One of the many headaches facing Gordon Brown when he takes over in 10 days time is what to do about the increasingly troublesome (for the Government) consequences of devolution and the SNP's decision to fulfil certain manifesto promises which make Labour look mean.
Much uproar in the right-wing press today over the fact that over the Border Scottish NHS patients will soon ( as they do in Wales) get their prescriptions free.Added to the free elderly care and free university education now available to people in Scotland, much wringing of hands and cries of "unfair." from English MPs. It's unfair all right. But the answer is not to penalise the Scots but make similar arangememts available to all. Universally free healthcare, universally free education.And, when we get old, an assurance from the Government that we will also be taken care of. Instead of bleating and whingeing, Labour MPs in Westminster should be lobbying Brown to take similar steps - and put clear red water between us and the Tories. Re-claim the billions lost every year in tax avoidance, tax the rich, and stop wasting billions of pounds of our money in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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2 comments:
You are right this is a big issue, and will continue to be so.
Labour relying on MPs for Scotish constituencies to vote through policies for England that do not affect their own constituents is appalling.
On the other hand once you delegate or devolve you get difference. That's the other end of the stick. They may be getting drug X or drug Y and a different kind of HE debt but they are doing this within a cash limited budget. Because they have a choice on various policy areas they choose! What is hard to understand about that?
The same goes for health authorities within England. I'm against choice me. That kind of choice. Quality all round say I.
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