The SNP likes to portaray itself as, and it's activists like to believe it is, a left-wing party. To listen to the Nats, the Tories are demons, Labour and the Lib Dems are just Tories in drag and the only real left wing party in Scotland is the SNP. This despite their embracing of many Tory policies and Alex Salmond's very public endorsement of Thatcherite philosophy. Somehow, despite all the evidence, the Nationalists like to pretend that they are somehow of the left, politically.
Anyway. Here, from the Caledonian Mercury, is more evidence in the argument. The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) has revealed that the SNP asked for even more swingeing chnages to public sector pensions than even the ToryDem coalition dared to do.
Among the suggestions that John Swinney put forward to the Hutton Commission on public sector pensions are;:
Moving to a "defined contribution" scheme which would be much more like most private sector schemes and would leave many public sector workers considerably worse off as a result.
Increasing the contributions from employees.
Reducing the benefits available to pensioners, but not reducing the size of their contributions.
Introducing later retirement ages.
Tomorrow you might see some SNP politicians issuing statements of support for the strikers. "Every sympathy". "Disgraceful Tories attacking poor public sector workers". "Lib Dem Tory poodles". That sort of stuff. When you do, remember the truth: the nats want to cut public sector pensions even more viciously than the Tories.
Given the nats known previous behaviour, I'm not surprised.
I wonder what those decent SNP members who take comfort in their party's "liberal", "left wing", credentials, make of it, when the evidence mounts that they are anything but.....
First lesson if there was any sniff of a story here then BBC Scotland would be all over it like dung flies so I'll leave your collaboration with the Tories.
ReplyDeleteNice pictue of two Prime Ministers.
ReplyDeleteCan't recall GB issuing gushing words of praise for Maggie, in the style of Eck.
As reported here
http://www.scotsman.com/news/alex_salmond_scotland_didn_t_mind_thatcher_economics_1_1086679
"...Alex Salmond has said Scotland "didn't mind the economic side" to Margaret Thatcher..."
The Nationalists may have liked Thatcherite economics, the majority of Scots hated it.
What about you CH? Do you agree with Eck? And John Swinney...
Bravey
ReplyDeleteWhat abhat
http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/news/politics/msp-s-call-to-raise-top-rate-of-tax-slapped-down-by-alex-salmond-1.1118851
ALEX Salmond has slapped down one of his senior MSPs after he suggested Holyrood should raise the top rate of income tax above 50%,
But Mason, 54, whose Glasgow Shettleston constituency is one of the most deprived in the UK, said: “Some people at the very top have not really lost out of this recession ... but when you look at the price incr- eases, lack of jobs, people on redu- ced hours, people on frozen pay it all seems to hit those at the bottom.
“So I think there’s some public demand for increasing taxes on the well-off.”
He predicted higher tax would have cross-party support among MSPs, and there was no need to wait for independence, as the Scotland Bill currently going through Westminster will give Holyrood far greater control of income tax by 2015.
A spokesman for the First Minister said that Salmond did not agree with his MSP, adding “John Mason, a backbencher, is entitled to his view.”
Yeah! as John Mason stated to speak Alex Salmond rugger tackled him from behind brought him down.
While John Swinney kicked Mason in the face and Nicola sturgeon clamped her hands around his mouth.
They then carried him from debating chamber and you could hear his screams of pain..........
Its all on bbc i player what a shocker
snp left wing dont make me laugh!
I believe in Independence you obviously believe in dependence under Tory rule for the next decade at least if not longer because of your parties mismanagement of the UK economy by favouring the wealthiest 5% over everybody else.
ReplyDeleteDavidson verbally threatens a SNP MP, Jim Sheridan falsely accuse the FM on the honours gravy train and now Mags Curran says that she wouldn't worry about knowing the driver of the bus that runs over Salmond.
ReplyDeleteSums up Labour in Scotland not fit to be recycled in any form whatsoever.
CH, I thought the post was about pensions... any ideas?
ReplyDeleteThe pensions are being forced by Westminster who will reduce the block grant by £8.4 million if the Scot Gov sits on its hands. Labour rather than Tories would be doing the same if they were in power at Westminster as they were going to implement cuts harder than Thatcher according to Darling.
ReplyDeleteSo if Labour does it it's "betrayal", but if the SNP does it it's the Tories fault...
ReplyDeleteLove the logic......
Of course, if we were "independent", the cuts would be even more swingeing....
So if Labour does it it's "betrayal"
ReplyDeleteYes as you perpetually tell lies to your voters.
You wish - give up the Brit nat stance put socialism before unionism and do something for your native land, fellow Scots and help England see a better way.
ReplyDeleteLabour is a desperate right-wing party in favour of most Tory policies, it's just the right-wing devil in the detail that separates Tory from Labour - but on the whole there is little difference. The Westminster GE was fought along near identical political party arguments - the only difference was Brown saying, 'Cut less deeply and more slowly' - no intention in the slightest to reindustrialise anywhere.
Give it up and do some good.
Nice letter Stevie, but what does it mean in reality?
ReplyDeleteIf you define "socialism" as the Tommy Sheridan shoot-the-rich stuff, nobody believes in that any more (if they ever did).
If you mean building schools and houses and employing teachers and doctors and nurses... the nats have failed miserably in that as the news shows daily...latest evidence here
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/education/anger-as-4000-scottish-teaching-jobs-lost.16084731#comment-382068189
The Nationalists have not built one school in four and a half years... not one in the whole of Scotland....
I don't know what kind of "socialism" you want, but if it means sacking 4000 teachers and not building schools, you can count me out.
And if you think that Alex "I'm best mates with all the bankers me" Salmond is a socialist you're as far up a gum tree as it's possible to get.