Another budget, another cover up. There is a view in Westminster those away from the Home Counties either have not the mental capacity to understand such complicated matters like the economy, or those outside the London commuter belts just don’t matter. So when it comes to Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland they are just an afterthought. As we saw in The Budget, we were all classed as Regions, with Devolved meaning a remote branch office of the Westminster bubble.
The problem with this particular work of fiction is it was not just papering over the cracks, but rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic while everything sinks. You should always be careful of what you wish for. In the case of Labour, they thought they could steam in and blame everything on the Tories. The problem is they had all the facts and figures, for not just the time of the Conservative Government, but also from their Tony Blair/Gordon Brown cabal time in office, which also left a fiscal dogs’ dinner which they had to try to balance.
The point about the new Starmer Government is it looks so unprepared, they should have had an induction for the inexperienced in basic governance of a bank account. Economics, as I know, is an ever changing roundabout which has a lot of its roots in ancient laws and much of it needs an overhaul to get rid of the dross. But with so much secrecy in the inner workings we have come to rely on leaks and scandals to have some idea of what is really happening in the dark rooms overseen by faceless civil servants.
The truth is, it really needs a full forensic overhaul by people who really do know what they are talking about. The key political policies dumped in favour of common sense, actual accounts and confirmation that the business is either a dead duck, or provision for success is available. For running a country is much about running a Blue Chip company without the prying eyes of the Media. It’s also difficult to sack the Chairman, but it is easy to identify the directors, and pin the blame on them. However, the country as a whole is not run by elected MPs. As in Yes Minister, it is the civil service who are the props. Or at least the senior silent men and women who seem to live in a parallel world, away from the masses. Spending our hard earned cash to keep these huge departments in work.
The Scottish Parliament runs a good ship bearing in mind the masters in the South know our every move, and have the cheek to count our pennies.
Coming from a generation when you were advised not to put your membership of the SNP on your CV, there is still doubt about our real intentions on Independence, and we are under surveillance. If you look closely at the amount of abuse being thrown at Alex, Nicola and look as far back as Willie MacRae, those popular in the cause will always face ridicule. So a Scottish Budget is made as difficult as possible for the incumbents, not just about chance, but Scotland must be punished for not playing the game. Which is why it is crucial neither Labour or Conservatives ever get to run Scotland again.
So here we go again, Scotland gets a kicking, though you have to know your sums to work it out. Our nation of small farms to be decimated, while pension funds and investment groups are left untouched owning huge tracks of land with little responsibility. Not generating micro economies like local businesses who rely on each other. Who else is taxed for providing food in Europe, the world is under no obligation to feed us. Whisky and oil gets another tanking, wonder why? Punished for not voting for Brexit, and voting SNP. Getting through Covid better than Boris, being more accountable, and allowing the people to even discuss Independence. The Budget did more harm to Scotland because it was gift wrapped as a present only to find an empty box inside. No doubt the IOU is in the post. Nothing but contempt for pensioners, yet our pensions are the worst in Europe. No thanks for fighting for your country here. They can’t march to be heard, but we can. To stand back and watch our elderly starve or freeze has no legal penalty, but treating a dog that way can see you in jail. How bizarre is that, and starving the Scottish Parliament of funds to aid pensioners is yet another punishment, but let’s hope common sense prevails. Just don’t hold your breath.
Remember we are not loved in Westminster, which is why our representation there is so important to the country, irrespective of your political leaning. What is crucial in that part in the House of Commons is a strong voice untainted by their London leaders. For never think the vengeance meted out for our fight for self determination will ever go unpunished. We are the enemy, we need to be starved of our wages to prop up the entity known as the United Kingdom. We only had to see the treatment of Mhairi Black, who refused to moderate her accent, to see how vulgar these so called gentlemen could be. Time we really need to take charge of our own destiny and purse strings. Even now we are still paying the axe man for his services.