Stop withholding cash from Gaza
Week in and week out, I am shocked over and over again by events in Palestine.
The situation continues to escalate while civilians’ suffering deepens. During a time when the sheltering population of Gaza is starving, and foreign aid is more important than ever, the UK Government continues to withhold United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) funding promised in November.
The European Commission, Canada and Sweden have resumed their funding following investigations by UNWRA into reports that staff were involved in the Hamas attack on October 7 .
UNRWA has provided additional assurances that it will facilitate a further review and audit of the agency by EUappointed external experts and that it will strengthen its department of internal investigations and the governance surrounding it.
Yet, the UK Government continues to withhold this extremely valuable funding which would help alleviate some of the suffering in Palestine.
The Scottish Government is calling on the UK Government to ensure that their original commitment is fulfilled and that UNRWA has the necessary predictability of funding for the next financial year to allow for the fastest distribution of aid within Gaza.
We have all heard about the Tory controversy of the month. Conservative Party donor Frank Hester said that Dianne Abbott, Britain’s longest-serving black MP, “should be shot” and “made him hate all black women”.
In response, the Tories simply acknowledged that his comments were “rude” and “were racist”.
In my view, they are some of the most abhorrent comments someone could make about another person.
The Tories will still hang on to his money, though, as they have refused to return his £10 million donation, and have said they will continue to accept further donations from Mr Hester.
I think it is hypocritical for the UK Government to withhold money from suffering Palestinians with one hand, while accepting Frank Hester’s hefty donations with the other.
I’d say that tells us enough about the morality of the Tories in Westminster.
Hopefully, though, we will not have to deal with this Tory government for much longer as the prospect of a General Election grows closer.
The outlook of a new Labour government, however, does not fill me with optimism after recent comments made by senior Labour figures.
On one hand, you have the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves stating that she will be as economically radical as Margaret Thatcher and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy describing Margaret Thatcher as a “visionary”.
On the other hand, you have the director of the Labour Together think tank stating last month that people smugglers should be put on a barge and sailed up to Scotland.
These comments to me show a fundamental problem with the dismissive attitude that the Labour party has always had with Scotland, taking Scottish votes but not listening to Scottish voices.
The polices of Margaret Thatcher’s government were devastating to many communities in Scotland, especially here in Paisley, and the impact of these polices can still be felt to this day.
To see senior Labour politicians praise these polices is a sign, I fear, that austerity is here to stay and, even worse, the silence of Scottish Labour to condemn these statements and to stand up for Scotland is a sign of things to come.
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