Letters: Devolved power can never be wielded effectively

Not having the full panoply of powers is the worst-case scenario, as politicians use sledgehammers to crack nuts, or a spray gun approach hoping to hit the target, rather than carefully aimed measures.

We saw this with minimum pricing of alcohol. The Scottish Government, seeking to tackle a problem with one group, intends to introduce a measure that unfairly impacts on low-income groups, such as pensioners, who are not part of the problem group. And this is done because the Scottish Government is using the powers it has, not the powers it needs. The Westminster government, which does have the powers, is going to the nub of the issue by targeting the problem alcohol products, like white cider. The Scottish Government does not have the power to do this, hence pensioners like me are going to be discriminated against.

Isn’t this spokeswoman fundamentally wrong? And, with taxation, she will be spectacularly wrong. Without the full range of taxation powers all the Scottish Government can achieve is more unfairness; more inequality, disincentive and dissent. And an SNP government seduced into following this course of action will carry the can for it at the ballot box.

I suspect this was well understood as a means to quell nationalist ardour when these piecemeal powers were devolved. The best way for Westminster to ensure the perceived failure of devolution amongst Scots was to give the Scottish Parliament enough rope to hang itself, which it now seems determined to do.
Jim Taylor
Edinburgh

SINCE I persuaded Mr B to switch to The National, he agrees he has greatly benefited from seeing the news from an independence standpoint. He has subsequently been battling with the paper’s Sudoku challenge, which he claims is the most challenging he has ever come across.

I can only imagine that this fact is indicative of the higher level of intelligence possessed by readers of The National.
Dr Mary Brown
Banchory

THE Scottish Unemployed Workers’ Network recently submitted a petition calling on the Scottish Government to make more money available to mitigate the impact of UK Government welfare cuts through reassessing spending priorities and bringing in more progressive taxation.

Well, we’ve got slightly more progressive taxation, but what about welfare? Why will there be so little extra help for the people who have suffered most from Tory cuts – and why is this not being protested loudly by any of the political parties or the Scottish Trade Unions Congress?

The Scottish Government will continue to mitigate the Bedroom Tax and put money into the Scottish Welfare Fund, and they will fund the small top-up to Carer’s Allowance and Best Start grants for children that are already announced – but that is all they have said they will do.

There is no extra help for people who have suffered major cuts to disability payments or lost mobility cars, or for people who can’t meet their rent due to the benefit cap, or people pushed into debt by Universal Credit. Nothing, such as a supplement to child benefit, to make up for years of cuts in the real value of benefits.

We believe the Scottish Government has both a political and a moral duty to help people whose lives are being destroyed by heartless benefit cuts. We are fully aware that the attack on welfare comes from Westminster and that people in Scotland already get help that is not available south of the Border, but if the Scottish Government and Parliament choose not to provide more help, then they will have to bear a share of responsibility for the consequences.

The human argument should be enough, but failure to act will also cost more in the long run, as government has to pick up the cost of the inevitable strains put on health and social services as individuals and families collapse under the stress of fear and poverty.
Sarah Glynn
For the Scottish Unemployed Workers’ Network,
Dundee