Heating Cuts and New Beginnings: From Scottish Politics to Southern China’s Shores

I unravel the SNP’s winter fuel hypocrisy, then swap cold Scottish fronts for the sunny skies of vibrant Zhuhai, Southern China.

AS Scotland grapples with winter fuel payment controversies, I imagined I might have escaped the political storm as I embark on lecturing in the scorching and scenic city of Zhuhai, China. Sure, swapping the cold fronts of Scottish politics for the sunnier skies of southern China does mean geographical distance. Nevertheless the ongoing SNP winter fuel payment double-dealing hypocrisy is large enough to mimic the Great Wall, so as to be seen from outer space.

Across social media the governing party of Scottish politics has been impressively dogged in targeting Scottish Labour MPs who voted to cut winter fuel payments from wealthier pensioners.

Alison Thewlis, the former SNP MP, has taken to bemoaning how her recently elected replacement in Westminster for “utterly failing” to “stand up” for Scottish voters regarding the winter fuel payment.

Yet, it is inescapable to this China dwelling lecturer-in-exile that there is more than a whiff of chicanery afoot.

The winter fuel payment? Oh yeah, that’s devolved. So, naturally, SNP MPs (the small clutch voters opted not to boot out) have voted against a cut to it…even though their pals over at Holyrood are doing the same as Labour by ‘means testing’ it.

Or, ‘trimming the fat’ to you and me. The irony is so thick you could spread it on a piece of Chinese tawa toast.

Now, before anyone interjects with 'but where would the SNP find the money to "mitigate" this?' – don’t worry, we can answer that immediately.

You see, even with minimal application it isn’t difficult to realize that the money is there – if only the Scottish Government hadn’t been treating it like Monopoly cash for the last 17 years.

Take nurses and midwives, for example. If they'd bothered training enough, we wouldn’t be forking out £490 million on temporary staff in 2023/24.

Nursing and midwifery temp costs were $444.7m, just a year previous, so the escalating spending of public money on temporary staffing is truly breathtaking.

Then there is the £129m spent on locum doctors and dentists - an increase of £10m from 2022/2. Combining these two figures gives us a staggering £619m on temporary staff across the NHS.

For the record, that’s the highest spend on temporary staffing on record. And all because the Scottish Government is either unwilling or simply incapable of administering matters competently.

Or how about the ferry fiasco? Instead of playing political musical chairs with contracts, they could've done the sensible thing and made sure taxpayer money was protected. But no, they gifted Ferguson Marine a nice £35 million in loans that we’ll never see again. And all because the SNP put politics before good policy and dished out a procurement award to a bidder unable to provide a taxpayer guarantee.

The norm is that Scottish taxpayers get given a contractual guarantee that public aid money must be repaid. Despite that being the normal matter of proceeding, the SNP didn’t bother with that.

What a bargain, eh?

Oh, and let’s not forget the budget overruns, the post-nationalization staffing £3.5 million wage bill (for a ferry that’s never carried a passenger).

The bottom line here is that the SNP could have been rolling in extra cash – if only they hadn’t been running the show like it was an episode of The Office.

So, if the SNP had even the tiniest sprinkle of competence, there’d be money. But alas, here we are – incompetence on a level that's truly a sight to behold.

But meanwhile, the SNP insist with brazen smiles that it really isn’t hypocrisy that their MPs vote against cutting the winter fuel payments…as…er…the SNP Holyrood administration cut the winter fuel payment.

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NOW that I have fueled the political fire in Scotland, let me provide you with some calm from China.

My new lecturing adventure in Zhuhai gives me the opportunity to grant my readers a small window from across the world. Away from politics, issues, passions. Instead, let’s talk spicy food, modern university campuses and heat so fierce I am beginning to imagine I’m auditioning to be a puddle.

The food

If you have never tried Pig Stomach Soup with mushrooms and Peppercorns, you actually are missing out folks. And before anyone back home in dear old blightie waxes lyrical to me about it being disgusting, I remind you we eat black pudding and Haggis.

胡椒五花肉汤 (Hújiāo wǔhuāròu tāng) is really quite refreshing when living in 37 Celsius heat. It’s succulent, the accompanying vegetables light with tender meat. This truly has become a lunchtime meal favourite for me here.

But for the less adventurous spirits, I can also strongly recommend the less bold Braised Beef Noodle Soup.

This wonderful dish is from a nearby family owned Chinese Uyghur restaurant. A small family run Chinese Muslim affair, there are unsurprisingly zero pork based meal options.

Instead we get 红烧牛肉面 (Hóngshāo niúròu miàn). Soft spice with tender twice cooked beef that you simply can’t stop eating. This is also joined the Pig Stomach soup from another nearby food spot on my list of regular haunts.

And a side of Uyghur flatbread (Nángbĭng) is a real treat.

Modern infrastructure

Then there is the tangible example of what China has opted to spend it’s taxpayer money on. They don’t waste it on botched ferry procurements (sorry, last dig at the nats). Oh no, they have built in the case of Zhuhai a new university campus the size of a small town. And they did it all since 2017 (no overruns, delays).

As the saying now goes, if you want to see 21st Century infrastructure whether it be airports, high speed rail or universities, you simply need to live in Asia.

The United International College (UIC) where I am now lecturing is the product of a new China. When Hong Kong reunified with the Chinese motherland in 1997, drawing to a close the era of British-imposed Opium war legacy colonialism fresh thinking occurred. UIC is the product of educational, academic resource cross-sharing between Hong Kong and mainland China. Beijing North University and Hong Kong Baptist University got together to resources the UIC campus.

The post 2017 campus boasts a sports stadium, arts and culture centre, a theatre for performances, sports facilities alongside restaurant and dining opportunities. All with the highest technology campus lecture hall infrastructure one could ever wish for as a teacher.

And this, dear friends, is ‘stage 1’. They are adding a whole second campus nearby. The scale of China never ceases to both take my breath away and leave me embarrassed at what they must think when studying in our underfunded Scottish higher education facilities. Personally, I dearly hope the Chinese international students who fund our higher education sector believe us ‘quaint’ as opposed to consumed by a tatterdemalion pride unearned and anachronistic.

Upon arrival, after getting through the security perimeter keeping everyone safe one is greeted with amazing views. As the UIC campus flags indeed boast, the future is here folks.

Coping with the heat

Lastly, the temperatures. As Billy Connelly once quipped, Scotsmen are designed for only two seasons - June and winter.

I can tell you all now, this Scotsman is no different. The heat and climate does take getting used to. Thankfully cars, as with most indoor locations all have the glorious nectar of air conditioning. Truly manna from heaven.

Even the evenings, although unspeakably beautiful rarely dip below 25 Celsius.

Some days I feel more camel than man, guzzling so much water ( ) that I swear I’ll soon be growing a hump to store it.

Ultimately, I hope this small diversion from my usual fare of political articles served up can communicate a little of why I find myself in love with this country. The people are friendly, the students passionately eager to learn with a self discipline ours at home simply either lost or never had. Perhaps its the fact that almost every young person here can talk to a grandparent to recalls their siblings dying or starving of hunger and famine. The appetite to succeed, to work hard and go forth is widespread.

Deng Xiaopeng, the architect of the modern Chinese miracle which has lifted over 800m Chinese people out of poverty insisted to his colleagues that to get rich is glorious, and stop talking philosophy and just do what works.

Zhuhai, across the bay from Hong Kong island and Shenzhen stands testament more than forty years later of just how correct he was.

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