I’m going to dig a hole and hide for cover shortly. Because I thought this week’s programme for government, announced by the First Minister, was a creative and coherent response to the poverty pandemic we are all facing.
In my column last week I predicted we’d hear a fair bit about what the Scottish Government would like to do but couldn’t, because of a lack of political power.
There was a fair bit of that, with Nicola Sturgeon pointing to what she might like to do on social security or on energy bills – if she had the powers or the ability to borrow for revenue spending.
But I also argued that she’d use the powers she does have in more ambitious ways than she has to date.
And that’s exactly what she has done.
Increasing the child payment from £20 to £25 is a good example of that.
Who knew the First Minister was such an avid reader of the Courier’s opinion columns though?
Given housing has been within the powers of the Scottish Parliament since its creation this is where the action should be if she is serious about responding to the crisis we face.
And so on Tuesday, after declaring that the country was on the cusp of a humanitarian crisis, Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Scottish Government does not have the power to prevent people’s energy bills from soaring, but we can and will take action to ensure that their rent does not rise.”
Programme for government comes with financial challenges
There will be not one but two housing bills in this Parliamentary session. And an immediate rent freeze for private and social housing tenants.
Now that is bold and extremely welcome.
Combined with a ban on evictions, this will provide serious comfort to those people on the financial edge.
And this is a programme for government rooted in applying the resources the country has to addressing the problems we face.
Also yesterday, in Parliament, John Swinney set out to detail the damage that rising inflation is causing to the public finances.
The Scottish Government’s budget is worth £1.7 billion less in real terms because of the rise in inflation.
Combined with the cost of settling pay deals as a result of recent industrial action, another £700 million has to be found.
Now the SNP are great at finding a few million quid down the back of the national couch at crunch points. But billions are a different ball game.
That’s why Mr Swinney had to take to the chamber to announce £500m worth of cuts to existing commitments.
Education, employability and capital grants to local authorities look like the big initial losers from this process.
And there will be more to come in the next six months.
Credit where it’s due. The SNP have been upfront and on the front foot in explaining what’s happening to the public finances and the principles underpinning their decisions.
Set aside the spin and this is a welcome programme for government
Of course there’s some political sleight of hand at play.
Some of the freezes that have been announced apply to costs that have already risen this year.
🏴 Summary of @NicolaSturgeon's announcements:
✅ Rent freeze until at least March 2023, for private and social tenants
✅ Temporary ban on evictions
✅ ScotRail fares frozen until March 2023
✅ Scottish Child Payment rising to £25
✅ Expansion of universal free school meals— Olaf Stando 🌻 (@olafdoesstuff) September 6, 2022
But a bit of spin shouldn’t shake us from looking at the core decisions that have been taken.
Namely to protect wages, keep roofs over people’s heads and enhance family finances where possible.
There’s much about what they’ll do next that I’d contest, protest and quibble with.
But if you have to pick somewhere to centre yourself in the midst of the storm that’s coming, this is it.
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