AT the latest FMQs, Jackson Carlaw and Richard Leonard again lined up in apparent support of private care home bosses to hypocritically criticise the First Minister and the Scottish Government for essentially following a UK-wide approach of accelerated early discharge from hospitals ahead of an anticipated huge spike of NHS patients suffering from Covid-19.

This approach resulted, on the advice of clinicians, in “healthy” elderly returning to their homes, or care homes, or in some instances being admitted to care homes under strict government guidelines. It has seemingly not yet been determined if any patients who were not showing symptoms and were not tested prior to return or admission to care homes were sources of infection into any care homes, but it is suspected that care staff moving in and out of these homes were more likely sources (especially as some were reluctant to self-isolate out of fear of losing their basic income).

In the meantime the grim toll of recorded UK coronavirus deaths has climbed to 51,441 (39,728 + 11,713, ONS, May 22), and is nearing 65,000 when “excess deaths” are objectively apportioned (refer to LSE and FT figures), but it appears that there are still many, not only blinkered or insincere politicians, who are in denial about the dire performance of the UK Government.

A decade of austerity and refusals to “follow expert advice” and prepare properly for a future pandemic resulted in NHS boards and social care services across the UK being in a perilous state at the start of this year. Scotland, with limited economic and welfare powers and no control over its borders, has managed relatively better than England overall in experiencing significantly fewer coronavirus-related mortalities, but still tragically more poorly than similarly populated independent countries across the world.

From Norway and Slovakia to Singapore and New Zealand, irrespective of their economic fundamentals, mortality rates of “small countries” have generally been less than one-tenth of the rate in Scotland which equates to thousands of lives effectively “saved”.

This “UK Dividend” has been a catastrophe for Scotland, and it is not yet the end of the unfolding Covid-19 story with the advice of experts again being ignored by an aloof and arrogant UK Government.

Stan Grodynski

Longniddry, East Lothian

I WAS rather disappointed by the article from Dr Tim Rideout, Convener of Scottish Currency Group, in The National on June 3.

The heading does say “Virus statistics, Scotland and the South Africa connection” but the title of the graph was from Scottish Reserve Bank and I anticipated some currency comments.

He covered that by stating that “The Scottish Currency Group is leading the campaign for an independent Scotland to have its own currency a soon as practicable – within a couple of months of independence day. As part of that we set up reservebank.scot to provide information on currency and the new central bank of Scotland”.

The graphs published on coronavirus were miniscule, and although I used a microscope (every octogenarian should have one) I was unable to read the figures.

He covered the South African angle adequately, also his comments on the graphs, but the graphs are still minute. I am not aware of the Scottish Currency Group, but then I have spent quite a bit of time in hospital this year – no newspapers, so I may be just behind the times.

Any ideas please?

Jim Lynch

Edinburgh

I READ with interest George Kerevan’s observations of the political developments, local and worldwide (“Why I would use the f-word when it comes to Dominic Cummings ...”, The National, June 1). I’m in complete agreement with his view of a severe rightward swing in worldwide politics.

In the 1930s the Nazi Party was supported by most of the big capitalists. As they saw it, it was a guarantee against any form of socialism in Deutschland. I presume their thinking was “he who pays the piper, calls the tune”.

As we all know from history, it didn’t quite pan out as they hoped (with the possible exception of Krupps). My view is that they don’t intend to allow a repetition. This time they are attempting (with Dom’s and Don’s support) to remove the whole concept of politics from the planet and have it run by corporations.

After all, they are the folks who really know how economics should work, far better than any elected amateur. Think the Wall Street Crash and 2008 (to name but two) were economic disasters?

Only for the victims, who were 99.9% ordinary working folk. Damn few billionaires were left to sign on at the local job centre (note new friendlier sounding term for Labour Exchange).

Sadly, too many of our planet’s citizens don’t see “the big picture” and fall for the simplistic rhetoric being peddled by Trump/Johnson/Bolsonaro/Orban etc.

As the man said: “If we don’t learn from history, we’re doomed to repeat it."

Barry Stewart

Blantyre