In The Deep Midwinter
Posted on September 9th, 2024
by Rab Bruce’s Spider
Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot
X / Twitter: @RabBrucesSpider
I fully understand that not every pensioner needs the Winter Fuel Allowance. Some are lucky enough to have private pensions which allow them to live comfortably. However, thanks to the UK system of ensuring that poorer people remain poor, allied to them having to work longer and longer to qualify for the worst pension in the OECD, the vast majority of pensioners often have very little income. I also know that many of today’s pensioners belong to that lucky generation where they may have inherited significant assets, although assets do not always equate to income.
However, the new Labour Government, in deciding to stick with Tory economic policies, is shooting itself in the foot with its decision to scrap the Winter Fuel Allowance unless pensioners qualify for other social security benefits. Of course, social media has revealed that this is a long-time ambition of Chancellor Rachel Reeves, so her claims that scrapping the payments is vital for the economy ring very hollow, especially when the savings will not be all that significant in the great scheme of things. No, this is a deliberate policy to try to make Labour look tough for the benefit of those who are already wealthy. It is a sad day when Labour attacks the most vulnerable in society simply to appease money markets. Watch out if you are unemployed or disabled, because you’ll be next.
Of course, making the payment universal means that some people will receive money they don’t really need. If you are lucky enough to fall into that bracket, and if you feel strongly enough about this, then why not donate the money to a local food bank or other charity of your choice? Because the reality is that making payments universal works out cheaper in the long run because there is less administration. More importantly, it ensures that nobody misses out on what could be a vital payment at the time of year when they need it most.
Labour’s other claims about pensioners not needing this payment because of recent and future increases in the state pension are also misleading. Because the pension is, as most people know, pathetically inadequate for modern living, and the Labour claims ignore the huge increase in energy costs which we have seen in the UK. This is especially important in Scotland where we pay higher energy bills than most for the privilege of sending our renewable energy to England free of charge, and where the weather is generally several degrees lower than in England.
Naturally, the unionist politicians are pointing the finger at the Scottish Government who really ought to be fighting back more than they are over this issue. There may well be other things the Scottish Government can do, but the simple fact remains that if your pocket money is cut, then you need to reduce your outgoings. The UK Labour Government has, of course, cut the amount the Scottish Government would use to make the Winter Fuel payments in Scotland, but has miraculously found almost exactly the same amount of money to give to the Scottish Office and our new Governor-General to fund other projects which can have a Union flag plastered on them. They’ve also found money to create some memorials to the late queen Elizabeth which show precisely who they are pandering to. It’s not as if the late Queen doesn’t already have plenty of memorials. IN Scotland, for example, there is Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow to name but two. You’ll also find Queen’s Hall and Queen’s College. But even if you believe that yet another memorial is necessary, how can you justify cutting public expenditure on helping to keep people alive? Sadly, this is the British way, because commemorating royalty is always viewed as more important than safeguarding the lives of ordinary citizens. Sorry, we’re subjects, not citizens, a point which the proposal for yet more royal memorials clearly reinforces.
There are, of course, more cuts to come, as Sir Keir (Knight of the realm) Starmer has been constantly reminding us. Yet I’m sure you will find that, while there is no money to help pensioners stay warm, or to scrap the iniquitous two-child benefit cap, there will always be money for UK vanity projects. This winter, I reckon the best use of a Union flag is to use it as a blanket to try to ward off the worst of the cold weather.