Why John Swinney must sack Neil Gray after scandalous revelation about Monklands hospital – Jackie Baillie
Before the election, Neil Gray told people to vote SNP to get a new Monklands hospital – despite a report warning the project was unaffordable
“Facts are chiels that winna ding,” wrote Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, almost 250 years ago. The meaning is as important today as it was then – the truth is something that cannot be altered, ignored or argued away.
In his day, the idea of democracy – and of elected governments accountable to the people – was a radical idea. Burns and a generation of visionaries fought and argued for the enfranchisement of working people and for ordinary members of the public to have the ability to appoint, challenge and dismiss their political masters.
Thankfully here in modern Scotland, the voters really are the masters with the ability to elect their representatives at local, national and UK level. But the basic principle expressed by Burns is as true today as ever – facts matter and the truth will always out.
So damaging and so wrong
Political trust is precious and the failure of politicians to be truthful with the people has a serious impact on our democracy. That's what makes the revelation that the SNP misled the people of Scotland over the new Monklands Hospital so damaging and so wrong.
There is nothing more important than the health of Scots and Scotland's NHS should be a top priority for any Scottish Government. For years, the SNP promised to deliver a new state-of-the-art hospital in Airdrie. The hospital, replacing the tired previous site, was due to be completed by 2031.
All through the election, the SNP kept touting the plans for the new hospital. Local MSP and erstwhile Health Secretary Neil Gray was never off social media with videos promising a new shiny Monklands if only Scots voted SNP.
Well, in May many Scots did vote SNP – and Mr Gray was elected by locals on the promise of a new Monklands Hospital. As soon as the new Cabinet was announced, he was quietly shuffled away from the health brief and replaced by Angela Constance.
Gray hid the truth
Only a month later, Ms Constance announced to the parliament that all work on the new Monklands hospital was cancelled – with a new report stating that the project was just too expensive. Rightly people were outraged, both at this broken promise and at the SNP's inability to keep the project on budget.
But at the weekend, the full truth emerged. Documents proved that the SNP government – including Mr Gray, the then Health Secretary – were told that the project was unaffordable way back in March.
That means that before the election was even called, Mr Gray knew that the SNP would have to cancel the Monklands project. But rather than being honest with the people, he sold them a lie at the election.
Scots put their trust in Mr Gray because he deliberately hid the truth from them. This is shameful. No politician that treats voters with such contempt or has such a loose grasp on the truth should be anywhere near ministerial office.
What needs to happen now is clear: Fibbing Neil Gray must be sacked from the Cabinet and the people of North Lanarkshire must get the truth.
Jackie Baillie is MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader and her party’s spokesperson for health
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