Hard-pressed Scots received another blow with the news inflation had hit 10.1 per cent.
Shoppers face high prices in supermarkets and motorists are having to dig deeper to drive to work. Trying to tame inflation by reducing interest rates will also hit working people by increasing mortgage payments.
The least people expect in these difficult times is for a competent government to make credible decisions. Voters know times are tough but, equally, they will not tolerate being treated like fools.
The Truss Government, probably the worst in British history, offers people nothing but contempt. A UK Government spokesperson this week caused anxiety to millions of pensioners by suggesting the state pension “triple lock” could go amid a clampdown on public spending.
The triple lock would have guaranteed an inflation-rise for pensioners and its abolition would have been a hammer blow. Truss, stung by criticism over the move, blithely U-turned when confronted in the House of Commons.
At the same time, she refused to guarantee that benefits would rise in line with inflation. Such a nasty policy would hit the most vulnerable. Truss and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt should be demanding rich individuals pay more in these extraordinary times.
If debts have to be paid to sort out the mess created by the Tories, the poor should not be left to pick up the tab. Keeping the triple lock and ensuring benefits rise in line with inflation are essential in a civilised society.
Justice for all
ACCESS to justice is vital for any functioning democracy. It shouldn’t be the preserve of the middle class, who can afford to consult lawyers when they feel aggrieved in civil matters.
That just 29 law firms across the whole of Scotland are willing to take on legal aid cases for 100,000 of the country’s poorest is instructive of a system that is badly flawed. It demonstrates that unless you have money in the bank, you’re more likely to be pushed around by anyone with more power and cash.
The Law Society of Scotland couldn’t have picked a better person to campaign for change than Darren McGarvey. The author and activist knows a thing or two about beating the odds and overcoming adversity.
The economic emergency will surely lead to a rise in people who will be on the receiving end of shabby treatment from horrible bosses. It is crucial that they have a legal recourse regardless of their financial status.
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