You might have noticed that Chancellor Phillip Hammond has just forced Theresa May’s team to backtrack on a similar commitment. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has estimated that increasing public sector pay in line with inflation would cost £4.1 billion. Presumably that means the cost to Scotland will be less than £400 million per annum and that our team have worked out a way to pay for it. Here’s the statement from the Scottish Government:
‘The Programme for Government will make clear that the time has come to ditch the 1% pay cap for the public sector. The cap will go from next year and future pay policy will take account of the cost of living. We need to ensure that future pay rises are affordable, but we also need to reflect the circumstances people are facing, and recognise the contribution made by workers across the public sector.’
You’ll remember that Theresa found £1 billion to bribe the DUP and stay in government so there is presumably money that could be reallocated to this if only Tories believed in rewarding those less-well-off than themselves. Off course, they don’t.
Needless to say Scottish Labour are trying to claim credit for something they couldn’t have costed and the Scottish Tories want to change the subject as once more their London HQ is made to look unpleasant.
Talking-up Scotland 
This is good news. As someone who works in the public sector, the last several years have been difficult as wages have decreased in real terms.
With Brexit, the price of food and other essentials will be markedly more expensive. I shudder at the thought of how those on low, fixed incomes will cope.
Given the delays being forecast at borders and customs, I expect much of the fresh food will rot before it gets to the shops. Unless the UK Government really does have a secret plan to sort the Brexit mess out!
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Hi Anne – I couldn’t agree more. The brexit food price rises are a big worry given that so many are on benefits or low earnings. Hopefully people take a hard look at the whole situation and work out that things look a whole lot better when we choose Indy.
Like you I don’t have much hope of the Westminster crew having any ‘secret plans’ to sort brexit mess – was, however, interested to hear that Guy Verhofstadt (apols if spelling error) was suggesting delaying the next round of talks by 1 week as T.May is planning an ‘announcement’ of some kind (I believe on 21/09) – Thanks, Ludo
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I agree with what both of you say. I doubt May will have any good news for us. Maybe good news for the Banks or Nissan but not us.
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Seems that Hammond is well miffed at Scotland’s decision to lift the public sector pay cap. Lunchtime news @12pm today 5/9/17 Classic FM-Hammond having a dig that it’s taxpayers that have to pay the bill. It is also the same taxpayers who are struggling to survive at way less than inflation increases.but of course he doesn’t mention that bit.
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Trust in the SNP To get things right or, TRUST IN THE TORY/ Labour Party , You are now looking into the Abyss
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Yes, indeed.
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Hi John – Hi all
Lollysmum – you couldn’t be more correct – it is wonderful the way Hammond and Co. manage to ignore the inflation rate rises – especially frustrating when it is combined with the ‘..all being in it together..’ mantra when clearly some are less ‘in it together’ and some are a whole lot more ‘in it together’ – innit? One certainly has to surrender a certain admiration to the sheer professional scale of their immortal gall.
John – my memory was correct (I should probably trust it more) and the ‘would be’ branch manager of the London Labour Scottish accounting unit Richard Leonard was indeed election agent for the dreadful Blairite former Stirling MP Anne McGuire. (There was a scandal in the 1997 election – from memory – when the Labour Party were ‘renting’ election campaign ‘rooms’ to McGuire at peppercorn rates – nothing was done about it – of course, you realised that bit already – but Leonard wouldn’t have become election agent until a later election I suspect).
Quite where this ‘left-wing credentials’ story is coming from I can’t really fathom. He was election agent for McGuire (a hard – rightist of the worst sort), he was in paid employment (I won’t use the description ‘worked’ ) for the GMB (that is the same pro illegal WMD, pro arms dealing, pro nuke energy, pro neo-liberal world view GMB). I learned recently that he was an active brexiteer to boot! Mind you – maybe with all that he ain’t so far off the J. Corbyn pathway after all?
Just for info – I noticed the D.C. Thomson media empire have managed to ‘lose’ another editor in as many days. (Wouldn’t Lady Bracknell suggest losing one editor was ‘unfortunate’ – but losing another was downright ‘careless’?). It seems that in addition to the P+J editor (Damian ‘omen’ Bates) moving on to ‘new challenges’ the editor of the Dundee Evening Telegraph (Steven Bell) has grabbed a job as Dundee City Council’s ‘communications’ wallah as of last week (and who can blame him? – it’s always better where the SNP are!). So things look mighty perturbed in the wonderful world of hard britnat media tycoonery.
A further quick mention of troubles brewing in the brit nat print media if I may? (info below drawn from holdthefrontpage):
The Johnston Press (JP) announced in July that a “significant” number of jobs would be lost at its 24 weekly newspapers in Scotland following a strategic review of titles there.
The company has since been engaged in what it calls “constructive” discussions with the NUJ about the future of the titles which it says have focused on saving, not closing them.
However NUJ Scotland has now drawn up plans to have the titles transferred to employee-run co-operatives as an alternative to their potential closure.
In a column for Scottish Socialist Voice, NUJ organiser Paul Holleran cited the Hawick Paper, set up by former JP journalists, and the West Highland Free Press as successful titles run under this model.
“The union is negotiating to keep the newspapers alive, but don’t accept that closure would be a final solution. The setting up of co-operatively owned structures to take over the running of these, many historic titles, has already begun.”
However, JP has ruled out the possibility of the affected papers’ ownership being transferred.
A spokesman said: “It’s no secret that the print newspaper market is a tough one. As we announced to staff in July we are taking a number of actions, including reducing editorial costs by introducing a new working structure, at some of our weekly titles in Scotland to ensure they stay viable.
“We are having constructive talks with the NUJ about how best to implement this new way of working which will involve a reduction in staffing numbers.
“This does not involve any transfer of ownership to a co-operative.”
Strikes me that these communication professionals seem to be having a breakdown in communication – or something. (but clearly JP aren’t about to hand over anything on a plate – did anyone really think they would?).
Again – indicative of the crisis brewing in the print media in Scotland.
Thanks all, Ludo
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His left-wing credential look pretty shoogly
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