed in moderation, it is not. Many hundreds of studies across the world and over time have established that those drinking up to the levels which are the average for Scottish drinkers have a lower mortality than those who abstain. There have been attempts to discredit this, but they are not very credible against the huge weight of evidence, and even if they managed to call into question the health benefits of moderate drinking, they could not establish it as materially harmful. It is stated that there is no safe level of drinking, which is based on the truth that moderate drinking slightly increases the risk of some cancers, but what it ignores is that this is more than balanced out by the fact that it decreases the risk of other diseases, mainly cardiovascular. It is noteworthy that this pretty conclusive body of research is simply airbrushed out of notice by the public health lobby. The relentless public health campaign against alcohol, instead of targeting high levels of consumption, is determined to exaggerate the risk of moderate drinking. This is a form of dishonesty. And even if it were true that there is an increased health risk at moderate levels (which in aggregate it is not), the risk would be very low. Many of the activities of normal life carry increased risk (such as driving), but the benefits and enjoyment of these activities are also taken into account, but not for alcohol. Its pleasures and its cultural importance in our social life are to be completely discounted. It might be argued that they mean well, but the use by scientifically based messaging of the propagandistic techniques of public relations and politics demeans it and adds another undermining corrosion to the integrity of our public discourse. Stephen Smith, Glasgow. Read more letters Why indy will run out of gas Neil Mackay's Unspun article ("SNP is treating independence like a secret to be locked away in the attic", The Herald, June 21) failed to mention the inability of the party to project-manage large engineering schemes. The problem started with the two ferries ordered for the Ardrossan/Brodick run, with the mainland port still unable to accommodate the vessels and the Glen Rosa still not in service. That was followed by the dualling project of the A9 which will not be completed during the next session at Holyrood. Then the news broke that, in spite of a four-year delay to ending municipal waste landfill, the SNP failed to build sufficient incinerators, hence the plan to send 100 lorries a day filled with waste to England. However, the biggest secret of all is the lack of progress on the construction of 25,000 MW of hydrogen-fuelled gas turbines as detailed in the SNP Energy Plan of 2023. The result of this failure means that, under dunkelflaute weather conditions, there could be no power for schools, hospitals, supermarket freezers, ATMs or charging facilities for tablets, smartphones and computers. It has been pointed out that "independence is irrelevant until we fix the climate", so surely installing the generation plant required to keep the lights on in Scotland is the prime target for Holyrood over the next 20 years? Ian Moir, Castle Douglas. When ferries worked well This year the MV Aries went off to the breakers' yard. She was built at Govan Shipbuilders with work starting in 1985, entering service in 1987. Launched as the MV Norsea for North Sea Ferries she was the largest and last passenger and vehicle ferry built in Govan. Thirty-seven years of service across the North Sea and finally in the Mediterranean says a lot. No doubt our leaders at Holyrood will attest that the renewal of the oldest ferries by the Glens Sannox and Rosa and the four ships bring built in Turkey was well planned to take account of build times and intended service implementation allowing the older ships to leave service But things went very wrong and the pity is that the high head yins give the appearance of not caring all that much. At least there is (or was) a model of the Norsea at Glasgow's Riverside Museum. Maybe when viewed it gives an opportunity to reflect on how things have changed in those 37 years. Ian Gray, Croftamie. The Ardrossan ferry terminal (Image: Newsquest) Subtitle suffering I watched a (partially) interesting programme on BBC1 this evening (June 24), Why Cities Flood: Spain's Deadly Disaster. I say partially interesting because there was a fair proportion of subtitles involved. Fine if you can read them but white script on a white background does not work. Documentary makers please note: it would definitely be of more interest if we could read the subtitles. Steve Barnet, Gargunnock. The sad decline of Aberdeen I read Kerry Hudson's article about her trip to Norway and her reflections on three of its cities ("Want to follow the hottest trend? As the world warms, book yourself a coolcation in Norway", The Herald, June 24). I found it hard not to compare her observations on Stavanger with my observations on recent trips to Aberdeen. Stavanger appears to be an upbeat city, looking ahead to the future post-oil, whilst remaining an attraactive city, with striking traditional and modern buildings. I'm not sure I can say the same about Aberdeen, where something seems to have seriously gone wrong in the city's governance. The city centre, particularly Union Street and the area around Schoolhill and Belmont Street, looks distinctly down at heel. And the bus station and its surrounding area must be the most unwelcoming in Scotland. Willie Towers, Alford.
