12 hours ago
John Swinney pledges 'fundamental change' for Scottish public services
The First Minister is set to deliver two keynote speeches this week, setting out his vision for Scotland in the coming decades and a 'national project of renewal'.
On Monday, the SNP leader will address representatives from across the public sector at the Imaging Centre of Excellence (ICE) at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow.
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And, on Tuesday, Swinney will speak at the Scotland 2050 Conference in Edinburgh, where he will say that independence is key to achieving Scotland's goals for the middle of the century.
The main focus of the speech on Monday will be the Scottish Government's plans to 'renew' Scotland's public services.
It comes as Scotland's political parties are gearing up for the Holyrood 2026 elections, and follows the SNP's shock defeat to Scottish Labour in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.
The First Minister is expected to say: 'This changing world requires a fundamental change in how we operate. The status quo – across almost every field of endeavour – is no longer sufficient, it no longer serves us well enough.
'Public services first built in and for the 20th century must become rooted instead in the realities of the 21st. Our public realm reshaped; our nation renewed and reborn for this new age.
'The Scotland I seek is modern and dynamic; it is an enterprising, compassionate, forward-looking nation that is well-placed to ride the waves of change rather than being buffeted by them, rather than being overwhelmed by them.
'A Scotland where tomorrow is better than today because, together, we have made it so.
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'It means public services too that are modern, accessible, flexible, responsive and seamless. Services capable of responding to life's crises as well as to life's everyday.
'Services that are robust and creative in response to all the challenges – fiscal, climate, demographic – that are coming our way.'
We previously told how Swinney urged Scots to be positive about their future.
