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Lesley Riddoch in the National yesterday, with the above and:

Leaving aside her invitation to ‘islanders’ to make me ‘walk the ferry gang plank’ after I questioned their awareness of just how much the SNP Government has done for them, I still trust Lesley Riddoch as an honest and constructive, not to mention, very articulate, critical friend of the SNP. I have my own concerns on the SNP leadership, especially on foreign affairs, but if you work to destroy them you will regret it and destroy the only organised and powerful force that will take us over the line to independence.

I’m not suggesting that she has joined the huffy-boot brigade of former Yes campaign champions who now spend all their time attacking the SNP, in revenge for not been given the respect and influence they just know they’re entitled to.

However, as with the ferries, now on NHS re-structuring, is she not drifting toward knee-jerk opposition to anything they do? Wings has well-demonstrated the business sense in such a move.

Her argument is long and complex, beyond my time and attention to detail, so a few big comments must suffice.

Before I get to the obvious comparisons with Norway and Denmark, the astonishing and unique decision by Glasgow City council to build a giant new hospital full of the immuno-compromised, right next to, and downwind of, 20 stirred ponds and tanks of raw sewage sludge, show that you need size and diversity in a health board to make sure that a narrow party clique with links to business and organised crime do not put the interests of the latter before that of a tame electorate.

On care, she bemoans its centralisation and missing a chance to let smaller local groups manage that. She must have met or read of a different set of people. The complexity of the issues involved, often science-based, and the need to articulate the system with the NHS, requires highly-trained and qualified professionals with no political agenda, to run that. ‘Powerfully local’ is a romantic dream risking lives.

So, Swinney suggests two mainland boards and one more for the islands, 3.

Norway with a similar population but a larger more challenging area of land has 4.

Denmark with a similar population and a comparable area, has 4.

Let’s see what happens.

Help Talking-up Scotland keep going

Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going

Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421