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George Redmond: SNP must let go of independence and focus on saving public services

George Redmond: SNP must let go of independence and focus on saving public services <i>(Image: Sourced)</i>
George Redmond: SNP must let go of independence and focus on saving public services (Image: Sourced)

By this time next week, the new first minister will be putting their feet under the desk in Bute House for the first time.

It will be an incredible moment for them, and for the country.

They will, hopefully, finally feel the responsibility and sense of duty that comes with holding such elected office.

The country will feel incredulous that this is the best we could do.

The incoming first minister will no doubt want to make their mark on the job as quickly as possible, and put the inter-party fighting over an Independence Readiness Thermometer to rest.

And so I offer some suggestions for the first five crises that the new first minister must get to grips with: The crisis in social care. Glasgow’s Integrated Joint Board, which directs social care in the city, has now agreed savings of more than £21 million.

This is despite the powerful opposition of six members of the board, including my colleagues.

Social care is being starved of resources by the decisions of SNP politicians at Holyrood, and the result is that they are simply unable to keep up with growing demand - nevermind dealing with the root problem.

The crisis in councils.

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On top of the cuts to social care, Glasgow City Council has made its own cuts.

That’s £31 million worth of services that simply won’t be delivered, and money that will be taken out of the pockets of Glaswegians by fees and charges.

The inevitable end result is binmen who are facing rat problems and communities blighted by problems, with enforcement essentially non-existent.

The crisis in health. While winter pressures slowly fade, the crisis of morale, of staffing and of resourcing is abundantly clear.

Doctors, nurses and all other vital healthcare staff are at breaking point.

There is no end to the stories that we hear of people waiting months to get an appointment, or even longer.

The crisis in transport. Let’s not forget just how bad and disjointed public transport provision still is in Scotland.

Last week, it was revealed that the new Elizabeth Line – formerly known as Crossrail 2 – accounted for one in six of every rail journey in the United Kingdom.

Yet, Glasgow’s own Crossrail project has been long abandoned, and the replacement scheme, the Glasgow Metro, appears little more than a distant hope – and does nothing for the worker trying to catch a bus home today.

And the crisis in schools.

The outgoing First Minister said that we should judge her by her record in education. It probably gets a D grade, at best.

Teachers are still struggling, regardless of the agreed pay deal.

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Classroom assistants are still disappearing from schools across the country.

And young people are still being left to deal with the fallout of a global pandemic that turned their world upside down.

These are the five crises that the new first minister should face immediately.

But I am not holding out hope. Whoever the new first minister is, they will have been a part of an SNP government whose hallmark has been to pit public sector workers against each other.

Instead of proper funding and real plans, they’ve chosen to pit carers against doctors and nurses. Binmen against bus drivers.

Teachers and classroom assistants against environmental health officers and social workers. We’re all fed up of it – even some of the SNP councillors that I speak to.

The contenders talk about uniting Scotland behind their vision for independence. Why can’t they unite Scotland behind a vision for better public services?