kezia dugdale writes to snp mps

7/25/2019 Kezia Dugdale writes to SNP MPs

1/97

Kirsty Blackman MP46 John Street,Aberdeen,AB25 1LL

Wednesday, 10 February 2016

Dear Kirsty

I am writing to make a personal appeal to you ahead of the debate on the ScottishRate of Income Tax in the Scottish Parliament tomorrow.

In Scotland, with the new financial powers our parliament has already gained, wehave an opportunity to do things differently. I know that you believe we should usethe opportunities we have to do things differently in Scotland.

You are on the record in Hansard making this clear:

Through out the campaign, I spok e to many people on the doors tep,and I met the mo st inform ed, mo st engaged and m ost interested

electorate I have ever been faced w ith in Sco tland. We are not at som e

post-referendum saturat ion p oint w ith pol i t ics . People in Scot land have

a clear vis ion fo r the future. They clearly vo ted for the anti-austerity SNP

and our progr essive pol i t ics, and they have a clear vision for the future

of Scot land.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Aberdeen Council are 14m. Asyour SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts that will hurteveryone.

When the First Minister spoke on this issue in the Scottish Parliament last week sheclaimed that a low paid worker would pay more in extra tax than she would. This wasrepeated by the Deputy First Minister. I am sure you will have, by now, examined thisissue and will see that this simply isnt the case. In fact the First Minister would pay76 times more in additional tax than a low paid worker, and thats before taking intoaccount the 100 cash-back for lower income taxpayers.


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Even for someone earning around the average wage, the claim is a grossexaggeration. So, to take the example the First Minister gave to Parliament lastweek:

Under Labours proposals the amount of tax I paid would go up by 2.7%.The

amount of tax that a nurse, a teacher, a care worker would pay would go upby 5%. That is not fair

This is deeply misleading, and I want to make sure your colleagues do not voteagainst our plan to stop cuts on this basis. When you substitute the misleadingpercentages in the First Ministers quote with annual cash figures you can see thatthis measure is fair.

Under Labours proposals the amount of tax I paid would go up by 1,447ayear. The amount of tax that a nurse, a teacher, a care worker would paywould go up by 140a year

I know you too will have been concerned to hear the First Minister claim thatLabours plan was not a progressive measure. You will have seen in the last fewdays that the respected Resolution Foundation has analysed our plans andconcluded this tax rise would be progressive. Professor David Bell of StirlingUniversity concluded that "among the poorer households there's almost no effect atall from a 1p increase in income tax". Both the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre and the House of Commons Library have confirmed Professor Bells findings.

Last week your MSP colleagues voted against our amendment which would haveused our powers to avoid cuts to education and local services. I would urge you toensure that you use all your influence to urge your colleagues to reconsider ahead ofthis second vote. In doing so, please remember your own words about the need tobreak from austerity and ask yourself whether the community you represent canafford the cuts that are coming as a result of this budget.

Faced with the choice between using the powers we have now, and making cuts toschools, local services and our nations future prosperity please ensure yourcolleagues at Holyrood choose to use our powers.

I urge you to please leave aside party politics and use you influence to persuade

your MSP colleagues to do the right thing.

Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale

Scottish Labour Leader


3/97

Callum McCaig [email protected]


Dear Callum



You've posted on your own Facebook page making this clear:

Myself and my fellow SNP MPs wanted to use last nights debate as anoppo rtunity to highl igh t the imp ortance of devolving m ore taxat ion and

welfare spending pow ers to Scot land. Instead 70% of Scott ish tax and

85% of Scott ish welfare spend w il l stay in Westminster, whi lst austeri ty

measures are forced upon the people l iv ing in a countr y where 94% of

their MPs opp ose them.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Aberdeen Council are 14m. Asyour SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts that will hurteveryone.


mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Under Labours proposals the amount of tax I paid would go up by 2.7%.Theamount of tax that a nurse, a teacher, a care worker would pay would go upby 5%. That is not fair

This is deeply misleading, and I want to make sure your colleagues do not vote

against our plan to stop cuts on this basis. When you substitute the misleadingpercentages in the First Ministers quote with annual cash figures you can see thatthis measure is fair.


