SNP’s education record gives a lie to their austerity claims
EDUCATION and training are the tools of advancement for the poor and the pathway out of austerity for a country because they will produce higher productivity and therefore higher wages for the people.
We only know what the actual political direction of a party is when they are elected into power. The SNP have been in power in Scotland since 2007. What have been their actions since then?
Nicola Sturgeon claims the SNP are the only party against austerity in this election. However their deeds rather than words would suggest otherwise. Since coming to power they have lost 4,000 teaching jobs, reneged on a policy of maximum class sizes of 18 in primaries one to three, increased pupil teacher ratios, overseen a drop of more than 3,000 pupils from poorer backgrounds going to university and lost more than 130,000 college places. They are responsible for the disappearance of supply teachers. A number of local authorities in Scotland cannot recruit teachers even with the enticement of housing, as in Moray. Is this the true sign of a party that is against austerity?
Actions always speak louder than words. Nicola Sturgeon should start telling the truth and stop misleading the people of Scotland, who are being misled by her and her party’s propaganda. Gordon Taylor, 14 Barra Avenue, Wishaw. IF you’ve suffered through recent broadcasts by the SNP leader you will have heard the word “progressive” used. Repeated like a mantra, even Ms Sturgeon herself seems to believe it. This is political spin at its most devious.
Recently the SNP nationalised Prestwick Airport. Prestwick was a basket case then, it has now been ruined beyond repair, all at a cost of millions. Nationalisation is a socialist ideal from the 1930s, one that has been proven to fail in nearly every case. Progressive? I think not.
There is also nothing progressive about the SNP policies on welfare, the economy, the NHS or defence. Wittering on about independence is hardly forward-looking either.
At next week’s election other parties are available, all more progressive than the SNP. We would do well to consider which party can beat them on a constituency basis. A vote for that party might offer some hope of bursting the SNP balloon.
That may well be the most progressive thing to come out of this election. Iain Walker, 9 Gartconnell Road, Bearsden. WE are hearing that Ed Miliband has a new-found confidence and believes he will be the next prime minister. Why, I wonder?
Could it be that the charismatic and dynamic Nicola Sturgeon in a red frock and five-inch heels has fired up a lacklustre campaign and a colourless Labour Party with the mantra, “I will keep the Tories out of government”? This is the message that has grabbed the headlines.
Mr Miliband promised to “weaponise” the NHS. Instead he has been weaponised by Scotland’s version of a female nuclear missile which has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the Labour Party but everything to do with Ms Sturgeon’s political performance; fascinating and unnerving. By comparison, David Cameron’s television appearances have been eclipsed by the barrage of publicity for the SNP and Labour.
The remedy? Perhaps the launch of the very glamorous “Sam Cam” in a stunning red dress and high heels on a well orchestrated seven-day campaign in England could redress the balance. After all, neither of these First Ladies is standing for election. Betty Davies, 5 Blackie House, Lady Stair’s Close, Edinburgh. IN Labour’s latest TV election broadcast, Jim Murphy ends by urging us to “vote Labour and make Scotland the fairest nation on earth”. Is this the same Jim Murphy who toured the country telling us that Scotland as a nation could not stand on its own two feet? Bill Hendry, 6 Blackwood Road, Milngavie. I NOTE your report which forecasts up to 57 seats for SNP (“Labour on attack as poll predicts a wipeout”, The Herald, April 28). This is clearly a number that is put about to concentrate Unionist minds. Given the disparate nature of the Scottish constituencies there is always going to be an uneven result across the piece. When the SNP fail to reach these overoptimistic predictions the result will be cast, by our opponents, as a huge failure or a turning of the tide.
There are now several Unionist voting suggestion wheels in circulation to prevent an SNP whitewash. The more SNP numbers are talked up the more use will be made of tactical voting. In the end If SNP get more than 35 seats I’ll be delighted, but more would obviously be a bonus. DS Blackwood, 1 Douglas Drive East, Helensburgh. IAN Lakin (Letters, April 28) asks why the SNP is riding so high in the polls, and attributes it to base populism and nationalism. I think the answer is simpler than that. Despite his incredulity, and whether or not it is fully warranted, the SNP are regarded by many as a party that can provide a strong voice for Scotland at Westminster, unburdened by the allure of ministerial limousines or the challenges of being a branch office of a larger outfit struggling to show they have some degree of independence in action and thought. Michael Rossi, 66 Canalside Gardens, Southall, Middlesex. MANY Liberals who supported the Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement with the Conservatives in 2010 were only too aware of the extent to which the Liberal Party suffered electorally from participation in three coalitions in the 20th century. Nevertheless, given the economic situation and the need for a few years of stable government, a temporary Liberal Democrat alliance with the Conservatives was the only combination which could offer such stability.
Further, the formation of the Coalition in 2010 was different from the earlier coalitions in that it was based on a detailed agreement which included much from the LibDem manifesto, including, for example, significant increases in personal income tax allowances and a triple lock on state pensions for senior citizen, as implemented during the 2010-2015 Parliament.
Accordingly, there is no reason why the Liberal Democrats should now suffer electorally from being in the Coalition.
In any case, forecasts based on national swings as from opinion polls are unlikely to be valid as this General Election is likely to be more like a series of 650 by-elections rather than a normal General Election.
Account has also to be taken of the small numbers sampled in constituency polls and the significant numbers of electors who are, as yet, don’t knows. Dr Alexander S Waugh, 1 Pantoch Gardens, Banchory.