Oh dear. The nationalists are at it again. In the past 48 hours, two examples have shown how –despite being Scotland’s main governing party for the past 15 years – old habits die hard in the SNP, where protest and grievance are the de facto response to any minor irritation.
First, consider the BBC News story that NHS Scotland chiefs had discussed abandoning the founding principles of the health service by having the wealthy pay for treatment. The basis for the story could not have been stronger: mention of a ‘two-tier’ health service had appeared in draft minutes of a meeting of the country’s NHS leaders in September.
Yet that did not stop furious pro-independence supporters from enacting a pile-on against the BBC for having the audacity to publish an accurate and truthful story. Accusations ranged from claims it was merely the Beeb recycling a different story from 2014 (it wasn’t) to allegations that it was ‘false’ because SNP ministers subsequently confirmed they would not introduce charges – something which doesn’t change the fact that it was discussed.
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