In the last few years, we have experienced global pandemic, an ongoing war in Europe, a joker in the White House and a knave in Downing Street.
Now we have seen political amateurs Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss crash the nation’s finances and credibility in their first spin in the ministerial car. We are run by a Government in Westminster willing to impoverish the nation to reward the richest in society while millions face an energy bill crisis.
Against all that, one of the biggest catastrophes we face is often forgotten.
Our planet is burning up and we need to change the course of human history and our pattern of energy consumption very quickly.
Thankfully, it looks as if there are political adults in the room to take on these challenges.
The Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves double act, as prime minister and chancellor-in-waiting, have done more to calm nerves over recent days than the Tories will do in years.
In a confident speech to his conference yesterday, the Labour leader came up with passion and policies that put him on course to win.
The move to have a state-owned energy company, to invest and reap the rewards of the renewables industry that we must urgently expand, chimes with the times and with Scotland’s needs for jobs and the control of our resources.
This year, Labour has come up with the policy goods, from a windfall tax to price freeze, that the Tories have been forced to adopt.
There are many steps to go but now, more than ever, Labour needs to win power in Westminster and deliver.
Dreadful decade
CANCER patients should never be kept waiting for treatment. Every day that goes by could allow the disease to spread.
It is, therefore, scandalous that a national target to tackle cancer treatment has been allowed to fail for 10 years.
In 2012, the Scottish Government introduced a 62-day standard which says 95 per cent of people urgently referred with a suspicion of cancer should begin treatment within two months.
But this target has never been met – meaning thousands and thousands of patients have waited longer than they should to begin treatment.
The Scottish Government insists cancer remains a priority but the fact the targets have not been met in 10 years suggests otherwise.
A leading cancer charity says performance has gone from bad to worse to simply “dreadful”.
After 10 long years, it’s time the Scottish Government sorted out this mess.
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