Politicians who continue to welcome contracts with US companies without considering the risks and consequences of total dependency in the years to come are undermining the raison d’etre of the NHS, argues Dr JOHN PUNTIS

“I WILL force myself to do things I’m scared of just to show myself I’m being stupid for being scared,” Ruth Davidson said at the Edinburgh International Book Festival earlier this month. Was this why she initially persisted as Scottish Tory chief under Boris Johnson’s leadership, or why she ultimately gave up?
Davidson’s rise to political prominence was rapid. She joined the Scottish Conservatives in 2009 on the day she handed in her notice at the BBC to pursue further study at the University of Glasgow. Within two years she had become the party’s leader.
Announcing her resignation eight years later, Davidson insisted it was motivated by personal circumstances, and not by Johnson’s ascendancy. It’s no surprise that having recently started a family, Davidson’s tolerance for the gruelling and discriminatory rigours of politics may have waned.

CONRAD LANDIN offers a guide to the diverse shows at Edinburgh Art Festival