Too Little, Too Late, SNP Finance Minister Kate Forbes announces £150 council tax discount for 1.8m Scottish homes, with energy bills set to rise by 54 per cent from the beginning of April, adding almost £700 for a typical household, why is Nicola Sturgeon providing so little help to the poorest and most vulnerable in society?

One thing I have said repeatedly over the years, if the photocopiers breakdown at the SNP, then effectively they would have no new policies. The basic tenet of the Scottish Nationalists is laziness, laziness in application of policy, and laziness in policy development. The SNP cult work off the principle of copying other people's ideas then putting their spin on it to create an extra bit of "Scottishness" to it. In reality many of their policies aren't driven by a working narrative or vision, they are all short term. They are designed around the principle of creating voter caches at election times, basically they use taxpayer money among other things to 'buy the vote'. The phrase election bribes isn't new in politics, and there are some pretty tedious examples of low ball thinking coming from the Nationalists. Such as classics as 'free bikes', 'free laptops' and free travel for kids are the most recent examples, along with what appears to be the new time honour free cash handout of £150. When the Nationalists think that £150 is the benchmark is beyond me, don't get me wrong £150 when you don't have it is rather handy, but for some Scots facing crippling energy bills, the SNP handout doesn't go far enough. The upcoming new front emerging in politics is the cost of living, or in the case of many people, "the cost of existing" seems more apt. 

In the upcoming cutting of the Scottish Budget cake controlled by the SNP, it has been deemed by Nicola Sturgeon and her cult to hand out the equivalent of some "crumbs". Three-quarters of all Scottish households are to receive £150 cost of living support. As I mentioned above the Scottish Nationalists aren't thinkers, they are drones, earlier in the Covid pandemic, they gave £150 in Covid support to people on low incomes. And here again we have the same number £150 for living costs, it begs the questions, how was the £150 number arrived at, and given the new hike in electricity and gas, why is this number not higher? This is an example of laziness, laziness in application of policy, and laziness in policy development. Does Nicola Sturgeon think that every problem for working class Scots on reduced income is solvable by handing out £150? Should the sum be higher given that energy bills are set to rise by 54 per cent for millions of Scots? In the past, like many failed SNP policies, Nicola Sturgeon triumphantly proclaim that there would be a Scottish energy company which would provide cheap low cost energy to Scotland. Like all SNP grand plans, the idea was announced to make SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon look like a "hero", because to the SNP, crafting her image as caring is all too important. Like a drunk behind the wheel of a racing car travelling at high speed, the idea of an energy company crashed and died, much like other expensive failures of policy. 

Why isn't the Finance Secretary Kate Forbes doing more for Scots who are poor and vulnerable? Her 'Nicola Sturgeon' approved plan announced, is a three-point plan to assist with soaring energy bills, increasing food costs and rising interest rates. This is all bumpf, you get £150, the SNP wash their hands of any further involvement in the plight of millions of vulnerable Scots and just carry on. Like a workie on a building site who has done his job which then interferes in the work of others, their attitude is, 'I have done my job, fuck the lot of you'. This type of attitude isn't mutual exclusive to the building trade, but it is an example that most people readily understand. This mindset of the SNP shows that they aren't mentally capable of understanding that they have to build infrastructure, bricks and mortar to change the landscape of Scotland to be a prosperous country which is full of opportunities. The point I would make here is that the SNP isn't interested in two things, the well being of the people, and the uplifting of Scotland as a country. They are in a process, that process is to run down the entire country, lock stock and barrel, while doing the bare minimum. In many ways, if you study politics over time, you can see the 'crumb' approach in the SNP mirror image, which is Scottish Labour. If you think back to the 2015 election under the then Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy, you can see a manifesto which was lite on substance. In fact, I wrote a blog post on my blog, The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University aptly titled 'Fucking it all up', which was pretty much on point that Scottish Labour didn't get it when it came to Scottish desires. It was their agenda and nothing else.   

