Letters / Economically illiterate
Cameron Smith [UK Conservative party candidate] asserts that a vote for the Tories would allow them to recommend “their plan to increase housing supply by 10 per cent each year of the next Scottish Parliament” (Holyrood needs fixing now; SN, 13/04/16).
Would that be much the same as his government’s brilliant idea to build 1,000 houses for oil workers back in the 70s? When it cost the SIC £40 million and a promissory note which stated that they’d get the money back from the UK government? [Honest]
After 40 years and £102 million on interest for a bill that was never paid, it took the SNP Scottish government to eventually cease interest payments – that they were forced to pay with NO extra compensation from the UK Gov – in order to bring together the guilty parties and thrash out a deal once and for all?
As ever [honest] Alistair Carmichael tried to claim that it was his idea to put an end to this unpaid bill, which of course we now know was nonsense, considering the Lib/Dems Danny Alexander – who was Chief Secretary to the Treasury – had done nothing since being elected into the UK Government, despite his own promise to do something about it prior.
Therefore, between SIC, the SNP Scottish government and the UK Government all putting in a third each [£10 million] this historic bill is, at last, finally beginning to be dealt with, as it should have been had the Tories/Labor and the Lib/Dems kept their word.
Perhaps Mr Cameron could tell us if ALL these new [imaginary] houses would be built under [Tory introduced] PFI/PPP schemes? We’ve seen in Edinburgh recently just how successful that’s been?
Much in the same way as their ‘IOU’ note from the 70s, building houses and paying for them on the ‘never never’ – while giving builders carte blanche in design and quality – are not only economically illiterate, but ultimately life threatening.
Did it never occur to Mr Cameron that had Thatcher actually used the proceeds from her ‘right to buy’ policy she introduced, and actually built more houses, as she was supposed to, instead of sucking the profits into Westminster coffers, Shetland wouldn’t need to replace the 1,500 houses that were sold?
Robin Stevenson
Milngavie
Glasgow
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