Scotland faces a £5billion budget blackhole that no amount of political spin can hide. So Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth is right to tell voters there will “undoubtedly” be cuts coming.
The Scottish Government must now wield the axe on spending to balance the books. But at what cost to ordinary Scots?
After years of generous spending on flagship policies such as free prescriptions and university tuition, reality has bitten hard.
Rising demands on the NHS, social care, education, and net zero targets have all cost billions.
Ministers talk of “efficiency savings” and “public sector reform,” but many fear this is code for savage cuts.
That’s where the SNP need to get it right – and stop the waste.
Millions have flown out of public coffers on overbudget ferries, a bottle deposit scheme that was ruled illegal and several fruitless legal challenges to the UK Government on trans rights.
So before we get to the cuts, it would be a remarkable boost to Scotland’s finances if the government started spending our money more wisely.
There is also a tremendous amount of taxpayers’ cash being spent on civil service and quango non-jobs that bring very little benefit.
They should be the first to go – rather than nurses, teachers and police officers fearing for their jobs.
Local services that people rely on must also be protected. Councils already stretched thin warn of community centre closures, pothole-filled roads, and creaking social care.
Vulnerable families, the sick, pensioners and those living in big city housing estates must not be the ones to suffer.
This is about Scotland’s future. Pretending the black hole doesn’t exist will not protect services.
Scots deserve honesty, not more excuses. But if the SNP botch these cuts, the pain will be far worse than it needs to be.
IAIN Packer is without doubt one of Scotland’s most evil men. He is now where he belongs – serving a life sentence for the murder of Emma Caldwell and attacks on 22 women.
Magdalene Robertson was raped by Packer in 1990 aged just 15. She received a promise from the authorities a full investigation would take place into possible criminality among police officers.
But she is still waiting for answers seven years later. A judge-led public inquiry is set to take place into the handling of Packer’s case.
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But that cannot be an excuse to leave Magdalene and other victims waiting for answers.
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