Gavin Newlands
PAISLEY AND RENFREWSHIRE NORTH MP
AS the new First Minister takes his place in Bute House, it’s a new beginning for the Scottish Government and for the SNP.
Clearly the last wee while hasn’t been the smoothest or most memorable time in the SNP’s history.
But equally we can’t forget the track record of the Scottish Government over the piece.
Free prescriptions and eye tests, the Baby Box, Scottish Child Payment, free further and higher education, bus passes maintained and expanded, rail services back under public ownership and control – just some of the real change that has made a real difference to every single person in Scotland.
Of course mistakes are made and I doubt anyone is more aware of that than John Swinney, someone who has dedicated his life to his country and its independence.
He is already making his mark, with the announcement that peak fares will continue to be suspended on Scotland’s railway, saving passengers real cash while the Westminster cost of living crisis continues.
I’ve also been delighted to see my colleague Tom Arthur being handed ministerial responsibility for fair work in the new Scottish Government.
Fair work must be at the heart of how we manage and grow our economy, because growth that happens at the expense of workers isn’t worth having.
That’s in contrast to the attitudes from the UK Government, where the Business Secretary last week headlined one of her Daily Mail columns: “Unions want to undo all the work we have done in the last 14 years”.
I don’t think there’s a bigger compliment she could have paid them.
The Scottish Government, the SNP, trade unions, workers – if all of us could undo the havoc and carnage unleashed by the Tories and their fellow travellers over the last 14 years, we’d grab that opportunity in a heartbeat.
When we look at other European countries we see far higher living standards, more robust economies, and real social protections for citizens.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that those same countries have hugely more balanced employment laws that give far greater protection to workers from unscrupulous bosses.
Meanwhile in the UK successive governments have engaged in a race to the bottom, decimating industry, gutting the welfare state, and producing living standards that haven’t risen in 15 years.
And a change of government at Westminster later this year doesn’t look like it will solve anything.
Sir Keir Starmer’s boasts of a “new deal” for workers if they take office have been gutted, with trade union leaders calling the latest Labour policies “unrecognisable”.
It’s just the latest rollback on policy from a leader who wants power for its own sake rather than to bring about real change for our country.
In contrast, we have a Scottish Government committed to making work fair and rebalancing the playing field between employer and employee – but is hamstrung by the current devolved powers at its disposal.
I’ve tried to move things along with my own Bills in the House of Commons aimed at outlawing sharp practices like fire and rehire – but ultimately defeated by the Tory Government’s majority with no Scottish mandate, and little support from the Labour leadership.
For real and lasting change power over employment law have to be transferred to the Scottish Parliament so that it can begin to act and roll back the decades of Thatcherism and the Blair years, bringing us into line with our European allies and neighbours.
There’s fat chance of that happening while Westminster and Whitehall are calling the shots.