As a by-election looms large on the East side of Glasgow following the resignation of David MarshallI think it’s worthwhile examining just how the people living in the area have been served by Labour. Remember Labour have held the seat, and it’s pre-boundary change equivilents, since at least 1979 so thay’ve had a good deal of time to make some serious improvements.
Labour on Transport:
Living in East glasgow isn’t easy. Most of the jobs are low paid and, to be honest, there aren’t actually that many jobs there anymore anyway as most industries are either going, gone or long gone. If you want to work you need to travel outwith the area in a lot of cases (not all, but alot). This can mean travelling from one side of the city to the other which isn’t an easy prospect unless yo live at one end of a train line and work at another.
Public tranpsort can be convoluted and disconnected leaving you stranded in undesireable areas, or having to walk miles to get to your destination. The alterantive is running an expensive car.
Labour’s answer to this has been to maintain percentage of fuel duty at the same level as it would have been when the price of a barrel of oil was $88, of course oil isn’t $88 a barrel anymore … was it ever! How far can the low paid travel in their cars now anyway?
We might have expected this ‘green tax’ to be ring-fenced for public transport plans and infrastructure … apparently not, so no ’special funding’ there then to help out the hard pressed commuter.
Of course it could be that the new car tax tax rates will provide some more ring fencing for public transport … but I wouldn’t count on it. What does seem fairly certain is that the new car tax levels will be applied retrospectivally to car manufactured since 2001.
Guess what? that cheap second hand motor you picked up for the work run isn’t looking so cheap anymore is it … but don’t think for a moment there’s going to be a nice big shiney new tram to take you to work. Not unless you want to move to a specific, and over priced, area of Edninburgh where an expensive and pointless tram will take you somewhere … thanks to Labour’s holyrood wing this time.
Labour on low pay:
Glasgow East is the most impoverished area in Britain, low employment levels supported by low levels of pay. Labour, using their Westminster clout could easily tackle such issues with progressive taxation and revenues policy, yet instead they abolish the 10p tax rate for income.
Then they get ‘found out’ and the 5.3million people on low incomes effected are ‘unhappy’
Then they put together a ‘rescue package’ which leaves 1.06 million people worse off.
Then instead of reversing the original action they thrash about for a bit coming up with more ways in which to make tax and taxation more convoluted.
Labour on employment:
Labour aren’t the party of the Left they once were. They are in the pocket of big business and have distanced themselves from the unions. The only work anyone is likely to be able to get is low paid, low skilled, with no prospect of advancement, probably in the food industry or possibly hospitality … that’s if you don’t just end up in hospital.
Labour on health:
Men in Shettleston die younger than anywhere else in the country. At 63, life expectancy is 14 years less than the national average and comparable with Iraq and some countries in the Third World.
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.A lot of people are on benefits, living from week to week, relying on convenience foods and eating out of the chippy. Give people jobs and the ability to be masters of their own destinies and they will make healthy decisions about their lives.
Another in the front line is Mary McGregor, an undertaker’s assistant on Shettleston Road. ‘Recently there have been young people who suffered sudden, unexplained deaths,’ she said. ‘But east-enders are east-enders, they take everything in their stride. Maybe that’s part of the problem. They just accept it.’
Maybe it’s time to stop accepting it.
