Sir, – In 1982 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher assured the country that “the NHS is safe in our hands”, and the Conservatives have worked tirelessly ever since to prove her wrong.
Only last week one of the biggest health insurance firms in the US took control of a number of GP practices in London.
During the Covid pandemic the publicly owned NHS has performed miracles, despite having been deliberately underfunded for decades.
Scotland, with our NHS still largely in public hands, has performed better, on almost every measure, during the pandemic than our southern neighbours, but there is no guarantee that Scotland will be spared the privatisation peril as Westminster plots to undermine and emasculate the Scottish Parliament, and the powers of the devolved government.
As we all look forward as the vaccine is rolled out, we should not forget this terrible time and ensure that our magnificent NHS remains under our control, not flogged off by politicians more interested in profit than public health.
Les Mackay.
Carmichael Gardens, Dundee.
Who will Salmond vote for at election?
Sir, – It is noteworthy that Ruth Davidson seems to be one of the major advocates for Alex Salmond, in particular regarding how shamefully he feels he has been treated by the SNP.
Of course Ruth, being nobody’s fool, has realised that the more dirt she can spread about the SNP, the more votes she might deflect to the Conservatives.
Mr Salmond, meanwhile, seems to have abandoned protecting and promoting the party he led and nurtured, in order to pursue his own personal interests.
There is an eerie parallel with another politician currently out of office, on the other side of the Atlantic, who also believes that he is on the receiving end of a politically inspired witch-hunt and that he has enemies who will stop at nothing to do him down.
It is all very complicated and mysterious. And come the Scottish election, who will Mr Salmond vote for?
Gordon Cook.
Gowanlea, Friockheim.
Salmond saga is cutting through
Sir, – Until Friday many like me have been frustrated that the Salmond Inquiry scandal wasn’t “cutting through”, while nationalist commentators have used this phenomenon to play it down.
Well, judging by the UK and international coverage and the Survation poll showing a fall in support for independence, it’s cutting through now.
Allan Sutherland.
Willow Row, Stonehaven.
Crash similarities few and far between
Sir, – Calling Tiger Woods’ and Ben Hogan’s accidents eerily similar is utter nonsense (Opinion, Steve Scott: Courier, February 24).
Woods lost control of his car. Hogan was hit head-on by an interstate bus while going 25mph in his own lane.
Woods was alone. Hogan threw himself in front of his wife to protect her.
Woods’ injury: broken leg. Hogan’s injuries: pelvis broken in two places, shattered collarbone, fractured ankle, chipped ribs and internal injuries.
Woods timeline: police arrived in minutes. Hogan timeline: It took an hour to extricate him from the wreckage and over 90 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
It took another two hours to get him to the hospital.
There was nothing “eerie” about the two and the similarities seem to be only it was golfers involved in auto accidents that were very different in nearly every way.
David Allan Van Nostrand.
Boca Raton, Florida.
Biden’s air strikes were barely noticed
Sir, – During Donald Trump’s presidency he was often accused of being a warmonger.
This is a strange accusation seeing as he was the first president since Carter not to embark on major new military operations.
Yet when Biden’s administration launched air strikes in Syria last week it received little or no mention.
Geoff Moore.
Alness, Highland.
