“NHS IS NOT SAFE” IN WESTMINSTER’S HANDS SAYS FORMER CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER BURNS WARNS REMAINING WITH WESTMINSTER WILL WIDEN INEQUALITY AND ALIENATION Sir Harry Burns, Scotland’s former chief medical officer, is today warning that the NHS is not safe in Westminster’s hands. Writing in the Sunday Herald Sir Harry also challenges the people of Scotland to decide “whether we want to be in control of our future or are we happy to hand it over to people who have shown they care little for the weak and the poor. “ Alongside warnings over the danger posed by Westminster’s agenda – where he argues NHS cuts, charging and privatisation are “locked in to the future” of the NHS in England and states that there is “very little anyone can do about it in Scotland so long as we remain part of the UK”, Sir Harry Burns who has previously said that independence could be beneficial for Scotland’s health as a nation also warns of rising inequality and alienation that would come from remaining under Westminster authority. Citing Jimmy Reid he writes: “For the comfortably off, it might seem that the decision on September 18th is easy: preserve the status quo and stay comfortable. But just how comfortable can you feel when children are the ones who suffer most from the stresses of poverty? How acceptable is it that a life on benefits seems to be the only future facing young people who have lost hope of ever getting a job? How comfortable can you feel when our health and social services, which provide a safety net for us all, and especially our elderly, are under threat? The comfortably off are misjudging the future if they think playing it safe is the way to go next week. There is no status quo in our economic future. The times are changing and the only choice is whether we want to be in control of our future or are we happy to hand it over to people who have shown they care little for the weak and the poor. The policies being pursued by the UK government will widen inequality in our society and more and more of the middle classes will be caught on the wrong side of the divide. Jimmy Reid’s Rectorial Address to Glasgow University students in 1971 identified alienation as the cause of social difficulties in Scotland. He defined it as “the cry of those who feel themselves the victims of blind economic forces beyond their control.” If we remain in the UK after Thursday, prepare for a growing sense of alienation.” Welcoming Sir Harry’s contribution to the debate, Scotland’s Health Secretary Alex Neil said: “The choice we make on Thursday is exactly as Sir Harry has set out - whether to take responsibility for our own future or to hand decisions back to a Westminster system that has presided over increasing inequality, alienation and is busy privatising the English NHS. “We know we can be a successful independent country as one of the wealthiest nations in the world, wealthier per person than France, Japan or the UK. But we also know that for too many people it doesn’t feel like we are. “With a Yes vote on Thursday we can we can use our wealth to protect the NHS from Westminster cuts, to tackle alienation, to build a safe and prosperous society for all of us and to tackle the enduring problems of Scottish society. So when Thursday comes around let’s do it, and let’s put our own skills, talents and resources to use for the benefit of the people of Scotland.”
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 09:44:58 +0000
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