Uniting the DisUnited Kingdom

[Corky Smeek]

The BBC is currently reporting that Boris Johnston promises to unite the country by getting Brexit done and to train 50,000 more nurses. Let's examine those claims a bit more closely.

Johnston wants to unite the country (UK) by forcing those of us who live in Scotland to leave the EU despite us clearly demonstrating that we don't want to. I was going to say something about that being typical of what Johnston thinks of Scotland but the simple fact of the matter is he doesn't think about us at all. He is addressing his remarks to a target audience who reside many hundreds of miles south of here. And that target audience have been asked many times if they would sacrifice the Union for Brexit and they have always answered with a resounding "Yes".

Secondly, he is going to unite the country by announcing a policy (50K more nurses) which only affects England. There are four completely separate NHS organisations within the UK. In Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland the devolved administrations run their respective NHS. Johnston is, once more, addressing his target audience; and it isn't us.

The polls are pointing to a Tory government being in place on Friday 13th December. That means a hard Brexit, with Johnston very likely to curtail the powers of the Scottish Parliament so he can offer access to the Scottish NHS to American drug companies in return for a trade deal.

However, we can stop this if we vote to take back control of our own affairs like any other country does.

[Corky Smeek]

Just an afterthought. The NHS in England must be in one heck of a state if it needs 50,000 nurses. That is roughly twice the population of Caithness. It makes one wonder how it can have been allowed to fall into such disarray. Surely whoever has been in charge all these years should be called to account for this quite woeful failure. Any ideas who has been running the NHS in England?

Thank goodness our healthcare is being managed by the best NHS in these islands.

[Gronnuck]

As far back as January last year NHS was reported to be haemorrhaging nurses as one in 10 quit NHS England each year (The Guardian 17 Jan 2018). Currently the Royal Collage of Nursing claims there is a shortage of around 40,000 nurses. So, this potential crisis didn’t happen overnight; the tory grubbiement had plenty of time to do something about it but failed miserably.
I cannot see anything attractive to encourage trained medical staff to come to work in a country with a hostile immigration policy. Similarly, I cannot see anything attractive to keep our own trained medical staff from taking their skills, (learned and paid for by themselves) abroad where they can enjoy a better work environment and salary.

[Corky Smeek]

As it turns out it looks like the Tories have been lying about the 50,000 nurses anyway. It seems that 18,500 of them are already in post.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-manifesto-boris-johnson-nhs-nurse-police-general-election-conservatives-a9215811.html

https://news.sky.com/story/general-election-boris-johnsons-promise-of-50-000-more-nurses-deceitful-11869721

Apparently, persuading 18,500 nurses to stay on in post counts as recruiting new nurses. How can anyone trust a word they say?

[j4bberw0ck]

I should know better than to feed the trolls, but sometimes...............


Johnston wants to unite the country (UK) by forcing those of us who live in Scotland to leave the EU despite us clearly demonstrating that we don't want to

Scottish voters preferring to stay in the EU is as relevant as London voters preferring to stay in the EU, or voters in, say, Lancashire. The only metric is that a majority of those who voted, across that entity - the UK - which is the EU Member State voted to leave. And Boris Johnson (a man I'm not defending) is doing nothing other than maintaining a pretence of delivering Brexit. EU rules are forcing Scotland out; IIRC the First Minister <respectful pause for you to genuflect> has already asked if Scotland can Remain and been told "Non". And if Scotland were to apply for membership once independent, the Spanish have already said they'll veto it to keep the Catalans down.

Assuming Scotland can navigate that lot, once back in as a full member of the EU (and so now a mandatory signatory to both the Schengen Agreement and the Single Currency), because the Scottish budget deficit as a % of GDP exceeds 3% (required by the EU's Stability & Growth Pact), all the brutality inflicted on Greece and the other PIIGS by Germany would be Scotland's to enjoy as well - massive public sector layoffs, pay cuts, 40+% youth unemployment, pensions slashed........... Oh, and the absolute EU-driven necessity for a hard border with Scotland's largest trading partner, which sits squarely between Scotland and the ferries which carry Scottish goods to Europe. All that shellfish waiting in a queue north of Carlisle.......


Secondly, he is going to unite the country by announcing a policy (50K more nurses) which only affects England. There are four completely separate NHS organisations within the UK. In Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland the devolved administrations run their respective NHS. Johnston is, once more, addressing his target audience; and it isn't us.

Quite so. As you keep saying, it's a devolved matter for Her Eminence to deal with.


The polls are pointing to a Tory government being in place on Friday 13th December. That means a hard Brexit

How? The EU don't want a hard Brexit, Johnson doesn't want it, the Commons doesn't want it, and the Lords doesn't want it. The rest of us can but hope, but Johnson isn't about delivering a hard Brexit. It's a sham. And a shame, too.


with Johnston very likely to curtail the powers of the Scottish Parliament so he can offer access to the Scottish NHS to American drug companies in return for a trade deal.

Is that fake news, or do you have some sort of evidence for it?