Ruth Davidson is the politician to rescue Scotland from quicksands of isolation
As Nicola Sturgeon is becoming increasingly isolated, in steps Ruth Davidson to rescue Scotland from the quicksands (“Stop cutting taxes and save the NHS, Davidson tells PM” Scotsman, 30 May). Scotland is desperately in need of new ideas to get back on a sensible, non-independent, track.
The very negative response to Andrew Wilson’s Growth Commission report, even amongst supporters of independence, shows it is time to move on from this issue. Scotland needs a fresh approach to the myriad problems not only caused by the Scottish National Party, but denied by them endlessly. No one is fooled by this head-in-the-sand SNP approach, particularly anyone needing help from the NHS. Ms Davidson is stamping her authority on a brighter future for Scotland, within the Union, that the SNP cannot hope to match. It is rather unfortunate we have to wait until 2021 for this to happen. (DR) GERALD EDWARDS
Broom Road, Glasgow Ruth Davidson has said that the UK Government has choices to make over future funding of the NHS, and that if the “choice is between extra spending on the NHS or introducing further tax breaks beyond those already promised, I choose the NHS”.
The tax breaks already promised, in the Tory manifesto for last year’s election, are to increase the personal allowance to £12,500, increase the higher rate limit to £50,000, no increase in VAT, cut corporation tax to 17 per cent – the lowest rate of any developed economy – and review the business rates system. All of that will cost billions.
The NHS is in a desperate state as a result of the austerity policies practised by both the Tories, and the SNP Scottish governments since 2010. What is needed now is tax increases, such as the 1 per cent rise in National Insurance introduced by Gordon Brown, and not tax cuts.
The NHS would be no safer under Ruth Davidson than it is under any Conservative government.
PHIL TATE Craiglockhart Road, Edinburgh You have got to hand it to Ruth Davidson, she is a master of media manipulation while avoiding any real scrutiny of her policies.
On immigration, she backs Theresa May’s plans to cut the numbers while somehow increasing Scotland’s share, but failed to back SNP calls for any postgraduate study work scheme or for seasonal workers or a Scottish-specific visa, as happens in federations like Canada, and opposed devolving such powers to Scotland.
On the NHS, which also desperately needs EU workers, just a few months ago she was demanding tax cuts that would have cost the health service in Scotland £550 million.
The independent Ferret Fact Service studied the various Scottish party public statements over the past year and found that the party with most false claims was the Conservatives, with 70 per cent of claims checked found to be either mostly false, false or even worse.
As for being some kind of liberal, Ruth Davidson still supports Theresa May’s hard Brexit, the two child tax credit cap and rape clause, disability and benefit cuts and the Bedroom Tax. Instead of harbouring Westminster ambitions, she should stick to her day job as an MSP and actually start holding public surgeries for her constituents.
FRASER GRANT Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh