‘We need to escape Westminster’s control’
TODAY, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, will announce his Autumn Statement.
As always there has been much speculation in the media over the past few days about what Hunt is to announce, most of which has not been good news. Given the Tories’ track record of late, that’s not surprising.
Yet that’s why it’s so important that the Chancellor does deliver a boost to incomes, announces more energy cost support for low- and middle-income families, commits to a real Living Wage, and provides extra investment in the NHS.
Businesses and third sector organisations are also crying out for help. It would be utterly devastating for them have survived the pandemic only to end up shutting up shop because of the Tory party’s economic mismanagement – which has contributed to the fastest rise in the cost of living for 40 years, and the Bank of England warning unemployment could double by 2025.
Despite the challenges being thrown Scotland’s way by Westminster, the Scottish Government is hard at work to support households and businesses during this cost crisis – but we must balance the books. The Scottish Government has no ability to borrow to increase our day to day spending, our reserve funding is fully utilised, and our income tax powers do not allow changes to be made during the financial year.
With every passing day, it’s becoming increasingly clear that independence is the only way to escape the damage of Westminster control and get Scotland back on the path to prosperity.
The Tories’ obsession with Brexit is the biggest and most devastating long-term cause of the UK’s economic decline. The Labour Party can’t be trusted to fix this crisis either though – they have signed up to Brexit too.
It’s worth remembering that in 2014, Scots were told to vote no to independence because the UK provides better protection for pensioners. Since then, successive Westminster Tory governments have:
● suspended the triple lock for a year, costing pensioners around £500
● scrapped free TV licences for over75s ● cut pension credit, leaving some of the poorest older people in society up to £7000 a year worse off
● changed the State Pension Age for women born in the 1950s without giving adequate or any notice
● put pensions at risk when the UK Government sunk the pound and tanked the UK economy
On top of these multiple targeted attacks on Scotland’s pensioners, the UK Government also presides over one of the lowest state pensions in western Europe.
The Scottish Government is doing what it can to mitigate Tory cuts and direct support to those on low and middle incomes – but Scotland shouldn’t be left cleaning up Westminster’s mess.
The only way to keep Scotland safe is to become an independent country – with the powers to protect pensions and escape the damage of Westminster control permanently.