The British Nationalist threat to Scotland’s health service is not new. It predates Boris Johnson’s undeserved elevation by several years. All that has changed is that we now have a British Prime Minister who is so contemptuous of Scotland and its people as to speak openly of the British state’s malign intent.
You’d have to be terminally naive to suppose the British political elite weren’t itching to get their greedy paws on NHS Scotland. Absorbing Scotland’s public health service into one of those “UK-wide common frameworks” that David Mundell wasn’t considered capable of managing serves the purposes of the ‘One Nation’ project very well. For a start, it would be an important step in neutralising the Scottish Parliament. Stripping Holyrood of its most significant powers has to be a priority for British Nationalists as they seek to eradicate Scotland’s distinctive political culture.
Few things better symbolise Scotland’s distinctive political culture than NHS Scotland. For that reason alone, it must be considered a prime target for seizure by the British state.
All the preparations are in place. There is a new unelected and unaccountable shadow administration called ‘The UK Government in Scotland’ waiting to take over all the powers added to the reserved list appended to the Scotland Act (1998). Curiously, the legislation which allows the British Prime Minister to do this is Nicola Sturgeon’s favourite, Section 30. Here’s what it says.
Her Majesty may by Order in Council make any modifications of Schedule 4 or 5 which She considers necessary or expedient.
For “Her Majesty” read the British Prime Minister. Schedules 4 and 5 are basically the choke-chain and muzzle put on Holyrood to stop the Sweaties getting ideas above their subordinate station. Section 30, as should now be clear, is an additional safety mechanism in case the choke-chain and muzzle don’t hold. It means the British executive can rewrite the Scotland Act to add anything to the list of reserved powers or protected provisions.
These powers are reserved and provisions protected for a reason. The British ruling elite would only accept devolution on condition there was no possibility that the Union could be compromised. The Union has to be protected at all costs because it is crucial to the British state’s conceit of itself as a global power. Without the Union – without Scotland – the rump of what had been the UK would not be able to strut the world stage with the big boys. The Jocks could have their pretendy Parliament. But it must always be under Westminster’s heel.
Needless to say, money comes into it as well. Particularly with the whole Brexit shambles. It is hardly a secret that the avaricious hyenas of corporate America are sniffing and slobbering around England’s NHS. The health service down south has been weakened to the point where it is easy prey for those who regard health-care solely as a source of profit.
But those US corporations want the lot. They won’t do a deal while part of the ‘English’ NHS is under the control of those ‘pinko liberals’ in Edinburrow. The British government needs those deals with the US. So they have to seize NHS Scotland. Simple as that.
If we don’t restore Scotland’s independence very soon, you can forget healthcare free at the point of need. You can forget a lot of other things as well. You can forget a fracking-free Scotland. You can forget universal benefits. In fact, you can forget the Scotland we know and the Scotland to which we aspire.
If you find these articles interesting please consider a small donation to help support this site and my other activities on behalf of Scotland’s independence movement.
Peter A Bell 
Very good. Most important citation from the Scotland Act. People don’t realise these things and seem reluctant to believe that Albion really is so perfidious. I shall share this to FB. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spot on Peter.
Our SNHS is under threat like never before.
”Prime Minister making a thinly veiled threat to contravene a 71 year old act of Parliament that predates devolution and guaranteed the existence of Scottish NHS according to Scottish Law. NHS Scotland while far from perfect performs better than any other NHS provider.” https://twitter.com/janette_foggo/status/1189536669147582466
And as for fracking, they no doubt can’t wait to frack Scotland to death.
http://archive.md/0owpx
LikeLike
Links taken from the Indyref2.space site. Check them all out.
https://indyref2.space/forum/topic/last-links-till-monday-from-me-enjoy/
LikeLike
I reckon the NHS might be the issue that could be the silver bullet that gets folks attention in Scotland. In terms of the single matter of Brexit it is too abstract and, frankly, boring for most people to get overly upset about despite the latter’s obvious detrimental effects. Brexit will merely be an inconvenience to most people in terms of European travel and holidays – that is, for those that can afford it – and for (surviving) businesses. But both individuals and commercial enterprises will adapt once Brexit is a reality.
The NHS, on the other hand, is something that people can really relate to – it is an emotive issue that invokes an instinctive gut response from ordinary people when there told that health care will be impacted (or, in this case, taken away altogether from people without the means to pay).
