Rab Stewart for Ettrick Roxburgh and Berwickshire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) February 14, 2011 -- The opinions expressed in the Comment Column of the Southern on 3rd February would appear to reflect the thoughts of many Borderers who would applaud the efforts of the SBC under extremely difficult circumstances of a budget deficit imposed by a ConDem government

Working with the Trades Unions to protect as many posts as possible and maintaining essential services is indeed commendable to all involved. However, those in SBC attempting to achieve the high standards required to ensure a service to Borderers needs full support from those who hold the purse strings. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case.

The ConDem government have decided to reduce masses of funding in the knowledge that this will reduce the amount of people employed and also cause a diminution of services. How can it be possible to reduce a deficit under these circumstances? Their strategy and dogmatic approach will not get Britain on a firm footing and is in great danger of pushing us into a position which would have the opposite effect. Remember, this is year one of the cuts, what is sacrificed year two?

Let me get rid of the myths about who has caused our financial problem in the first place.

There are those who blame everything on the previous Labour Government. The current difficulties were as a direct result of the greed of the capitalist system which allowed banks and other financial institutions to cause this global crisis. Labour was not responsible for the massive difficulties suffered in the economies of the U.S.A, nor of Spain, Greece, and Germany. etc. Greed was the cause and the Labour Prime Minister put forward a strategy to combat the real possibility of a recession that would lose the savings of ordinary people and see a recession world-wide that would have lasted years. The USA and the other first world economies adopted the Labour strategy to prevent the World going into meltdown, and it seems to be working. Only Britain under this ConDem alliance wants to drastically cut services to the bone and get those left in work to pay for it.

How is it financially sound to cut thousands of jobs within public services? If I work for the Council almost £100 is deducted from the wage and is redistributed back into society, helping to pay old age pensions, national health and all the other benefits of British society. They further contribute to their own pension scheme as well as paying community charge, electric, gas, phone etc. The contribution they make while in work benefits us all. If this job is lost due to cuts then the state must find the money from somewhere else, yes some other worker.

To get to work they will probably travel and use a car because of need. The government has raised the vat to 20% meaning paying more for travel costs to get to work. Why oh why is it that when this government states that we will all have to suffer, what they really mean the people who work for a living will take the pain due to the increases imposed. Even then the threat of losing their job hangs over them due to the proposed cuts against workers.

The Time has Come for those Borderers in work to join in fighting back against those political parties who are operating on an ideology, not because of necessity. There is no help to business in the private sector that would assist them in getting employment increased to their business. This must be exposed in order that we can make it right. To get the jobs, services and security needed in the Borders, it is now time for the Borders to Fight Back.

Rab Stewart, Prospective Candidate for the Labour Party. Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire

More information can be found online at http://brslabourparty.wordpress.com

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