Con men use race to distract from society's most glaring division

The National

a day ago

Stephen Yaxley was born to an immigrant Irish mother in England, but for some reason has always been ashamed of his Irishness. That led to him forming an 'English Defence League'. After leaving school he worked for a time at Luton Airport, but lost that job when he was sentenced to a year in prison for a drunken, violent assault on a police officer. Ever since then, he's never really had what most folk would consider an honest job. His activities always seem to involve raising funds by some sort of con.
READ MORE: SNP call out BBC over 'unacceptable' Hamilton by-election programme
Perhaps in an attempt to cover up this criminal record, Yaxley started using the alias 'Tommy Robinson'. He has also used a range of other aliases. Imagine being so ashamed of your own identity you've got to use so many different false names, trying to hide who you are!
In September 2011, 'Robinson' was convicted of another assault, for headbutting a fellow member of the English Defence League. Yaxley-Lennon has just been released from his latest stint in prison. He said thank you to Elon Musk for getting him out. This petty crook gives thanks to the richest man on Earth. That's fascism for you; the filthy rich linked with small-time crooks using race to direct everybody's attention away from the real glaring divide in society: class Despite their pride, Trump,
Musk, and Fromage are all failures. What they fail at (and, of course, those nearest to them, including their own families, realise this, even if most of them think it's probably safer to keep quiet) is being even slightly decent human beings. Forget hatred; what they deserve is our contempt. As for that posturing puppet Yaxley-Lennon/'Robinson', yes, he's also contemptible, as well as being pathetic.
Dave Coull
Findowrie
A GP appointment costs £129. An MRI scan is £457. Calling an ambulance sets the NHS back £1045. An A&E visit averages £1368. A life-saving coronary bypass operation costs £71,996. Crucially, every penny of this is covered upfront for every UK citizen through National Insurance. No bills at the hospital door. No crippling invoices. Treatment is guaranteed when you need it.
Now consider the private, profit-driven model Farage tacitly endorses. In the US – where healthcare is a market commodity – 600,000 people are bankrupted by medical bills every single year. Countless others die preventable deaths, denied care either by empty wallets or insurers who profit by refusing to pay claims. The system is structurally perverse: it rewards denial of treatment.
READ MORE: Nigel Farage: Don't take Nigel Farage's threat to abortion rights lightly
This is the grim future Nigel Farage and his Reform party would drag Britain towards. Farage – a man whose contempt for Scotland drips from his poisonous 'subsidy junkies' slur – represents the worst kind of nativist grift. His vision is one of division and dismantled security. Voting for Reform in Scotland isn't just misguided; it's akin to sleepwalking into self-inflicted disaster, ignoring every historical warning about empowering demagogues who peddle hate.
Those tempted by Farage's facile lies must understand the brutal arithmetic. The choice is simple: defend the NHS – that rare, tangible embodiment of collective solidarity that actually works – or surrender to a predatory American-style system where illness means financial ruin. To choose Reform is to choose cruelty over care, profit over people. It is an act of profound self-harm.
Alan Hinnrichs
Dundee
OUR NHS hits the headlines once again this week, and opposition parties once again attempt political point-scoring at the expense of those suffering and waiting. Yet those very opposition parties have been in charge of the NHS in other parts of the UK and unfortunately for those NHS areas and Scotland, a solution to long waiting lists has not been realised, only criticism. No constructive ideas, no examples of better practice, only criticism which demoralises NHS staff who are loyal and dedicated.
But where do we go with the future of our NHS and for all who are often in pain and misery awaiting treatment? Unfortunately, a magic wand won't fix it. We all need to take some responsibility for the system. For instance, no missing appointments, using the fully joined-up approach of perhaps a visit to the pharmacy first, taking pressure off other services further down the line.
READ MORE: John Swinney: Nigel Farage 'has peddled Russian propaganda for years'
NHS nurses and doctors in Scotland are the best paid in the UK and I am sure most would agree we want to continue this practice. The Scottish Government's latest accepted pay offer continues this theme with 'Agenda for Change' staff – including nurses, midwives, paramedics, and porters – receiving a 4.25% pay rise this year, backdated to April 1, and a further 3.75% increase in 2026/27. This is the SNP in government recognising and valuing our dedicated NHS employees, taking action.
Going forward, the government has invested massive amounts in our NHS, yet services still demand more. Perhaps a tax increase of 1p in the pound ring-fenced for our NHS is one to put on the table.
This option would be more palatable here in Scotland than UK Labour's approach of back-door privatisation.
Catriona C Clark
Falkirk