I know you too will have been concerned to hear the First Minister claim thatLabours plan was not a progressive measure. You will have seen in the last fewdays that the respected Resolution Foundation has analysed our plans and

concluded this tax rise would be progressive. Professor David Bell of StirlingUniversity concluded that "among the poorer households there's almost no effect atall from a 1p increase in income tax". Both the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre and the House of Commons Library have confirmed Professor Bells findings.



I urge you to please leave aside party politics and use you influence to persuadeyour MSP colleagues to do the right thing.

Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



5/97

Neil Gray MPOne Wellwynd,35 Wellwynd,Airdrie,ML6 0BN


Dear Neil




In conclu sion, the Scott ish people vo ted in May 2015 for an end toausterity w hen they vo ted for the SNP. They deserve the leadershi p they

voted for and not to face the social securi ty storm that the Tories are

brewing.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to North Lanarkshire Council are

32.7m. As your SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts thatwill hurt everyone.


Even for someone earning around the average wage, the claim is a gross

exaggeration. So, to take the example the First Minister gave to Parliament lastweek:


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I know you too will have been concerned to hear the First Minister claim thatLabours plan was not a progressive measure. You will have seen in the last few

days that the respected Resolution Foundation has analysed our plans andconcluded this tax rise would be progressive. Professor David Bell of StirlingUniversity concluded that "among the poorer households there's almost no effect atall from a 1p increase in income tax". Both the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre and the House of Commons Library have confirmed Professor Bells findings.




Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



7/97

Mike Weir MP16 Brothock Bridge,ArbroathAngusDD11 1NG


Dear Mike




We already kn ow th at some of the poorest in s ociety wil l bear the bruntof the misery of the austeri ty programme. The proport ion of tax cuts to

tax rises has m oved from 4:1 to 9:1, and this w il l have a dramat ic effect

on many hous eholds. As others have said, we do no t yet know the

detai ls of the com ing cu ts and benef i ts, but this is al l mon ey being

suck ed out of our local econom ies and wil l imp act direct ly on our local

businesses.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Angus Council are 10.3m. Asyour SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts that will hurteveryone.

When the First Minister spoke on this issue in the Scottish Parliament last week sheclaimed that a low paid worker would pay more in extra tax than she would. This wasrepeated by the Deputy First Minister. I am sure you will have, by now, examined thisissue and will see that this simply isnt the case. In fact the First Minister would pay76 times more in additional tax than a low paid worker, and thats before taking into

account the 100 cash-back for lower income taxpayers.


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Under Labours proposals theamount of tax I paid would go up by 2.7%.The









Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



9/97

Brendan O'Hara MP81 Argyll Street,Dunoon,PA23 7DH


Dear Brendan




The SNP was elected to this p lace in such numbers in May on aprom ise to do three things: f irst , to argue that the maximum po ssible

pow ers be devolved to the Scott ish Parl iament, via the ful l del ivery of

the vow ; secondly , to f ight too th and nai l against the fai led and divis ive

pol ic ies of austeri ty, and to protect the poorest and m ost vu lnerable in

our so ciety from the wors t excesses of this Government; and third ly, to

oppo se Trident. By b ringing this m atter to the Floor of the Hous e today,

the SNP can say that with in the f irst six m onths of being here, we have

done exact ly what we prom ised to do. Of course, there is much m ore

that we need to do on al l those issues, but no on e wil l ever be able to

accuse us of not do ing w hat we said we would do.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Argyll & Bute Council are 10.5m.As your SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts that will hurteveryone.

When the First Minister spoke on this issue in the Scottish Parliament last week sheclaimed that a low paid worker would pay more in extra tax than she would. This wasrepeated by the Deputy First Minister. I am sure you will have, by now, examined thisissue and will see that this simply isnt the case. In fact the First Minister would pay

76 times more in additional tax than a low paid worker, and thats before taking intoaccount the 100 cash-back for lower income taxpayers.


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Under Labours proposals the amount of tax I paid would go up by 1,447ayear. The amount of tax that a nurse, a teacher, a care worker would pay

would go up by 140a year

I know you too will have been concerned to hear the First Minister claim thatLabours plan was not a progressive measure. You will have seen in the last fewdays that the respected Resolution Foundation has analysed our plans andconcluded thistax rise would be progressive. Professor David Bell of StirlingUniversity concluded that "among the poorer households there's almost no effect atall from a 1p increase in income tax". Both the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre and the House of Commons Library have confirmed Professor Bells findings.




Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



11/97

Corri Wilson MP45a Fort Street,Ayr,KA7 1DG


Dear Corri




Aus teri ty measures mean cuts, cuts and more cuts, with less spendingresult ing in fewer jobs.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to South Ayrshire Council are10.1m. As your SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts thatwill hurt everyone.




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Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



13/97

Eilidh Whiteford MPOffice 7, Burnside Business CentreBurnside RoadPeterheadAB42 3AW


Dear Eilidh




As thin gs s tand, i t wi l l be those on low and average incomes,especially famil ies with ch i ldren, wh o w il l pay the price of these missed

oppo rtunit ies as they cont inue to suffer under Tory austeri ty.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Aberdeenshire Council are10.9m. As your SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts that

will hurt everyone.


Even for someone earning around the average wage, the claim is a grossexaggeration. So, to take the example the First Minister gave to Parliament last

week:


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against our plan to stop cuts on this basis. When you substitute the misleadingpercentages in the First Ministers quote with annual cash figures youcan see thatthis measure is fair.



concluded this tax rise would be progressive. Professor David Bellof StirlingUniversity concluded that "among the poorer households there's almost no effect atall from a 1p increase in income tax". Both the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre and the House of Commons Library have confirmed Professor Bells findings.




Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



15/97

Calum Kerr MP46 High Street,Galashiels,Scottish Borders,TD1 1SE


Dear Calum



During your election campaign your own leaflets had you on the record making thisclear:

I have a career in b usiness communicat ions, and I also v olunteer as aDirector of Cit izens Adv ice Direct , which deals with debt, employm ent

and po verty Issues and Is In the front Ilne of the figh t against austerity , I

know things are tough for many people at the moment because of the

Tory/ l ib Dens cuts com ing from Westm inster. As part of an SNP team of

MPs at Westm inster, I 'l l campaign t ire lessly for m ore powers for

Scot land, an end to attacks o n w elfare and reject ion of a Trident nuclear

weapons u pgrade. I 'l l also campaign for im proved transpo rt and

broadband l inks , mo re and better jobs, protect ion of our wo rld class

NHS and a boost for our rural econom y

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Scottish Borders Council are8.9m. As your SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts thatwill hurt everyone.




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17/97

Paul Monaghan MPLondon House,Station Square,Brora,KW9 6QJ


Dear Paul




As we debate the Governments Budget, it is unfortunate that the criesand pleas of many people in my con st i tuency con t inue to be ignored.

Whereas in h istory the people of the high lands were burned o ut of their

hom es so that others could prof i t from sheep, the benef ic iary of this

Bud get wil l be the f inancial markets that con t inue to take precedence

over p eople. The impact w il l be that vulnerable people wil l face

impover ishment owing to lack of economic opp ortun i ty , low wages,

Europes lowest pensions, further experimentation with the failedsys tem that we know as universal credit , the erosion of work ing taxcredits and, frankly, the st i f l ing lack o f imaginat ion th at is self -evident in

the austeri ty these measures promo te, and that has raised the UK to be

the fourth mo st unequal society in the developed world in terms o f

wealth inequal i ty. For many in m y co nst i tuency, past and present, the

hardship, misery and impov erishment that accompany this inequal ity

are the only consequences of the Governments long- term econom icplan th at has been over 300 years in the making .

While some here today speak of economic laws, I cho ose to highl ight

the fact that many of our fel lows are starving. It is t ime we recognisedthat econom ic laws are made not by nature, but by hum an beings. These


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laws are chosen for imp lementat ion by human beings and their effect

wi l l be fe lt by human beings. A fur ther 12 bil l ion of cuts , accompanied

by a pun it ive sanct ions regime, wil l do n othing except ensure that the

jee ly p iec e, of wh ich my hon . Frien d Stew ar t McDonal d spoke in h is

maiden speech, wil l remain a signif icant feature of chi ldho od for far too

many of ou r ch i ld ren.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Highland Council are 23.7m. Asyour SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts that will hurteveryone.







