By stewartb
The Herald had this headline on 19 July 2024: ‘Scots ‘failed’ by a lack of planning for a pandemic by SNP or Tories.’
Within the article there is this:
See https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-herald-1130/20240719/281672555180089 .
Before commenting further, note the sleekit attempt at casting doubt on ‘transparency’ and ‘honesty’.
It’s as if Wales was NOT also judged to be just as ill-prepared by the Covid-19 Inquiry: it’s as if the Labour spokesperson in Scotland has erased the fact of her party being in government in Wales throughout the period of devolution; it’s as if Labour in Scotland really do hold firm to the view that Labour in government in Wales should not – or cannot – be held to the same standards as the SNP in government in Scotland for …. ‘reasons’! Or is it more likely that Labour in Scotland has complete confidence that the mainstream media which supposedly serves Scotland will never question or counter its pronouncements. Labour in Scotland is now getting a free pass.
The Labour Party will claim – with mainstream media ‘encouragement’ – that a Labour majority in Holyrood after the 2026 election is the answer to what Scotland needs and wants. The track record of Labour, the only party ever to govern in Cardiff, tells a different story, but one vastly under-reported in Scotland. It’s instances like the one above – and they are all too common – that prompts the question: do we need as part of the response to Labour and its mainstream media allies in the run up to 2026 election to engage relentlessly in Talking down Wales?
Candidly, and with no skin in the ‘game’ of Welsh politics, I empathise with devolved governments anywhere in the UK in their dealings with Westminster. And I had a lot of time for Mark Drakeford when on a number of occasions he called out Westminster’s culpability for the state of public services in Wales.
However, the campaigning strategy pursued by Sarwar, Baillie and the rest in Labour’s leadership team in Scotland now needs countering, quickly, relentlessly and effectively. And we must be wary of allowing Labour to get away with implying that the constitutional arrangements around devolution to Wales and Scotland only work well for the people if the party of government in Westminster is the SAME as the party of government in Edinburgh and in Cardiff. That as a proposition denies the very purpose, status and value of the devolution settlements.
Latest insights into Labour’s government of Wales – health
Firstly on the NHS, from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) published 18 July 2024 there is press statement headed: ‘Next First Minister must make improving emergency care a ‘top priority’ in Wales’.
In this we’re told: ’Data released today (Thursday 18 July 2024) by the Welsh government show last month was the second worst June since records began in 2010 for long waits in Emergency Departments (my emphasis)
‘In this period, almost a quarter of people (24.1%) waited eight hours or longer (the highest proportion of people waiting this long recorded this year) and 14.8% waited 12 hours or longer.
‘These data also showed that in the last seven years, the number of people waiting 12 hours or more has quadrupled, despite a decrease in attendance.
‘The data also revealed just 57.3% percent of people were seen within the four hour ‘standard’ which says people attending Emergency Departments should be treated, admitted of discharged within that time.
The comparable statistics for Scotland – available from Public Health Scotland and summarised in monthly RCEM press statements – consistently reveal much better waiting times performance at emergency departments in NHS Scotland. TuS has provided evidence on this on multiple occasions over several years. So Scotland better whilst the NHS in all parts of the UK continues to struggle.
Latest insights into Labour’s government of Wales – education
On school education, from BBC Wales published on the BBC News website (July 18 2024) there is this headline: ‘Children’s reading standards ‘a lottery’ in Wales’
‘In international tests, Welsh 15-year-olds scored lower than pupils in all other UK nations in maths, science and reading with results showing the gap had widened.’
The article quotes a researcher from the Institute for Fiscal Studies: ‘The latest Pisa international test results, showed “a declining picture in reading, numeracy and science” and “Most countries across the world saw declines as a result of the pandemic, but the declines in Wales were larger and from a low base, which leaves scores really quite worrying”.
Now I have considerable reservations about the value of the Pisa scores but over recent years the results of this particular test has been used endlessly by opposition politicians to berate the Scottish Government and the quality of education provided in Scotland’s state schools.
To provide perspective, the BBC Wales article has this graphic. Not the kind of informative thing one would see in a BBC Scotland article – unless you know differently?
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
“UK government buried 2016 report exposing catastrophic NHS failings during flu pandemicLate in 2016, the British government and health authorities held “Exercise Cygnus,” a three-day training exercise intended to determine readiness for a novel respiratory influenza pandemic.Cygnus aimed to test coordination between hospitals, health authorities, those tasked with tracking the disease and central government. The results of the report have never been made public. At the time, however, the British government’s then chief medical officer, Professor Sally Davies, told a health conference, World Innovation in Health, that the exercise “killed a lot of people.”She explained, starkly, “It became clear that we could not cope with the excess bodies, for instance. It becomes very worrying about the deaths, and what that will do to society as you start to get all those deaths …”Davies added that internal problems were compounded by “the lack of vaccines and then the global traffic and the lack of solidarity … a severe one will stretch everyone.”A 2017 Board Paper from Matthew Swindells, operations and information director of NHS [National Health Service] England, underscored the point that the exercise “challenged the NHS to review its response to an overwhelmed service with reduced staff availability.”Four years later, very little can be found on Cygnus. The report has been buried for fear workers would be alerted to the immense dangers posed by a pandemic. This would have cut across the drive of the ruling class everywhere to slash social spending to enrich themselves…. 🤔
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