The Herald Scotland
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
John Swinney looks to the past as he plans for the future
Just to impress how important the First Minister's speech was on Monday, introducing him, Kate Forbes told the great and the good of Scottish public life—squeezed into Glasgow University's Imaging Centre of Excellence—that her boss was about to make a 'landmark speech.' On Sunday, the Scottish Government told journalists it was a 'major speech,' while the previous day, John Swinney's official spokesman described it as a 'keynote event.' Was it really that big a deal? Well, it might be—if it works. Read more from Unspun: The SNP leader told us the status quo is no longer sustainable—that demographic pressures, fiscal constraints, climate change and rising demand are leaving public services straining at the seams. He said bold, collective action was needed—that there had to be a fundamental shift in how public services are designed and delivered. Central to this transformation, Mr Swinney said, were four key elements: 'empowerment, integration, efficiency and prevention.' They were, the First Minister reminded us, the four principles of the Christie Commission. Fifteen years ago, you might remember, the Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services in Scotland, chaired by Dr Campbell Christie, was tasked by Mr Swinney with examining the long-term challenges facing public services—including budget pressures, demographic change, rising demand and persistent inequalities. The Commission's report—let's call it a landmark report—called for community-driven, preventative and collaborative approaches to address these systemic challenges. Key recommendations included prioritising prevention to reduce long-term costs, enhancing performance through technology, and closer working across sectors. Sign up to Scotland's top politics newsletter and get it directly to your inbox. Perhaps the biggest example of post-Christie reform was replacing the country's eight police forces with one. Mr Swinney pointed to it on Monday as a success: 'The creation of a single Scottish Police service has led to over £200 million in savings over legacy arrangements, while crime has continued to fall to near record low levels.' But it's fair to say, progress has been uneven at best. (Image: Damian Shields) Tickets for Unspun Live at the Edinburgh Fringe are available now — click here to book your place. In a 2021 blog post looking at Christie ten years on, Audit Scotland said there had been a 'major implementation gap between policy ambitions and delivery on the ground.' They gave a number of examples, including the paltry progress on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Dr Christie was quite clear that one of the biggest stumbling blocks to reform was that 'institutions and structures resist change, especially radical change.' Is that still true? In his speech, Mr Swinney told the public sector leaders he wanted them to leave with a clear sense of his ambition and commitment 'to this national project of renewal.' 'I want you to feel enthused, but more importantly empowered. This will only happen if we, if you, make it happen. 'People often tell me that they feel as though they do not have permission to deliver the change in their organisation that they know is needed. Well today, let's give each other that permission.' John Swinney's right that the Christie principles are more relevant than ever, and maybe with modern tools, like AI, the implementation gap can be overcome. What was interesting was how receptive the audience was to the First Minister's message—but also how sceptical they were that he could deliver it, that, as one questioner put it, the lofty goals would "bump into reality." A landmark speech? Perhaps. Now he just needs to stick the landing.
The Herald Scotland
31-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Yes to Flamingo Land, no to National Parks: what's the SNP playing at?
