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My column for The Dumbarton Reporter
Earlier this month, the Chancellor, George Osborne, came to the House of Commons to deliver his annual Budget statement where he set out the state of the UK economy and announced the Government’s plans for the year ahead.
In the three years since the General Election, the Tory-led Government have completely failed to get our economy back on track. Their unfair, unjust policies have hammered folk in West Dunbartonshire. Instead of the radical change we needed, all we got was a more of the same Budget from a downgraded Chancellor.
During his statement, the Chancellor revealed the Government’s total failure on the economy. With growth down and borrowing up, the Government’s plan for the economic recovery is in tatters. And, although the Chancellor conveniently left it out of his statement, the UK has now lost its AAA rating which he previously called the ‘mark of trust’ in his economic plans.
Unemployment is continuing to rise and prices are rising faster than wages as a result of the VAT hike and pay freezes. Even the independent Office of Budget Responsibility has confirmed that people are set to be worse off in 2015 than they were in 2010.
But instead of getting real on jobs and prices, the Chancellor is giving 13,000 millionaires a tax cut of over £100,000. To say his priorities are wrong is an understatement.
Right now we need support for out industries in Scotland. But the Chancellor put a 5.3% duty on whisky, one of our most successful and growing exports and one of our key industries.
Scots know the Tories offer them nothing. But they might have hoped the Scottish Government would support them with practical action and policies to shield Scots from the brunt of the cuts. But the day after the Budget Alex Salmond was not thinking about what he could do to help Scots in the here and now, instead he has put Scotland on pause, until after the referendum.
Breaking away from our greatest partner isn’t the answer to our problems. We need a new Government, not a new border. We are stronger, working together in the UK, and I desperately wish the Scottish Government would get real on jobs instead of indulging their political fantasies.
What we needed was a change of direction and bold action to kickstart our flatlining economy, to give real help to families across the country, not more of the same failing policies and a huge tax cut for millionaires. David Cameron and George Osborne’s economic plan has completely failed. Families, pensioners and businesses are paying the price, and they deserve better than this.