THIS IS MURDER…PURE AND SIMPLE.

THIS IS MURDER…PURE AND SIMPLE

For God’s sake, make a decision and then shut up.

All this talk about measures to control the latest variation of Covid is killing the hospitality industry. It’s bad enough if the whole sector has to close down but it is worse to stay open while politicians panic and delay. They are chasing customers away with every sentence, putting businesses to the sword, rather than make a decision.

Shut them down, put a new furlough arrangement in place, provide some finance to cover rent, energy and other fixed costs

OR

SHUT UP. Stop scaring the public. You are destroying the sector, a crucial sector particularly in tourist areas. It is those businesses that provide the services for tourists, they use our toilets, baby changing facilities, get food and drinks, stay in our accommodation and it is us who make their holidays enjoyable. You don’t think tourists fill in surveys at the end of a holiday listing the Scottish Government or the local authority as the highlights of their holiday. Many of these businesses provide the only facilities of this kind in the area. They can be fairly described as marginal businesses. It is no exaggeration to say careless talk from politicians will close many of these businesses.

Both options are very bad for a sector that has borne the brunt of Covid preventative measures. The reason? They are easy to close down and it gives the public a clear signal the Government are on the case but this ignores that this sector is a huge employer across the country and many businesses are already on the brink of collapse.

Before the Covid outbreak it was already very difficult to trade profitably in the grossly overtaxed sector. Few businesses had significant reserves. Trained staff were lost creating a new expense for the businesses as they struggled to find new employees. Staff left hoping to find jobs in other sectors, in businesses that were not the first port of call for politicians seeking to convince the public they had a “plan” to control the virus. 

What is happening today is the worst of both worlds, with furlough people in the sector knew where they stood. Without furlough and with few customers being sufficiently confident, in the face of the panicky overreaction from politicians about how dire it is going to get, they cannot be sure if their company can pay the wages, they know they can forget any tips they may rely on. Their lives are very uncertain because politicians can talk but thus far there is no action, no definite plan.

Here is what I am talking about from The National today Speaking on the BBC’s The Sunday Show, Swinney said: “Fundamentally we face a very serious threat because Omicron is frankly galloping its way in Scotland and circulating round our communities.

“The challenge for us is that obviously nobody would thank us if we planned on the best case scenario and it turned out to be the worst case scenario that prevails.”

However Swinney refused to be drawn on measures such as closing down hotels, cafes, bars and restaurants.

Show host Martin Geissler asked: “If you had the funds to do it, would you be inclined to shut down the hospitality sector tomorrow?”

Swinney said: “I don’t think there is a justification, we have to make sure that all of our measures are proportionate.”

Scottish Labour’s health and Covid recovery spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “Businesses up and down the country aren’t just dreading the effects of the new variant, they are already feeling them.

“The latest advice is leading to parties being cancelled and bookings plummeting, but the hospitality industry is being left high and dry.

“Thousands of jobs are on the line but the SNP don’t seem to be listening.

“We should never shy away from difficult decisions to save lives, but we can’t destroy livelihoods in the process.

“Whether there are new restrictions or not, the SNP’s strategy cannot rely on hospitality taking the hit.

JOHN SWINNEY NOW HAS ME AGREEING WITH LABOUR’S JACKIE BAILLIE.

I NEVER EVER THOUGHT THAT WAS EVEN POSSIBLE.

I am, as always

YOURS FOR SCOTLAND

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