kenlaidlaw

So I wrote to the Lib Dems over my concerns of an impending referendum to see what response I got, not a thing, so I thought I’d post it here.  While I am not unaware of the apparent arrogance in writing such a letter I strongly felt it needed to be done as we really are in the last days of the union with no strong Scottish voices representing those of us who wish to remain in the UK.  I would also point out that I wrote this before I discovered that the SDP still exist and subsequently joined.

Anyway the letter is below.

Dear Scottish Liberal Democrats,

I am writing to you to express my concern that the union is at great risk from another referendum and should the SNP gain yet another election victory in 2021 then the opportunity to stop a referendum will have passed.  Regardless of how often the PM states that he will not grant one, with another SNP majority he will eventually have to concede.

As unionists the issue we have is that our vote is split three ways and while that is certainly a problem, the other main factor is most Scots are oblivious as to what the policies are from the current parties, outside save the union, save the EU or we’re not anti-Semitic (I’m sure you can work out which is which).  So while I agree with most of your policies, I would struggle to highlight one, other than remaining in the EU.  This is not a battleground we are winning on in Scotland, and neither is arguing against independence or the economics of it.  What we need is a party with polices that have a broad appeal and will make a real difference to the people of Scotland.  Polices that represent the perception of a fairer society and take the discussion away from independence and to a discussion of what we can achieve within the union.  Policies that address very specific issues, are costed or explained and realistically achievable.

While the conservatives are the 2nd party in power in Scotland, it is almost entirely based on their pro  union stance but the reputation they have and the strength of feeling amongst some Labour voters means there are large numbers of people who would not under any circumstances vote conservative.  Labour is in a very similar position with perhaps not as large numbers but significant parts of the electorate unwilling under any circumstance to vote Labour.  Your own party on the other hand probably does not have that same sense or strength of opinion by the majority of voters, certainly in a Scottish party context where you can distance yourself from the EU position as it is a reserved matter.

As arrogant as this will appear for someone like myself to suggest to a seasoned politician and campaigner such as yourself who I have a lot of respect for.  I now feel I have no choice and that we are very much in the last chance saloon.  So, what I am suggesting may not be perfect, but I hope puts across what I feel is the need for a change of approach and with policies that are pretty much representative of your own parties ideas.

My view is that there needs to be a focus on half a dozen very specific items that relate to items on the social agenda currently that will really hit home with voters across the board.  This will require building a momentum to get these messages out now so that they are embedded by the 2021 elections.  It will also require stepping back from the constitutional question rather than getting bogged down in their agenda.  The message needs to be we have our union and we want to work out how we thrive within it.  Being there “to get on with the day job”.

A few ideas of the sort of policies I think would appeal to a broad section of voters are as follows:-

• Reducing foodbank usage by 40%, this is roughly the number of users who are sent to foodbanks by late benefit payments. We should be able to resolve this easily by setting up a new benefit that guarantees a set amount, no questions asked for the first 3-4 months whenever circumstances change, or a new claimant is on benefits.  If once the claims are settled, claimants would get anything extra they would have been due but not have to pay back anything extra they had been paid.  Most of this is money that we would probably be paying out anyway so the costs should not be too excessive for this kind of policy and within the remits of the SG’s powers.
• Wiping out fuel poverty – we live in an energy rich country this should be a great political win supported by the vast majority of the country. I have done some back of the fag packet calculations on this that would suggest somewhere in the region of £200 million pounds.  However, anything you spend on this would go straight onto GDP and be impacted by all the usual multipliers.  The mechanism would be around taking people on benefits fuel bills under local government control, removing pay as you go meters where the poorest pay the highest rates in society for their electricity.  The idea would be able to pay 25-50% of the energy bills based on the average household, reducing the burden on the individual household but also the fear that they were running up big bills.
• Increasing nursing training numbers, lowering the entrance requirements and looking to reintroduce bursaries/bonuses for taking up the training. This coupled with a cap on how much over current nursing grade fees agencies can charge would be a popular policy.  While this is obviously a potential large cost it can be argued as reducing costs in the long term with relative ease.  Your usual NHS discussions continue but this is a concrete and focused policy that people believe would make a good difference.
• A focus on productivity rather than increasing taxes. Through education, infrastructure investment and an investment plan for SME’s specifically focused on productivity.  Specifically targeting SME’s for investment in niche Scottish industries – set amount for investment available to those who present the opportunities for productivity growth.
• An absolute focus on Education, taking our education back to the level it once was – speaking to experts and with their help and advice going back to core STEM subjects. In terms of further education, a much larger focus on industry related vocational qualifications and apprenticeships.  A real and specific measurable plan to improve in this area.
• A war on drugs and the impact they have on people’s lives. Not doing nothing because one tool has been removed by the UK is unacceptable.  Safe rooms are part of a larger suite of tools to solve drug issues, the SNP have chosen to do virtually nothing because they didn’t get to do one item on a much larger agenda.  Producing a full suite of actions to tackle this problem would be very popular and deemed achievable with a reasonable budget.

The above are some of the items I would focus on but are suggestions, I’m sure your team can come up with more relevant and specific examples.  It is about hard-hitting key parts of overall policy rather than trying to tackle the whole of the policy issues we have in Scotland.  To impact many of the social problems we have here will take a lot longer than 5 years but all within the capabilities and powers of a Scottish parliament focused on them.  If you wish to discuss anything further, I am more than happy too but appreciate you are probably very busy with other matters.  I would appreciate an acknowledgement that you have received this letter and are either considering or dismissing it in part or full.

I wish you and your party all the best over the next few years.

Yours sincerely

Ken Laidlaw