LAST week I had the pleasure of travelling right across my constituency of Ochil and South Perthshire.
I took the hour-long journey west from Clackmannanshire through Glen Devon to Auchterarder and then up to Comrie to attend a range of local surgeries.
It’s a beautiful time of year to be travelling over the Ochils and up through Strathearn with the autumnal orange, red and browns as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, we’ve recently had some particularly seasonal weather to cope with now the mild temperatures of September and October are behind us.
At this time of year, we also have the seasonally-titled Autumn Statement and the associated Government Spending Review to prepare for. The Autumn Statement is the sister announcement to the annual spring Budget. This year’s announcement is due to take place in the last week of November, and will include the publication of the new economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility with the setting of new levels of Westminster spending for the next five years.
These announcements will have a profound impact on all of us. From cuts on the Tax Credits system for those on low incomes, to potential changes to the wider benefits system which would reduce the financial incentive to work, the decisions the UK Government are set to take will have a direct and immediate impact on us and our families.
With the issue of cuts to Tax Credits being much discussed over the past couple of months, it’s likely that George Osborne will try to help the Tories wriggle out of this situation they’ve created. But while we expect bold statements from the Chancellor at the despatch box next week, the reality is that he’s unlikely to do no more than lessen the rate of change that has already been proposed. It remains the Tories’ intention to make billions of pounds of cuts to the incomes of less well off working families regardless of the social cost of their actions.
Other changes, such as cuts to departmental spending will impact on Scotland in a number of ways. It was reported this week that the majority of UK Government ministers have signed up to agreements to make cuts of 21 per cent over the course of this Parliament to their day-to-day spending ahead of the planned announcements next week, with the rest expected to come to an agreement soon.
Some cuts will have a knock-on effect on the funding the Scottish Government receives in its block grant from Westminster. Others, such as the already announced changes to the way HMRC operates means further ‘efficiency savings’– job cuts, as they are known in the real world.
The Chancellor’s plans are already having a significant and detrimental impact on Scotland and our communities. The scale and scope of the his further plans are terrifying, especially as it’s the poor and vulnerable who will again bear the brunt. Over the past five years the Tories and their Liberal Democrat helpers have already wreaked havoc on public services and our social security system. Another five years hardly bears thinking about.
While the much discussed new powers for the Scottish Parliament continue to progress through Parliament, even if they were bestowed upon Holyrood today they couldn’t fully protect Scotland from the reckless dogma proposed by George Osborne which is dressed up as an economic policy.
The Scottish people want the Edinburgh Parliament to create and implement Scottish solutions to the challenges we face as a society. There are no easy answers to the issues we must confront. But rather than being able to tackle these issues head-on, the ambition of our opposition parties for Holyrood seems to be to make it somewhere to smooth the edges off Westminster Tory diktat.
The SNP has higher ambitions for our parliament and our country.
Politics should be about people, and how we improve lives. The irresponsible agenda pursued by this Tory Government in London is about showing commitment to an ideology, regardless of the human cost.
As I spoke to constituents at my surgeries last week, I was happy to do whatever I could to help their situation, from advocating on their behalf to providing practical support and advice. My door is always open to help deal with issues and concerns of local people, and I’m always happy to meet to discuss solutions to the challenges they face. It’s absolutely vital that MPs keep in touch with the day-to-day concerns of facing those we represent.
But now that winter is fast approaching, I’m increasingly concerned about the direction of this UK Government, and the impact it’s having on the vulnerable, our families and our communities.
Next week’s Autumn Statement could be a turning point for many.
‘Safety net will become a tightrope’ with more cuts, warn anti-poverty campaigners
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