Speaking to the Scottish Conservatives candidate for Edinburgh South Western, there were two topics which arose following the publication of the SNP manifesto.
Healthcare, and transport are two of the fields where Sue Webber has particular expertise – she used to work in the health sphere, was formerly a councillor in Edinburgh, and the Conservative group spokesperson on Transport for a period of time.
She said that in terms of healthcare the position is “really quite straightforward”.
She said: “It is the use of innovation and new technologies to really drive better patient outcomes and better staff environments as well. There is so much that innovation can do. That is the world I lived in, and operated in, before I came in to politics.
“And in terms of transport, we have heard about the Greens who are obviously wanting to give free bus travel to everybody. This would be funded by – for example – not resurfacing and investing in our roads. I think they seem to forget that buses need roads to get around. If we don’t have our roads we can’t use public transport.
“I think we really want to get back to basics on transport, get our roads in a much better state of repair – and pavements as well, to put our pedestrians back at the heart of some of our urban and city centre policies.”
SNP manifesto
On healthcare the SNP say in their manifesto they will invest to give the NHS the “resources it needs to continue delivering progress”. The party promises to pass on “every penny of the NHS budget resource consequential to health and care services.
John Swinney, the SNP leader, said: ““The NHS is our most important public service. We have a plan to make our NHS fit for the future – with three parts. Investment, protection and renewal.
“Investment that will see the NHS get the resources it needs to deliver progress and keep cutting waiting times.
“Protection of the NHS principles of comprehensive, universal and free at the point of need.
“And mark my words – never selling patient data to dodgy billionaires and the Palantirs of this world.
“And renewal – changing how the NHS works, refocusing resources on keeping people out of hospital, shifting the balance of care.
“And, of course, action to the end the 8am rush for GP appointments, as we continue to roll out GP walk-in clinics.
“That is a government focused on improving Scotland’s NHS
“That is what you get when you vote SNP on 7th May.”
