It's not the oil, stupid.
It is Westminster.
We made the same points loud and clear during the Scottish Referendum, but let's do this one more time.
If you are concerned about why we have so many people living in poverty in Scotland, don't start telling me that Brent crude is $40 a barrel. That is not relevant to poor people.
Do tell me, as the IPPR Scotland report published earlier this week makes clear, that Westminster is planning to remove £600 million from welfare expenditure in Scotland over the next five years. The poorest households will lose 'an average £730 per year' thanks to the machinations of Herr Osbameron. That is £14 a week less - so the kids won't get lunch, or Mum will go without her supper, or we'll no be paying the rent this week, mebbe next...
And that, as IPPR point out, is only the half of it. A further £600m will be cut from other departments in Scotland as our George slashes the State from under our feet.
But there is more, and this time we are talking oil:
As the eminently sensible Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp points out in today's The National, Westminster never gave us the 'protection of a mechanism to deal with the impact of oil price volatility.' In other words Westminster did not create a sovereign wealth fund based on oil revenues. The Norwegian Government did, and Norway's fund is one of the world's largest, wealthiest investment funds. Scotland is poorer because Westminster did not save up the oil money in the boom times.
Westminster took our oil and squandered it, and is now hitting the poorest people of Scotland with cuts.
Like I said. We told you that loud and clear, during the Scottish Referendum campaign.
Time to think again?
It is Westminster.
We made the same points loud and clear during the Scottish Referendum, but let's do this one more time.
If you are concerned about why we have so many people living in poverty in Scotland, don't start telling me that Brent crude is $40 a barrel. That is not relevant to poor people.
Do tell me, as the IPPR Scotland report published earlier this week makes clear, that Westminster is planning to remove £600 million from welfare expenditure in Scotland over the next five years. The poorest households will lose 'an average £730 per year' thanks to the machinations of Herr Osbameron. That is £14 a week less - so the kids won't get lunch, or Mum will go without her supper, or we'll no be paying the rent this week, mebbe next...
And that, as IPPR point out, is only the half of it. A further £600m will be cut from other departments in Scotland as our George slashes the State from under our feet.
But there is more, and this time we are talking oil:
As the eminently sensible Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp points out in today's The National, Westminster never gave us the 'protection of a mechanism to deal with the impact of oil price volatility.' In other words Westminster did not create a sovereign wealth fund based on oil revenues. The Norwegian Government did, and Norway's fund is one of the world's largest, wealthiest investment funds. Scotland is poorer because Westminster did not save up the oil money in the boom times.
Westminster took our oil and squandered it, and is now hitting the poorest people of Scotland with cuts.
Like I said. We told you that loud and clear, during the Scottish Referendum campaign.
Time to think again?
No comments:
Post a Comment