Scotland's landscape dares best the poetry of the glens, rivers, mountains and loughs that run from Antrim's coast to the foot of Cork. We Irish pride ourselves on the natural splendour of our island, so it's quite the step for one of us to admit Scotland takes the prize. I've lived here 30 years, however, so that cauterises my self-inflicted wound somewhat. In a way, I feel as Scottish as I do Irish. It's this love that's grown in me towards the beauty of Scotland which makes me shake my head at the behaviour of the SNP government. Right now, I'm mystified that the custodians of this country behave so carelessly towards our landscape. Here's two events which demand that you question whether our government ministers take the same pride in Scotland's natural beauty as the rest of us. Read more on the Loch Lomond Shores / Flamingoland saga: First, there's the go-ahead for Flamingo Land at Loch Lomond despite local opposition and concerns among experts. Then secondly, there's the scrapping of plans for a new Scottish national park. It does seem that beauty, landscape and the environment aren't exactly top of the SNP's priorities. Let's look at Flamingo Land first and the refusal by the Scottish government to intervene to stop the development. The plans will see more than 100 lodges, a waterpark and a monorail built at Balloch. It's quite simply vandalism. There is overwhelming local opposition to this development. A Scottish government reporter has upheld an appeal from the Yorkshire-based theme park operator for the plans. SNP ministers rejected calls to step in and block it. The Balloch and Haldane Community Council is demanding the SNP reverse the decision to recommend planning permission. The Green MSP Ross Greer pointedly referred to SNP ministers stepping in to help Donald Trump build his Aberdeenshire golf course, despite the local council throwing out the application. 'Ministers have the power to reject and recall this decision but they won't do it despite having done so previously for developers like Donald Trump,' Greer said. 'They won't do it when it is Scotland's natural environment that needs protecting.' This article features as part of our Unspun newsletter, delivered nightly to your inbox and containing the best political insight and analysis from our writers. Sign up to Unspun for FREE here. He said the government seemed 'willing to stand up for American billionaires … but won't stand up for Scotland's communities'. The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority rejected the proposals. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, the National Trust for Scotland, and the Woodland Trust are also all opposed. Additionally, more than 155,000 citizens have registered their opposition. You can see why the government's position has been described as an 'anti-democratic outrage'. Residents in Balloch say the entire community is against the plan. Opponents are so incensed they have even gathered outside Holyrood to protest. One study showed that the development could lead to a net increase of just 61 full-time jobs. Meanwhile, John Swinney says he'll always 'cherish' Scotland's natural environment. SNP public finance minister Ivan McKee claims it's not 'appropriate' for him to comment as the application technically 'remains live'. Yet he found himself able to say: 'I do not intend to recall this appeal.' Further south in Scotland, plans for the country's third national park have been scrapped. Galloway would have joined the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon axed the idea. Labour's south Scotland MSP Colin Smyth says the area is a 'forgotten corner' of the country and worries it will become a 'dumping ground' for wind turbines. The camp opposed to the new national park hired what's been described as a 'large, slick PR consultancy' to fight their corner with the government. Kat Jones, director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said the decision to drop the plans was a 'tragedy'. Rob Lucas, chair of the Galloway National Park Association, called it 'a big loss'. Actions speak louder than words, right? We all know that. The SNP - the self-styled party of Scotland - can claim until the cows come home that they are committed environmentalists who cherish this country's natural beauty and wish to be good custodians of the land. However, it doesn't look like that. It looks like the government puts big business before the land and before the people who live on the land. Of course we need investment and development; of course we need job and wealth creation; and of course we need to improve our tourism infrastructure. But is this the way to go about it? What other country would take an area like Loch Lomond - known across the world for its beauty, celebrated in song - and allow a waterpark to be built there? A new national park in Galloway would have been a magnet for tourists, whilst still protecting the land. Government is about hard choices, and that inevitably means not everyone will be happy. But there's a pattern here, and it's a pattern which seems to reinforce the suspicion that the party which boasts most about loving this country of ours does far too little to back up its big but empty talk. In the end, you feel compelled to ask yourself: does the SNP really give a damn about Scotland's natural beauty? Neil Mackay is The Herald's Writer-at-Large. He's a multi-award winning investigative journalist, author of both fiction and non-fiction, and a filmmaker and broadcaster. He specialises in intelligence, security, crime, social affairs, cultural commentary, and foreign and domestic politics
The Herald Scotland
30-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Yes to Flamingoland, no to National Parks: what is the SNP playing at?
