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Theresa May was Prime Minister. We had enjoyed a summer heatwave. France had just won the world cup. And no-one had even heard of Covid-19 . The year was 2018, which feels a world away from today . But today it has been revealed that, under the SNP, someone has waited on an NHS waiting list since 2018. 7 years. A pandemic. 6 Prime Ministers. 3 First Ministers. A new king and a new pope. And still the SNP has failed to deliver the care this person needs. But this is just one example of the NHS crisis the SNP has presided over. On their watch we have a patient waiting six and a half years for gynaecology. Over six years for general surgery. A child has been waiting more than five and a half years for paediatric surgery. Even specialties dealing with potentially fatal issues are facing soaring waits. Under the SNP we have people facing waits of more than four years for cardiology and neurosurgery. All while one in six Scots are stuck on a waiting list. This is incompetence at a grand scale. John Swinney and the SNP have been in charge of the NHS for nearly two decades - they have no one to blame but themselves. From scandals at Glasgow’s flagship hospital to missed cancer waiting times targets and an A&E crisis, the SNP has failed our NHS and let down the staff that work so hard to save lives. Every day, Scots are being forced to re-mortgage their homes or take out loans to afford private health care because they can’t wait for treatment any longer. Scots shouldn’t have to settle for more SNP failure. The NHS is Labour’s proudest achievement and it falls to Scottish Labour Party to fix the service once again. Our plans will save the NHS and make sure Scots get the help they need. Scottish Labour will declare a national waiting times emergency and do everything it takes to clear the backlog. And we will take on the costly and time consuming NHS bureaucracy that is holding back our doctors and nurses and wasting public money. Fundamental, structural change to the NHS that will fix the service and make it work for Scots once again. This is what Scottish Labour is offering. No SNP gimmicks or promises that don’t stack up. Real, meaningful change to deliver for the people of Scotland. But this is just one of the changes a Scottish Labour government will deliver. Our plans will fix our NHS, tackle rising violence in schools, unlock thousands of new jobs in nuclear power and save our high streets by supporting businesses. After nearly 20 years of SNP, Scotland needs a new direction and bold thinking. While John Swinney and the SNP offer more of the same, Scottish Labour will deliver the fresh start Scotland needs. The global race is on to establish the world’s clean energy superpowers and secure the jobs of the future. Scotland is perfectly positioned to win this race – we have the natural resources, the infrastructure and the skilled workers needed to make the most of this opportunity. For too long our potential has been held back by two failing governments – a Tory government lacking the ambition to invest in Scotland’s clean power potential and an SNP government too incompetent to deliver on its promises. But that’s changed with Labour. Labour’s clean power plan will deliver an extra 40,00 green jobs in Scotland by 2030 – delivering jobs and growth in communities across the country. Our publicly-owned GB Energy company means we will truly feel the benefits of the clean power revolution. It will strengthen our energy security so tyrants like Vladimir Putin can no longer inflict misery on Scottish billpayers. Under Labour, oil and gas will remain part of our energy mix for decades to come, but we will also drive forward investment in clean power and harness those opportunities. But we still need a change in Scotland – as First Minister, I would lift the SNP’s block on clean nuclear power and overhaul our skills system to ensure our energy industry can thrive. John Swinney and the SNP are running an analogue government in a digital age. A Scottish Labour government will embrace technology and unlock the benefits it can deliver – from modernising our public services to creating good jobs to turbo-charging economic growth. To sign up to the Daily R ecord Politics newsletter, click here
