“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Eighty-seven years ago those were the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his 1933 inaugural speech. Today, they resonate with Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, which confronts a barrage of attack aimed at frightening away voters. Fear is the enemy of change and the friend of hate. That is why both sides of the … [Read more...] about Sanders: the red scare
health spending
Why politicians need to take a bus ride to reality
See thae politicians at Westminster or Holyrood or wherever they are? They’re no even there, they’re up in space. See whit I want tae dae wi them? I want tae get them on the nummer 14 bus. In just a few words – 365 words to be precise – the writer James Robertson evokes the daily struggle played out on a bus ride through Scotland’s affluent capital. It could be a bus ride in … [Read more...] about Why politicians need to take a bus ride to reality
Opioids: unintended consequences of a good policy
The levels of fatal overdose in the UK are catastrophic. More than 4,500 people died of a drug-related death in 2017 alone. In Scotland, the figure totalled 934, the highest ever annually recorded.Drug mortality rates in Scotland per head of population are roughly two and half times higher than the UK average, and among the highest in Europe. The vast majority of these … [Read more...] about Opioids: unintended consequences of a good policy
Why private alternatives to NHS cost so much more
The NHS has survived to the age of 70 and now costs the UK just over £120 billion per annum. Many advanced economies spend even more on healthcare per head of population. Why do fully paid-up capitalist nations persist with this Stalinist approach to healthcare?Instinctively we might cite humanitarian and political reasons. But is this enough? Arguably access to food is a … [Read more...] about Why private alternatives to NHS cost so much more
How will NHS Scotland benefit from English hike?
The UK Government has indicated a substantial increase in funding for the NHS in England. But what might the announcements mean for the Scottish budget – and how will they change the financial outlook for the Scottish Government which it set out in its Five Year Fiscal Strategy last month?Any additional spending on the NHS in England will have a consequential effect on the … [Read more...] about How will NHS Scotland benefit from English hike?