FIRST MINISTER DESERVES NO PRAISE
Nicola Sturgeon's administration has a callous record of cuts, constitutional game-playing and buck passing vis-a-vis Scotland's drug deaths epidemic
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WHEN we hear that something bad has been ‘halted’, it tends to evince a feeling of relief. That the negative thing has stopped moving almost implies a reversal is imminent. It is with this in mind I find myself bemused by the carefully chosen words our First Minister has decided to deploy relating to the latest drug death statistics.
“Every death to drugs is the loss of an individual who was loved and valued. So while it is welcome that deaths in 2021 were slightly down on year before - and that year on year increase since 2013 has halted - we know there is much more to do to address this unacceptable crisis.” - First Minister Nicola Sturgeon1
It is well understood that widespread and rising drug-related deaths has been snubbing out an ever increasing number of our fellow citizens. Nobody quibbles with the fact Scotland has been suffering something akin to a drug deaths epidemic since 2013. When the First Minister admitted she had taken her “eye off the ball” in last years television debate it was an confession of sorts. To her credit, Ms Sturgeon came clean and accepted she had failed to do nearly enough to tackle the crisis. To her discredit, she parsed her words in such a way as to emotionally downplay the significance of that failure she was accepting responsibility for. And as turns of phrase go, it perfectly captured her complacency, disregard and professional negligence in high office.
The phrase “take your eye off the ball” communicates a momentary lapse in concentration, and as a result something bad suddenly happens. But that is not the case concerning Scotland’s rising drug deaths crisis, this is not a sudden and unexpected malus blighting our society. It has roots going back long before the pandemic, and origins in a Scottish Government knowingly side lining the issue for years.
Since 2013 until the statistics published today, Scotland laboured under an ever increasing drug deaths rate. We have even earned the disreputable accolade of highest drug deaths rate in all of Europe. In no way can this public health and mortality crisis be described as the product of Ms Sturgeon momentarily taking her eye off a policy ball. Nothing about that drug misuse deaths line above is sudden, it is a long running trend.
In a nutshell, this Scottish Government has presided over a historic and unforgivable dismissal of this issue. In 2019 the opposition parties in Holyrood were calling this First Minister out for slashing drug and alcohol treatment programmes all while she was playing the age-old nationalist game of demanding new powers from Westminster. Back in 2019, as Nicola Sturgeon led an administration deliberately choosing to cut £47m from alcohol and drug spending, nationalist MP Alison Thewliss wrote to new Home Secretary Priti Patel renewing calls for safe drug injecting facilities2. A pathetic political routine that was designed to communicate that it ‘wisnae oor SNP cuts pal, it wiz they big bad toaries nae givin us oor rightful powers’.
And that episode fairly characterises the realities of what the SNP have presided over since 2013. Withdrawing and downsizing funding for treatment, prevention and rehabilitation - all the while seeking to make it a constitutional blame game with Westminster. The cynicism and immorality of such decision making by office holders in Edinburgh beggars belief. But be under no illusions, that is precisely what the reality has been; and if you are beginning to feel angry about this, you damn well should be.
In 2019 it emerged that there were a record 1,187 drug-related deaths in Scotland the year previous. That means Scotland had a worse mortality rate than the USA in 2018-2019, despite the Americans suffering under a horrific opioid epidemic. As this was happening - and this Scottish Government was fully aware of it - they decided to try and make it an issue of what powers we don’t have constitutionally.
Pause and take a moment to let that sink in.
Then in 2021, as the situation deteriorated even further, Nicola Sturgeon gave us the mealy mouthed “eyes off the ball” remark.
So, let us have no more talk from this First Minister of taking her “eye off the ball” or of a “halted” public health crisis. This was made in Holyrood by an SNP government fully aware they were playing fast and loose with the health of thousands of the most vulnerable Scots in our society.
And for the record, the “slightly down” drug deaths rate Ms Sturgeon is tweeting about today? It represents a 0.7% decrease, or in round numbers 9 fewer deaths than the previous year. Some might say “slightly down” is somewhat overegging the pudding. While every life saved from an early death is to be celebrated and welcomed; I cannot escape the feeling that every remark this incumbent administration makes in relation to this issue is at best disingenuous, at worst deliberately misleading.
Right now, Scotland is choosing as a society to just put up with facts such as the following:
65% of drug misuse deaths were of people aged between 35 and 54.
