“Nicola Sturgeon has sold out the people who need her most” – Dugdale

Nicola Sturgeon has sold out the people who need her most by imposing hundreds of millions of pounds of cuts to schools and local public services, Kezia Dugdale said today.

Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, the Scottish Labour Leader said the SNP’s vote against her plan to use the powers of the Scottish Parliament to stop cuts means they have been found out.

Earlier this week Kezia Dugdale set out a plan to set the Scottish rate of income tax 1p higher than that set by George Osborne. This would mean the hundreds of millions of pounds of cuts proposed by the SNP Government’s budget for 2016/17 could be avoided. To ensure low income taxpayers receive a boost, a £100 payment would be introduced for those earning less than £20,000. This would be administered by local authorities. Council leaders across Scotland have confirmed this is possible.

Experts and trade unions have also said using the income tax power is a progressive measure as the richest would pay the most. Even SNP Minister John Swinney has previously described it as progressive.

Yesterday, the SNP and the Tories stood ‘shoulder to shoulder’ to vote against Labour’s plan to stop the cuts.

Kezia Dugdale said:

“Nicola Sturgeon has built her career on telling us that more powers mean fewer cuts, yet she refuses to use the powers when it really matters. She has staked her reputation on improving education, yet she cuts school budgets rather than using the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

Nicola Sturgeon has sold herself as the radical alternative to Tory austerity, but yesterday she sold out the people who need her most.

At the stroke of a pen the First Minister could stop the hundreds of millions of pounds worth of cuts and thousands of job losses, but faced with the choice between using the powers of this Parliament and hundreds of millions of pounds of cuts she chose austerity.

After this week people across Scotland are left asking why Nicola Sturgeon won’t just use her power to do the right thing.”

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32 thoughts on ““Nicola Sturgeon has sold out the people who need her most” – Dugdale

  1. “Nicola Sturgeon has sold out the people who need her most”

    From Labour the Socialist workers party who saw significance in adopting the colour Red to “New” Labour the latest right wing Tory party to grace the UK political scene.

    That transformation was the biggest political betrayal and sell out the UK political world has ever heard of let alone witnessed.

    They couldn’t resist the lure of the House of Lords and the patronised privilege of the Westminster aristocratic elite.

    How many more times is Labour going to try and project themselves onto the SNP as a negative because they are too ashamed to look in the mirror and face who they have become with honesty?

    I actually feel soiled reading or listening to Labour these days.

  2. Anne Pettifor – Labour Economic Advisory Comittee
    “It can hike up tax rates or it can avoid this unpopular and unsustainable option by ensuring there are a higher number of taxpayers. The government’s current policy of creating more low-paid, non-taxable employees is causing tax revenues to fall. That’s why we need far more taxpayers in skilled, high-paid employment. By increasing the number of people in well-paid employment, government will automatically increase tax revenues.
    Kez at odds with senior Labour anylists.
    tax rises are another name for austerity
    not too keen on Kez 1p rate then…

    Since lower earners pay a higher proportion of available income on tax than higher earners, who have spare revenue to cope with any rise a disproportionate burden falls on lower earners…who have little enough as it is….

    The cuts to budgets are mostly offset by the ringfencing of additional funds for government priorities why is Labour continuing with the “threat to Education” fantasy when Labour councils have direct control of the scope of the Education budget and where to cut?

    1. “why is Labour continuing with the “threat to Education” fantasy when Labour councils have direct control of the scope of the Education budget and where to cut?”

      Because they are forced to run a negative corrupt dishonest campaign. They have nothing worthwhile to offer the people of Scotland at all.

      They want dogmatically to privatise all of our existing public services.
      They want to upgrade Trident at any cost.
      They want to means test all benefits.
      They want to cut welfare in order to have the funding for continued warmongering.
      At least they have finally openly admitted their dark intention to increase income and local taxation.
      They want to keep populating the House of Lords with public funded parasites.
      They want to ensure Scotland is kept under London rule because that’s where they as a party exercise their control from.

      The social media has ensured that Labours corruption is laid open and bare to scrutiny which can no longer be hidden or glossed over by the MSM which is why they are done in Scotland.

  3. The Scottish Labour Party (let us suspend belief , and pretend it exits as an independent entity) has one elected MP. It will soon have an estimated 25 MSP’s. Yet it has dozens of non-elected Peers in the House of Lords—-a body it has claimed it wants to abolish for more than a century.
    How should we view this hypocrisy? Isn’t it this, that is at the heart of the betrayal of the working class? When people like Darling can go from being a so-called class warrier to using a Peerage to slither into the Boardroom and make the Big Bucks.

