By George Continuing education is a top priority
Last week the First Minister a n n o u n ce d increased restrictions – like those already introduced in Renfrewshire – for the whole of Scotland.
And while this might not be the news we were all hoping for, I think it was expected after the past few weeks have seen rising Covid-19 cases within our communities and an R number higher than we’d like.
In order to slow and hopefully stop a second bought of increased transmission, these new restrictions are wholly necessary so it is really important we all follow them to the letter.
While I know some of you are understandably disheartened and unhappy that we cannot visit family or friends at home anymore, and are equally frustrated by the 10pm hospitality curfew, it is important to remember here that these restrictions have not been reintroduced lightly .
These restrictions have been based on the most up to date scientific evidence on how the virus is most easily spread. Equally, decisions have been made in order to prioritise what is most important – and that is saving lives and protecting people’s long term health.
We cannot get complacent and we must remember that when faced with a global pandemic of an infectious and dangerous virus, it is not possible to do everything and to live our lives completely normally.
Restrictions on household visits and closing premises slightly earlier than normal is a trade-off we need to make to allow other avenues to remain functional. Aside from saving lives, another top priority of the Scottish Government is to keep schools open and our young people in education.
Making sure our kids still have access to all that is excellent about our education system is vital to the health, wellbeing and future prospects of every young person across our country so leaving the pub early seems like an easy decision to me.
Some constituents have contacted me with concerns over the hospitality restrictions and have questioned why pubs and bars haven’t been shut all together to allow household visits.
Now I completely understand why this would seem like a sensible decision on paper but another priority is the protect people’s jobs and livelihoods for the duration of this outbreak and that means keeping businesses open and trading as normally as possible.
What the Scottish Government are seeking to do with the 10pm curfew is to find a balance between action to suppress the virus and the protection of jobs and local economies.
With no clarity or certainty coming from Westminster, it’s important we do all we can locally and nationally to make sure our economy is strong and can withstand a continued period of restrictions.
The reality of the situation is, if the Scottish Government had greater powers to borrow money, or the ability to extend the Job Retention Scheme, it is possible that a different balance of judgment on some of these issues could have been explored.
But as things stand right now the vast majority of Scotland’s tax and spending decisions are still taken at Westminster and this UK Government has shown that Scotland remains, at best, an afterthought.
Their recent decision to abandon the autumn budget, which allows Scotland to its own spending and tax plans, is just another reason we must strike out on our own and give Holyrood complete control over its own spending and decisions.
Not only are we in the middle of a global pandemic but the threat of a No Deal Brexit is still looming over our heads.
It is not only extremely reckless that the Tories are still planning on ending the transition period in 100 days, but only emphasises how out of touch they are with the people of Scotland’s wants and needs.
We cannot afford to be subject to the whims of an irresponsible, incompetent Tory government any longer. If their handling of the past seven months has proved anything, it is that Scotland could definitely do better as an independent nation.