Stop tinkering around the edges: we need a National Care Service, now
Many of my colleagues in the nursing home were immigrants, from India and the Philippines as well as EU countries. And the great majority were dedicated and committed: carers in attitude and conduct, not just in name.
While I recognise and respect Dr Macaskill's expertise, I take issue with his diagnosis of what ails social care in Scotland.
The Scottish Socialist Party identifies the fundamental problem as a systemic one. That is, the private ownership of social care services.
Dr Macaskill has himself pointed out that the social care "industry" is economically unviable. It is also morally unjustifiable.
The SSP has long called for a National Care Service, one based on the founding principles of the National Health Service. It should be publicly funded and run, with equal quality care for all, free at the point of need.
Scotland has an ageing population and many Baby Boomers – like me – have grave concerns about our future should we need long-term care.
This is no time for tinkering round the edges. Scotland needs a genuine National Care Service. And we need it now.
Michael Davidson, Edinburgh.
• I must say I find it surprising that the First Minister and assorted SNP supporters rail against an attempt to curb economic migration instead of supporting Scots into the jobs that migrants fill, especially in social care. One of the arguments they use is that Scots would have to be paid more than Nigerians for example. Is that bad? I thought that Scots nationalists supported Scots. Do they now support unlimited migration from countries whose cultures and values are wildly different from our own?
The fact that care homes prefer immigrants means that language is a problem. Indigenous Scots have mastery of the vernacular that allows them to communicate better, which is of vital importance when caring for senior citizens. Care homes should be a place of last resort anyway. Care in the community should aim to support those who need special care as long as possible. It's a great pity that vested interests shut down the attempt by the Scottish Government to introduce a National Care Service, which would have reduced the outrageous costs of private care, and raised and maintained standards. In the meantime care in the community should be given more support.
William Loneskie, Lauder.
Read more letters
Protest the daylight robbery
Hats off to Carlos Alba for his article today ("Budget airlines and car hire firms drive us mad – but do we only have ourselves to blame?', The Herald, May 14) in which he has a healthy and long-overdue public rant at the underhand, immoral and downright dishonest practices of many businesses, chief amongst them being some budget airlines and foreign car hire companies.
Read his article and you will easily identify with every example he mentions, the sleazy malpractice that is perpetrated against the travelling public through the work practices of said budget businesses. Who wouldn't hold their hands up to say they would favour an 'all-inclusive, one price, no sneaky hidden extras' fare or hire ?
This Dick Turpin approach (stand and deliver – your credit card!) to the passengers/ customers is outrageous and we should all be shouting our disgust at this daylight robbery.
Colin Allison, Blairgowrie.
Shoppers are seeing the light
Luxury fashion company Burberry suffered a £66 million loss in the last financial year, and is planning to cut its staff by 1,700 by 2027 and also end nightshift working ("Burberry to cut up to 1,700 jobs worldwide after £3m loss", heraldscotland, May 14).
Its range is high-end and with trench coats costing between £1,000 and £10,000 it's not surprising that it has had to take these drastic measures.
People often go for the brand name whether it be sports or luxury fashion, but there must be a limit on what the public are willing to pay.
You can buy clothes which are equally as good and perform as well as these high-end goods, and it looks like buyers are eventually seeing the light and doing just that. Hence the reason why Burberry and other fashion outlets are having to address their problems in this manner, or reduce the cost of their clothing to survive.
Neil Stewart, Balfron.
Dear green spaces
Once again many Glaswegians and visitors make their way to the Botanic Gardens in the west end of Glasgow in sunny weather ("City dwellers relax ", The Herald, May 14) as many pictures in The Herald have illustrated over the years. The Gardens moved to their current location in 1842 with them being later incorporated into the parks and gardens of the Glasgow Corporation.
The Gardens are the much-treasured destination of the thousands of flat dwellers in the area during good spells of weather. They have therefore much cause to be grateful to those who had the vision to provide this amenity for the population to enjoy. The Botanic Gardens have, of course, many other admirable features, including the herb garden, a collection of ferns, a rose garden, and Kibble Palace.
The people of Glasgow today have much to thank their predecessors for in the establishment of so many splendid public parks, such as Kelvingrove, Linn, Pollok Country, Bellahouston, Glasgow Green, Queen's and Victoria. Glasgow is well and truly "parked" .
Ian W Thomson, Lenzie.
Sunbathers in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens (Image: Colin Mearns)
A royal trump card
I wondered how long it would take, and GR Weir (Letters, May 13) hasn't let me down. What can I say? Despite all the 'ifs and buts' (Mr Weir highlights a number) the monarchy remains, in my view, a stabilising force for good.
The alternative? Think a certain 'Mr President', perhaps? I rest my case.
Brian D Henderson, Glasgow.
Molluscular science
I note that the latest government buzzword is working at 'pace'; reality on delivery suggests it should be preceded by 'snail's'.
