Dear All
The Holyrood 2011 election as everyone knows who looks at politics has already started.
I have blogged that Scotland is a corrupt society because the Labour Party has embedded its supporters in various local and national organisations.
In Scotland, the council umbrella group is called Cosla, they speak as more or less one voice to whoever the Scottish Government is at the present moment.
The unity of Cosla has been shattered the Labour Party have pulled out of talks with senior Government ministers over next week’s Budget.
This budget is the response to Tory/Lib Dem cuts from Westminster and will have a wide ranging effect on local government services and grant aided organisations.
Who gets the money and how much is foremost in the minds of people at present.
Cosla has a Labour president, Pat Watters; he is the face of Cosla to the Scottish Government.
The Labour Party has pinned its colours to the mast by saying they aren’t interested in a Council tax freeze, they probably take the view that they can sell this based on protecting jobs and services.
It is a strategic risk they feel is worth taking.
Other political parties favour Council tax freeze which keep a little more money in people’s pockets.
Speaking personally I favour a Council Tax increase that is properly linked to performance and service reform.
Local Government has to embrace that it has to operate more as a successful business. The reason it does not is that through-out the country, Councils are riddled with cronyism.
Labour controlled Glasgow is a classic example.
So, what happens if Labour Councils go with tax hikes?
Well that depends on the result of Holyrood 6th May 2011 election, if the Labour Party wins, nothing will happen, if others get in there maybe financial penalties.
So given the state of play, the Scottish Government should abandon its talks with Cosla and try and negotiate 32 separate deals.
This means more work and more time and those Labour Councils who failed to sign can have this used against them at a local level.
The Labour Party is being proactive promoting the Council Tax hikes which they say they will stand by if necessary but if individual deals are made by the Scottish Government on a case for case basis, it weakens the Labour position.
Quite simply it can be put to voters that it was the Labour Councils that wants tax rises and council cuts.
A narrative that is a hook in the minds of voters, the classic double whammy!
The alternative for the Scottish Government is continual bad headlines and having their chain yanked by Labour controlled Cosla in a long running public argument which uses up time and resources.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
The Holyrood 2011 election as everyone knows who looks at politics has already started.
I have blogged that Scotland is a corrupt society because the Labour Party has embedded its supporters in various local and national organisations.
In Scotland, the council umbrella group is called Cosla, they speak as more or less one voice to whoever the Scottish Government is at the present moment.
The unity of Cosla has been shattered the Labour Party have pulled out of talks with senior Government ministers over next week’s Budget.
This budget is the response to Tory/Lib Dem cuts from Westminster and will have a wide ranging effect on local government services and grant aided organisations.
Who gets the money and how much is foremost in the minds of people at present.
Cosla has a Labour president, Pat Watters; he is the face of Cosla to the Scottish Government.
The Labour Party has pinned its colours to the mast by saying they aren’t interested in a Council tax freeze, they probably take the view that they can sell this based on protecting jobs and services.
It is a strategic risk they feel is worth taking.
Other political parties favour Council tax freeze which keep a little more money in people’s pockets.
Speaking personally I favour a Council Tax increase that is properly linked to performance and service reform.
Local Government has to embrace that it has to operate more as a successful business. The reason it does not is that through-out the country, Councils are riddled with cronyism.
Labour controlled Glasgow is a classic example.
So, what happens if Labour Councils go with tax hikes?
Well that depends on the result of Holyrood 6th May 2011 election, if the Labour Party wins, nothing will happen, if others get in there maybe financial penalties.
So given the state of play, the Scottish Government should abandon its talks with Cosla and try and negotiate 32 separate deals.
This means more work and more time and those Labour Councils who failed to sign can have this used against them at a local level.
The Labour Party is being proactive promoting the Council Tax hikes which they say they will stand by if necessary but if individual deals are made by the Scottish Government on a case for case basis, it weakens the Labour position.
Quite simply it can be put to voters that it was the Labour Councils that wants tax rises and council cuts.
A narrative that is a hook in the minds of voters, the classic double whammy!
The alternative for the Scottish Government is continual bad headlines and having their chain yanked by Labour controlled Cosla in a long running public argument which uses up time and resources.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
4 comments:
Hi George
I detect a 'labour' supporter masquerading as 'something else'.
What's wrong with local income tax... those that can afford etc...
The evilarchy that is SLAB has destroyed Scotland and it won't stop for shite.
See: London Establishment.
Dear Anon
I favour LIT as my perferred option but until there is a majority to get it through the Scottish Parliament the people are stuck with the present system.
Why do I favour Council tax increase because it will weaken the position of Glasgow City Council Labour Group making it easier to try and win the city from them.
I am looking long term rather than the current short term thinking of some.
You take a city like Glasgow by taking the Council not by having list MSPs which when you ask people to name, say they don't know.
And when told their names say they have never heard of them.
Short term thinking hasn't worked and has never worked.
If any party is serious about indpendence they have to address the central Scotland question.
And the utterly poor results in Glasgow prove my point.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
I think George Laird has raise valid points. The results in Glasgow show that list MSPs haven't been effective. He is right to say that to wrestle Glasgow from SLAB, you have to take the council. You build a house from from the ground up not the top down. If the current strategy works why only 1 MSP FTP in 11 years?
One positive result out of 30 attempts is pitiful.
Well said George.
Hi George.
All talk is pointless unless we can stop the vote-rigging.
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