Enough with the 'postcode lottery' for cancer drugs, Holyrood needs to sort this.
My sister-in-law down in Ayrshire was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. She was told the latest targeted therapy drug wasn't available on the NHS there, but it was for folk in Glasgow. Had to fight tooth and nail, and honestly, it felt like luck of the draw whether you got the best treatment based on where you lived. It’s frankly infuriating that this still happens in 2024.
This isn't just about feeling sorry for one person. It points to a bigger issue with how treatments are approved and distributed across Scotland. We need a single, national standard for approving and funding cutting-edge medicines, especially for life-threatening conditions like cancer. No more postcode lotteries. Decisions should be based on clinical need and effectiveness, not where you happen to be registered with a GP.
Time to Ditch Westminster's Farming Rules
What's the point of Scotland having its own government if we can't even decide how to run our own farms, I mean come on, we're still stuck with rules made in Westminster that don't take into account our own unique landscape and needs.
We need to take control of our own agricultural sector, and that means making our own decisions on things like subsidies, crop rotation, and animal welfare, not just blindly following what England does. I've seen it time and time again in the whisky industry, where we're forced to adapt to rules that are made with English farms in mind, not Scottish ones.
Our farmers are some of the best in the world, but they're being held back by bureaucracy and red tape, it's time we cut them loose and let them get on with what they do best, which is producing top quality food and drink.
Let's Take Control of Scottish Immigration
I'm proposing that an independent Scotland should have its own points-based immigration system, one that prioritizes the needs of our own economy and industries. This is needed because the current system is dictated by Westminster and doesn't account for the unique requirements of our rural communities and industries like whisky production.
We've got businesses in the Highlands struggling to find workers because the UK's immigration rules are too restrictive, and it's time we took matters into our own hands. A points-based system would allow us to attract the skilled workers we need, whether it's engineers for the distilleries or seasonal workers for the tourist trade.
This would work by having a centralized system that assesses the needs of different sectors and allocates points accordingly, so if we're short on agricultural workers, we can give more points to applicants with experience in that area.
Fines for polluters must hit harder, but let's get the targets right.
It’s frustrating seeing the state of some of our rivers. Last month near Elgin, there was a stretch of the Lossie that just looked wrong, a bit lifeless. You hear about companies getting away with it, paying a slap on the wrist fine that’s just a cost of doing business for them. It’s not good enough for Scotland’s environment, or for our reputation as a country that cares about quality.
The idea of linking penalties to profits has merit. For big multinational food and drink firms, that could mean something. But we need to be careful. A percentage of global profit might not sting a company that only has a small operation here but pollutes one of our specific burns. We should look at penalties tied to revenue or assets within Scotland, or even better, the cost of proper remediation and ecological restoration of the affected area.
We export so much of our finest produce and drink.
Serious Business Demands Serious Conduct: Westminster's Circus Must End
The current state of affairs in Westminster is more than just a turn-off for voters. It’s actively undermining the ability to conduct serious national and international business. When the place descends into shouting and personal attacks, it doesn’t just look undignified, it makes a mockery of the real work that needs doing for places like Scotland. It affects how we are perceived on the global stage.
Our export industries, especially food and drink, rely on a stable, respected government capable of negotiating complex trade deals and representing our interests with authority. It’s hard to take ministers seriously when they behave like children squabbling in a playground. This kind of behaviour makes it difficult to focus on critical issues such as agricultural standards, fishing rights, or how to best support rural economies.
Stop Letting Killers Out Early
It's a joke that someone who's taken a life can be back on the streets in no time, isn't it, while the families of their victims are still trying to pick up the pieces. I've got a daughter of my own and the thought of her being hurt by some repeat offender who was let out of prison too soon keeps me up at night.
I think we need to take a long hard look at our sentencing laws and make sure that people who commit serious crimes are serving serious time. No more of these automatic early release schemes that put public safety at risk. If you're guilty of manslaughter or worse, you should be serving your full sentence, no exceptions. It's not about being tough on crime, it's about being fair to the people who've been hurt by it.
We need to start prioritizing the rights of victims and their families over the rights of offenders.
What do you think?
Vote on individual policies, adapt them, or write your own alternative. Good ideas should be tested.