PROFESSOR Richard Murphy suggested we need to find “a better song to sing”, and better stories to tell of ourselves, which break down the dominance of Westminster neoliberalism (Our opinions depend upon which stories we believe in, thenational.scot, Oct 13). So, inspired by the professor and a reader’s post about “handbag economics”, here’s a playful story about our serious problem: The Escape from Margaret Thatcher’s Handbag Economics.

For many, many years, we’ve been told that there is only one possible life. The life inside Margaret Thatcher’s handbag. It’s a very strict handbag, with an iron lady’s clasp. We’re also told to work hard all our lives, and not expect very much. Instead we’re instructed to believe in the market. We must all have faith that the “market will provide” – well, one day, and as long as we keep it happy. The market is very important, it’s everywhere, everything, and invisible, like a God. Anyway, we don’t have much time to think about all that. We’re too busy working hard and keeping the market happy, because if it’s not happy our lives become harder.

READ MORE: UK only 16th in Scotianomics Wellbeing Economy Index

The trouble is, living inside Thatcher’s handbag isn’t working, and no matter how hard we work, the market punishes us. So we’ve ended up with less and less, and now our children will be a lot worse off. We don’t even own our water in some parts, the market does, but it’s still not happy.

Now desperate, exhausted, fighting over the last crumbs at the bottom of Thatcher’s handbag, it’s hard to believe there is anything else, because for decades the handbag has been our world. It’s controlled so tightly, we can’t even see the light of day.

One day some of us climbed up to the top of Margaret’s handbag, and found a tiny chink of light. They peered through the chink and discovered that there is life beyond Thatcher’s handbag economics! A whole other way of living. Where our thriving and the thriving of the planet, not the market, is the most important thing. Not only that, they found out what the market really is, and they were determined to tell everyone about it.

READ MORE: Cosla says there is 'no agreement' for council tax freeze

They ran back down as fast as they could, and told people that it’s a lie; there is life beyond Thatcher’s handbag, this isn’t the only way to live ... there is no market, it’s a thief, and it’s stolen our water, our energy, our freedom, and we’ve got to get all of this back.

And now it won’t be long before the word gets round, and more people realise that they and their children are prisoners inside Thatcher’s handbag, and “the market” is not an invisible, all-powerful God. It’s a bunch of robber barons, who need to be stopped. And when more more and more people realise this, they too will climb out of Thatcher’s dark handbag and demand their freedom.

So let’s keep sharing the message; find “a better song to sing”, and stories to tell about ourselves, that there are better days ahead in a free, independent Scotland.

Pamela McLeman
via email

YOUR headline “Council Tax Freeze” (Oct 18) raises a couple of questions. Why has this been necessary and is it the right decision? This announcement by the First Minister to his party conference has come about as a direct result of the Conservatives at Westminster crashing the economy and the resultant cost-of-living crisis we are all enduring.

This is absolutely the right decision by the Scottish Government, a government who this year alone have set aside £127 million to mitigate Westminster’s welfare cuts. Those actions clearly demonstrate the priorities of a government in touch and taking action.

Catriona C Clark
Falkirk