Scotland is facing very tough times.
Every day we hear of another “sign of the times”, each one more depressing than the last. Food banks, soup kitchens and warm communal spaces will all feature in our society in months to come, with the need becoming all the greater in freezing winter months.
We now face unprecedented levels of malnutrition, dehydration – and starvation – among our most vulnerable communities. At present, Scotland has no apparatus in place that can pinpoint how severe the problem might be.
We have no adequate strategy to deal with the food crisis that will hit thousands of homes. It is to be applauded that the Scottish Government is launching a task force to examine dehydration and malnutrition.
But the rising scale of the problem means this committee – and what might emerge from it – cannot be simply a box ticking exercise. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde revealed last month that 1000 cases of malnutrition had been detected in 2021 alone – almost doubling from the previous year.
NHS Lothian figures showed that 928 children were flagged as requiring dietary support between 2018 and 2022. NHS Tayside reported 186 referrals to paediatric dieticians for “faltering growth” over the same period.
The facts are clear – we already have a major problem. It is one that affects, almost exclusively, our poorest communities and children. As we all pull together to get through these desperate times, we must remember our priorities must lie with those who are most vulnerable.
Liz is out of gas
Fracking is a cheap and nasty way of extracting shale gas from the ground.
It has become popular in certain US states where environmental regulations are lacking. The Scottish Government has for several years refused to issue licences to any firm considering trying it here.
Just when the policy appeared to have been killed off in England, along comes Liz Truss to try to resurrect it. The embattled Tory PM has claimed it could be part of the mix to improve the UK’s energy security at a time of war in Ukraine. The problem is, no community is likely to tolerate a fracking well in their neighbourhood.
It would have no impact on household bills anyway, despite ill-informed claims. Laura Farris, Tory MP for Newbury, in Berkshire, suggested it should be tried in the north of Scotland.
Thankfully, this is one policy the UK Government can’t impose here even if it wanted to.
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