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By G Caldow

With less than two months to go to the next Holyrood election, the invigorating yet factual debates have been enthusing the public, where healthy and respectful debate between polar opposite views are building a consensus of apathy. 

Independence is a vision but that vision has to be spelt out along with the strands on which that Independence will occur and in what way, an Independent Scotland will differ from the present managed decline rather than a dive over the clifftop like England. 

It appears that all the Crisis’s whether Cost of Living, Social Care, Energy, Infrastructure have brought out soothing words but no actual policies to act to reverse and improve the services.  Manage the decline is the best on offer by mitigating the effects.  In Social Care, my local authority now quotes over £79000 a year for providing the care though they are guarded about what they pay the operator. 

Thatcher sold the UK or rather gave the UK to the Financial Sector.  As a result wealth extraction became the desired business model with investment only permittable where profit was guaranteed.  Long term investments with low return were deemed unacceptable.  Our ancient Petro-Chemical plants a prime example so closure for all is now inevitable. 

Vague words about being better in an Independent Scotland have no resonance with the public. 

Today, the world of convention and adherence to International Law no longer applies.  If you have a resource that someone more powerful wishes, they will take without any consequences. 

It’s time to look at an Election Strategy which recognises why England will never cede Scotland independence. 

For want of a more apt title, I suggest “Project Fear Mark 2.” 

The question to ask is what resources remain in Scotland under the control of Scotland’s authorities at present which others wish to acquire. 

Scottish National Health Service:  On almost all indicators, it performs far better than the Health Services of the other nations as the SNP Government has increased spending over theirs.  It performed 1.3 million surgeries last year when if pro rata to England would be 750000.  It has agreed a new deal for GPs while in England many are leaving the NHS for the Private Sector. 

Can it be better?  Yes. 

But will it better when Labour, Reform force Privatisation on it.  Labour Ministers and MSP’s have taken donations of over £2 million from Private Healthcare providers.  Why is that important?  In today’s environment why make such payments if you don’t expect a return on your investment?  Streeting has openly proposed a Private Health Care System while Farage believes the American system is the best model. 

It explains why they are constantly sniping about the performance of SNHS without any comparison to England’s fragmented and broken NHS.  The attacks on not allowing Palantir access to our medical records show how they will enforce it once they have the power.  How can a service be better when profit is taken instead of spent on patients. 

If they lose in May, what are the odds of a Westminster order to overrule Scotland’s Parliament to appease the so-called Special Relationship? 

Education:  With more teachers per head and an improving outcome for pupils, even if challenging in some areas it is an area ripe for Privatisation.  The success of the Academy structures in England is purely based on the profits achieved for the owners but academic standards are falling.  Once the profits have been extracted, the hollowed out schools have had to be rescued if not taken over by local councils. 

Scottish Water:  Scottish Water only exists because Strathclyde voted in a referendum not to allow their water supply to be privatised.  While there is no doubt it requires more investment as our demands increase, it’s performance in comparison to the English Water Companies is staggering.  If it had been Privatised around £14.5 billion would have been extracted to shareholders.  Most of which would have been “borrowed” money not profit related.  The investment needed would not be forthcoming.  The head of English Water has openly stated they need to take Scotland’s water as London is already approaching a serious crisis point. 

If you haven’t watched “Dirty Business” on Channel 4 regarding the appalling conduct of the English Water Companies, I suggest it should be mandatory viewing as it exposes so blatantly why Scotland requires Independence.  The deliberate act to not invest or even repair in many instances led to almost all rivers in England being polluted.  6% of the total investment in the English Water Services have occurred under the 36 years of Privatisation.  20% of the structures are still Victorian. 

We have seen how the Post Office Horizon scandal played out as the Regulator operated a hands off approach.  The Senior members of the Environment Agency, after their time at the agency, moved into positions on those boards, if not often sitting on the Water firms boards at the same time.  Could that explain why they operated a “hands off” approach, reducing to almost zero the inspections of the facilities.  It was an honour based system depending on the Water Companies to report any spillages to the Environment Agency.  The data clearly showed over a million raw sewage discharges into English rivers and beaches per year yet no acknowledgement of them. 

Other Regulators like OFGEN have had similar transfers of personnel.  A system CORRUPT to its core.  

How was it possible? 

Since Cameron in 2010, successive Prime Ministers and Ministers including Starmer, Streeting have ordered the reduction in the onerous regulations restraining profits.  Every decision since Thatcher has been about making the Financial Services money not to benefit the People of this country. 

As the Holyrood election looms, Scottish (in name only) Labour, Reform and the Tories, really they form the Establishment Party as the differences are illusional, are demanding reduced Regulations and presenting it as desirable as it will improve competitiveness.  One wonders about their share portfolios. 

Scottish Building regulations prevent building on flood plains, flats must have fire buffers.  The recent Glasgow fire has shown they need tweaked to prevent such fires in the future.  Grenfell occurred to save £5000 in material costs. 

What are we risking in Food standards, Animal Welfare, Health and Safety remaining as a colony of England.  

National Audit Commission reported £120 billion fraud during Sunak’s time in the Treasury and No10.  Yet no investigations launched.  No Forensic tents outside No 10, No 11 and many Conservative MP’s homes over contracts for pals. 

England wishes Small Modular Reactors but why are there none planned in London if they are so safe.  Would not need massive pylon lines to London.  Nothing to do with the land being contaminated for hundreds of years and the higher risk of cancers in affluent and influential areas? 

The risks for our future are so great, this election needs us all to vote but the Independence parties have to unite for one part at least.  They must make this a de facto plebiscite on Independence.  Each manifesto must be clear, a vote for them is a vote for Independence. 

Take the fight on.  Show what we will happen if we remain as a colony in a totally corrupt England.  Prevent that contagion blighting Scotland.  (It may be smaller but it exists in Scotland so we must prevent it rising to the English level.) 

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotland

Click on the above.

Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04  Account - 12266421 Name - JOHN ROBERTSON