l james

l james WHENEVER they’re facing flak over Scotland’s NHS, SNP ministers tend to do three things. Firstly, they blame the pandemic . Secondly, they claim things are better in Scotland than England . Thirdly, they say they have a plan to fix things. 2 SNP ministers all do the same three things when facing flak over the NHS in Scotland Credit: Alamy 2 Chris Musson reckons stories about an NHS crisis are a daily occurrence Credit: Andrew Barr Readers may also have noticed that stories about some NHS crisis or other are a daily occurrence. It’s hard not to become desensitised to the onslaught of terrible news . To sigh or — worse still — to simply shrug. We’ve just had the worst October on record for A&E waits, but I can’t say anyone will be particularly surprised. Scotland’s NHS waiting list sits at 863,535, latest figures show . To put that in perspective, it is equivalent to one in six Scots. The list was 419,636-long at the start of 2020. Back then, people thought that was bad. READ MORE IN POLITICS BAD DAY Labour council leader probed by cops after 'bombarding refugees with sex texts' 'RECORD FUNDING' Scots Finance Minister says 'no reason' for councils to impose tax hikes Of course, the start of 2020 is when Covid-19 hit. We all know the misery that followed and the flaws in responses around the world. But every cloud has a silver lining, especially for governments trying to swerve the blame for failings today. Ministers the world over seem to think Covid-19 has given them a Get Out of Jail Free card for any problem that arises. But like a new government blaming the last one for all its ills, the Covid excuse has a limited shelf life. This is true for the Scottish Government, which has been boasting for years about pouring increasing amounts of cash — a record £21billion next year — into the health service. The problem is, just pouring cash into an institution as flawed as the NHS is not going to fix it. It may win a governing party the votes of doctors and health workers with their inflation-busting pay rises, and give the SNP bragging rights on a UK stage. Most read in The Scottish Sun STREET ATTACK Manhunt launched after girl, 15, sexually assaulted at Scots bus stop DIFFERENT LEAGUE Rangers boss Clement told 'don't make excuses' after surprising admission STRICKEN STAR Michail Antonio undergoes surgery on broken leg after horror car crash CITY CENTRE DRAMA Police lock down busy street in major Scots city after person hit by bus But big pay will also dilute the ability to invest in things like new facilities, or MRI scanners, or public health initiatives to stop people getting ill to start with. And reform is badly needed. Awkward and potentially unpopular decisions must be taken, including greater private involvement. Is Anas Sarwar doomed because of Sir Keir Starmer's freebie row and freezing pensioners? Scotland’s NHS already pays private hospitals to treat patients — to the tune of £116million in 2022-23, for example. To make out a private role in the NHS is sacrilege, as many politicians do, is to conveniently ignore this. But it is precisely this type of simplistic argument that politicians in Scotland have been distracting themselves with while the NHS has deteriorated. Which brings me back to that pandemic excuse. Pretty much every utterance from the SNP as regards the NHS has the supposed get-out that the pandemic is to blame. It happened yet again last week when Audit Scotland — Scotland’s independent public spending watchdog — released its annual state-of-the-nation report on the NHS. The watchdog said there was “no clear plan” from the SNP and it must “clearly explain to the public how it will reform the NHS and address the pressures on services”. In response to the week’s dismal NHS news, including the Audit Scotland report, Health Secretary Neil Gray did those three things I mention. He claimed the pandemic meant treatment was now taking longer, he said Scotland’s A&Es were doing better than England’s, and he said “we do have a clear plan” for “fundamental reform”. It was Groundhog Day . And unfortunately for SNP ministers, Groundhog Day started long before the pandemic. I still have the press releases for Audit Scotland’s annual NHS reports in my inbox from pre-Covid, and SNP ministers’ responses. The examples tell a story. In 2015, Audit Scotland said: “Fundamental changes and new ways of delivering healthcare are required now to ensure the NHS is able to continue providing high-quality services in the future .” In response, then Health Secretary Shona Robison — now Finance Secretary — said: “The Scottish Government has a clear vision for the future of our NHS and we will continue to take the right action.” In 2016, Audit Scotland again called for reform but warned of “a lack of workforce planning for new models of care to deliver more community-based services”. In response, Ms Robison boasted of “significant improvements in the performance of the NHS”, how Scotland was doing better than the rest of the UK, and about her “new national clinical strategy”. In 2017, Audit Scotland said “a number of crucial building blocks still need to be put in place” in terms of reform, growing waiting lists, and workforce problems. SNP ministers’ response was a press release headlined: “NHS reform progressing well and patient satisfaction is high.” 'MOUNTING TRUST ISSUES' LABOUR have mounting trust issues with the public and they know it. It’s why Keir Starmer staged a re-launch of his government last week. But in an interview afterwards, he treated people like idiots with the same old shtick about how he had to cut universal winter fuel payments to “stabilise the economy”. Voters know this is nonsense. There may be good arguments to means-test, but cuts are forecast to save £1.4billion a year — small fry in Budget terms. And boffins reckon if all OAPs entitled to pension credit — the gateway to WFPs — apply, it will cost £2.2billion a year. So, get applying, folks. In 2018, Audit Scotland ramped up its warnings, with a press release titled: “Immediate action is needed to shift the NHS towards long-term, fundamental change.” The new Health Secretary, Jeane Freeman, claimed “we are already taking forward” the recommendations and bragged of record NHS funding. On October 24, 2019 — five months before lockdown — Audit Scotland’s annual report was titled: “NHS is ‘running hot’ and needs to refocus priorities.” In response, Ms Freeman again boasted of record funding and her government’s “twin approach of investment and reform to meet increasing demand”. All of which tells you pretty much all you need to know about the origins of the NHS meltdown we are now witnessing. SNP ministers spent years before Covid failing to deal with a growing crisis, while pretending they were. And they relied on spin to disguise the reality that things were spiralling out of control. The reality is the seeds of the NHS crisis were sown long before the pandemic. Read more on the Scottish Sun 'vicious circle' I live in Scotland's benefits hotspot -I've only worked 4 years of my life SPLIT THE PACK I'm one of the best ever snooker stars but I wouldn't be if I was born later Covid may have made things more difficult, but the NHS was already on the road to ruin. Depressingly, as last week’s Audit Scotland report shows, there is still no sign that the lessons have been learnedSouth Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol yesterday apologized for his short-lived declaration of Martial Law earlier in the week. President Yeol survived an Impeachment Motion in the Opposition-led Parliament yesterday that was prompted by his short-lived attempt to impose Martial Law, after members of his party boycotted the vote. Only 195 votes were cast, below the threshold of 200 needed for the vote to count. Yoon said in a televised address yesterday morning that he will not evade legal or political responsibility for the declaration and vowed not to make another attempt to impose it. The President, a Conservative, said he would leave it to his party to offer a path forward amid the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.” “The declaration of Martial Law was made out of my desperation,” Yoon said. “But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologize to the people who must have been shocked a lot.” In his Martial Law declaration on Tuesday, Yoon called Parliament a “den of criminals” blocking State affairs and pledged to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-State forces.” The Opposition parties that jointly filed an Impeachment Motion against the President hold 192 of the Legislature’s 300 Seats, meaning they needed at least eight additional votes from Yoon’s Conservative People Power Party (PPP) to secure the needed two-thirds to pass the Motion. Yoon’s party also called for his removal on Friday, although the party remained formally opposed to Impeachment. Opposition lawmakers say that Yoon’s declaration of Martial Law was a self-coup, so they drafted the Impeachment Motion on rebellion charges. On Tuesday, Special Forces troops were observed encircling the Parliament building and Army helicopters were hovering over it. The military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn Yoon’s declaration of Martial Law, forcing him to lift it just hours after it was issued. The declaration of Martial Law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea, which has a history of harsh military rule. (Fox News)Ifedi starts at left tackle for Browns in prime-time matchup against AFC North-leading Steelers

