Tuesday October 29th 2024
Christine Grahame MSP writes her monthly column for Midlothian View
As a former English teacher I instilled in my classes that words mattered. They did not need to be big words, or complex, but the right word in the right place, meaning what they are meant to mean. After all “sorry” is not a big or complex word but when meant is very significant.
So we come to Labour and its manifesto upon which they pledged change and honesty in politics. Well we can throw “honesty” out the window for starters. Was there even a hint that the Winter Fuel Payment to pensioners would be means tested knowing too that some 40% entitled to it don’t claim? By the way that claim form runs to some 26 pages.
Now we come to words meaning what they appear to say. What was that pledge about no income tax increases or increase in NI for “working people”. According to Sir Keir Starmer (who couldn’t even pay for his own specs or Taylor Swift tickets) working people have a pay packet and not much in the way of savings. There have been variations on this theme from other minsters. That word “increases” doesn’t of course apply to keeping the tax bands frozen meaning if you have a pay rise, you could move up a band. So increases doesn’t mean your take-home remains the same, though another minister claimed you would see no difference!
You are not a “working person” presumably if you run your own small business because as sure as eggs you will be paying more National Insurance for employees. So it goes on and on.
But the biggest porky of them all was to open the Treasury books and feign shock at those billions in deficit. That “black hole”. All political parties knew and were warned during the election that it was at least £18 billion. Not my words but those of the independent Institute of Fiscal Studies. No wonder all politicians, myself included get a bad name for being at best “economical” with the truth. I will not take that criticism.
But Labour is not alone. During the EU referendum the Leave campaigners said if Scotland voted for Independence we would be thrown out of the EU. We were taken out despite voting 62% Remain. Boris Johnston promised £350 million more a week for the NHS if we left. Written of the side of a bus-says it all. Labour are following the same route map.
Next the word to watch out for is “austerity”. I know what it means – cuts to public sector, tax increases. Watch Labour redefine it.
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