I know you too will have been concerned to hear the First Minister claim that

Labours plan was not a progressive measure. You will have seen in the last fewdays that the respected Resolution Foundation has analysed our plans andconcluded this tax rise would be progressive. Professor David Bell of StirlingUniversity concluded that "among the poorer households there's almost no effect atall from a 1p increase in income tax". Both the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre and the House of Commons Library have confirmed Professor Bells findings.

Last week your MSP colleagues voted against our amendment which would haveused our powers to avoid cuts to education and local services. I would urge you toensure that you use all your influence to urge your colleagues to reconsider ahead ofthis second vote. In doing so, please remember your own words about the need to

break from austerity and ask yourself whether the community you represent canafford the cuts that are coming as a result of this budget.


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Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



20/97

Philippa Whitford MP14 Eglinton Street,Irvine,KA12 8AS


Dear Philippa



Your entry on your own website has you on the record making this clear:

George Osbornes latest budget has once again let down the people ofScot land. His budget could h ave focus ed on del ivering econom ic grow th

by tackl ing inequal i ty, instead he has decided to c ont inue w ith his

utterly failed austerity agenda.

It is those with least in s ociety wh o are paying the mos t for the Tory-ledcoalitions obsession with austerity cuts. But Scotland has analternative with the SNP.

Almost one in four children in Central Ayrshire are growing up inpoverty. Two in thr ee of these chi ldren have a workin g parent but zero

hours contracts and low w ages mean they are strugg l ing.

Austerity is sucking money out of our local economies meaning localbusin esses struggle as no one has any spare mon ey to spend, feeding

into a vicious downward spira l .

SNP plans would see up to 180 billion freed up to end austerity andinvest ; protect ing and impro ving vita l publ ic services, l ike our NHS. We

can con t inue to tackle the def ic i t whi le taking the strain off those w hohave been hit the hardest by austeri ty but on ly if the SNP have a


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strong team fo rcing p rogressive pol i t ics on to the agenda at

Westminster.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire

Councils are 23.4m. As your SNP colleagues in local government have said,these are cuts that will hurt everyone.


Even for someone earning around the average wage, the claim is a gross

exaggeration. So, to take the example the First Minister gave to Parliament lastweek:




I know you too will have been concerned to hear the First Minister claim thatLabours plan was not a progressive measure. You will have seen in the last fewdays that the respected Resolution Foundation has analysed our plans andconcluded this tax rise would be progressive. Professor David Bell of StirlingUniversity concluded that "among the poorer households there's almost no effect at

all from a 1p increase in income tax". Both the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre and the House of Commons Library have confirmed Professor Bells findings.


Faced with the choice between using the powers we have now, and making cuts to

schools, local services and our nations future prosperity please ensure yourcolleagues at Holyrood choose to use our powers.


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Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



23/97

Phil Boswell MPMunicipal BuildingsKildonan StCoatbridgeML5 3LF


Dear Phil




In vot ing s o emph at ical ly for the SNP, Scot land has voted for ant i-austeri ty; free educat ion; an NHS protected from privat isat ion; balanced

bookssom ething you oug ht to try dow n here one of these yearsanant i-nuclear stance; and an inclusive, tolerant s ociety that has s ocial

and econom ic just ice at i ts heart , instead of the right-wing n eo-

l iberalism we see from the two main establ ishment part ies of this Hou se.

This fai lure is s erious, harsh and oft- t imes leads to absolute despair.

With the addit ional cuts announc ed today, I fear for the w el lbeing for

many o f my c onst i tuents and those of many other Members. Dark t imes

are indeed ahead, especi ally as these cuts w il l see the further

decimat ion of an already overstretched and struggl ing social securi ty

system.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to North Lanarkshire Council are32.7m. As your SNP colleagues in local government have said, these arecuts thatwill hurt everyone.




