Bob M’s Podcast : Politics - News - Sport

Bob's Rant : Kilt Trip: The SNP's Spectacular Nosedive from Hope to Haplessness

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The Scottish National Party's nearly two-decade rule at Holyrood represents a significant failure of governance, with their obsession with independence overshadowing effective management of public services and the economy. Their record reveals systematic decline across education, healthcare, and financial management, alongside mounting scandals that have eroded public trust and left Scotland worse off than it could have been.

• Education system has plummeted under SNP watch, with PISA results showing historic lows in reading, maths and science
• Healthcare in crisis with over 700,000 Scots on hospital waiting lists and some patients enduring delays exceeding one year
• Economy struggling with growth lagging behind UK average and infrastructure projects like the Ferguson ferries ballooning from £97m to £400m+
• Social policies creating division, notably the Gender Recognition Reform Bill that sparked widespread backlash
• Fiscal management showing serious deficits, with IFS projecting £10 billion annual structural deficit by 2028
• Corruption concerns mounting with ongoing police investigation into party finances and missing £600,000 in referendum funds
• Drug death crisis unaddressed with Scotland suffering Europe's highest rate and over 1,300 fatalities in 2023 alone


Speaker 1:

The Scottish National Party's tenure at Holyrood, spanning nearly two decades since 2007, has been a masterclass in squandered potential, marked by a relentless obsession with independence at the expense of competent governance. While the SNP rode a wave of populist fervour to power, their record reveals a government plagued by mismanagement, policy failures and an alarming disconnect from the needs of ordinary Scots. First, the SNP's fixation on constitutional upheaval has suffocated meaningful progress. Their singular focus on independence, evidenced by the 2014 referendum and incessant demands for a second vote, has diverted resources and attention from pressing domestic issues. Despite losing the 2014 vote decisively 55% to 45% the SNP has treated the result as a mere inconvenience, alienating voters who prioritise stability over nationalist dreams. This obsession culminated in the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that Holyrood lacks the authority to hold another referendum, exposing the SNP's strategy as a futile distraction. Yet leaders like Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney have doubled down, framing every election as a proxy for independence, sidelining governance for political theatre. On the policy front, the SNP's record is a litany of failures. Education, once a Scottish hallmark, has plummeted under their watch. International benchmarks like PISA show Scotland's performance in reading, maths and science declining since 2007, with 2018 results marking historic lows. The Curriculum for Excellence heralded as a transformative reform, has been criticised by educators as poorly implemented, leaving students ill-prepared for a competitive world. Meanwhile, the SNP's promise of free university tuition, while populist, masks chronic underfunding of institutions, with Scotland's universities now relying heavily on international student fees to survive.

Speaker 1:

Healthcare is another casualty. The NHS in Scotland, despite SNP pledges to protect it, faces record waiting times and staff shortages In 2023, over 700,000 Scots were on hospital waiting lists, with some enduring delays of over a year for non-emergency procedures. The SNP's mismanagement of NHS funding, coupled with their refusal to reform an overstretched system, has left patients languishing and staff burnt out. Their handling of the pandemic, while initially praised, was later marred by revelations of care home deaths linked to untested hospital discharges, a scandal that has severely eroded public trust. Economic stewardship has been equally dismal. Scotland's growth has lagged behind the UK average, with GDP per capita stagnating under SNP policies. Per capita stagnating under SNP policies. Their tax hikes on higher earners intended to fund public services have driven wealth creators out of Scotland, with net migration of high-income taxpayers to England rising since 2017. The SNP's mismanagement of major infrastructure projects, like the Ferguson Marine Ferries debacle, where costs ballooned from £97 million to over £400 million for two heavily problem-laden vessels exemplifies their incompetence. This fiasco has left island communities stranded, reliant on ageing ferries, and taxpayers footing the bill for gross negligence.

Speaker 1:

Social policy has fared no better. The SNP's Gender Recognition Reform Bill has fared no better. The SNP's Gender Recognition Reform Bill, pushed through in 2022, sparked widespread backlash for its perceived disregard for women's safety, particularly around self-ID policies. The UK government's veto of the bill a rare use of Section 35 powers humiliated the SNP and exposed their legislative overreach. Their handling of trans issues, including the case of Isla Bryson, a convicted rapist placed in a women's prison, ignited public fury and underscored their tone-deaf approach to complex social issues. Their side of the paid of speaking of school of the SNP has been endably bracing in turns. Have they completely sourced Financially?

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The SNP's claims of fiscal prudence are laughable. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has repeatedly warned of Scotland's structural deficit projected at £10 billion annually by 2028, far exceeding the UK's. Their reliance on UK block grants, while decrying Westminster's influence, reveals a hypocritical dependency. The SNP's own Growth Commission report admitted an independent Scotland would face years of austerity, a reality they've downplayed to voters. Corruption and cronyism have also tainted their tenure.

Speaker 1:

The SNP's inner circle, often described as a cult of personality around. Sturgeon has faced accusations of secrecy and unaccountability. The ongoing Police Scotland investigation into party finances, sparked by missing £600,000 in referendum funds, has cast a shadow over their integrity. Sturgeon's WhatsApp deletions during the Covid inquiry further fuelled perceptions of a government allergic to scrutiny. Child poverty has risen, with 26% of Scottish children living in poverty in 2023, despite SNP promises to eradicate it.

Speaker 1:

Their flagship policies, like the Scottish child payment, have been underfunded and slow to roll out, offering too little too late. Meanwhile, drug deaths in Scotland remain the highest in Europe, with over 1,300 fatalities in 2023 alone, a grim testament to their failure to tackle addiction and mental health crises. In summary, the SNP's tenure has been a parade of broken promises, mismanagement and divisive rhetoric. They've coasted on nationalist sentiment while delivering subpar outcomes in education, health and the economy. Scots deserve a government focused on their day-to-day needs, not one perpetually chasing a constitutional pipe dream. The SNP's legacy is one of squandered opportunity, leaving Scotland poorer, less educated, more unhealthy and increasingly divided than it could and should have been.