Let’s hope the SNP maximise the opportunity this presents to highlight that this insidious symptom is caused by being overseen by the British state and that the cancer that is the Union must be cut out in order to save the patient that is Scotland.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t hold out much hope of the SNP maximising any opportunity when they have candidates in the coming election – John Nicolson – putting out leaflets that don’t even mention independence. The leaflet lists five “SNP Priorities”. Neither a new referendum nor restoring Scotland’s independence makes it onto the list. I fucking despair!
LikeLike
Yes that is pretty disappointing especially as Independence, we were told, was going to be front and centre. Maybe – being optimistic here – John Nicholson blurted out his message before having it vetted by SNP HQ? Again, I can only hope so. In my opinion every SNP leaflet should start with something like:
“We in the SNP have a single overriding objective, namely to return Scotland to full self government. Once this has been attained, with the permission of the people of Scotland as determined in a fair and proper referendum, we will be able to comprehensively prioritise our individual aims which are … “. The specific items such as NHS, EU/EFTA/EEA membership, abolition of nuclear weaponry etc can then be listed in order of importance.
LikeLiked by 1 person
God is that you being ”selective” again, Peter? Talk about constantly dragging everyone down!
The SNP are planning to send out its prospectus for independence to every home in Scotland and I’m sure that will mention our NHS.
LikeLike
Independence should be at the top of each candidates list!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Apparently, it’ll take a bit of social media slapping to ensure that happens.
LikeLike
Its all about to go horribly wrong….
YES needs to stand up and take the lead – and fast or this will be 2017 all over again. However, I suspect it will again be crying over spilt milk after the fact as YES and the SNP have gotten in to the habit of trying to “re-fight the last war”.
Sadly, this time Westminster’s reprisals will be brutal and seismic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No! The SNP needs to take the lead. But the Yes movement needs to push them there. The SNP is our source of effective political power. It is the interface between Scotland and the British state. It is at the point where the power of Scotland’s cause meets the resistance of the British ruling elites. That’s where the party needs to be. That’s its function. It is the tool. We must have the strength to wield that tool.
LikeLike
If people in Scotland aren’t aware of the SNP raison dêtre they must have been living like a hermit in a cave for decades now. Individuals residing well beyond the British Isles, in particular Europe, are aware of what she and her party stands for, the media is well aware, all the other politicians of other political parties know what she stands for and more than anything she is constantly telling people what she stands for …. Independence.
But hey-ho search around (or just pick up data from anti-Independence sites) and find one leaflet, by ONE SNP politician that doesn’t mention Independence on the front page (maybe on the inside?) to make your SNP Baad case, once again.
The leaflet, in fact, may be worded in such a way to to influence voters living in a Tory marginal area, i.e. Nicolson’s constituency in Ochil. You know target certain voters who are known to be less predisposed to Independence, but are Remainers, which would normally be seen to be a smart electoral move, but not on here.
What I do know is that sites like this are putting people off of supporting the SNP, by using a basic propaganda strategy that’s taken right out the Unionist’s handbook. One of the tactics that they are using in an attempt to scupper Independence altogether.
LikeLike
By all means campaign leaflets should be tailored to reflect local issues and priorities. However, the case needs to be made in the context of what is possible with Independence.
At the moment the SNP Scottish Government is rather heroically managing the NHS within budget constraints, providing free prescriptions, free bus passes for the elderly and mitigating the bedroom tax, to name only a few matters. They are protecting our folk as best they can – as a responsible administration should do with its people’s well being genuinely at heart – but it is still finger in the dyke stuff.
So we need to explain that we don’t just want Independence. We want Independence for a reason. We don’t just want to be ‘smart’ at electioneering. Johnson and his cohorts are ‘smart’. They are also charlatans, fraudsters and con-men. We should confidently explain even to people in Ochil that with Independence we can do so much more. We need to win honestly not by sleight of hand. That gives us the only mandate that matters.
In the longer term the smartest thing to do is to be honest and make the link between Independence and being able to fully meet the needs and aspirations of Scotland’s people.
LikeLike
The smartest thing to do is to be honest and make the link between the Union and being unable to fully meet the needs and aspirations of Scotland’s people.
LikeLike