Few Scots could have failed to notice the drastic rise in the cost of living in recent months.
We are all paying more when it comes to buying essentials or keeping our homes warm.
Many of us have already cut back on things like nights out or holidays.
Inflation has risen faster than at any point in the past 40 years and wages just can’t keep up.
The same goes for those households who rely on Universal Credit.
Many claimants are among the least well-off in society.
The rises in fuel bills and food costs disproportionately impact those who are hardest up.
It is obscene, but unfortunately typical, that during a cost-of-living crisis, Boris Johnson’s Tory Government is deducting money from claimants.
If you register for Universal Credit it can typically take five weeks before receiving your first payment.
No one can afford to go that long without money so the DWP offers a bridging loan – which is then paid off by deductions from benefit payments.
It’s a terrible system that could easily be fixed by issuing grants instead of loans.
There is little point in giving with one hand and taking with the other. It continues a cycle of desperation and has collateral damage on mental health.
The total cost of deductions is running to £11million a month in Scotland alone.
That money would be better off in the pockets of those who need it most.
The UK Government must reform the system urgently.
Rights of woman
JULIE Graham’s decision to reveal that she chose to have two abortions would have been a difficult one to make.
But the row over a woman’s right to decide was motivation enough for her to speak about her own experience.
It is a shame that she felt she had to – and she was ready for the backlash.
Julie was inspired to speak out after the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, meaning individual states in the US can ban or restrict women’s access to abortions.
It came as the Scottish Government said it would introduce buffer zones outside abortion clinics following an increase in pro-life campaigners hectoring women as they enter.
However, there is a real fear that if the rights women fought hard for in the 20th century can be reversed in the US, the same could happen here.
Arguments about whether a woman should have agency over her own body seem backward in a progressive society.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
READ MORE
Deborah James' early bowel cancer signs she experienced before tragic diagnosis
High blood pressure lowered by easy hand exercise recommended by experts
Deborah James' touching moment with family in her final days before tragic passing
