Same Old Scene
Posted on July 18th, 2024
by Rab Bruce’s Spider
Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot
X / Twitter: @RabBrucesSpider
First of all, let me emphasise that I am really glad the Tories are no longer in power in Westminster. Labour will, I hope, be less corrupt and perhaps a bit less cruel. They’ve made a fairly decent start, but we must not forget that Starmer and his cronies are ardent Unionists with a colonial attitude towards Scotland no matter what they say.
And, despite their much=vaunted King’s Speech, there were a whole load of things missing from it, including their refusal to abolish the 2-child Benefits cap. That really is an outrageous decision, although plenty of other things, like green measures were missing.
Labour’s biggest problem, though, will be their insistence on sticking to the fiscal rules they have inherited from the Tories. As some commentators have pointed out, those rules are self-imposed and are designed to provide an excuse for not doing things. This may keep the money markets happy, but it won’t help undo the damage the Tories have inflicted. By sticking to those rules, Labour are condemning us to more years of austerity no matter how they might dress it up.
Then there is the former pledge to introduce proportional representation into UK elections which has been ditched on the highly spurious grounds that it worked fine this time, and that Labour apparently have no power to change the rules. That is an appalling attitude, but they seem to be afraid of the media backlash if they attempt to introduce an electoral voting system which is fair and balanced. That refusal shows just how much Labour wish to keep the media owners onside. The last thing the media want is a fair electoral system, so Labour’s pledge has been brazenly dropped.
However, my big fear is over the NHS. Labour seem to have forgotten that this wonderful organisation was created after World War 2 when the UK was in desperate financial straits. Yet they used the Bank of England to create the money required to build a health system and also to build many new houses. Sadly, Today’s Labour seem content to bring in more privatisation of the NHS, an as well as using private investment to build new homes. Those approaches are, I’m afraid, the opposite of what England needs. And the reason I’m worried is that Scotland’s NHS budget will be affected if Labour continue with tory policies.
Then there is the announcement of a Council of Nations and Regions. Now, I welcome any measure which will improve relations between Holyrood and Westminster. Let’s face it, they couldn’t be much worse than they were under the Tories, and Labour are making some of the right noises, but I wonder whether this really is the solution. What it will do is place the devolved Governments on the same level as English regions, and that is not a welcome move. All it does is reinforce that London-centric view that Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland are mere regions of England. That mindset needs to be resisted, and I hope that the Scottish Government will walk out at the first sign of the Council relegating their status.
As ever, there is an obvious solution to Scotland’s position. Sadly, I see no way of achieving it unless the Scottish Government takes some very drastic action. And, as I’ve said before, I don’t think the current leadership is capable of that.