Why is there no opposition in Scotland?

[TheMurk]

Without googling, I could not tell you who the current leaders of the conservatives or labour are in Scotland.

I know it used to be Ruth Davison and Kezia Dugdale.

In WM almost every day the opposition parties strongly state their position on government policies. There is media coverage, debate, it’s discussed around the dinner table.

It seems to me that this isn’t happening in Scotland at the moment. Why?

Are people so scared of challenging the SNP or NS that they are gagged into silence?

I know the media in Scotland are thoroughly in the SNP’s press office pocket. The key journalists are openly pals with the press officers, they know what side their bread is buttered. So the media is broadly supportive, rarely interrogative, of SNP policies and actions.

But the role of the opposition is to call out folly, to pressure for change, to represent really the majority who did not vote for the ruling party. Where are they? Why aren’t they making noise?

Keir Starmer has certainly made his presence felt in WM. Isn’t his counterpart prepared to stick his head above the parapet?

Far too soon to say who has ‘won’ Covid across the balance of all the risks - Sweden’s death rate now falling fast for example.

I didnt realise Sweden was part of the UK, I was today years old when I learned this

Mhairi Black is just gobby, look at me, look at me (oh and really scruffy too)

Misogynistic af, and of course quiet politicians are the best, critical thinking not quite your strong point I'm guessing

Joanna Cherry (QC) served on the Joint Committee of Human Rights, ousted Alistair Darling from Edinburgh South and it was Joanna that wrote to the Tories re the need to put in place border controls when we got the first cases in the U.K. (obviously ignored until 50k deaths and three months later).

YonBonnie, I'm actually looking for a Tory voter to give me a policy beyond the fact they're a London based party , Cumming's 'Get Brexit Done ' (which in reality- Get No Deal Brexit Done so Tory hedge fund donors can make millions from shorting UK stocks) and Trident. Were there any policies they have that have made your life better?

Just a couple of SNP policies that I have benefit from- lovely baby box, UG and PG degrees for free and much lower interest on student living loan has saved me about £40,000 and the fact that crime is 40 per cent lower now than when the SNP came into power is very important for me with a young family ( they increased the amount of police whereas the Tories heavily reduced the number of police in England amd have a much higher crime rate as a result).

My main reason for not voting Tory is they are a party of the rich and for the rich. A couple of examples - the bedroom tax (which SG pays so individuals don't have to in Scotland but of course it's still coming out our taxes) also the fact they recently allowed a billionaire Tory donor to donate 12k to the party in order to save £50m in tax instead of giving it to Tower Hamlets (a heavily deprived area).

Again, any policies apart being unionist, Trident and 'Get Brexit Done'? Any which you see as helping the 'common folk'?

I also agree that all this grand standing about how Scotland is doing better than England wrt COVID19 is premature. There are potentially more infections to come over the winter months, and it could be that because we locked down earlier in the peak than say London and then stayed in lockdown longer we have a higher proportion of people still susceptible to it. And COVID19 is only one measure. That’s not even considering the damage that lock down has done to people’s health (such as increased cancer rates, mental health crises etc.), and the economic impacts of longer lockdown and more restrictions on people’s livelihoods and prospects. There’s a long way to go and a lot more to consider with this.

@MumofHunter,
You say: My main reason for not voting Tory is they are a party of the rich and for the rich. A couple of examples - the bedroom tax (which SG pays so individuals don't have to in Scotland but of course it's still coming out our taxes)
First of all it comes out of our taxes anyway, but most importantly what you say is simply not true, or at least you are being very economical with the truth.
I happen to have a few flats I let out, so I know what I am talking about. If you rent to DSS the bedroom tax has always applied to the private sector (which in certain part of Scotland is the biggest landlord) since at least 2006.
Example 1: mother is pregnant, but it is not allow to get a 2 bed flat until the birth of the baby.
Example 2: child moves out; payments drop literally overnight.
When there was the debate on the bedroom tax I could not understand why nobody (especially the politicians) mentioned that it simply brought the public sector in line with the private.
I don't rent to DSS anymore, but I am not aware of changes being made to the policy.

@Arkadia None of those examples relate to the bedroom tax.

www.gov.scot/policies/social-security/support-with-housing-costs/

Oh yes a baby box for all. Great use of money and not wasteful at all.

Instead of actual physical help and support for the many vulnerable women who give birth in Scotland and bring innocent children into a relentless cycle of poverty and deprivation.

Yes the baby box.

Shall we chuck in free prescriptions for all? Dead easy. Makes it sound great and fair for all, when in fact it’s lazy and wasteful.

Meanwhile she can’t finish a multi million pound children’s hospital that’s currently lying empty.

But it’s okay because you got a couple of free degrees @MumofHunter?

It is not the government's fault there is no effective opposition.

Labour and lib dems down south are shite because they're shite. No one says its because the tories are gagging them.

@TheMurk

Shall we chuck in free prescriptions for all? Dead easy. Makes it sound great and fair for all, when in fact it’s lazy and wasteful.

Meanwhile she can’t finish a multi million pound children’s hospital that’s currently lying empty.

But it’s okay because you got a couple of free degrees @MumofHunter?

The administration of charging for prescriptions costs more than not. Plus a huge percentage of people are entitled to free prescriptions anyway.

We should pay for uni education though, that's an SNP policy I don't agree with.

"eradicating the virus is pointless"

They've done it in New Zealand.

"Shall we chuck in free prescriptions for all? Dead easy. Makes it sound great and fair for all, when in fact it’s lazy and wasteful."

As Below says, some things are actually cheaper when they're universal. Means-testing costs more than just giving everyone a free prescription. We have them in Wales too and it's part of what is meant by a national health service free at the point of use.