Mike Flinn, West Kilbride.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Belfast Telegraph
an hour ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Trump's tariffs ‘could see 1,000 fewer jobs in NI over next 15 years'
The Department for the Economy has released modelling of the impact of President Trump's tariffs on Northern Irish exports, which model a range of scenarios. Since the US President's 'Liberation Day' in April, there has been concern around the world about the impact of US tariffs on global trade and national economies. From April 4, the US imposed a 10% tariff on UK goods entering the US. After signing the 'Prosperity deal' between the two countries, the tariff on UK steel has remained at 25%, avoiding the jump to 50% imposed on other nations. DfE said it had used a framework called 'Computable General Equilibrium' to model a variety of outcomes of the tariffs. Uncertainty has accompanied the tariff policy as President Trump has already instituted pauses for a number of them, and has hinted at the possibility of deals with individual nations. There is also uncertainty as to what industries will be hit, as Trump has long favoured tariffs on steel, for example, but other industries such as pharmaceuticals have hoped to avoid tariffs altogether. The 1,000 fewer jobs does not refer to job losses, but to how many fewer positions would be created as compared to a situation where the tariffs were not imposed. The baseline scenario would still result in 800 fewer jobs being created in Northern Ireland, with a general reduction to GDP of around £85m, or 0.15%. DfE has considered four different outcomes, which include a 10% tariff that excludes pharmaceuticals, a 10% tariff that includes that industry, a 10% general tariff with a 20% rate for pharmaceuticals and a 10% general tariff that excludes aerospace products. While the overall impact may be low, the department anticipates a greater hit to exports within industries, modelling a baseline scenario reduction in the machinery sector of 2.24%. In a scenario where pharmaceuticals are hit by a 20% tariff, the department anticipates that sector would fall by 4.77%. The conclusion to the DfE report highlights the potential impact on the regions within Northern Ireland. 'It is also likely that many of the businesses impacted will be in specific geographic areas e.g. Mid Ulster and Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon council areas. 'This is due to the importance of the manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries to these areas, which will have implications for the regional balance agenda being taken forward by the department. 'In addition, the tariffs will negatively impact business investment over the long term which will serve as a headwind against efforts to increase investment and improve productivity.' The model is based on the impact to exports, and does not incorporate the changes to imports, or the effects of potential retaliatory tariffs from the EU. A tariff is an additional cost applied to imports, typically imposed on goods or services where they cross national borders.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
EU open to lowering tariffs on US fertilisers in trade talks
BRUSSELS, June 6 (Reuters) - The European Union is open to lowering tariffs on U.S. fertiliser imports as an offer in trade talks with the Trump administration, but will not weaken its food safety standards in pursuit of a deal, EU agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen told Reuters. "That is definitely an option," Hansen said, of reducing U.S. fertiliser tariffs. "That will be on the table. And I think that would be a huge way forward, and an offer as well to the U.S.," he said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday, adding that whether that would mean zero tariffs, or a reduction of current rates, would need to be negotiated. U.S. exports face the EU's standard tariffs of 5.5% on imports of ammonia, and 6.5% on nitrogen fertilisers, as well as an extra 29.48 euro-per-tonne anti-dumping duty on U.S. urea ammonium nitrate (UAN). UAN comprised around three quarters of EU imports of U.S. fertilisers last year, EU trade data shows. Reducing tariffs could boost Europe's purchases of U.S. fertiliser, to fill a gap as the EU cuts supplies from Russia. Around 24% of the EU's nitrogen fertiliser imports came from Russia in 2023, while the U.S. accounted for 8%, EU data shows. "I believe most of the Europeans would prefer buying fertilizers from the U.S. than from Russia," Hansen said. The EU will hit nitrogen-based fertilisers from Russia with tariffs rising to 100% over three years, a level that would effectively halt annual trade flows currently worth 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion). Hansen said the EU was also open to discussing increasing its purchases of hormone-free beef from the U.S., and a deal to have zero-for-zero tariffs on EU and U.S. wines. But he said the bloc would not compromise on its stringent food safety standards as it seeks a deal. "I don't see room for manoeuvre to roll back our high quality standards. But of course, on other points, on other products, we are very open to negotiations," Hansen said.
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Davy Russell: The 'invisible man' to Scottish Labour MSP
Many thought it would not be enough, but Thursday night's emphatic result proved them wrong. He lives in Quarter, South Lanarkshire – a village three miles from Hamilton – where he has spent his whole life. In this contest, he was one of the only candidates to stay in the constituency he was fighting to represent. The invisible man? The nickname followed Mr Russell through the campaign trail, after he confirmed he would not participate in STV's live debate. Reform UK candidate Ross Lambie used social media to joke Mr Russell had become the 'invisible man' with the TikTok video showing a search for the Scottish Labour candidate with Queen's The Invisible Man playing alongside the caption, 'Where's Davy?' Read more: Starmer: Scots voted for change in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election win Labour wins Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election Disdain for Davy Russell comes back to bite political elites Mr Russell hit back, adding the best way to reach the public was 'by chapping doors and hearing their concerns'. Senior Labour sources said they knocked on around 7,000 doors on polling day, adding to the community-focus message. Who is Davy Russell? He went to school Hamilton Grammar School and went on to earn a civil engineering certificate from Motherwell Technical College. Mr Russell worked as an apprentice, fixing roads before becoming a senior manager at Glasgow City Council, handing roads, transport and waste services. As deputy lord lieutenant, he represents the King at local events. Mr Russell previously worked as a consultant to a subsidiary of Mears Group, a company previously embroiled in a data falsification scandal. His whole campaign was used to centred on reinvigorating Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, condemning the Scottish Government's plans to downgrade the neonatal unit at University Hospital Wishaw and pledging to boost high streets. Mr Russell was jubilant as he was named the newest MSP in Holyrood in the early hours of Friday morning. He said it was the best moment since the birth of his grandson, Adam, who was born six weeks ago. 'I've lived here my whole life. I'm a dad and a grandad and like many of you, I care deeply about the future of our community,' he said. Hamilton town centre will be his priority in Holyrood, he said. 'We need to get investment in there,' he said. 'The council are trying really hard in this, but it needs a bit of help.' This was his first bid at Holyrood and previously served on the board of trustees for Sense Scotland, a charity for disabled people.