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Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



25/97

Richard Arkless MPUnit 7,Loreburne Centre,High Street,DumfriesDG1 2BD


Dear Richard




I t is hard to disagree. Dum fries was inspirat ional to Bu rns, who was ath is m ost product ive when l iv ing there, composing c lass ics such as

Auld Lang Syne and the masterpiece Tam o Shanter. However,poverty and hu nger were ever present in Robert Burns life. We havefood b anks in Dum fries and Galloway, frequented not on ly by the poo r

and the disadvantaged, but by vict im s of dracon ian benef i ts sanct ions

and, mo re important, the working poorpeople who work fu l l -t ime butst i l l f ind themselves l iv ing in p overty. In 2015 in my cons t i tuency,

chi ldren are going to sc hool h ungry . Austeri ty pol ic ies are l i teral ly

starving our c hi ldren not just of a happy chi ldhoo d, but of a succ essful

future.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Dumfries & Galloway Council are15.7m. As your SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts thatwill hurt everyone.




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This is deeply misleading, and I want to make sure your colleagues do not voteagainst our plan to stop cuts on this basis. When you substitute the misleadingpercentages in the First Ministers quote with annual cash figures you can seethatthis measure is fair.

Under Labours proposals the amount of tax I paid would go up by 1,447ayear. The amount of tax that a nurse, a teacher, a care worker would pay

would go up by 140a year





Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



27/97

Stewart Hosie MP8 Old Glamis Road,Dundee,DD3 8HP


Dear Stewart



Your entry on your own website has you on the record making this clear:

That one in f ive chi ldren l ive in poverty in a wealthy c ountry l ikeScot land is qu ite simply a disg race.

Were one of the richest countries on earth and yet thousands ofchi ldren grow up in poverty and inequali ty cont inues to grow this is anunacceptable and u nsustainable state of affairs that is only w orsening

as Westminsters austerity agenda continues to hit.

This is exactly why the powers to tackle poverty and inequality shouldbe in Scotlands hands rather than in the hands of a distant Westminsterestabl ishm ent whic h is engaged in a systemat ic and relent less attack on

the poor.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Dundee Council are 16.3m. Asyour SNP colleagues in local government have said, theseare cuts that will hurteveryone.




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Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



29/97

Chris Law MP2 Marshall Street,Lochee,Dundee,DD2 3BR


Dear Chris




However, as is th e case with m any cons t i tuencies, min e is a game oftwo halves, as the loc al teams Dundee and Dundee United w il l

understand. It runs from rich and aff luent areas to others that are

strugg l ing in this austeri ty-driven climate. Children are the worlds mostvaluable resour ce, and in m y con st i tuency one in four l ives in p overty. In

som e areas, it is o ne in three. Inequal i ty is the po l i t ical moun tain for this

generat ion to conq uer.

Every chi ld in my c onst i tuency of Dund ee West, and in your

cons t i tuency, Madam Deputy Speaker, and in al l cons t i tuencies,

deserves to maxim ise their potent ial , and it is our job to make sure that

happens. It appears to too m any ou tside the House that this Parl iament

is, at t imes, distant and disco nnected from the m isery and suffer ing of

i ts cit izens. It is cold com fort to stru ggl ing famil ies in Dundee West to be

told that were all in it together and that they must be aspirationalwhen, at the same t ime, a low -wage econom y is being bui l t in a w orld of

permanent austeri ty, driven by ideology. Est imates for the next f ive

years are that 100,000 more chi ldr en wil l b e plunged into p overty inScot land.


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I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Dundee Council are 16.3m. Asyour SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts that will hurteveryone.










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Lisa Cameron MPMP Offices,Civic Centre,Andrew Street,East Kilbride,G74 1AB


Dear Lisa



You made this clear in the commitments you made in your election materials whenyou said you would:

FIGHT for the powers Scotland n eeds to create fairer jobs fo r all, withdecent condit ions of emplo yment, and whic h pay a l iv ing wage, backed

by affordable chi ldcare;

REJECT AUSTERITY and p rom ote alternatives plann ed to stim ulate

growth and gr eater equality; ...

OPPOSE welfare reforms, such as imp osit ion of the bedroom tax, thatare hardest on the mos t poo r and v ulnerable, and have created foo d

banks

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to South Lanarkshire Council are29.1m. As your SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts thatwill hurt everyone.

