Public services are the backbone of a fair Scotland - Lorna Slater
Winter places enormous pressure on our public services. Hospitals and GP surgeries face rising demand, councils step in to support people struggling with housing or heating and social care staff work tirelessly to keep people safe and well.
These services are not abstract systems, they are the everyday support that allows our society to function.
Public services reflect our shared values. They are how we ensure that everyone, regardless of income or background, can access healthcare, education and support when they need it.
When they are strong, communities thrive. When they are weakened, inequality grows and trust in politics erodes.
Across Scotland, local services are under strain. Councils are being forced to make deeply difficult decisions as budgets fail to keep pace with demand.
The impact is felt in longer waiting times, reduced services and staff who are stretched to their limits.
These pressures are especially visible during winter, when need is greatest. This is felt most on weeks like these, when most of us spend time in the warm embrace of loved ones, eating, drinking and being merry, our lifesavers put others before themselves and keep Scotland going.
The idea that we can cut our way to a fairer society has been proven wrong time and again.
Shrinking public services does not save money in the long run, it simply shifts costs elsewhere and leaves the most vulnerable to pick up the pieces. A civilised society invests in prevention, care and early support.
The Scottish Greens believe that properly funded public services are essential infrastructure, just as vital as roads or power lines.
That means protecting council budgets, valuing public sector workers and being honest about how we raise revenue.
Fair taxation is not a punishment; it is how we pool resources to look after one another.
As the year draws to a close, it is worth remembering what gets us through the toughest months. It is not individual effort alone, but the collective systems we have built together.
Strengthening our public services is one of the most important steps we can take to build a fairer, kinder and more resilient Scotland in the year ahead.