By George Ambitious plans will help nation recover
Last week, the new cabinet and ministerial team, along with our First Minister, hit the ground running.
As the new Minister for Parliamentary Business, I am delighted to say the SNP’s programme for government and priorities for the first 100 days are just as bold and ambitious as expected.
In the same week that Dominic Cummings – ex advisor to the Prime Minister – gave a very damning and explosive account of events during a committee hearing down in Westminster, our First Minister addressed the Scottish Parliament with professionalism and an excited commitment to continue leading our country through this pandemic as smoothly as possible.
I must admit, the differences between our parliament and the UK are quite stark.
If Boris, his cronies and the circus that is the Tory cabinet right now didn’t have such a negative impact on our lives up here in Scotland, the whole thing would be quite entertaining.
Unfortunately, no matter how well our government continues to handle the covid pandemic, the decisions taken by Mr Johnson and his friends absolutely still have the power to undo any good in our communities.
This is why the SNP, in government, has truly stepped up to deliver for Scotland and ensure that, when the time comes, we are in the best position possible and have the opportunity to decide for ourselves what sort of country we want to be.
At the heart of Nicola Sturgeon’s address to parliament remained her commitment to fairness and compassion and how Scotland’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis will be driven by an ambitious programme to build a modern, hightech economy while staying true to these enduring values.
We’ve already been leading the way with a successful vaccination programme, but, in addition to vaccinating all adults in Scotland, the government’s plan for its first hundred days includes publishing a NHS Recovery Plan to achieve a ten per cent increase in inpatient, day case and outpatient activity for those who had treatment or care postponed due to Covid-19.
Consultation on legislation to establish a National Care Service will also begin promptly, with the aim of introducing legislation in the first year
The decision taken by Mr Johnson and his friends absolutely still have the power to undo any good in our communities