by Rab Bruce’s Spider

Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot

X / Twitter: @RabBrucesSpider

I’ve been ranting a bit on social media about the folly of Scottish voters voting for Labour. Yes, I know the SNP have seriously let the Yes movement down and have become embroiled in policies which do not resonate with the bulk of the population, but voting Labour was never going to be the answer. I said this before the UK General Election, and I’ll say it again. Labour are an ultra-Unionist party devoted to keeping Scotland subservient so that they can exploit our resources to bolster their position in England.

As for promises, look no further than Michael Shanks, MP for Rutherglen and now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security & Net Zero). Prior to being elected, he vowed to vote against the 2 child Cap, insisting that he would oppose Sir Keir Starmer on this policy. Yet what did he do as soon as this issue came to a vote? He toed the line, along with every other Scottish Labour MP. Let that sink in. Your Labour representatives voted to keep children in poverty.

Now, it is true that the Tories have left the UK economy in a mess, but Labour have access to a central bank, so can find money for pretty much anything they want. They are, of course, hamstrung by insisting on sticking to fiscal rules which were invented by the Tories to justify Austerity, but they could still find the money if they wanted to. The fact is that they don’t want to, whatever they may say to the contrary.

As for the suggestion that the Scottish Government should mitigate the effects of the 2 Child Cap, this is absurd when Labour know only too well that the finances of the Scottish Government are severely constrained. It also ignores the impact of the Scottish Child Payment which is already partially offsetting the cruel 2 Child Cap. And it should not be the role of the Scottish Government simply to mitigate Westminster cruelty, although that is what often happens in practice.

Scottish voters should have remembered the lies told by Labour during the 2014 IndyRef. The fact that they have given Labour another chance is baffling, as Labour have already shown that they have no compunction about lying to the Scottish public. I wonder what Michael Shanks MP will do in his new role as Under Secretary for Energy Security? While I’d welcome any move to greatly increase the use of renewable energy in Scotland, we all know that it will be England which sees the benefit of this, and Scots will continue to pay the highest energy bills in Europe despite being an energy rich country. And don’t be beguiled by the claims about the much-vaunted GB Energy. Despite Labour claims, this is unlikely to be an electricity-generating enterprise. It will simply be a supplier. Its creation may reduce bills across the UK, although I’m not convinced by that claim, but I’d be willing to bet a haggis supper that, even if bills across the UK do come down as a direct result of GB Energy, Scots will still be paying more than their counterparts in England.

I will say again that I am extremely glad that the Tories no longer govern the UK, but I am appalled that so many Scots fell for the Labour lie. Anas Sarwar should be questioned intensely by the media about the voting record of his Labour MPs, but he’ll get away with it as usual. But be in no doubt that Scotland’s Labour MPs will always do as their London masters instruct no matter what Anas Sarwar says.

Who knows? Perhaps this will be a good thing for Scotland in the long run. Maybe people will have twigged the Labour position by the time of the next Holyrood election. Not that the SNP currently offer a great alternative, but any pro-Indy party is better than a Unionist one if we want to have any chance of progressing the cause of becoming a normal, self-governing country.