Governments are gulfs apart

Good to see our young people back at school and our college welcoming students back to campus.

Of course there are worries and still issues to be sorted, which is perfectly natural in such a challenging time.

I’m in regular contact with South Lanarkshire Council and the Scottish Government, so please get in touch if I can help in any way - 01355-232800/linda. fabiani.msp@parliament. scot.

Working through this pandemic has affected everyone. Despite the moans and groans of opposition politicians, I’m confident people in East Kilbride appreciate the regular, straightforward updates from our First Minister and her team.

It’s not always what we want to hear but is honest and informed by experts. In our Parliament and in the media, Nicola Sturgeon takes her responsibilities seriously.

Contrast this with Westminster – the UK Parliament is in recess and the Prime Minister on holiday; occasional appearances from UK Government ministers provide confusing messages.

As schools in England prepare to open their doors, the UK Government is posted missing.

There are marked differences between the Scottish and UK Government, and they are getting clearer by the day. A stark example was the handling of end of year awards for pupils who were unable to sit exams.

With schools closed, each of the four governments in the UK tried to get end of year results that looked similar to other years, but with no exams. Scotland’s results were published first. Overall, the figures looked good.

Here in East Kilbride though, calls and emails to me from worried parents and disappointed pupils raised alarm bells. It became apparent across Scotland that the SQA’s methodology was not well supported.

Pupils and teachers demonstrated and spoke directly with the Cabinet

Secretary for Education, and the government admitted they’d got it wrong.

John Swinney acted to put things right as opposition politicians called for his head. Even the UK Government got in on the act with the Secretary of State for Education in England joining the furore.

Just a week later, when exactly the same issues emerged for the English and Welsh results, this UK Secretary of State made the same changes as John Swinney. However, he stayed in post, kept his head down, and Holyrood’s Conservative Group kept quiet.

TheTories’opportunistic use of difficulties caused by the pandemic to have a go at the SNP shows clearly why they are not trusted in Scotland.

So, schools are back, and services are being gradually restored. As we know though, jobs are under threat.

Our Government has been urging the UK Government to step up to their responsibilities and take action to safeguard working livelihoods and support industry, like extending the furlough scheme.

Other European countries have extended their schemes – Germany already has furlough in place for 12 months and it may continue for longer.

When challenged on the decision to end the UK scheme this autumn the bizarre response from the UK Government was that keeping people‘trapped in jobs’would be‘reckless and unfair’. Absolute nonsense.

In East Kilbride and Lanarkshire we don’t exactly have lots of job choice at the moment and I know no-one in East

Kilbride who would give up a job to move onto Universal Credit.

More recently of course Boris Johnson made his own priorities clear when he said: “A Pound spent in Croydon is of far more value to the country than a Pound spent in Strathclyde.”

We have a lot of thinking to do about where Scotland is headed.

For now, take care and stay safe.