  4. Polls still not looking good for Labour. Perhaps Project bare faced bullshit should be sidelined for project self examination?

    Don’t you think people shouldn’t be afraid to come out and be true to themselves Duncan?

  5. I see Michael Forsythe has been defending union contributions to funding Labour—–democracy needing a strong opposition, he says in the House of Cronies.
    It’s a pretty pass when an unelected Tory Peer has to champion the shambles that is the current state of the Labour Party, with its infighting and incoherent message.
    But there are serious estimates that the Trade Union legislation will cut Labour funding by an astounding 90%. That is much more than I have seen from other sources.
    If true, then England has a serious constitutional problem, and if Scotland doesn’t become self governing then we are in trouble too.
    Unless the prospect of Tory rule for the forseable future is OK, but then that was implicit in the Better Together message.

  6. Having watched First Minsters QT, it was the usual earse skielping being deliveried to the three amigos of dugdale, davidson and rennie with the First Minster nae even haing to take her hands oot her pockets.

    And now we have a YOUGOV poll showing labour in third place, at least we know how labours increasing taxes has went down.

    1. I wouldn’t want to suggest your understanding of politics is limited, but a small tip: the YouGov fieldwork for that poll was done before the tax policy was announced.

      1. Very true Duncan, I jumped the gun there. Still at least it shows labour below the tories for the first time in many generations eh, and at least you didn’t disagree about the earse skelping.

        Cheers.

        1. Odd to see the glee in people – who until now have pretended to be progressive – that Tories are surging ahead in Scotland. But then, I suppose, the SNP just proved progressive policies will always play second fiddle to nationalism. Clearly the rise of the Tories is being welcomed because folk think it makes independence more likely. What a myopic, broken politics.

          1. I never indicated in any form or fashion about being gleeful about the tories surging ahead of the labour party, infact I don’t believe the tories are surging ahead of labour instead I believe its labour falling further and further out of favour with the voting public.

            And honest I certainly do not favour the tories over labour, to me both parties are detestable to Scotland, watching labour go hand in hand with the tories during the referendum just convinced me and many others that their is no difference between you.

            But I have to admit to see labours voting figures disappear in the same direction as the tories, does give me a sense of satisfaction, as its no more than they deserve.

          2. Ideologically taxing the poor in order to pay for Trident warmongering and a second unelected chamber of privileged parasites is only progressive from the point of view of the rabid Tory.

          3. The fact that it is progressive means it is taxing the rich more and the poor less. That’s what progressive means. It’s also redistributive – it gives more money to the poorest, funded by taxing the richest. And it’s to be applied to council funding for education and other vital services, not Trident.

            Your suggestion that that is something that benefits “privileges parasites” is dishonest, politically illiterate, and moronic.

          4. “Tories surging ahead in Scotland”

            The 3 Tory party branch offices in Scotland have all lost seats to the SNP and if the polls are accurate are going to lose more.

            That’s not what you call a surge in support for Tories Duncan. Even the Green party are looking to double their representation at the expense of the 3 Tory Scottish branch offices.

          5. “The fact that it is progressive means it is taxing the rich more and the poor less”

            No Duncan progressive means its based on an ability to pay. Who earning 11000 a year has the ability to pay more tax? Income and Local?

          6. You’re not just taxing the rich or richest Duncan your proposals are to tax everybody! The working poor and everybody who has to pay council tax.

          7. No, they only affect people earning above £11k, and those earning below £20k have a rebate, paid in advance, which ensures none of them are hit by the tax, and most of them get a net benefit.

          8. Couldn’t agree more Duncan. The mask slips as the the SNP fall in behind the tories to safeguard the votes of the middle class. So much for fighting inequality, so much for giving the young the best start in life, so much for protecting jobs. Separatists on the left must, or at least should be, be disgusted with the “votes first, people second” policy of the SNP.

  7. OK Duncan, please explain how can you be paid a rebate in ADVANCE when you do not know what your actual earning are until the end of the financal year ???

  8. “No, they only affect people earning above £11k, and those earning below £20k have a rebate, paid in advance, which ensures none of them are hit by the tax, and most of them get a net benefit.”

