Brian Wilson: SNP’s NHS scaremongering won’t work. The Scotsman

SOMETHING OF a pattern is emerging, is it not? The Nationalists’ claims have now become so cynically outrageous that non-politicians, who probably did not want to be drawn into the debate, are feeling obliged to rebut them in the plainest possible terms.

Last week, it was the Bank of England that issued a magisterial put-down when an SNP press release in John Swinney’s name claimed that “technical discussions” were taking place about currency union. It was untrue, and Swinney now says that he did not mean to give that impression. Doubtless he will be dealing internally with whoever took his name and reputation in vain.

Then Sir Ian Wood had a good shot at being even more magisterial with his remarkable interview in which he hazarded that Alex Salmond’s fabrication workshop had overestimated future North Sea resources by around 60 per cent and short-term revenues by 40 per cent. Chunky numbers, indeed, when translated into schools and hospitals.

Salmond’s audacity had provoked Sir Ian Wood into going far more public than he might otherwise have done, with his conclusion that, in economic terms, “the case is heavily weighted towards Scotland remaining in the UK and getting the best of both worlds. I want the best for future generations of Scots”. You don’t get much more unambiguous than that.

While currency and oil might be regarded in some quarters as fair game for misrepresentation, it is the Nationalists’ appalling behaviour over the National Health Service that merits the greatest contempt. In this case, the woman who headed the Scottish Government’s own cancer reduction strategy has felt moved to hit back at the pernicious nonsense they are promoting. By her own account, she would not have intervened if the claims had not been so outrageous.

Dr Anna Gregor said: “The thing that made me decide to talk about this subject is that both the politicians and, to my chagrin, some of the clinicians are now scaremongering and telling the voters and patients that the only way to protect our NHS is to vote Yes. That is a complete and utter lie.”

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Victory over the parking cowboys: Hospitals ordered to ban bullies and give the seriously ill free parking. Daily Mail

  Jeremy Hunt to set out new strict rules blocking huge fines in car parks

  Cancer sufferers and patients whose treatment overran were ripped off

  Health trusts now responsible for private firms that run 3/4 of the car parks 

Hospitals must offer free or cut-price parking to the seriously ill, the Health Secretary will announce today.

Setting out strict new rules, Jeremy Hunt will say cowboy parking operators can no longer be allowed to impose huge fines for trivial infringements.

His intervention is a major victory for the Daily Mail’s campaign to protect vulnerable patients. 

The outrageous behaviour of some parking bullies has sparked a mass of complaints. 

Cancer sufferers and patients whose treatment has over-run are among those who have been ripped off.

‘Patients and families shouldn’t have to deal with the added stress of unfair parking charges,’ Mr Hunt will say.

‘These clear ground rules set out our expectations, and will help the public hold the NHS to account for unfair charges or practices.’

The guidance to health trusts makes clear they will be responsible for the actions of the private firms that run more than three quarters of hospital car parks.

They will have to act against rogue contractors and not sign contracts ‘on any basis that incentivises fines’.

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The Mavericks: Gentle On My Mind