Drug misuse deaths have increased in recent years in all age groups except 15-24.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde had the highest drug misuse death rate at 33.7 per 100,000 population3
That 33.7 per 100,000 in Greater Glasgow and Clyde are dying of drug misuse has multifaceted roots, but it is a fact that the past decisions of this Scottish Government really helped to unleash this avalanche of human misery.
Back in 2020 it turned out there were only 14 rehab beds in Glasgow (and only 70 across Scotland) after the SNP had been in continual power since 2007. As if that appalling situation was not bad enough, the SNP in 2020 went on to vote down Scottish Conservative proposals to inject £15.4m into drug and alcohol rehabilitation beds in the budget of that year4.
As Annemarie Ward, chief executive of Faces and Voices of Recovery, campaigning for more drug and alcohol rehabilitation beds said at the time
“this government is showing us they are insane. They are refusing to help people get well. They would rather use rhetoric, posturing and farce to fight each other than save lives.”5
Rhetoric indeed Ms Ward. Nicola Sturgeon would have us believe that a continual rise of drug deaths 2013-2021 is a mere matter of taking her “eye off the ball”. And a mere 9 person reduction in the highest drug deaths rate in all Europe is somehow to characterised as being “slightly down” whereas amoebic progress might better fit the bill. Rhetoric, a history of savage cuts and political game-playing is the reality of 15 years of this SNP government on the issue of drug deaths. Every preventable death which has occurred since 2007 as a result of escalating SNP cuts places the blood firmly on this First Minister’s hands.
Nicola Sturgeon was Cabinet Secretary for ‘Health and Wellbeing’, in office from 17 May 2007 – 5 September 2012. She was Deputy First Minister from 17 May 2007 – 19 November 2014, and First Minister since 20 November 2014. She can be personally blamed as having ignored a long running public health crisis. It is a fact that from 2007-2012 as the Minister responsible for health and then as Deputy First Minister & First Minister she presided over a 160% rise in drug deaths from 2007-20186.
The responsibility for all the preventable deaths from drug and alcohol misuse in Scotland today can be - at least in part - firmly and uncontestably laid at the door of Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon.
Given the woeful drugs deaths record of this government and the latest report, forgive me if I do not celebrate. I welcome the fall of 0.7%, that 9 persons fewer are no longer dying preventably from drug death. But we still have the second highest drug misuse deaths figure ever recorded. Je vous accuse Premier Ministre; I accuse you of having consciously chosen time and time again to ignore this human suffering. Je vous accuse Premier Ministre; I accuse you of having directly made the crisis worse throughout your time in offices of power. Je vous accuse Premier Ministre.
I accuse you Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon.
Elliards, Xander (2022, 28 July), ‘Nicola Sturgeon addresses Scotland's 'unacceptable' drugs deaths crisis’, The ‘National’, https://www.thenational.scot/news/20584461.nicola-sturgeon-addresses-scotlands-unacceptable-drugs-deaths-crisis/
Peterkin, Tom (2019, 27 July), ‘SNP under fire for cuts to drug and alcohol treatment programmes’ ,Press and Journal, https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/scottish-politics/1805898/snp-under-fire-for-cuts-to-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-programmes/
NRS (2022, 28 July), ‘Drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2021’, National Records of Scotland Report, https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/drug-related-deaths/21/drug-related-deaths-21-report.pdf
Paterson, Stewart (2020, 31 January) ‘SNP admit cuts have hit drug services amid deaths crisis in Glasgow’, Glasgow Evening Times, https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18200346.snp-admit-cuts-hit-drug-services-amid-deaths-crisis-glasgow/
Paterson, Stewart (2020, 31 January) ‘SNP admit cuts have hit drug services amid deaths crisis in Glasgow’, Glasgow Evening Times, https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18200346.snp-admit-cuts-hit-drug-services-amid-deaths-crisis-glasgow/
McGivern, Mark (2020, 14 December), ‘Claims SNP's refusal to fund drug treatment has led to rocketing death crisis in Scotland’, Daily Record, https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/claims-snps-refusal-fund-drug-23162832
I think you managed very well given the subject matter. Very hard to write dispassionately about such an emotive subject. So many tragedies and such a dereliction of duty on the part of this administration. Scandalous.
I do completely understand, I think you do an excellent job and thank you for the time and effort. There are a number of heroes who try to make up for the deficit caused by a biased and ill informed tv media, people like Kevin Hague, Sam Taylor, Effie Deans, Brian Wilson, Stephen Daisley and of course your good self (there are many others but you get the drift) The UK would be in a lot more danger without all of you.