People living in glass houses should not throw stones

Sir, – It is indeed a strange world. Reading Derek Healey’s article, the Scottish Government – seeing the likely future financial stresses and planning accordingly – is being damned by both Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour for applying the canny Scots’ financial ethos.

It is remarkable that the Scottish Conservatives (Liz Smith) are complaining about the need to reduce the government to pre-pandemic levels of spending. Scottish Labour (Daniel Johnston) are defining the multi-year finance plan as “cutting services to the bone” for local government.

Let’s be clear – poverty and need is the cause of crime affecting us, and the global financial crisis and current cost-of-living are creating more poverty. It was not created by the Scottish Government and yet it must deal with it albeit that it has very limited levers to pull, as designed and currently being manipulated by Westminster.

Health and welfare, the safety net for the most disadvantaged, is being supported with increases and several big-ticket items are being increased.

Health and welfare from £17.1 to £19 billion, social security benefits from £3.9 to £6.4bn and a new care service.

The stated raison d’etre of Conservative politicians north and south of the border is to reduce government and hence reduce taxes.

Scottish Labour promotes support for those least able.

I cannot see where these plans do not meet their objectives.

Over the years since the 2008 financial crash it appears that the wealth of the nations has moved from poor to rich, making poor poorer and more needy. As an example, during 2011 there were 32 billionaires in the UK – in 2022 the Sunday Times rich list reported that there were 177 billionaires – an increase of 553%.

Liz Smith states that the Scottish Government has a £3.5bn “black hole”.

I would contend that the black hole is in the HMRC tax laws and enforcement of taxation, particularly offshoring tax avoidance schemes.

Alistair Ballantyne. Birkhill, Angus.