Support Talking-up Scotland -In this election year in Scotland, the 90% pro-Union media and their sponsors in the opposition parties will do everything they can to undermine the pro-independence parties. Thought vastly outnumbered, we will do our very best to counter their lies and get you, every day, the true stories and the sources of evidence to prove them. Help us if you can at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-get-the-facts-for-you 

In the Daily Record, 2 July 2010:

LABOUR has selected union official Matt McLaughlin as the party’s candidate to fight next year’s Scottish Parliament election. Mr McLaughlin was chosen as the party’s standard-bearer for the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley seat at a meeting of local Labour Party members on Monday night.

Mr McLaughlin said that people were disappointed with the SNP administration in Holyrood who had “failed to deliver on a host of election promises ranging from smaller class sizes to a fairer local tax system”.

“The recent cuts announced to NHS staff and local services show that only Labour are opposing cuts to our public services,” he said.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/matt-is-labours-holyrood-choice-2423565

The irony of a Labour candidate promising smaller school classes and more NHS staff, will not escape you.

Today, Matt is on BBC Scotland, in Bosses on six figures at under-fire health boards to get 10% pay rises, with:

Unison’s head of health, Matt McLaughlin, said: “There are thousands of NHS workers across Scotland taking on extra work and responsibility for little thanks and no pay.

“This news will feel like a real slap in the face for hard working NHS staff and patients who are being let down daily by the very same people who have awarded themselves big bonuses.

“[Health Secretary] Neil Gray needs to step in now and end this unfairness.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8jkz1k37eo

Neither Matt’s nor Unison’s affiliations with Scottish Labour are mentioned.

Finally, ‘under-fire’ health boards?

The correct term in Scotland is ‘Support and Intervention Framework (escalation levels)‘ and no Scottish board is at level 5 indicating any safety concerns for patients. There are six being monitored at lower levels for, eg, financial problems, but none for patient safety, including waiting times, issues.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-scotland-support-and-intervention-framework/

In England four trust maternity units, alone, are subject to police investigations. ^{1, 2, 3, 4}

Additionally, a broader national maternity and neonatal investigation (led by Baroness Amos) is examining 12 other trusts for similar failings (e.g., high perinatal mortality).⁵

Sources for NHS England:

1. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyr7em4323mo
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-maternity-and-neonatal-investigation-terms-of-reference
3. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/09/victims-of-nhs-maternity-failings-in-england-received-unacceptable-care-says-report-head
4. https://www.bmj.com/content/390/bmj.r1374
5. https://www.matneoinv.org.uk/

Support Talking-up Scotland -In this election year in Scotland, the 90% pro-Union media and their sponsors in the opposition parties will do everything they can to undermine the pro-independence parties. Thought vastly outnumbered, we will do our very best to counter their lies and get you, every day, the true stories and the sources of evidence to prove them. Help us if you can at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-get-the-facts-for-you