Scotland's landscape dares best the poetry of the glens, rivers, mountains and loughs that run from Antrim's coast to the foot of Cork. We Irish pride ourselves on the natural splendour of our island, so it's quite the step for one of us to admit Scotland takes the prize. I've lived here 30 years, however, so that cauterises my self-inflicted wound somewhat. In a way, I feel as Scottish as I do Irish. It's this love that's grown in me towards the beauty of Scotland which makes me shake my head at the behaviour of the SNP government. Right now, I'm mystified that the custodians of this country behave so carelessly towards our landscape. Here's two events which demand that you question whether our government ministers take the same pride in Scotland's natural beauty as the rest of us. Read more on the Loch Lomond Shores / Flamingoland saga: Protesters warn Scottish ministers over Flamingo Land in Loch Lomond The SNP has a park problem. Both Flamingoland and Galloway First, there's the go-ahead for Flamingo Land at Loch Lomond despite local opposition and concerns among experts. Then secondly, there's the scrapping of plans for a new Scottish national park. It does seem that beauty, landscape and the environment aren't exactly top of the SNP's priorities. Let's look at Flamingo Land first and the refusal by the Scottish government to intervene to stop the development. The plans will see more than 100 lodges, a waterpark and a monorail built at Balloch. It's quite simply vandalism. There is overwhelming local opposition to this development. A Scottish government reporter has upheld an appeal from the Yorkshire-based theme park operator for the plans. SNP ministers rejected calls to step in and block it. The Balloch and Haldane Community Council is demanding the SNP reverse the decision to recommend planning permission. The Green MSP Ross Greer pointedly referred to SNP ministers stepping in to help Donald Trump build his Aberdeenshire golf course, despite the local council throwing out the application. 'Ministers have the power to reject and recall this decision but they won't do it despite having done so previously for developers like Donald Trump,' Greer said. 'They won't do it when it is Scotland's natural environment that needs protecting.' This article features as part of our Unspun newsletter, delivered nightly to your inbox and containing the best political insight and analysis from our writers. Sign up to Unspun for FREE here. He said the government seemed 'willing to stand up for American billionaires … but won't stand up for Scotland's communities'. The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority rejected the proposals. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, the National Trust for Scotland, and the Woodland Trust are also all opposed. Additionally, more than 155,000 citizens have registered their opposition. You can see why the government's position has been described as an 'anti-democratic outrage'. Residents in Balloch say the entire community is against the plan. Opponents are so incensed they have even gathered outside Holyrood to protest. One study showed that the development could lead to a net increase of just 61 full-time jobs. Meanwhile, John Swinney says he'll always 'cherish' Scotland's natural environment. SNP public finance minister Ivan McKee claims it's not 'appropriate' for him to comment as the application technically 'remains live'. Yet he found himself able to say: 'I do not intend to recall this appeal.' Further south in Scotland, plans for the country's third national park have been scrapped. Galloway would have joined the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon axed the idea. Labour's south Scotland MSP Colin Smyth says the area is a 'forgotten corner' of the country and worries it will become a 'dumping ground' for wind turbines. The camp opposed to the new national park hired what's been described as a 'large, slick PR consultancy' to fight their corner with the government. Kat Jones, director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said the decision to drop the plans was a 'tragedy'. Rob Lucas, chair of the Galloway National Park Association, called it 'a big loss'. Actions speak louder than words, right? We all know that. The SNP - the self-styled party of Scotland - can claim until the cows come home that they are committed environmentalists who cherish this country's natural beauty and wish to be good custodians of the land. However, it doesn't look like that. It looks like the government puts big business before the land and before the people who live on the land. Of course we need investment and development; of course we need job and wealth creation; and of course we need to improve our tourism infrastructure. But is this the way to go about it? What other country would take an area like Loch Lomond - known across the world for its beauty, celebrated in song - and allow a waterpark to be built there? A new national park in Galloway would have been a magnet for tourists, whilst still protecting the land. Government is about hard choices, and that inevitably means not everyone will be happy. But there's a pattern here, and it's a pattern which seems to reinforce the suspicion that the party which boasts most about loving this country of ours does far too little to back up its big but empty talk. In the end, you feel compelled to ask yourself: does the SNP really give a damn about Scotland's natural beauty? Neil Mackay is The Herald's Writer-at-Large. He's a multi-award winning investigative journalist, author of both fiction and non-fiction, and a filmmaker and broadcaster. He specialises in intelligence, security, crime, social affairs, cultural commentary, and foreign and domestic politics
