The three poverties of Westminster

Westminster is presiding over an age of poverty in Scotland; a poverty of wealth, a poverty of ideas, and a poverty of justice. This blog will look at each in turn, and show that the only credible solution to these issues is to vote Yes to independence.

 

Poverty of Wealth

This is the form of poverty that most people will be familiar with. It is the struggle to heat a home or feed a family. It is the uncertainty of when the next wage slip will arrive. It is the fear that the social security safety net will be taken away to attract the all important southeast vote.

 

According to Unisef, 19.8% of people in Britain live in poverty compared to 4.3% in Finland, 3.9% in Norway and just 2.6% in Sweden. 14% of kids in this situation don't own a warm winter coat and 1 in 9 children in Scotland are growing up in severe poverty. The figures from The Breadline Britain Poverty and Social Exclusion report of 2013 suggests that even these numbers are understatements, with their research finding that 29% of people in Scotland are unable to afford 3 or more basic essentials.

  

Frighteningly, these numbers aren't that different from 1983. And it is unlikely that they will change for us in Scotland as the vast majority of new private sector jobs are being created in London, which is increasely becoming the primary consideration of UK Governments.

 

 

Westminster has and is failing the people of Scotland.

 

Poverty of Ideas

The only way to reduce or eradicate poverty is through ideas. We can't keep doing the same things and hoping for a different outcome. However, this cannot change under the current setup as there is an inbuilt protection of the status quo at Westminster. Only two parties can ever lead the government and they are taking increasingly similar approaches towards nearly every issue.

"Rather than opposing the Tory-led government, Ed Balls is picking a fight with trade unions. Instead of focusing energies on stopping cuts to welfare, pensions, pay and public services, the shadow chancellor is telling us to learn to live with it." Counterfire, 14th of January 2012

Instead of cutting wasteful expenditure which take wealth away from Scotland, the austerity cuts are to continue.

"Scotland cannot be the the only 'something for nothing' country in the world." Johann Lamont, Labour Party, 25th of September 2012

"...Johann Lamont, derided nationalist opposition to Trident, the Iraq war and the bedroom tax as simply "wee things" offered by independence." Guardian, 30th January 2014

Even with 'further devolution', Scotland will be unable to defend itself from decisions made by Westminster:

"Scotland will not be getting more money, it will simply be accountable for raising more of its money." Johann Lamont, 13th of April 2014

With budgets and our powers controlled by Westminster, and with every incentive to make Holyrood as weak as possible, we are left in a position where we must follow their policies even if we don't want them. The only way to change this is to vote Yes.

 

In Scotland we have a proportional system. This encourages ideas and diversity. It ensures that no party is guaranteed to return to power but instead has to continually earn votes. Those that fail disappear. It also allows people to vote positively for what they actually want, instead of negatively against what they fear. All Holyrood is lacking are the powers of a normal parliament.

 

Poverty of Justice

We have written at length, repeatedly, about the various forms of corruption that has taken over the Westminster system. We have more unelected than elected representatives, we have a host of criminal activities taking place within the City of London, and we have people voting on legislation who have an outside commercial interest in its outcome. We have a poverty of justice.

 

It doesn't need to be this way. Because there is no risk of oblivion for Labour or the Conservatives, there is no long term consequence for immoral behaviour. They don't need to be competent, wise or principled because the best way to be elected in a rigid two-party system is to make the other side appear unelectable. Campaigns are arranged through the media and not at public meetings. Voters are told what they should believe, instead of engaging with the process directly.
 
With no written constitution to protect us, no ability for other parties to apply pressure and no incentive to reform from within, the rampant corruption within Westminster is free to continue.

 

If we want to end financial poverty, then we need to start by ending the idea and justice poverties from Westminster. We need to look at the democratic forms of government that our neighbours enjoy and to build upon it. We need to ensure that every vote matters and that there is no guarantee of power to those who attended the right schools and knew the right people.

 

 

We need a competition of ideas and ideals to ensure that our interests and values are served and we need to ensure that we have the option to cut the wasteful expenditure that does our economy no good before plunging even more of our fellow citizens into poverty.

 

Independence means that we make decisions for ourselves, and guarantees our children as many opportunities and choices as possible. And it is the only credible way to end the three poverties of Westminster.

Drew
 

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Rather than opposing the Tory-led government, Ed Balls is picking a fight with trade unions. Instead of focusing energies on stopping cuts to welfare, pensions, pay and public services, the shadow chancellor is telling us to learn to live with it. - See more at: http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/articles/opinion/15427-ed-balls-labour-will-keep-all-these-cuts#sthash.qxRy11pI.dpuf

Rather than opposing the Tory-led government, Ed Balls is picking a fight with trade unions. Instead of focusing energies on stopping cuts to welfare, pensions, pay and public services, the shadow chancellor is telling us to learn to live with it. - See more at: http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/articles/opinion/15427-ed-balls-labour-will-keep-all-these-cuts#sthash.qxRy11pI.dpuf

Rather than opposing the Tory-led government, Ed Balls is picking a fight with trade unions. Instead of focusing energies on stopping cuts to welfare, pensions, pay and public services, the shadow chancellor is telling us to learn to live with it. - See more at: http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/articles/opinion/15427-ed-balls-labour-will-keep-all-these-cuts#sthash.qxRy11pI.dpuf