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The Herald Scotland
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
What is Labour doing? Have we reached peak insanity?
Then there's immigration. Record inflows strain an already-overstretched NHS, housing, and public services. Illegal migrants reportedly cost £50,000 each per year for four-star hotels (rather than tents in France) and free services – while Labour wonders why 'smashing the gangs' isn't working. Adding insult to injury, we sprint toward net zero with billions in subsidies for an unreliable grid, despite our emissions being a global rounding error. The state even dictates which type of car to buy, how and where we drive, wielding taxation as a blunt control mechanism. Worse still, we borrow billions for foreign and so-called climate aid while our debt exceeds 100% of GDP. Defence spending is inadequate as Russia prepares for war, yet Keir Starmer postures as a superpower. And then there's the Chagos Islands: we gave away sovereign British territory only to pay to lease it back. Labour's 'fixing the foundations' slogan is a cruel gaslight as taxes and regulations suffocate growth. So, again: have we reached peak insanity, or is there worse to come? Ian Lakin, Aberdeen. A triumph we can ill afford Another success trumpeted by Keir Starmer after his victories over Trump and Modi's tariffs and the Europeans' restrictions on trade access has been the decolonisation of the Chagos Islands by persuading Mauritius to take them on but lease back the base on Diego Garcia. This has been achieved at a cost, estimated by the Government at £3.4 billion over the 99 years of the initial lease but estimated as something more like £30bn by the Opposition. The Chagos Islanders, forcibly evacuated from their palm-fringed beaches and settled in Crawley, stay there despite their desire to return, but are being bought off with a £40 million trust fund. The main user of the base is the United States, though it would (I suppose) be available to us if we wanted to fight a war with a neighbouring state bordering on or in the Indian Ocean, such as the Maldives, or to fly warplanes in support of the US in the Persian Gulf or over Gaza. Nevertheless, there has been no mention of the USA contributing to the cost of this trend-setting exercise in decolonisation. Forget the ferries and ask how many more such triumphs can we afford. James Scott, Edinburgh. Read more letters Harsh lessons for the Government There are four groups this rookie Labour Government has learned that it is political dynamite to tangle with because faces can be put to them and shown evocatively on screen, people for whom the general public harbours much sympathy. One of those four is on the verge of finding that measures imposed on it are about to be mitigated, namely, the reduction of the winter fuel allowance will be recalibrated on the grounds that our economic circumstances are improving. Welcome as this will be, will the memory of its insensitive introduction still rankle amongst those who had to endure the reduction over our recent winter? Two more groups are likely to face an upturn with the improving economic climate when the two-child benefit cap is also softened with a means-tested approach while the introduction of inheritance tax upon farms with a particular property value will be revisited. Only the fishermen's plight will be left to be addressed on the grounds that the 12-year agreement on fishing rights is overlong. It has been a harsh and salutary lesson for this rather gauche government to see its popularity ratings plummet as a result of its failure to be aware of the knock-on effects of placing burdens on vulnerable groups. If the Government fails to come to terms with such sensitive issues, then it will have doomed itself to adverse publicity of such a nature that it will be catapulted from power at the next General Election, unless it can transform the economy by then to the extent that the whole body politic experiences the benefits. Denis Bruce, Bishopbriggs. Why we need independence Clearly after nearly a year in office Labour's betrayal is obvious, as like the Tories, the poor and vulnerable are again targeted. From the winter heating debacle and failure to protect the Grangemouth refinery, to the plight of the Waspi women and the war on claimants along with the fishing industry, this UK Labour government is faltering. Surely any Labour government should be targeting the billions lost, each year, in corporate tax avoidance and fraud. Indeed instead of stealth taxes, a penny rise in income tax would bring in billions for the NHS, rail and roads; along with abandoning Trident, Britain's broken-down American-owned so-called independent nuclear deterrent. Furthermore it's actively rumoured that the UK fleet of Vanguard submarines, which carry