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
In the Guardian today:
Palantir’s NHS contract opens the door to the Big Brother-style data-sharing that Reform UK would use for a version of US immigration raids, health bosses have been told. Palantir Technologies – the data analytics company founded by Peter Thiel and Alex Karp – won a £330m NHS England contract to deliver the Federated Data Platform in 2023. The UK government is urging health bodies to adopt FDP, which the health secretary, Wes Streeting, says will ensure the NHS is “brought into the digital age”
In Scotland:
As Mandelson case exposes the risks of using US company Palantir for health data, how Nicola Sturgeon’s government made sure it didn’t happen in Scotland two years ago
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
In the Guardian 6 February 2026:
Labour should halt public contracts with the US tech company Palantir, opposition politicians have said, amid growing concern at the lack of government transparency over dealings with the company and Peter Mandelson.
Since 2023, Palantir has secured more than £500m in contracts with the NHS and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), while it employed Global Counsel, the lobbying firm founded by Mandelson. Emails released by the US Department of Justice show Mandelson sought help from Jeffrey Epstein to find “rich individuals” as clients.
In August 2024, the BMJ warned:
NHS England must cancel its contract with Palantir – Patients and campaigners have been raising concerns about Palantir’s creeping involvement with the NHS for years based on concerns about ethics, outsourcing, and privacy. The tech company has a long and controversial history of supporting predictive policing, deportations, state surveillance, and drone strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
NHS England risks further losing the trust of health workers, patients, and the public if it continues with this contract with Palantir. On 3 April 2024, more than 100 health workers, patients, and allies picketed the offices of NHS England to demand that the contract is cancelled.
Outrage from health workers, patients, and the public will only grow as further atrocities are committed by the IOF. If NHS England is to recover its own reputation and maintain public trust in health data systems, it must cancel the contract with Palantir. Patients and campaigners have been raising concerns about Palantir’s creeping involvement with the NHS for years based on concerns about ethics, outsourcing, and privacy. The tech company has a long and controversial history of supporting predictive policing, deportations, state surveillance, and drone strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan.15
NHS England risks further losing the trust of health workers, patients, and the public if it continues with this contract with Palantir. On 3 April 2024, more than 100 health workers, patients, and allies picketed the offices of NHS England to demand that the contract is cancelled.
Outrage from health workers, patients, and the public will only grow as further atrocities are committed by the IOF. If NHS England is to recover its own reputation and maintain public trust in health data systems, it must cancel the contract with Palantir. https://www.bmj.com/content/386/bmj.q1712
In 2023, the Scottish Government rejected pressure from the Secretary of State for Scotland to follow NHS England’s lead and rejected Palantir, adopting instead as partners, AstraZeneca UK and Lenus Health.
You can read the full proposal at: https://www.digitalhealth.net/2022/12/scotland-gets-national-digital-platform-to-improve-data-access/ and the memorandum of understanding with university and industry partners at: https://www.digitalhealth.net/2022/09/nhs-scotland-set-for-transformation-with-new-collaboration/
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
Talking-up Scotland 
“Patients and campaigners have been raising concerns about Palantir’s creeping involvement with the NHS for years based on concerns about ethics, outsourcing, and privacy”..
Palantir a private company, not a UK one, an American one.
But doesn’t the Labour Dame, also a Labour MSP, as in Jackie Baillie, just always love to tell us that patients in Scotland have to go private as they cannot get treatment on the NHS………..surely that is her promoting private healthcare and private companies linked to healthcare, in a kind of clandestine way……
As in “private” is better than the “NHS”.
Of course she , Ms Baillie, knows all about private healthcare , as her party at HQ both encourage it and endorse it as something they want to see more of within the UK’s NHS, including within Scotland’s NHS.
So then just what is Ms Baillie’s beef upon private healthcare use within Scotland ?
They also, Labour HQ, love to take political donations from Private Healthcare companies , but what are these private Healthcare companies expecting from Labour, as a UK government, in way of a return for their political donations ?
Wes Streeting , the Labour UK (English) Health Secretary once said on Private healthcare “”We’re going to be holding the door wide open and encouraging them to come in”.
Well a private healthcare company did personally donate to him, Streeting, so come one , he has to want to help them in return……..surely ?
And who better to help them, as private healthcare companies, than a Labour UK government Minister for Health !
So again , what then is Ms Baillie’s beef on private healthcare being used by patients in Scotland ?
As it is a Labour HQ adopted strategy, to have more privatisation involvement within the NHS going forward.
Mind you Baillie’s words and accusations cannot be trusted as in February 2025, she was accused of “quoting a nurse working in the south-east of England to describe the state of the NHS in Scotland“.
As “The specific quote utilized by Baillie regarding a patient’s death reportedly appeared on page 266 of the report, which detailed accounts from staff working in the south-east of England, not Scotland”.
