All Jock Tamson's Bairns

We were taking evidence in the Public Audit Committee yesterday and the convener was asking a question of Steve Cardownie, the Leader of the SNP group on Edinburgh Council. Although it's all on the official record, I won't go into detail of the substance of the meeting until it's all over and done with (which may be never at this rate)!

What I had to laugh at was the convener's reaction when Cllr Cardownie mentioned that Alex Salmond called him on his mobile phone. He said he was "astonished" that the First Minister of Scotland with all his officials had chosen to call the councillor himself!

I'm not sure what he was making of it but I'M certainly not astonished. I'm glad to know that our First Minister doesn't think himself so above mere mortals that he has to do a Yes Minister and get his officials to call Cllr Cardownie's officials to call Cllr Cardownie, when he can just phone him himself!

This obsession with status really irks me. Alex Salmond respects his position but he's perfectly capable of phoning someone and I don't think it demeans his position to do so. As the SNP councillor pointed out, when he was in the Labour Party he regularly got calls on his mobile from Frank McAveety the then Culture Minister.

There really is nothing sinister at all about senior politicians not expecting their "minions" to do their work for them. It's simply in keeping with Scotland's long tradition of eglitarianism and us all being Jock Tamson's Bairns. As it happens when Alex Salmond phoned Cllr Cardownie, he (CC) was having a pint in the pub which he didn't get to finish. I reckon he should point that out to the First Minister and whilst I realise the FM is unlikely to have time to be down the pub of an evening much these days, I'm pretty sure he won't think himself too important to buy him one back!

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The NHS in Scotland is in safe hands

I'm making an effort to do shorter and more regular posts on the blog so here is today's. Spent the morning in the Public Audit Committee which I love! Everyone imagines it to be boring. It is not! It is fascinating. Anyway today we were looking at an Audit Scotland report on NHS performance for 2008/09 and we took evidence from various medical professionals and CEOs of Health Boards.

I asked about the preparation for an ageing population and what impact it had on NHS services and funding. However I was happy to congratulate those sitting in front of us (and everyone who works for the NHS) on some absolutely astonishing results in recent years. Achieving better than expected (and better than asked for) efficiency savings; the reductions across the board in deaths from cancer, heart disease, stroke, AIDs and suicide; reduction of waiting lists, excellent waiting times and the getting rid of the dreadful "hidden waiting lists"!

They've achieved all of this in a very difficult economic climate and although the Scottish Government has protected the NHS in terms of budgets, we should not underestimate the tremendous work that they have undertaken to get to where we are. Robert Calderwood, the CEO of my own Health Board when referring to waiting times at the meeting today, said that where we are today is completely "unrecognisable" from where we were at the start of the decade.

That revolution didn't happen without a lot of hard work and clever thinking on the part of NHS staff and I was really proud listening to their evidence today. (Note to self - this is not a "short" blog update!)