When the First Minister spoke on this issue in the Scottish Parliament last week sheclaimed that a low paid worker would pay more in extra tax than she would. This was

repeated by the Deputy First Minister. I am sure you will have, by now, examined thisissue and will see that this simply isnt the case. In fact the First Minister would pay


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week:


This is deeply misleading, and I want to make sure your colleagues do not voteagainst our plan to stop cuts on this basis. When you substitute the misleadingpercentages in the First Ministers quote with annual cash figuresyou can see thatthis measure is fair.




Faced with the choice between using the powers we have now, and making cuts toschools, local services and our nations future prosperity please ensure your

colleagues at Holyrood choose to use our powers.


Yours sincerely,

Kezia DugdaleScottish Labour Leader


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Kirsten Oswald MP1 Spiersbridge Way,Thornliebank,East Renfrewshire,G46 8NG

Wednesday, 10 February 2016Dear Kirsten




Child poverty unfo rtunately bl ights the l ives of so many ch i ldrenthroug hout the UK, and shou ld surely be a concern of absolu te prior i ty

for the Government. I note, however, that in Julys Budget theChancellor of the Exchequer launched the Tory Governments latestplans to attack th e poor, the vulnerable and the helpless in soc iety.

The mo st recent target of the Governments austerity crusade is ourchi ldren. I have to w onder w hat that says about their prio r i t ies. They

have often been heard to give m uch less than reassuring explanat ions

for their dism ant l ing of the welfare system, making this clear they are

bui ld ing a better, fairer soc iety, where wo rk pays. How d o the prop osals

in the Welfare Reform and Work Bil l tru ly bui ld a better, fairer society? It

is my content ion that the Government are simply no t concerned about

fa irness. In fact , i t could be cons idered spineless to attack the people in

our communi t ies who m ost need our ass is tance: the work ing poor, the

i l l and th e unemplo yed. Ult imately, the weakening of the welfare systemhas and wil l con t inue to hit low-incom e famil ies and chi ldren the wo rst .

Is that real ly the way forw ard?

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to East Renfrewshire are 6.1m. Asyour SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts that will hurteveryone.

When the First Minister spoke on this issue in the Scottish Parliament last week sheclaimed that a low paid worker would pay more in extra tax than she would. This was

repeated by the Deputy First Minister. I am sure you will have, by now, examined thisissue and will see that this simply isnt the case. In fact the First Minister would pay


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week:






Faced with the choice between using the powers we have now, and making cuts toschools, local services and our nations future prosperity please ensure your

colleagues at Holyrood choose to use our powers.


Yours sincerely,

Kezia DugdaleScottish Labour Leader


36/97

Tommy Sheppard MP16A Willowbrae Road,EdinburghEH8 7DB


Dear Tommy



In a Scotsman article during the election campaign you are on the record making thisclear:

For starters, the SNP is the only m ajor party at this elect ion offer ing analternat ive to the austeri ty econ om ics p ract iced by the coal i t ion and

promised albeit in lesser m easureby Labou r. The main Westminsterpart ies are determ ined to el iminate the defic i t by c urbing publ ic

spending . But def ic i ts arise through not having enough inc ome as much

as spending too m uch. And service cuts lead to even less income and

often more sp ending in other areas. In sho rt , you c annot cut you r way

out o f a recession.

The SNP prop oses a real-term incr ease in pub l ic sp ending of half a per

cent a year. It doesnt sound much, but the effect over five years wouldbe to del iver 180bn more than the publ ished spending p lans of the

Conservat ives and about 80bn more than Labour. This is a signif icant

sum . Not only w ould it pro vide the things we as a society need, but the

spending wil l of i tsel f generate growth leading to increased tax incomes.

Keynesian thinking is al ive and well at the heart of SNP pol icy and yeti t has been al l but ext inguished from the Labour party.

Second ly the SNP retains a universal ist approach to publ ic services andwelfare, whereas the Tories and Labour regard them to varying degree


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as safety nets to m op u p the wo rst effects of the m arket. I rememb er

Tony Benn making th is clear that publ ic s ervices are the way in which

people can buy c ol lect ively the things that they canno t afford

individual ly so everyone gets to own a bit of a hospita l , a schoo l, abus. This underpins SNP thinking, from s choo l meals to tui t ion fees to

perso nal care for the elderly.