Here we are in 2022, nothing has changed for Scottish Labour, and nothing has changed for the SNP, both are fishing in the same voter pool, and both tossing 'crumbs' towards the electorate. The SNP Finance Sec Kate Forbes, is woeful, but she has to be seen to be doing something because the Conservatives in Westminster have a gust of wind behind them to move their agenda forward. Hence we see Nicola Sturgeon, yet gain playing catch up, Forbes confirmed a £290 million support package following similar moves by UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week. Pre Covid, the SNP as I mentioned numerous times just lift other people's policies, make slight alternation and tag on the word Scottish, and then remarket it as their own vision. In many ways, the SNP is like a kid playing with lego, building a house, no plan, but they keep building using material left lying about. The SNP aren't building a nation because they don't understand statehood, they don't want to learn it, but they think holding power and doing everything by diktat solves everything. It doesn't, Nicola Sturgeon's £150 hand out isn't enough to solve people's energy bill short falls. It is like you can have the choice, heat or eat, but you can't overall have quality of life, that people like Nicola Sturgeon and her ministers enjoy. The SNP get angry when people point out their incompetence, they market themselves has having all the answers, but for a government who claim to be doing their best, they cannot escape they are riddled with dogma, bad policy decisions and abject and outright failures.  

Kate Forbes says additional energy costs could move a further 211,000 households into fuel poverty, and around 235,000 households into extreme fuel poverty. I am one of the people in extreme fuel poverty band, and it isn't funny. In the 14 years of SNP power at Holyrood, the SNP have moved vulnerable people further into poverty, they are like anti Robin Hood, they rob the poor to prop up the rich. This isn't just about money, it is about routes out of poverty such as education. free education for all primary benefits the rich and the middle class. The lie of inclusion can be seen by the numbers of working class kids who gain entry into higher and further education. And if you're shut out of education, unless you can access finance ,your prospects are extremely limited. £150 doesn't solve anything, it just means that there will be a few less nights to sit in your freezing household. 

In trying to 'big' herself up as some kind of saviour while speaking in Holyrood, Forbes said: 

"Firstly, we will provide £150 to every household in receipt of council tax reduction in all council tax bands. The council tax reduction scheme already identifies households in greatest need and will allow us to target this intervention. Secondly, I will provide local authorities with funding to pass on £150 to other occupied households in Bands A to D in Scotland. In total, combining these elements, 1.85 million, or 73 per cent of all households, will receive £150 of support." 

I think if you understand politics and society, the correct response to Nicola Sturgeon and Kate Forbes largesse is, 'is that it'?  I find it sadly funny in a gallows style humour that with a straight face, Forbes said councils will have a choice to deliver the latter as a direct payment or a credit to council tax accounts. Basically either way she is handing you money and at the same time, telling you that she is going to claw it back, whether you want to or not, you're paying your council tax. Personally, I think people on benefits shouldn't have to pay council tax, but the idea isn't something which finds much favour with the political class.

Forbes added: 

"This is clearly an imperfect scheme, it will reach some households who may not need this, but it is the only route we have to make sure we reach those for whom it will make a difference, quickly and simply." 

Finally, so much public money has been wasted by the SNP in expensive failures and cost over runs in various projects, it begs the question, how long can the people of Scotland afford the circus of Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP? Diverting money towards free bikes and free laptops is bad policy. Scotland needs a shift towards making the ground fertile for a reindustrialization of the country so that it can generate wealth. The SNP has always been anti business or indifferent to it, this is because they don't understand it, they aren't wealth creators. They don't spend taxpayer money to help create wealth thus lifting people out of poverty or lifting up the entire country is so alien to them. I would urge everyone to take the £150, if you can, but don't get sentimental about it, you will soon lose it paying your council tax, or buying a few Chinese or Indian takeaways. If you are feeling brave, or you could go mad and order a few dominos pizzas, turn the heating on and spend a few evenings being happy for a while.