    People earning “above 11K” include the working poor Duncan as if you didn’t know and that sham worthless proposal of a rebate has been exposed as the total unworkable uncosted unthoughout fraud it always was.

    It fooled nobody. Anymore than using non existing savings from not cutting APD to fund all your other worthless bare faced lying proposals.

  9. “Taxation: how the sheep are shorn”.———–From the looks of the latest polling, the sheep are no longer feart of the dug(dale)!

  10. Duncan says the working poor will get a net benefit from increasing their income tax by a 1p in the pound at the same time as increasing their council tax every year above the rate of inflation and above any pay rises they probably will never get.

    I still cant get my head around why anybody would create a website in order to display to the world how terminally corrupt and dishonest they are.

    1. No I don’t. Your dishonesty and ignorance is here for the world to see, Mike.

  11. “No, they only affect people earning over £11K and those earning below £20K have a rebate, paid in advance, which ensures none of them are hit by the tax, and most of them get a benefit”.

    You lose, Duncan. What you assert is nonsense which you cannot back up. It’s why Baillie had to resort it bluster, rather than reasoned arguement——because there are no DETAILS that have any basis in fact.
    Just wishing a thing were so, doesn’t make it so.
    Labour is sinking beneath a sea of disbelief. You need to start being straight with yourselves, then be straight with the public, because waffle doesn’t work anymore.

    1. It’s how the policy would work. You are free to deny this, since it seems to be the only way you can square the circle of pretending to be anti-austerity but opposing action against austerity, but you just sound shrill.

      Even if you do really believe that what I’ve said isn’t true, answer me this: do you *really* think it would be impossible to deliver a policy which raised SRIT to 11p, gave a rebate to lower earners, and meant that the swingeing cuts to councils didn’t have to be made? Do you really think it’s impossible to achieve?

      1. Under Labour? ABSOLUTELY! Their own track record in Government proves it! Under Labour as Ive told you and you are unable to refute public services were not only cut they were SOLD OFF at the same time as local taxation increased way above the rate of inflation showing that there is no guarantee that services wont be cut or sold off under Labour WHEN they increase taxation!

        You bare face lie in the knowledge of Labours past record in Government! We already know what Labour will do with local services because they had 3 terms in a row in office showing us what they like to do across the whole of the UK.

        Labours track record speaks louder than your bullshit. .

      2. It’s your policy Duncan.
        Where’s the beef?
        Why can’t you (or Baillie) explain how it would work?
        It may be a pittance to those in charge of Scottish Labour, but a 1% INCREASE in their outgoings (and that’s without the 7.5% increase in council tax) could be the proverbial straw for those at the bottom end of the pay scale.
        If all you can manage is a shrug and a deaf ear to those wanting details of your fag packet calculations, then a wipe-out is all you deserve.

      3. The “rebate” has still to be explained Mr Hothersall. The SNP did not want to raise income taxes until they had control of it in its entirety. They would then be able to raise the tax on the better off while leaving the worst off alone. Labour’s plan hits the poor as well as the rich.

        I have no problem with raising income tax. In an independent Scotland I’d be prepared to see it rise to Scandinavian levels (not as much higher than the UK as yoonies would have people believe) if it meant we had the same quality of life, equality and prosperity they enjoy. But Labour’s plan is a deception. It pretends the low paid will not suffer because of this alleged rebate. There is absolutely no evidence this rebate would be practical, deliverable or protective of incomes.

        Can you guarantee, with evidence, that this “rebate” would not result in the loss of an equivelant amount of in-work-benefits? Without this guarantee, the proposed “rebate” is at best worthless, at worst maliciously dishonest.

  12. “Even if you do really believe that what I’ve said isn’t true, answer me this: do you *really* think it would be impossible to deliver a policy which raised SRIT to 11p, gave a rebate to lower earners, and meant that the swingeing cuts to councils didn’t have to be made? Do you really think it’s impossible to achieve?”

    Hasn’t Labour already proved it would be impossible under them after 3 terms in a row in office where they not only cut public services they sold them off as well while increasing local taxation way above the rate of inflation every year for 8 years.

    Labours credibility is its past record in office. Shameful shambolic corrupt right wing criminal and despicable.

  13. Here is another example of what betrayal looks like. Remember the Vow? Even Labours watered down version of it?
    Well here is the reality of the so called new powers we should have been told of for voting No in the referendum.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcMQTFHHpjo

    That’s what betrayal looks like.

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