By Scotsman Letters
If Rachel Reeves had said she was crying because a large section of Labour MPs comprehensively destroyed her and Work and Pension Secretary Liz Kendall’s hard, vital work and plans to make a few small steps to reform the benefits system and booted it into the long grass I doubt there’d be so much puerile fuss, including the undertones on BBC Scotland’s Morning Call that narrowly avoided diagnosing it as a girlie thing. The truth is these rebels were elected on a manifesto that included welfare reform, so the basics of it were well known – as were the dire financial implications of the current torrent of claims and claimants. Perhaps these two ministers should just have resigned, explained why, precipitated the increasingly inevitable Greece 2009 collapse facing this country and trigger the brutal policies that entails. The world has moved on from the draconian undertones of the 1834 Poor Law’s “deserving and undeserving poor” but surely few could disagree with the argument put forward by former Labour MP Tom Harris in the media this week that the objectives of reform should be aimed “squarely at those who have given up trying to get a job and have decided they would prefer to rely on benefits long-term”. Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire Reform imperative Wednesday’s backbench rebellion has undermined the Prime Minister’s reputation and that of his Chancellor. In effect it has driven a coach and horses through planned savings on welfare of £5 billion and has imperilled the sanctity of the Chancellor’s “fiscal rules”. Politically sensitive tax rises in the Autumn Budget are now a virtual lock-in. Ouch! It’s enough to bring tears to the Chancellor’s eyes. However, none of this should be allowed to obscure the challenges of welfare reform that remain. The Institute of Fiscal Studies has reported that more than four million people of working age currently receive some kind of health benefit (ten per cent of the workforce). This is expected to rise to around 5.5 million by the end of the Parliament. This is unsustainable! We have a system unfit for purpose, and one which can be easily gamed. The failure of Labour (soft and hard) to acknowledge the consensus around these shortcomings perhaps says more about ideological desires to pursue redistribution policies – albeit by the back door – regardless of the wider social and economic consequences. The inefficiency of the present system is an obvious misuse of scarce public resources. The real injustice here is the diversion of these resources away from those who are most in need of genuine welfare support. Moreover, cost-cutting can never be the primary justification for fundamental change in this sensitive policy area: fundamental reform remains an urgent imperative in and for its own sake! Ewen Peters, Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire Head over heels The Labour government has made so many U-turns that Keir Starmer doesn’t know whether he is standing on his head or his heels, but he has a number of options. He could resign, which is unlikely, or he could threaten to call a snap election, which would frighten many of his MPs who have got used to their £90k salary, index-linked pension and other freebies, but have Reform UK snapping at their heels. Many welfare recipients have got used to their easy life and in fact have become institutionalised, as the balance between work and welfare is quite narrow and many just don’t want the bother of having to work. One easy solution which would not come into force immediately would be to freeze welfare payments just as the the personal tax allowance has been frozen. James Macintyre, Linlithgow, West Lothian Dig deeper Perhaps, the highly gutted Welfare Reform Bill will turn out to be a benefit in disguise for a beleaguered Labour government. With the loathsome moves withdrawn, we’re left with a reasonably decent Bill at some cost. Welfare is not the only aspect of government that is broken. The NHS and education are also stretched to breaking point, and I would suggest that the tax system is broken too. Only defence seems exempt. Rachel Reeves is constrained by her own self-imposed fiscal limits. If they were removed, as the German equivalent was recently, so much that is broken could begin to be repaired. Quite frankly, all of us who can afford it should be paying more tax, and those who can’t, less. The Patriotic Millionaires, for example, are desperate to increase their share. For far too long, raising taxes has been the elephant in the room, which has never been a vote winner. Perhaps, just perhaps, it is now. If we could be assured that our increased taxes went towards the urgent repair of our NHS, education and welfare, we’d be prepared, I’m quite sure, to delve deeper into our financial pockets. All three deserve nothing less. Ian Petrie, Edinburgh Forced laughter We have all been to that family wedding where unpopular members of the extended family attend whom, normally, we avoid. We engage in the forced laughter, the exaggerated smiles and back slapping to ensure the day is not ruined. Equally risible was that wonderfully over the top public show of support as Rachel Reeves unexpectedly turned up to join Sir Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting at the launch of the ten-year plan for England’s NHS in East London. It surely gave “fake news” new meaning. John V Lloyd, Inverkeithing, Fife Turn back time The election of Keir Starmer with a near-landslide majority last year I considered great news. I confess freely that was mainly because he deflated the SNP. To say I have been disappointed since would be a gross understatement. The trouble is, if I abandon Labour, where could I possibly turn? The Tories are in as bad if not worse a mess; the Lib Dems are wishy-washy and the Greens in Scotland a gender-obsessed joke; the SNP unthinkable. Can we turn the clock back please to the halcyon days of pre-devolution? Alexander McKay, Edinburgh Critical thinking I was disappointed to read Jenny Lindsay’s latest opinion piece: “Self-righteous zealots driven by hate decided I was a ‘genocidal Terf’” (Scotsman, 3 July). Surely Scottish feminism is not this myopic? Without a doubt, the ongoing genocide in Gaza is one of the world’s most pressing feminist concerns. Tens of thousands of Palestinian women and girls are being killed, maimed, displaced, bereaved and subjected to sexual violence by Israel’s military forces, according to the UN. War is always a feminist issue. Palestinian women at the forefront of their nation’s cause are supported by an international network of feminists that stretches all the way to Scotland. In the last few years, I have met so many incredible women from all over the country who are marching, writing, fundraising and speaking out for peace. This is the reality of the pro-Palestinian movement. I know many women are bruised by Scotland’s shockingly toxic debate on gender reform in recent years. Like Jenny, I took my fair share of misogynistic abuse as a candidate at the last Scottish Parliament election. I don’t doubt people are still saying appalling things to gender critical women on the internet. But social media doesn’t represent real people or real movements. Its profit-seeking algorithms feed on and amplify hate and abuse. It’s time for Scottish feminists to pull themselves out of the maelstrom. There is so much real work to do. Catriona MacDonald, Glasgow Publicity seekers I don’t understand some of the comments amongst readers about Kneecap and Bob Vylan’s controversial outbursts during performances at Glastonbury, the latest being Lewis Finnie (Letters, 3 July). The real reason for the behavior of these so-called artists is to draw attention to themselves and seek publicity. They have little interest in the people of Gaza. If they did, they would be actively helping them rather than mouthing off about the IDF. Benjamin Netanyahu and his despotic regime control the IDF and it is they that should be condemned. The BBC should ban airing “high risk” labelled acts such as Bob Vylan, not just live feeds. With all the publicity, these acts portray themselves as martyrs and gain sympathy amongst the weak-minded. Prancing on a stage and getting fans wound up through hate speech is one thing, it’s another to donate their fee to help the Gaza victims or be called out as hypocrites. Mr Finnie suggests that the war will end with the elimination of Hamas, I would beg to differ. Leaving Netanyahu in power risks a wider conflict in the Middle East and tens of thousands more innocent civilians deaths in another bloodbath. By stating “yes innocents die” he dismisses the current apocalypse as collateral damage. Really? Neil Anderson, Edinburgh Seating plan On a recent visit to Haymarket station in Edinburgh I was dismayed that the large waiting hall before the ticket barriers had seats for coffee concessions – but not a single public seat for the travelling public or those meeting them. That simply isn’t good enough. Christopher Ruane, Lanark, South Lanarkshire Write to The Scotsman We welcome your thoughts – NO letters submitted elsewhere, please. 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