Cri t ics who argue that these pol ic ies benef i t the middle classes too and

shou ld be restr icted through m eans test ing to the poorest in society

miss the point. Socialism isnt about unequal shares; its about peoplecontr ibu t ing accord ing to their abi l i ty to pay. The wealthy sho uld pay

mo re through h igher taxat ion. But keeping services un iversal means

everyone can see some benef i t from their contr ibut ion s. If everyone gets

som ething back, supp ort for col lect ive provision is h igher. Residual is ing

publ ic services fuels resentment at their funding. I t leads to a vic ious

dow nward sp ira l creating pol i t ical suppo rt for tax cuts and

privat isat ion.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to City of Edinburgh Council are35.3m. As your SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts thatwill hurt everyone.






I know you too will have been concerned to hear the First Minister claim that

Labours plan was not a progressive measure. You will have seen in the last fewdays that the respected Resolution Foundation has analysed our plans and


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Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



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Deidre Brock MP166 Great Junction Street,Edinburgh,EH6 5LJ


Dear Deidre




The SNP is now the bigg est pol i t ical party in Scot land by a long wayand is the third biggest party in the UK. We want to use that strength to

help everyone wh o l ives in Scot land; we think that publ ic m oney shou ld

be used to c reate jobs, protect publ ic services, improve ch i ldcare and

make our c ommu nit ies safer. We need our MP to speak up for

Edinburgh , for Leith and for Scot land - we can bui ld a better country.

I'm asking you to g ive me your t rust and your supp ort , to g ive me your

vote so I can do that job for yo u. Put publ ic services before austeri ty;

put ba i rns before bombs.





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Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



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Joanna Cherry [email protected]


Dear Joanna

I am writing to make a personal appeal to you ahead of the debate on the Scottish

Rate of Income Tax in the Scottish Parliament tomorrow.



More powers for Scot land: The more seats we have, the mor e strengthwe' l l have to m ake Westm inster del iver the powers Scot land needs. We

wil l protect our NHS budget from Westmin ster privat isation and we wil l

protect our educat ion sys tem from m ore Tory/ Labour austeri ty; An end

to austerity : Incr easing lev els of debt, poverty and inequality are clear

signs that the econom ic and soc ial pol ic ies of the UK Government are

fai l ing Scot land. We are comm it ted to ensuring people get a decent

wage through th e payment and promo t ion of the Living Wage. Labour

have made it crystal clear that they intend to carry on with Tory cuts th at

are inf l ict ing real pain on famil ies across Scot land. We wil l work to bu i ld

a progressive al l iance to increase spending and bo ost bo th grow th and

jobs.



mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



43/97

John McNally MP16 Vicar Street,Falkirk,FK1 1JL


Dear John




SNP MPs wil l do al l they can to supp ort the work of the Scott ishGovernment and that includes ending Tory austeri ty and the big budget

cuts to come.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Falkirk Council are 14.2m. Asyour SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts that will hurt

everyone.



week:


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Yours sincerely,

Kezia Dugdale



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Alison Thewliss MP33 London Road,Glasgow,G1 5NW


Dear Alison




Having come from local government, of cours e I trust i t to do thosethings, but i t sho uld not b e forced with a gun pu t to its head.

I wi l l close by asking the Secretary o f State to ref lect on the purpos es of

pow er being devolved, and on how b est we supp ort local communit ies.

People wil l be unsu rprised that we in the SNP reject the austeri ty

agenda, and the people who vo ted for us supp ort our p ol icy. That

austeri ty agenda has already led to so mu ch damage to the fabric of o ur

commu nit ies, and there is only s o much that people can take.

I know you will also be concerned about the cuts which are coming to theconstituents you represent. The estimated cuts to Glasgow City Council are 65.2m.As your SNP colleagues in local government have said, these are cuts that will hurteveryone.

When the First Minister spoke on this issue in the Scottish Parliament last week sheclaimed that a low paid worker would pay more in extra tax than she would. This wasrepeated by the Deputy First Minister. I am sure you will have, by now, examined thisissue and will see that this simply isnt the case. In factthe First Minister would pay76 times more in additional tax than a low paid worker, and thats before taking into



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This is deeply misleading, and I want to make sure your colleagues

kezia dugdale writes to snp mps

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