Cordilia scores 21, Mount St. Mary's downs Fairfield 101-94Ex-Cong chief’s car vandalised, political tension stirred

NoneJoy of flowers: Chrysanthemum exhibition returns to Rajasthan University in Jaipur

Bennett scores 23 as Quinnipiac defeats Sacred Heart 83-73Winter travel advisory lifted in Ottawa

Blade Air Mobility's chief accounting officer sells $45,225 in stockThe Chicago Cubs are going to be aggressive this offseason after missing the postseason in 2024. They may have to dump an expensive contract to do so. FanSided's Zach Pressnell predicted that the Cubs would trade Cody Bellinger by the end of Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings because his contract could prevent them from signing star free agents. "For Chicago, it's the contract that kills them," wrote Pressnell. "Having to pay Bellinger right around $30 million for the next year or two is quite crippling to the pursuit of any big-name free agent like Corbin Burnes or Pete Alonso." Bellinger signed a three-year, $80 million deal with the Cubs before last season. The deal included player options for 2025 and 2026. He accepted his option for 2025, meaning the Cubs are set to pay him $27.5 million. The belief around the league is that the Cubs are actively trying to trade Bellinger, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal . "While rival executives say the Chicago Cubs want to trade first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger, they also note the difficulty the team likely will face pulling off such a move," wrote Rosenthal. "They should be able to pull off a trade, but it may look more like a salary dump than trading somebody who was an MVP candidate in 2023," wrote Pressnell. "A team like the New York Yankees or New York Mets makes sense as a landing destination, depending on where Juan Soto lands." Bellinger is a good player, but the Cubs need an upgrade at first base. With Pete Alonso available, they need as much room to spend as possible. The Cubs could also target a guy like Blake Snell or Max Fried. Regardless of who they target, Bellinger's contract on the payroll is not going to help them out. More MLB: Cubs trade proposal ships 2-time All-Star to Yankees to replace Anthony Rizzo

None

MUNICH (AP) — Harry Kane is the quickest player to score 50 goals in the Bundesliga after scoring a hat trick on his 43rd appearance on Friday. Kane’s three goals – including two penalties – gave Bayern a 3-0 win over Augsburg , stretching the Bavarian powerhouse’s lead to eight points ahead of the rest of the 11th round. Kane scored 36 goals in 32 league appearances last season, his first for Bayern after joining from Tottenham. It was also the first season since 2012 that Bayern failed to win the title, as Bayer Leverkusen went undefeated to snap Bayern's winning run. As well as 14 league goals this season, Kane has scored five in the Champions League and one in the German Cup. Against Augsburg, he had to be patient as Augsburg goalkeeper Nediljko Labrović and his defenders stood firm. “It was somehow typical Harry Kane,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said. “It was close in the first half, close, close, close, and then it happens, I think three goals in 15 minutes. Of course, he can do that. But for such a player, I have to say, he had a lot of chances that he could maybe make more of. Then, in an instant, everything is perfect and he can score many goals.” AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerMonchi breaks silence on Jhon Duran controversy as Aston Villa appeal rejected

Curl-Salemme, Michaela Cava each score twice, Frost beat Sceptres 6-3 in PWHLWorld leaders gather for reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris