By John Lamont MP
Last week, despite convincing only one in three SNP members that he was the right man for the job, Humza Yousaf was nominated as the SNP Party Leader and Scotland’s new First Minister.
When announcing his first cabinet, one of the most eye-catching elements was the wording he chose to attach to his former job.
The new First Minister revealed his so-called top team – made up entirely of people who supported his leadership bid.
And in announcing Michael Matheson as his successor in the health brief, he decided to tweak the job title too.
Not only is Mr Matheson the new cabinet secretary for health, but he also assumes the official role of “NHS recovery”.
That’s right, the portfolio most recently held by Scotland’s new leader now needs someone dedicated to its recovery.
It’s hardly a glowing endorsement of his own performance.
But people across the Scottish Borders are well aware of how badly the National Health Service is struggling after 16 years of SNP neglect.
Last month, NHS Borders issued a stark warning to people across the area about the pressures facing the system.
But years of SNP rule, made worse by Mr Yousaf’s incompetent stewardship of the most treasured public service of all, have driven the NHS in Scotland into the ground.
As a party of government, the SNP has obsessed about ripping Scotland out of the UK and little else.
While independence has dominated its focus, vital matters like education, the economy, rural affairs and the NHS, have been utterly neglected.
The appointment of a successor to Nicola Sturgeon was a chance to change that. Instead, one of Humza Yousaf’s first moves was to appoint a dedicated minister for independence – I believe this is a scandalous decision.
The taxpayer should not have to fund a department designed to promote the SNP’s party-political goals, given that the constitution is a matter for the UK Parliament.
It is completely unacceptable for publicly-funded civil service resources – along with an annual £100,000 ministerial salary – to be squandered on a matter beyond the remit of the Scottish Government.
This tells you all you need to know about Mr Yousaf’s priorities for his new government.
Independence first, while everything else is left to fail.
The new First Minister is out of touch with the real priorities of the people of the Borders and Scotland.
