by Rab Bruce’s Spider

Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot

X / Twitter: @RabBrucesSpider

Change. That is what Labour promised. It was a very effective campaign slogan because nearly everyone was fed up of the Tories and their greed, corruption, xenophobia and austerity-driven policies which targeted the poorest and most vulnerable in society. Quite frankly, Labour didn’t need to do much, so constantly repeating, "Change" struck a chord. Many of us did warn our fellow Scots not to believe them, but we were largely ignored, partly because the SNP has, quite frankly, run out of ideas and competence. Labour’s victory was assured, although partly because other voters wanted rid of the Tories because they felt they weren’t extreme enough.

So what change have Labour delivered? Well, we must remember that the media are very pro-Tory and/or Reform, so any minor thing Labour do wrong will be headline news, but their first few months have revealed that Sir Keir (Knight of the Realm) Starmer really isn’t a very good politician. He seems to have no awareness of public perceptions, and has therefore bungled his way into controversies which could easily have been avoided. Cutting pensioners’ Winter Fuel Allowance while accepting gifts worth thousands of pounds simply is not a good look. The excuse that all MPs accept donations really is not a justification. IN fact, with dark money sloshing around in UK politics, perhaps it is time to ban donations entirely and to have parties funded by public money. Yes, many will cry that this places an additional burden on taxpayers, but when you control a central Bank, you can always find the money. You could even contemplate taxing the super-rich a bit more so that they contribute to the public purse rather than contribute to political parties. No, sorry, nobody in Westminster wants that because it might bring about a level playing field in election campaigns, and that would never do.

Part of Labour’s problem is their insistence on sticking to artificial, self-imposed financial rules which were put in place by the Tories to justify Austerity. And just because Labour don’t call it Austerity doesn’t mean that isn’t what they are delivering. Call it what you like, but cutting public spending to the detriment of your citizens (sorry, subjects), is Austerity.

So far, we’ve seen some vague words from Sir Keir and his Ministers, but only token action on some issues which most people would applaud. But they seem incapable of grasping the big picture and of actually delivering meaningful change. Instead, we’re getting vague promises of re-setting relationships with the EU or of improving the Right to Buy council houses in England. You’d think that, having spent so long in opposition, Labour would have come up with some really eye-catching policies which they would implement quickly. Yet they seem to have focused more on winning the election than on what to do once they were in power. If the most notable thing was to let Rachel Reeves achieve her ambition of forcing pensioners to freeze during winter, then that’s not good politics.

And, speaking of the Winter Fuel Payment, it is laughable that they claim to be doing this in order to save money (which they don’t need to do since they control a central Bank). They are now encouraging pensioners who qualify to apply for Pension Credits. Yet if every pensioner who qualifies does claim, it will actually cost more than the cut to the WFP. In short, it is an ill-thought out policy which has angered the majority of people. If you are not yet a pensioner, you will be some day, and if you see your Government acting like this, then you know they are not on your side. It’s all very well saying that pensions will rise next year, but the problem for many will be surviving to see that. With energy costs about to increase again, Labour ought to be sorting out the energy sector and forcing a reduction in our ridiculously over-priced electricity.

There is then the argument that Labour under Sir Keir Starmer are beholden to monied interests, which is why they are shying away from taxing the super-wealthy and instead targeting the poorest in society. Some investigations by alternative media outlets suggest there is good reason to believe this, but even if it is not true, then it is a bad look for Labour to behave as if it is.

The more I see and hear what sir Keir Starmer says, the more convinced I am that he is little more than a figurehead for a right of centre group whose interests he will protect. Yes, he is, on the face of it, a less venal and cruel character than any of his Tory predecessors, but he does seem politically inept, and I can only see him blundering into more and more controversies.

As ever, Scotland can surely do better than accept being governed by this lot. I know many are disillusioned with the SNP, but the best way to get rid of them is to become a normal, self-governing country and elect a Government we can at least get rid of if they prove as inept as UK Labour. That, many will argue, is the reason the SNP have not pushed for independence. But things are becoming desperate now, and we really need to escape the farce that is Westminster.

The UK media will continue to push the line that Scotland cannot afford to become a normal, self-governing country, but that is nonsense. Only last week, the new Head of the CBI was drooling over Scotland’s wealth of resources which she insisted could be used to boost England’s economy. It is time Scots stopped believing what Unionist politicians tell them. If nothing else, the lies Labour told during the recent UK election campaign should have reminded people that they cannot be trusted to do what is right for Scotland. Change? Some things never change.