Wednesday 18 June 2014

Tax Inequality

http://paperblogwriter49.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/laffer-curve-dead-in-water.html

I agree with Bernie. Tax has become a dirty word in this nefarious government. It's time the Labour  Party reverted back to it's socialist roots and agreed to tax the rich like Thomas Picketty suggests....up to 80% The mega rich would hardly notice & the benefits to the community would be immense. Of course these taxes would have to be ruthlessly imposed & rigorously collected....more jobs for the Tax Office? I can see no earthly reason for these ideas not to be agreed by 'my' Labour Party unless to pacify the mega rich of their own....and the greed of the Snivelling Tories & LibDems....not to mention the unimaginably dreadful, xenophobic, racist ukippers.
I worry about what will happen after the Independence Referendum....whatever decision is made.
On the one hand we have Tories, Labour & LibDems (agreeing!) telling us we should stay together for the financial betterment of all sides: and the YES voters that we can do it better alone.
Devolution offered the chance to the UK Parliament for improvement in financial arrangements with Scotland but promises came to not-very-much. We have consistently been treated as second class citizens. Why should we believe they would honour any future promises after a NO vote? I am too cynical to accept any promise from Cameron & Clegg and fear that the Labour Party is so scared of losing the middle England vote that they will renege on promises even though they might have been made in good faith.
If I were sure that higher taxes (much higher) would be imposed on mega rich people....and that these would be collected not dismissed as uncollectable, I might reconsider my decision to vote YES. So far I don't see this happening and there are only 3 months to go!

Saturday 14 June 2014

Ambulance Service


Today I wrote to all the UK newspapers I could think of.
I am very concerned about the insidious diminution of the NHS and especially just now, about the Ambulance Service for which my husband worked for nearly 30 years. I know they struggled in the past to provide paramedics for all emergency calls and to see this erosion of those struggles enrages me.
I've copied Pride's Purge on the subject to everyone I think might care both in England and Scotland including my utterly useless LibDem MP Alan Reid & our excellent Labour candidate for Argyll, Mary Galbraith. Not sure what anyone can do apart from get rid of this wicked coalition at next year's GE and vote YES in Scotland to prevent similar appalling changes happening here in the future....whatever government is in charge. Depressingly, I fear it's too late to reverse most of the changes imposed on the NHS despite Andy Burnham's very well meant promises. I trust him to do his utmost, as always but his hands will be tied.
On that note....I need some fresh air!

14.06.14
Dear Editor,

I write to express my serious concern regarding the latest diminution of the precious Ambulance Service in England. I understand that in some parts of the country, in some emergency ambulances there will no longer be a paramedic....to save money. Some ambulances are run by privateers who can be expected to count profit before the care of patients; they have to make money for shareholders and they seem able, some how, to salve their consciences about making profits from the sickness and need of their patients.
This is another insidious example of the iniquitous privatisation of the NHS for which I worked for 40 years - as did members of my family before me and some still do so.
I find this incredible and totally unacceptable. Why are we as a country not shouting this from the rooftops? Where are UK Labour? I suggest that people ARE shouting from the rooftops and UK Labour ARE objecting (Andy Burhnam must be quite hoarse) but it's not being reported in mainstream media for nefarious political reasons.
From my Scotland perspective, where we have not accepted privatisation of our health service, I worry that should there be a NO vote in the Independence Referendum we too will suffer the same fate as those in Englandshire; maybe not immediately but inevitably.
This reinforces my decision to vote YES.

Yours sincerely,
Patricia M Farrington MBE
Bla'bheinn,
Cruach,
Bowmore,
Isle of Islay,
Argyll.