Professor John Robertson OBA
Brian ‘Bad Vibrations’ Wilson, former Minister under Tony Blair, is in the Herald today to claim:
Winter fuel payment u-turn exposes flaws in SNP’s universalism
Have I read it? No way? Do I need to read it? No way.
I have the oven-ready, fully-researched, response from a think tank set up by that real socialist, the late Jimmy Reid.
The facts, from the Jimmy Reid Foundation:
In 2012, I read and was much impressed by their The Case for Universalism An assessment of the evidence on the effectiveness and efficiency of the universal welfare state which made these telling comments, we’d do well to keep in mind:
•Moving from universalism to selectivity increases social and economic inequality and diminishes rather than enhances the status of the poor
•Selectivity requires process and procedures that separate benefit recipients from the rest of society, increasing stigmatisation and reducing take-up
•Universalism is incredibly efficient – the selective element of pension entitlement is more than 50 times more inefficient than the universal element measured in terms of fraud and error alone and without even taking into account the cost of administration.
•In economic terms universalism is clearly shown to deliver Merit Goods (things we all benefit from) and Public Goods (things that could not be delivered without collective provision) which selectivity simply cannot deliver.
•The economic impact of universalism is much greater than the economic impact of selectivity because of the multiplier profile of expenditure
•Universalism also creates positive economic stability by mitigating the swings in the business cycle and creating much more economic independence among the population
•On virtually every possible measure of social and economic success, all league tables are topped by societies with strong universal welfare statesPage 2
•Universalism creates a higher and more progressive tax base which also improves economic stability, reduces price bubbles and creates more efficient flatter income distributions
•Universal benefits promote gender equality and do not suffer form the inherent bias built into a system designed within a framework of assuming a male breadwinner model of welfare
•There is a ‘paradox of redistribution’ which creates the rather counter-intuitive result that systems where benefits are not targeted towards low-income groups are the ones that most benefit low-income groups
•It is impossible to disentangle redistributive tax and universalism – if universalism is reduced, redistributive taxation is reduced and visa versa
•Where social services are ‘rationed’ for those on lowest incomes the quality of the services decline without ‘majority buy-in’ for those services
•Selectivity is not a form of universalism but the rejection of universalism. Selectivity is a cost-driven judgement, universalism a function-driven judgement
•Selectivity and universalism are elements of two entirely different political philosophies – universalism inextricably linked to the European Social Model, selectivity inextricably linked to US neoliberalism
•Wherever we find a move from universalism to selectivity we find privatisation and corporate profiteering, often at the expense of those least able to bear the impact
•If all of the available data is pulled together and the conclusions drawn, the historical and contemporary evidence strongly suggests that the appropriate response to austerity is to increase universal provision and so stimulate economic activity, equalise damaging wealth disparity and improve both government and wider economic efficiency
https://reidfoundation.scot/portfolio-2/the-case-for-universalism-an-assessment-of-the
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
My wife and I received the Winter Fuel Allowance since it was introduced, until we became ineligible last winter.
We always donated it to charity. We are not ‘millionaires’ as the nasty media and Labour/Tory mendacious narrative has it. But, we are comfortably off and can pay our energy bill easily.
However, during our working lives we made full NI contributions and paid all our other taxes. So, we are entitled to the payment. Like our state and other pensions the WFA ought to have been deemed part of earnings so that we would have to pay income tax on it. Raising the tax threshold would remove many pensioners from having to pay tax, but others, like my wife and I would pay tax.
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The Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson died yesterday aged 82.
Meanwhile in the Herald https://archive.ph/Pwblk another Brian Wilson continues to knock out unadulterated crap about politics off the back of having been an MP 20 years ago…
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Bitter is as bitter writes.
I’m always amazed at unionists ability to ignore their own government’s failings but to constantly cast up their own biases to independence through the SNP’s ‘failings’.
Which collective uses grievance politics each and every opportunity allowed to them?
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He doesn’t even attempt to disguise the lies –
The WFP for example, north and south of the border does not stop when the recipient gets 35k, it gets clawed back in income tax south of the border, a massive complication for HMRC…
For another, his tosh about nuclear for Scotland and that 1960’s thinking of ‘baseload’ when coal was king, now just 0.1% of the UK’s power supply according to HMG’s own figures for the last 12 months.
But get from the same official UK figures – 38% gas, 24.3% wind, 15% nuclear, 13.1% imports, 9% biomass, solar 5.8%, hydro 3.2% – Now have a think where all that gas is sourced from, where most of the wind and hydro are coming from, Scotland – Next look at just how far down the line nuclear kicks in, 15% – Now consider where it’s located despite the last cracked frenchman standing in Scotland for political reasons – Next consider what Imports, what Biomass, what Solar Scotland deploys at massive scale, and you soon identify Scotland’s problem over baseload, southern England.
Brian Wilson’s greetings are best summarised by
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Brian Wilson was always a fan of nuclear energy and was non-executive director of Amec Foster Wheeler Nuclear (October 2005).
He started off a socialist and founded the West Highland Free Press which promoted land reform. He joined the SNP briefly but sadly defected to the Labour Party which offers better opportunities to an ambitious young social climber. His Wiki entry is quite informative if you can spare the time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson_(Labour_politician)
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Presumably Mr Wilson is fully supportive of the cack-handed approach adopted by Reeves/Starmer to the WFP which appears to have seriously damaged their credibility with the Public . That would be consistent with his outdated views on Scottish matters .
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I shared BW’s youthful opinions up to the age of 25 or so, the era of WHFP + the footie fanzines he was involved in. Thereafter,I’ve never understood the ensuing 50 years of Unionism- sadly, just another careerist..(the montage with Robertson+ Darling is very apt- start on the left,then sharply to the right!)
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Thanks for that tremendous quote from Jimmy Reid, proving again what a deep and clear socialist thinker he was. The gist of his argument centres on the nature of a civilised society The quote below comes from his book of collected essays: ‘ Power Without Principles- New Labour’s sickness ‘
“Without social security society is a jungle. Yet these two words have become dirty in Britain; equated with ne’er-do-wells and scroungers. To me social security is to be secure in your home, on the street, in the community, in and out of employment, in old age, in sickness and health. It means, for example, parents of handicapped children living secure in the knowledge that when they die society will look after their children with tender respect. Such social securities are things of beauty. Priceless rather than costly. They make us truly civilised.”
Can I mention another illustration of the man’s erudition. He was on the Parkinson Show with that obnoxious snob, Kenneth Williams. I watched it live and remember being slightly repulsed when Williams tried to show how much better educated and cultured he was than this rough, common, working class ‘Scotsman’ whom he seemed to know nothing about.
After reciting a long verse, his high nasally voice dripping with even greater condescension than was normal for him, he turned to Reid and snarled ‘ You won’t know who wrote that ‘.
With a smile Reid answered in his deep, Clydebank brogue ’ It was Keats’. He then began reciting a poem of equal quality after which he gave it back: Still smiling, Reid said ‘You won’t know who wrote that.’ A pointed silence followed, then with a mutter Williams admitted defeat. What followed really made it ZING. ‘It was me’.
PS. The first time in the world the word ‘socialism’ was used was at New Lanark. Golden thread ?
Another illustration
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Just leaving a “like” as WordPress won’t let me click the wee blue star! Great comment.
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