Letters to the Editor: Labor needs a clear message on the UK economy

I see that Lord Mandelson has urged the party to develop new strategies to “turn the intellectual tide” rather than relying on exploiting Mr Johnson’s self-imposed problems (your report, June 9). When more or less responsible for the politics and public perception of his party, the peer would always emphasize the importance of the simple message that voters can relate to. Certainly a call to restore honesty and righteousness in public life can have an effect. But Labor urgently needs to find a clear message about how it might run the economy. The days when Labor only advocated government intervention to solve problems have been overturned by the events of the past two years. Rishi Sunak will go down in history as the most intrusive Chancellor in history.

Setting new policy ahead of their party conference in Liverpool in the autumn must be approached with caution. The party overloaded its last election campaign in 2019 with too many unreliable measures, ranging from broadband expansion to full compensation for women affected by the change in retirement age. Now it has to answer a few highly relevant questions. How are the cost of living measures put in place by the current government being refined and developed? What is the party’s approach to business and enterprise and the balance between private and public spending? What is his key message on taxation and efficiency in government? Can she clarify her position on the UK constitution once and for all? These questions may sound like seminar questions, but answering them in simple and effective language is key to attracting the swing voters that are so important to electoral success.

Bob Taylor, Glenrothes, Fife

I was pleased to read in The Scotsman (9 June) that peatland conservation is finally on the agenda and Flow Country could become a World Heritage Site. Peat extraction in the highlands should be controlled. The peat is not only cut, but also burned, which releases more carbon into the atmosphere. Islanders should be required to obtain a license to cut peat. This should offset what I pay for my fuel and get them for free…

Alastair Paisley, Edinburgh

The only leather holding back the Scottish Government is the stranglehold of being financially tied to Westminster’s whims (David Millar, Letters, June 10). The UK news is full of stories about ‘Eat or Heat?’ This is now being joined by stories of people in England not picking up prescriptions because of the cost. Meanwhile, the UK government is taking non-means-tested action to prop up the energy crisis, with the second (and third and fourth) homeowners benefiting from fuel payments. We are indeed governed by the most incompetent government in living memory, but they are in Westminster, not Holyrood.

The reason I finally decided Boris Johnson should go was his budget, which had more to do with deadening Labor and placating its core constituents than solving the cost-of-living crisis. His new ploy to allow beneficiaries to buy public housing still avoids the biggest cause of the cost-of-living crisis: the cost of a decent home. How can a beneficiary afford a mortgage, and who funds the subsidized rate?

This country needs millions of cheap, well-built, prefab-style, 1950s-style public housing units in developments that are safe, family-friendly neighborhoods. Unfortunately, I cannot see that our leaders have the imagination, drive, empathy or ability to make this happen.

Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

About 20 years ago my wife and I bought a business in Argyll and lived there for about five years, often having to take the long detour via Dalmally when the A83 was closed. I am therefore amazed that 20 years later residents and businesses in Argyll and further up the West Highlands are not upset by the recent SNP announcement that they do not have the funding to develop an alternative route. Strange that the many SNP MPs, MSPs and councilors who represent the people of this area, including some of their bigwigs like Messrs. Ian Blackford and Mike Russell, suddenly go silent when this issue is raised. So why is there a shortage? Middle? Could it be that the SNP’s investment priorities are dead wrong, or that all the money was spent setting up pseudo-foreign embassies, propping up ailing shipyards and airports, buying votes with myriad freebies, with minimal means tests, that SNP-supporting correspondents love to trot, not to mention the millions for another referendum. A country with the physical geography of Scotland needs connectivity and linked transport systems on land, sea and air if it is to thrive both economically and socially. Traveling to Nordic or Alpine countries with similar or even more challenging geographical features shows that it is possible. Unless the Scottish Government catches on to this nettle and works with the UK Government to improve the situation, Scotland will always be on the road to nowhere. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it could happen as fast as the current transport minister can talk!

George M Primrose, Uddingston, Glasgow

Having failed to meet its own greenhouse gas targets for the past three years, the SNP government now appears to be defying the recommendations of its own climate advisors (the Climate Change Committee), particularly in relation to aviation.

Considering that it is less than two years since Scotland pledged (with much fanfare) to reach net-zero carbon by 2045, leading the way on the environment, this news is likely to give heartening to those who who claimed that the promise was little more than a sign of virtue.

In response to this criticism, the SNP government has claimed that it is “working with the airline industry to reduce the environmental impact of air travel” and that “in the near term, sustainable aviation fuels can reduce emissions”. Unfortunately, this is meaningless. The current fleet has a service life of more than 20 years, and no manufacturer has even climate-neutral alternatives in the design book. Furthermore, not only are sustainable aviation fuels a long way off, their production also emits carbon, and even the most environmentally friendly envisaged formula will still contain 50 percent kerosene.

Still, there is a clear way Scotland can move forward. And it is up to the SNP government to withdraw its anomalous support for Heathrow Airport expansion; not just because Heathrow is hundreds of miles away and attracts direct flights from Scotland, but because its expansion would severely limit Scotland’s ability to meet its own climate goals.

Analysis has shown that by 2040 the expansion of Heathrow would generate an additional 600,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions in Scotland from an additional 605,000 return flights between Scottish airports and Heathrow.

I hope the SNP government will not oppose this analysis as it appears to oppose some of the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee. After all, it is their own analysis. Surely they wouldn’t give up on it if they took their greenhouse promise seriously?

Paul McGuinness, Chairman, No 3rd Runway Coalition, Teddington, Middlesex

Elizabeth Buchan-Hepburn lists all the freebies Scots receive as part of the UK (Letters, June 9). She fails to mention that thanks to the Barnett Formula, Scotland receives £32bn a year from the Treasury to pay for these freebies, many of which are in reality vote-buying measures.

In a Scotsman article last month, Conor Marlborough wrote of the Barnett formula: “More of a convention than a legal requirement, the formula was intended only as a temporary solution to resolve disputes over spending in the late 1970s.” was 40 years ago. It’s time for a change. It is unethical for English taxpayers to pay for Scottish generosity.

The Scottish Government has the power to levy taxes to pay for their squandering, so why wouldn’t they? Abolishing the Barnett formula would treat Liverpoolers the same as Glasgowers. The SNP is always for equality, so how could they argue against that? Another solution would be for the UK Government to revise the distribution of the £2,200 per man, woman and child subsidy received by each Scot so that £1,000 of that goes directly into Scots’ bank accounts, with the SNP -Government would have to do both, offset the deficit through taxation or cut its wasteful spending.

William Loneskie, Oxton, Lauder, Berwickshire

I was delighted to see Dunoon Grammar School shortlisted for Education World’s Best School for Working in the Community award. To be shortlisted for your work on a variety of projects locally, nationally and internationally is a great honor and shows what a talented Principal, dedicated staff and motivated students can achieve. Leading politicians such as Lord George Robertson, the late John Smith and journalist Brian Wilson have passed through its doors and I have been fortunate to spend my formative years there under the respected and dedicated headmaster ‘Ossie’ Brown. In the midst of a Scottish education system in the doldrums, Dunoon Grammar School offers a glimmer of hope for ultimate future improvement if our politicians allow it.

Bob MacDougall, Tilting, Stirlingshire

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