For weeks we’ve been subjected to a litany of leaks, clearly an attempt to float ill-prepared policies to gauge public response and acceptability. What competent government working to a carefully considered plan does this?
We got an abolition of the two-child benefit cap, but wasn’t this just a response to the fear of backbencher revolt rather any belief the cap was fundamentally politically unacceptable for pushing children into poverty?
Claiming she wouldn’t breach manifesto commitments by raising income tax, hasn’t Reeves just done this anyway by maintaining the freeze on personal allowances, which means 800,000 more people at the lower end of the income scale, pensioners etc, paying income tax, and a similar number being drawn into the higher tax band?
Reeves has announced a 3p per mile surcharge on drivers of electric vehicles, but only now intends to enter into consultation to determine how to apply it. Isn’t this fraught with administrative difficulties, and doesn’t this show this is yet another policy initiative made on the hoof rather than in response to careful consideration and planning, chucked in to raise extra tax?
Reeves could have increased alcohol duty, which here in Scotland would mean that the extra charged for minimum pricing of alcohol could go to the Exchequer rather than the profits of retailers.
We still have additional costs in energy prices, where hidden taxes to fund English infrastructure are levied on electricity users, which means that the recent 0.2% cap increase hides a near 5% rise in the price of electricity we all need and use while gas prices are falling with no benefit to consumers.
We see huge infrastructure investments in England and Wales, while we Scots are expected to accept the scraps from the table through “financial baubles” being allocated to the Labour government’s failure to protect us from the closure of Grangemouth and Mossmorran, and the sucking of the employment lifeblood out of those communities.
Who doubts that all tax hikes are ultimately paid by ordinary working and retired citizens and this Budget has just increased the burden by a whopping £26 billion? Next year those on basic state pensions will be drawn into paying tax, and suffering the administrative burden which that will bring for older people as their affairs become increasingly complicated by Labour government policies.
Does Reeves seriously expect us to believe Scotland was allocated £820m because Sarwar “asked” for it? Is this really all we needed to do in order to get more of Scotland’s wealth repatriated to us? How silly of us not to have realised. Or isn’t this fatuous claim really just an attempt to shore up Labour support ahead of a looming electoral disaster in Scotland?
If this Labour leadership was in its death throes before this Budget, isn’t its content and the astonishing circumstances of leaks akin to the lid being screwed down on the casket as it is lowered into its grave?
The Tories gave us 14 years of corrupt, incompetent public-services-destroying, wealthy-protecting government. This Labour government is following in the same vein. Isn’t Scotland’s independence the only real hope for a better way?
Jim Taylor
Scotland
I FIND the statement from Rotten Rachel that she GAVE Scotland £820 million because Anas Sarwar asked her to hilarious. She must think all of us up here in the frozen north are so stupid that we can’t work out for ourselves that the cash is our slice of the cake via the Barnet Formula.
What a really sad, useless politician she is. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she reacted to a question from Stig Abell on Times Radio on Thursday morning by saying that he, Stig, would not be writing her obituary. It was an incredible moment and I was totally taken aback by her attitude.
She knows that she is in trouble and so does Sir Keir. He is in just as much trouble as her and gets out of the country at every opportunity to make sure he is not there to be questioned!
The Blue Labour Party is finished. However, here is a wee conundrum. At the 2024 General Election we were asked to vote Labour to get the Tories out. When it comes to 2026, is there going to be a push to get the SNP out? The Puppet is counting on the Unionists getting in through the back door. We, as supporters of independence, need to keep this in mind at all times.
The 2026 election is not by any means cut and dried. So, remember and always keep it in the forefront of your thinking. Forget the SNP strategy of both votes SNP and get the message out to as many people as possible. SNP 1; any other independence party 2.
Old John
Ayrshire
SO apparently Rach is giving Scotland some money (a fraction of what English city mayors are getting) because “Anas asked”! So not because of the Barrett Formula, but because Anas asked, which would imply that Anas did not ask her to save Grangemouth and Mossmorran, because if he had asked they would have done what he asked! Aye Right!
Robert Doig
via email
I WOULD like to reassure Stan Grodynski (Letters, Nov 25) that most of those complaining about the same thing are still on side for independence. Look at it like fans going to a game. Some might fall out and argue on the way, but they are all on the same journey. The reason the SNP “got away with” doing nothing for a decade was that the members and voters let them. No more blind trust; if they are not strong on indy we all need to shout about it. They are trying to be a devo party so it’s up to all of us to not let them do that.
