By Simita Kumar
Maybe that’s why so much of what I write about Labour comes from a place of real shock—and deep disappointment. Because this is not the party my parents once believed in. It’s not the party that inspired loyalty across Scotland’s working-class communities. From their failures in councils across the country to their betrayal in Westminster, today’s Labour is unrecognisable. It started with cuts to the winter fuel allowance—vital support for pensioners—before they reinstated it under pressure. Then came betrayal of the WASPI women. And now the final straw: a Labour government has voted to cut disability benefits. Let that sink in. Not a Tory government, a Labour one chose to take money from those living with illness, chronic pain, disability and mental health conditions. As if that wasn’t enough, they tried to wrap this cruelty in a slogan: #DyingToWork. Whoever approved that should be nowhere near public service. What does this mean for Scotland? Nearly one in three Scottish households includes a disabled person. In Edinburgh alone, over 13 per cent of adults live with a disability. These aren’t just statistics. They’re our neighbours, our friends, our families—people already battered by the cost-of-living crisis, inflation, and years of Tory austerity. And now? Labour austerity too. Every Labour MP in Edinburgh bar one voted to make their lives harder. Shame on Scott Arthur, Chris Murray and Ian Murray. Anyone who’s supported someone through the benefits system knows the emotional toll: the shame, the hesitation, the belief that asking for help makes you a burden. That stigma doesn’t happen by accident. It’s shaped by Westminster—by choices like this. And we’re told these cuts are about “fiscal responsibility.” But is it responsible to hammer the poorest while letting the richest dodge billions? Just 3.6 per cent of benefit spending is lost to fraud—yet £35 billion is lost every year to tax avoidance and evasion. Why isn’t Labour going after them? This is exactly why I support Scottish independence. Not as a slogan, but as a practical, moral necessity. Because under Westminster control, whether red or blue, we will never have a government that reflects Scotland’s values: dignity, fairness and compassion. Labour ran on a promise of change. And they have changed – but not in the way Scotland hoped. They’ve abandoned the people they were created to protect. They’re now competing with the Tories and Reform UK on cruelty, not principle. That is not the future I want for Scotland. We deserve better. We deserve a government that reflects who we are—not one that imposes policies we overwhelmingly reject. Independence is also about dignity. About equality. About refusing to let cruel decisions be made in our name. SNP group leader, Edinburgh City Council