So as you stated (in bold) in this post:
“As Mandelson case exposes the risks of using US company Palantir for health data, how Nicola Sturgeon’s government made sure it didn’t happen in Scotland two years ago“.
That then shows why we, Scotland, need real political representation both within the Scottish parliament and , for now, also within their UK parliament while we are still a part of their UK.
As in real political representation from those Scottish politicians (SNP) who will not put our personal data at risk to private American companies like Palantir, where it seems certain UK political parties as UK governments , all seem to be a tad gung-ho , or is it reckless, in respect to their attitudes and behaviour upon the personal data of their citizens , in this obvious (to us but not to them) bad practice that they have adopted.
Is there no end to Labour’s scandals………..quite “controversial” really , this “fiasco” of a new Labour UK government and also seemingly , as a new UK government, a bit of a “catastrophe”……..
(The same could also be said for the previous Tory UK government as well, but let’s not forget Reform UK’s position on this, with them also supporting and endorsing more private healthcare for the UK if , that is, they win the next GE , so they too should get no credit for being any different to the existing mainstream UK parties within their UK ).
So much for independence for Scotland being the real threat to their UK and also supporters of it being labelled as the “extremists” within their UK !
Liz S
LikeLiked by 1 person
I submitted this to The National knowing as it suggested an Election Strategy it would never see the light of day.
It builds on the Mendelson and Palantir debacles.
An Election Strategy to WIN.
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.)
LikeLike
@ G Caldow
Some very good points in your comment, shame it was not published.
Liz S
LikeLike
Very thought-provoking.
Posted here
John
LikeLike
The more people go private. Using NHS staff and facilities. The longer people have to wait. Instead of waiting in turn. People who need urgent treatment get it on the NHS.
Private cannot accomplish long term care. Cancer etc.
The Tories did not increase NHS funding for ten years. Until Covid. Then they let crooks ripe off the system. Mone etc.
Westminster cut NHS funding, cut education £6Billion a year. (£60Billion). Cut welfare £18Billion. They waste £Billions on HS2, nuclear, £13Billion a year decommissioning nuclear. Trident dumped in Scotland. Waste £Billions on redundant weaponry. Contracts never delivered. Spend more. Never delivered. They try to keep it secret under the Official Secrets Act. Brexit losing £Billions.
Instead of funding healthcare, education and welfare. Poor bad decisions. Scotland has to mitigate the cuts. Scotland never voted for Brexit. The majority do not want Trident in Scotland. Dumped without permission. Polaris. Kennedy and Macmillan. Westminster poor, bad decisions. Undemocratic. Unequal and unfair.
LikeLike
“The more people go private. Using NHS staff and facilities. The longer people have to wait”
Well you have just hit a big fat nail on the head.
Indeed it’s an excellent point you have made.
Also just think if everyone within the UK who needed medical attention all went private for their healthcare, if they could afford to or were forced to by a future UK government, would that then not also generate some huge backlogs within different medical fields within private healthcare hospitals, including Emergency and Out Patient departments ?
I mean can anyone tell me what would the difference be in the service we received from Private Hospitals compared to the NHS hospitals , if everyone who needed medical attention of some sort all went private instead of using the NHS ?
Would the promoted problems that both the media and politicians say exists within the NHS , not then also happen and so appear within private healthcare hospitals and services?
So would all of the queues aka backlogs disappear if we all went private ?
How would ambulances operate under a Private healthcare system in the UK if we all had private healthcare ?
Would we then see ………..no more waiting for an ambulance ?………far more hospital beds available?…… no more operations cancelled or postponed , would beds and Ambulances both be in abundance and so then there would be no more “Corridor care” or a gridlock of ambulances waiting outside hospitals…….what about social care for the elderly when they left these private hospitals ?
I mean if that is the case, then exactly how much would it cost us all in premium payments to sustain that level of service and that supposed better system , that somehow would then magically transform the level of service we would get from private healthcare ?
What level of care do you get if you can only afford to pay a lower premium compared to the level of care received by a higher premium payer ?
Q’s , Q’s ………the kind of Q’s that those who say that “the NHS is broken” will not answer or perhaps they just cannot answer………or rather they do not want to answer.
I am sure that they all know that we will not like what they have to say, if that is , they decide to speak the truth, which nowadays is a novelty for all of rogue media and the rogue politicians who promote private healthcare while also undermining and criticising the NHS.
If In worked in the NHS I would be sick of my role being slated and undermined and during Covid I would have told them all to hold off their claps and start appreciating what we do within the NHS for the public, day in and day out, seemingly with no thanks from the powers that be, who as the powers that be, have created much of the mess within the NHS that they always complain about.
The NHS a great service ruined by a succession of corrupt and incompetent UK governments too greedy , selfish , mean and stupid to manage it, the NHS, both properly and well.
The NHS , Underfunded and under appreciated , and that is all down to UK governments and the anti NHS messaging communicated by their subservient client media .
Liz S
LikeLike