Parliamentary Report

Elaine Smith MSP

IN A 1981 PAMPHLET PUBLISHED BY THE LABOUR CAMPAIGN FOR A SCOTTISH ASSEMBLY, GEORGE FOULKES MP CONFIDENTLY PRONOUNCED:

"... there is an inherent socialist bias in devolution -favouring high taxation, public spending and public intervention in the economy..."

"If we had our assembly now...there would be no Tenants Rights Act selling off the valuable stock of council housing, no Criminal Justice Act undermining Civil liberties and the education act would not be eroding the school meals and milk services...

If only!

The Scottish Parliament has tax varying powers but has never used them. Partly, I suspect, due to the regressive nature of the power (it wouldIit tax the rich at a proportionately higher level) and partly due to the funding boosts from the comprehensive spending reviews. However, the time will come to examine the issue and perhaps take a more favourable view of fiscal autonomy than the current Scottish Executive does.

In terms of public spending and intervention, sadly the Scottish Executive seems to be even more enamoured with the old Tory policy of PFI/PPP than even the most ardent New Labourites. Schools, hospitals, prisons etc are all up for grabs in the private profiteer feeding frenzy. The delivery of the core services might be maintained if we're lucky, but there can be no doubt that the profit motive is firmly taking root in Scottish Public Services.

It's interesting to note the continued passion for this form of privatisation against a current Executive trend to buy out the private sector at a huge loss to the public purse (e.g. the Skye Bridge, Inverness Airport) and the growing tendency of state owned hospitals to return their cleaning to the public sector, a trend undoubtedly influenced by the increasing problem of "super bugs" like MRSA.

A current example of such privatisation can be seen in the situation of CalMac. The Executive lost a vote on this issue at the end of last year but seem hell bent on pursuing the tendering process despite opposition on their backbenches and from the unions. They are citing European legislation as the driving force; an excuse that the unions are vigorously challenging. This issue also serves to raise the question of the EU constitution, which would, undoubtedly, bring more privatisation of public services and should be robustly resisted by the Labour and Trade Union Movement. Neo-liberalism, however it's disguised, must be challenged by socialists.

Council housing has all but disappeared as a form of tenure in Scotland due, again, to the Executive's penchant for old Tory policies such as right to buy and stock transfer. Council Housing is currently only 16% of the total housing stock.

There are genuine community based Housing Associations, led and operated by tenants for tenants. However, in the case of wholesale stock transfer, again it is a consortium that ultimately wields the power as the financial backers. Recent developments in the Glasgow transfer have highlighted the appalling living conditions, which many families in Glasgow Govan have to endure.

Incidentally, what has happened to the secondary transfers from the GHA that were promised?

The 'right to buy is a complete misnomer -it was never intended as a 'right'. Indeed, the only 'right' bit about it is that it is a tool of rig ht-wing housing policy, now discredited and shown as a contemptuous and manipulative Tory trick to privatise a key public service.

The Executive have reduced the discounts and by doing so have shown that they question the policy. There is a review due next year on the selling of council houses. It is to be hoped that the Executive will stop what is effectively the stripping of public assets to the benefit of private individuals and refuse to be influenced by a Westminster agenda.

John Reid was recently quoted as saying" I am old enough to remember the way in which sections of the left morally disapproved of council tenants wanting to buy their homes. The irony was that this moral disapproval usually took place around the dining tables of the Georgian houses owned by the people who disapproved."

Whilst I am not privy to George Foulkes' dining arrangements, I certainly recall doing my Honours thesis, some 20 years ago, on this subject whilst residing in my council flat in Sikeside- one of the most deprived areas of Coatbridge. It was quite clear, at that time, that the Labour Party were against private purchase of public housing.

Turning to another of the Tory ignominies identified by Foulkes, whilst we may not have, as yet, reached the crescendo of outrage seen at the time of the Tory Criminal Justice Act, there is undoubtedly growing concern at the apparent erosion of civil liberties in the face of the never-ending 'war against terror'. Defending freedom and democracy by eroding freedom and democracy is distinctly Orwellian -"the war is not meant to be won; it is meant to be continuous". Tagging, ASBO's, ID Cards, internment without limit of time, a presumption against those seeking asylum and many other 'initiatives' are threatening civil liberties in Scotland.

The attacks on immigration and asylum are having a detrimental effect on Scotland. Jack McConnells 'Fresh Talent' project underlines the need for population boosting in Scotland but since decisions on granting citizenship are reserved to Westminster, anomalies are arising. The threatened deportation of Pastor Daly, a man well known amongst the Glaswegian/African community for his charitable work with some of the citys poorest people, only serves to illustrate the arbitrary nature of our current asylum system.

On the issue of school meals and milk services, the Scottish Parliament could be seen to have delivered to a greater extent than our Westminster counterparts. Hungry for Success, free drinking water and breakfast clubs are all policies that have been introduced since devolution. So far however, the Scottish Parliamentary Labour Party have stop short of embracing the provision of universal free school meals and are unlikely to change their stance when the issue arises again this year. Free prescriptions are another issue on offer via a private members bill. The Welsh Assembly removed prescription charges and is introducing free, universal school breakfasts; both policies have proven to be very popular with the electorate.

Poor dietary health among our children is undoubtedly linked to poverty and deprivation. Until this is tackled head on it's difficult to see how poverty can be eradicated.

The NHS is likely to prove the biggest issue in the coming year. The Parliament's Health Committee have taken the unprecedented step to have a public debate at Easter due to their concerns. The Minister has recently taken a decision to use the private sector to try and tackle waiting lists and times. This is supposed to be a short-term measure with promises that it will not reduce NHS capacity.

Up and down the country, people are scrimping and saving to pay for their much-needed operations. On the surface, it seems reasonable that the government should pay and not the individual but the danger is that the private sector will gain a further foothold on public provision. In the interest of universality, perhaps Andy Kerr will also offer to pay for television viewing and parking, both of which are lining the pockets of private individuals whilst stripping patients of cash. Better still, maybe he will remove charges and stop this profiteering from people who have little choice but to cough up. Anyone interested in gaining further knowledge of the threat to the NHS by private profiteers should read "NHS pIc" by Allyson Pollock.

In November last, my Private Member's Bill on Breastfeeding was passed by the Parliament, resisted only by the Tories and receiving Royal Assent in January 2005. The Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland) Act makes it an offence to prevent a mother from breastfeeding her child in public and will hopefully serve to make breastfeeding more socially acceptable and visible in communities across Scotland. This is of particular importance to young mothers and their children living in socially deprived areas in Scotland, who have the most to gain from breastfeeding.

The Scottish Executive are to be commended overall in attempting to keep some kind of social democratic policy agenda running under devolution but to make real progress in tackling poverty, they must consider much more radical, progressive, socialist measures and they must rethink their attachment to old Tory/ New Labour privatisation policy.

Elaine Smith MSP is the Labour MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston and Convener of the Scottish Labour Campaign for Socialism.