Readers' letters: Privatisation adds to country's misery

The UK Government’s obsession with privatisation and the market has created the economic meltdown that threatens the lives and livelihoods of millions and has made Britain relatively poor and far more unequal when compared to the rest of Europe.

Where Art I? Edinburgh Sketcher, 3 October 2022

Government claims that the private sector delivers more value than the public are false. You need only look at public sector jobs like nurses, doctors, teachers, health and safety workers and rubbish collectors, all high value jobs that provide services people want, need and depend upon.

But the UK government is systematically destroying the public sector despite the fact that people want more of the services these jobs provide. So far, Scotland has maintained a healthier public sector than England. Instead of the disastrous NHS ‘Internal Market’ in England, in 2004 Scotland re-established integrated health boards that involve the public in the planning, development and operation of health services. Scotland also has a national A&E system, which outperforms England’s.

The UK Government is hellbent on selling off what remains of the public sector, completing the asset-stripping job it started in the 1980s under Thatcher.

Scotland is the last colony left for the Tories to asset-strip in their frantic efforts to prop up the rotting edifice of the British state.

Kwarteng’s mini budget steals from the poor to further enrich the wealthiest. Meanwhile, Truss’ trolls claim there’s no money to fund essential public services and pay people enough to live on. But they can find billions to shower on those earning over £150k and continue to pour money into nuclear weapons, which Truss says she would be willing to use.

Stop this dystopian UK merry-go-round. We must end this union – now.

Leah Gunn Barrettt, Edinburgh.

Truss’s economic competence on line

Liz Truss’s competence rather than Johnson’s trustworthiness is on the line now.

A strident, unapologetic defence of tax cuts for the rich in a budget reputedly to combat the effects of Putin’s war is not going to stop the markets selling the pound, our pensions losing value and borrowing rates rising.

Ms Truss needs to come clean how she intends to pay for tax cuts for the rich and how they will deliver economic growth. She also needs to grasp the detail of her policies.

Keeping on telling us no household will pay more than £2500 annually for energy is inaccurate, that is the cap on average for a “typical household” according to her Government’s factsheet.Moreover, as the former governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, states there needs to be the standard independent scrutiny of the budget by the OBR.

Not to have a detailed published economic strategy until late November is simply not good enough to satisfy the markets. Many can’t understand how tax breaks worth £55,000 for those annually earning £1million helps the poorest combat the cost of living crisis.Offering to work with Nicola Sturgeon to “turbocharge the Scottish economy” through accelerating North Sea oil production and building new nuclear power stations further undermines Ms Truss.

She knows that Ms Sturgeon is opposed to these policies so offering this olive branch to someone she said should be ignored seems disingenuous.It’s not a great start for Ms Truss. She has a track record of proudly defending her views before suddenly changing her mind. Another u-turn may be imminent.

If not or if she can’t explain her economic policy to the satisfaction of the markets we can expect an early election.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh.

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