THE UNION- FOR BETTER OR WORSE?

But after 300 years of the Union, Glasgow has six out of ten of the most deprived areas in the UK, where some 51% of our children live in poverty.

Life expectancy for males in parts of Scotland is the worst in Western Europe and 14 years behind that of England’s 79.5. How exactly did this come to pass?

It’s always fashionable to blame the Tories for all our woes, but what about Gordon’s record? After all as joint architect of New Labour he was the Chancellor of Exchequer from 1997 to 2007 and PM until 2010.

During a decade of annual CBI dinners the Chancellor boasted that he had done away with ‘boom and bust’ economics for ever and had even stabilised the world economy. Signing blank cheques for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was also Messianic in his pursuit of privatisation.

The Gordon of today claims a vote for Independence would put at risk ‘100 years of labour achievements’, but as Chancellor he argued it was necessary to ‘break from a hundred years of Labour history’  to turn the UK into a paradise for big business and the rich.

‘Out-Thatchering Thatcher’, he turned London into a playground for the super-rich, leaving us at the mercy of bankers. Remember it was Gordon’s decision to make the Bank of England ‘independent’ from Government.

In 2004 he even praised Margaret Thatcher, as the country’s saviour, who according to him “recognised the need for Britain to reinvent itself and rediscover a new and vital self-confidence’.

Gordon’s reappearance has done Scotland a favour by reminding us of a number of things- that Labour and the Conservatives are married to each other for ‘better or worse’.

That it was Gordon who first raised the slogan ‘British jobs for British workers’ not UKIP or the BNP. That it was Gordon who bailed out bankers with £1.4 trillion of our money. That it was Gordon who refused to slash banker’s bonuses whilst slashing living standards for millions.

Gordon can recycle Labour slogans if he wants, but in partnership with Blair he drove through New Labour’s inhumane economic policy, breeding ignorance, despair and fear which gave Scotland Tory rule once again.

Now many question if staying part of the United Kingdom really will protect the NHS, our services and pensions? The SNP faced ridicule on whether an Independent Scotland would retain ‘automatic’ membership of the European Union, but if ‘little Englander’ Tories and UKIP have their way the UK might have exited the EU in two years.

Millions desperate for change want to hear the arguments for and against independence, a huge number remain unconvinced either way. Politicians need to leave their comfort zones, leave behind their spin doctors and argue with passion because at the moment 50% of Scots can’t be bothered to vote.   

Maybe they are cynical of ‘duck pond’ Westminster politicians, or care more about voting for X-Factor, whatever the reasons people need hope if 100% of the electorate are to be ‘inspired’ into voting for the sake of future generations.

THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT COMMENT ON INDIVDUAL CASES

 Last month when Mick Philpott, unemployed father of 17 was convicted of killing his six children by deliberately starting a house fire-

Chancellor George Osborne said: “These are crimes that have shocked the nation; But I think there is a question for government and for society about the welfare state – and the taxpayers who pay for the welfare state – subsidising lifestyles like that, and I think that debate needs to be had.” He had no qualms about making political capital out of the death of 6 children.

This month 53 year old grandmother Stephanie Bottrill, too sick to work with a muscle crippling disease, struggling to survive and set to lose £20 a week in bedroom tax or lose her home- committed suicide by throwing herself under a lorry.

In her suicide note she said she couldn’t ‘cope anymore’ and that ‘the only people to blame are the government.’  For some reason the Government refused to comment on her suicide by saying it ‘does not comment on individual cases’.

MORE SHOPPING

My 5 year old son has taken to embarrassing my ‘shopping mad’ wife. This week he started shouting ‘That’s enough Mama’, ‘Leave right now’, ‘You can’t buy anything else’, whilst my 20 month old daughter assisting him by dragging her feet to stop the pram getting into the shops!

Mrs A says she needs new shopping companions but me thinks it’s time she listened to my angels.