Over the last few weeks, I have been disappointed to hear fellow Liberal Democrats repeat the accusations of our opposition, and in particular certain portions of the national media who have been desperately trying to portray Lib Dems in a negative light.  There is a continuing misconception that the Liberal Democrats sacrificed too much to the Conservatives during coalition negotiations. Here’s the real story of what we have achieved in Government.

This document is already 3 months old, so the list has grown since then, but it is a good starting point.

Lib Dem Achievements in Government

After the first TV debate during the General Election campaign, our opponents recognised that Nick Clegg was our strongest asset.  Since the morning of the second debate, there has been a sustained attack on him personally and on the reputation of the party as a whole.  Even Ed Milliband has resorted to personal attacks on Nick Clegg.  It is disgraceful, gutter politics.  Unfortunately, if you throw enough mud, it will eventually stick.

Nick Clegg is the antithesis of Teflon Tony Blair.  His record, as demonstrated above, is one to be proud of.  I for one, do not think I could cope with excrement posted through my door, my effigy being burnt, being called a traitor and receiving death threats and still come out fighting the way that Nick Clegg did at the Sheffield Lib Dem Conference.

I cannot agree with those in the party that take the attitude that they are in politics to fight Conservatism as a result of Thatcher’s legacy.  Saying that we would only go into a coalition with a discredited, illiberal, economically incompetent Labour Party would doom our party into subservience.

I came into politics and joined the Lib dems to make a difference on issue that I cared about, whether it was the environment, children’s welfare or civil liberties.  I believe in the values of the party, that local people know best about their area, that solutions should last and that everyone deserves a fair chance.

Those values, issues and policies are now being successfully implemented in Government, and it is a record that we should all be proud of.

During the 2010 General Election, I campaigned to scrap unfair, ‘lifetime’ bonuses within NHS Tayside.  I welcome the widening of the campaign to end the bonus culture within the NHS.

The Merit and Distinction awards are only available to the highest paid NHS staff, consultants, as part of their standard contract.  Shockingly, these are not one-off bonuses, but are added to consultants’ salaries, year after year, until they retire.  The NHS even increases their pension contributions accordingly.

It is expected that between 1/3 and 1/2 consultants will receive one of these bonuses during their career, worth up to £70,000 per year on top of their normal salary.  No such bonuses are available to other vital NHS staff such and nurses, junior doctors, cleaners or porters.  This is completely unfair and unjustified.

I am therefore delighted that the campaign is gaining wider support and the pressure continues to be applied.

Tavish Scott MSP, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, recently called for an end to consultant bonuses, saying:

“The [Scottish] Health Secretary is responsible for awarding £30 million of bonuses to the most highly paid personnel in the NHS – consultants.

“The payment of these bonuses is a totally devolved issue. There should be no payouts next year. People will find it an odd priority for the SNP to pay out £30 million in bonuses to those who are already the highest paid, while nurses are losing their jobs.”

Meanwhile, the issue is also creating waves in England, with a BBC investigation finding that a loophole means the bonuses continue to be paid, even when the consultants perform poorly:

Professor Alan Maynard, an expert in health policy at York University, was chairman of a local NHS trust for 12 years during which time he sat on the committee that handed out the awards. He said:

“They never get stopped, once they have them they have them for their lifetime. The system needs completely changing.

“The applicants provide very little information, but you can’t spend the money on anything else as it is earmarked for these awards. I would have preferred to spend it on providing more care.”

He said the evidence for performance-related pay was questionable anyway, but if there was to be an incentives scheme it should be much tougher.

Professor John Appleby, chief economist at the King’s Fund, agreed, saying:

“I think they are out of step with how the NHS should be paying staff. They should be abolished.”

With alcohol death rates having doubled in a generation, it is vital that we all take a more responsible attitude towards alchohol.  That is is why I am supporting Alcohol Awareness Week Scotland, which is running this week between 4th and 10th October.

Alcohol abuse can have a devastating effect on families.  Heavy drinking at home by parents is accepted as “normal behaviour” by children and repeats the cycle of alcohol abuse.

As I noted in my post earlier this year, alcohol abuse is linked to severe neglect and abuse of children in our country:

In fact, charity Turning Point, claimed last year that 1.3 million children across the UK are living with parents who misuse alcohol. Far from being a “mystique”, alcohol is a regular part of these children’s lives, disrupting their families, and leaving them exposed to rage, violence and neglect. This has been shown to create a negative self image amongst children, increase levels of depression and truancy, and affect their attainment at school and later in life. These children are growing up thinking that heavy drinking is normal behaviour.

Please support this campaign.  And Make Family Time Count by drinking responsibly.

NHS Tayside should provide detailed information about bonuses paid to high earners in the NHS. My family are able to use the services provided by NHS Tayside but it is clear to me that budgets are under pressure. Concerns have been expressed to me by people in Angus about their local service provision.

It seems there is a breakdown in the relationship between GPs and the Angus Community Health Partnership over the consultation process on hospital provision in North Angus. Residents are concerned about the loss of GP beds at Brechin and Montrose infirmaries. Worries about future hospital provision are centred on budgets.

For example, in Montrose, the replacement for the maternity unit has been put on hold. Another worry centres on Arbroath: the date has still to be indicated for the new car park at Arbroath Infirmary, and given the budgetary pressures, there are concerns that this might be delayed.

There have quite rightly been complaints about the bonuses paid to bankers. However it is also increasingly evident that a bonus system exists for consultants in the NHS. I have written to Professor Tony Wells of NHS Tayside, asking him to provide the public in Angus with detailed information about the system. I have put the following questions to the Chief Executive:

1. What is the justification for the Merit Awards / Discretionary payments (i.e bonus system) in NHS Tayside?
2. Can doctors nominate themselves for awards?
3. Who judges whether or not someone gets an award?
4. At what level of job are these awards given? Is it only consultants and above?
5. How much is an award worth?
6. What is the difference between the merit and the discretionary award?
7. Are these one-off awards or are they a permanent addition to salary?
8. What effect does an award have on the recipient’s pension?
9. What is the hourly rate of pay for out-of-hours doctors?

With threats to NHS budgets due to the recession, it is vital that we ensure that salaries and bonuses within the NHS are fair and open at all pay levels, from nurses and administrators, through to consultants and surgeons.