the outdated Trident nuclear missile system only 20 minutes from Glasgow, is falling apart. These weapons of mass destruction, at huge expense, do not protect us but actually make us a target. In truth, only a richly-endowed independent Scotland (in line with happy and prosperous Nordic countries) in full control of all its assets, can progress towards a fairer, greener and prosperous nation; working with the other nations of the British Isles, Europe and the world. Grant Frazer, Newtonmore. Plight of care staff is shameful There is an old saying, "the love, care and attention we give to the elderly is a measure of our humanity". What does it say of our humanity when we read reports that hundreds of care workers feel forced to go on strike ("Hundreds of care staff to strike over £38m U-turn", The Herald, May 24)? Carers have found it necessary, it is reported, to withdraw their labour because of the Government U-turn on £38 million of extra funding being made available. Within the last few years their pay has deteriorated and the service is currently in crisis. This is the Government, then led by Nicola Sturgeon, which announced in 2021 the plan to establish a National Care Service at the time described as the most ambitious reform of the devolution era. This scheme was to end what was described as the "postcode lottery" of social care. However, the SNP Government eventually abandoned its plans when they lost the support from various groups, the participation of which was essential in order to make the scheme work. We should be ashamed of ourselves that those caring for our elderly have been driven to the last resort of withdrawal of their labour. Our elderly, who have done so much for us during their lifetimes, deserve better. Ian W Thomson, Lenzie. A Vanguard-class submarine (Image: PA) Sex workers are not all victims Here we go again. A new law is proposed in Scotland banning men from buying sex. The hyperbole of the headline on Marissa MacWhirter's article ('Ash Regan's bill to outlaw men who buy sex simply pushes women into the shadows – and grave danger', The Herald, May 23) makes me wonder why society continues to regard women who make money from prostitution as "victims". Yes, I know drug addiction is given as the justification for the dangerous lifestyle choice some women make, but they are not all helpless and addicted. Many just like the money. Glasgow City Council's Routes out of Prostitution has existed for years and helped several women to live safer lives. Can we just have a more balanced view please of the word "victim" in relation to this issue? Elizabeth Mueller, Glasgow. Netanyahu is storing up trouble Has there ever been any country, other than Gaza, which has had a terrorist hiding in every single house and tent and a terrorist command and control centre in every hospital and school? Even if Benjamin Netanyahu does not achieve his stated aim of taking and holding all of Gaza, and the West Bank, he is ensuring that he has created many times more implacable enemies on all of Israel's borders, which could at some future point see that country suffer the fate he plans for Gaza. He is also making it almost certain that the remaining hostages are all returned in body bags. L McGregor, Falkirk.
The Herald Scotland
03-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Want rid of SNP and Labour? Learn a lesson from England
Labour's wealth-destroying plans mirror the SNP's chaotic record. Net zero dogma risks blackouts and further deindustrialisation. The NHS is in crisis – Labour stalls in England, while Scotland's system teeters on collapse. Labour's £151.9 billion deficit echoes the SNP's fiscal incompetence: billions wasted, nothing fixed. Both peddle divisive distractions – Labour's identity politics, the SNP's separatism – while wrecking confidence with anti-business policies. From National Insurance raids to punitive Scottish taxes, they drive jobs and investment away. They regulate but do not reform, break but do not build. Neither understands how prosperity is created. Meanwhile, education crumbles and infrastructure decays. Runcorn proves the tide is turning. Labour is no longer inevitable. The SNP is no longer untouchable. To end decline, voters must act. In every seat, back whichever candidate – Reform or Conservative – is best placed to defeat Labour or the SNP. That's how we break the cycle of failure and deliver common sense and real change. Ian Lakin, Aberdeen. • It will be interesting to see how, if Reform's stunning Runcorn and English council election momentum and estimated 35% vote share reaches Scotland, it will impact next year's Holyrood elections because our PR voting system could produce a three-way Reform, Labour and SNP split. You can hardly get a fag paper between the SNP and Labour policies these days so it wouldn't surprise me if the "Scottish establishment", as Anas Sarwar called it at John Swinney's summit last week, formed a coalition to keep the "far right" out. Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven. Will change come at last? It appears we are heading for yet another SNP victory in 2026 ("SNP still has strong lead over Labour, new Scottish poll finds", The Herald, May 2). Do polls still influence voters? It is the issues that matter. John Swinney's party has a huge track record of failures, many of which have caused Scots real problems. Will voters really still pick the SNP, especially since Reform UK is offering an alternative which, going by the results in England, cannot be merely dismissed by Mr Swinney as "the extreme right"? Fourteen years of the Tories forced a change at Westminster. Eighteen years of the SNP at Holyrood isn't looking that good either. Dr Gerald Edwards, Glasgow. Read more letters The BBC and fake news If more evidence was needed to confirm that the BBC has descended into the realm of purveying "fake news" this was provided in its One O' Clock News bulletin on Wednesday (April 30). In a misguided effort to portray Scotland following England, and not vice versa, the headline was 'FA bans transgender women from women's football' supplemented by the comment, also expressed online, that the Scottish FA was 'set to follow' the FA's ruling. Later in the BBC bulletin it was incorrectly stated that 'the Scottish FA have announced a very similar change in approach today' when in fact the Scottish FA had made its announcement two days previously. It may appear to be a relatively minor "mistake" but this is consistent with the slanted framing and partial context that we have now come to expect from the BBC, especially Reporting Scotland, which persistently seeks to denigrate the SNP, the Scottish Government and even Scotland in general when making comparisons with England or elsewhere. This degenerating approach to news veracity and presentation of "the facts" seems to be about more than defending the Union and spreading UK Government propaganda; it seems to be about vying with the independent TV channels and most of the UK mainstream media for their common primary target market of viewers and readers in England. Perhaps before long the once-lauded BBC News coverage will actually become so flawed with misleading anti-Scottish content that it will finally give people in England the confidence to run their own country (possibly under the helpful guidance of President Farage) while allowing Scotland to once more forge its own destiny as an independent nation. Stan Grodynski, Longniddry. Growth of the child payment Rebecca McQuillan chastises the First Minister over the Scottish Child Payment ("Mr Swinney, you could raise the Scottish Child Payment if you wanted to", The Herald, May 1). Be in no doubt, John Swinney would increase it again tomorrow if the country's economy allowed. However, the current cost of living crisis we are all enduring and the strain on our public finances and increasing demands on household budgets have seen the Scottish Government do what it can, and and increase the payment to £27.15 per child per week. We must remember that when the Scottish Child Payment was first introduced in 2021 it only applied to children under six. This was extended in 2022 to all children under 16, adding an additional 300,000 children to the scheme, an enormous commitment by the Scottish Government. On top of that the SNP introduced the best start for every child with the introduction of the Baby Box, recognising all should start off equal. It is harrowing in such a rich country that food banks have become the normal and with the message from Westminster of more austerity, this is not going to change – to use Labour's buzzword – any time soon. Catriona C Clark, Falkirk. • The comments made by John Swinney regarding the Scottish Child Payment and the suggestion that increasing this vital support could disincentivise parents from working deserve critical examination. This perspective seems to dismiss the harsh realities that many families face today. Our welfare system should be designed to support those who need it most. As Margaret Thatcher once remarked, 'there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families'. It is crucial to remember that each family's situation is unique, and assistance should reflect this. Many parents strive to provide for their children amidst rising living costs, often battling unemployment, underemployment, or precarious work environments. The Scottish Government must work towards a compassionate and constructive welfare strategy. The Scottish Child Payment should be viewed as an essential tool for combating child poverty, ensuring that all children in Scotland have the opportunities they need to thrive. Let's redirect our focus towards enhancing this support, fostering an environment that truly prioritises the welfare of our youngest citizens. Every child deserves the chance to succeed. Alastair Majury, Dunblane. Insist on Gaza ceasefire Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch's parties aid the worst international crime of our time – in Gaza. Yet instead of desisting, these two politicians engage in diversion. They want the world to ignore the mass killings in Gaza and those complicit and instead point a finger at those who oppose genocide, for example at a rapper group that opposes the genocide. This is diversion. Keir Starmer is responsible for sending arms to the Israeli government for international crimes. Blocking food and aid to the Palestinians now (most of whom are women and children) and starving them is also a horrendous international crime and ironically is like the starvation in the Warsaw Ghetto and he and other silent bystanders to this are complicit. These politicians do not wish the world to understand the politics of the Israeli state (which had close working with apartheid South Africa) and its end game which is basically annihilation of Palestinian culture, institutions and people. As a Gazan doctor in the al-Aqsa Hospital complex, unable to escape, wrote: ' You are here, writing in the darkness, beneath the roar of warplanes, the thunder of bombs and the crackle of fire... to witness the unravelling of everything you hold dear. Your heart, your family, your friends, the people you love and care about – collapsing, lost, afraid and hungry' and 'I saw hundreds of displaced people sitting on the ground, staring at every direction, waiting for an end, either death or life' and 'They are killing us all. There'll be no survivors.' In the end apartheid loses because it is so evil and dehumanises. But there needs immediate concerted action across the world now. Scotland must urgently insist on a permanent ceasefire and move to independence, so its foreign policy is in line with international laws and decency. Pol Yates, Edinburgh. Carry forward Francis's message Tomorrow is the ninth and last day of mourning for Pope Francis. As a Presbyterian I suggest that we reflect upon the following part of his last Easter Message delivered on Sunday, April 20 and we, ourselves, carry it forward into humanity's future. He said: 'What a great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of our world! How much violence we see, often even within families, directed at women and children! How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalised, and migrants!' But he left us with so much more. For instance his encyclical on climate change and inequality, Laudato si' (On Care for Our Common Home), was 'received right away as a fresh and vital intervention: a sign that the church is 'woke' to issues of climate change; a pulling together of crucial ideas on climate; and a forceful reminder that climate questions are intertwined with questions about the sustainability of human societies and the related issues of wealth and poverty, income and resource inequality, and the worldwide spread of what Francis calls the 'throwaway' culture' (from an article 'Ecological Conversion' by Paul Elie in the Emergence Magazine). Francis spoke throughout his papacy to and on behalf of us 'woke folk' of all denominations, all faiths and to those of none. He has taught us that a spiritual perspective ought not be excluded from contributing to debates on matters of public concern. Not always a popular view in these times when materialism rules. John Milne, Uddingston. Is the BBC biased against Scotland? (Image: PA) Threats to a lawful vigil We've always known that the buffer zone law could not be broken while a clinic is closed. Vigil organisers were informed of this by Police Scotland last year, and the wording of the law is clear. Therefore, the Scottish Family Party has held pro-life demonstrations within the buffer zones of clinics outside their operating hours. Gillian McKay MSP, originator of the law, clearly still does not understand what she calls "my law". She has publicly urged the police to arrest us. MSPs should not abuse their position by pressuring the police into arresting political opponents who are not breaking any law. Police Scotland threatened to arrest us when we informed them of one of our demonstrations, despite knowing that it was legal. The police should not attempt to deter legal political activity that deviates from the Government's viewpoint. Apologies would be in order. Richard Lucas, Scottish Family Party, Glasgow. Inch perfect? Roy Gardiner (Letters, May 2) complains that a VAR referee disallowed a goal for being a few inches offside. At what distance should it have been disallowed? After all, it is like being just a little bit pregnant. Peter Wright, West Kilbride.
