I'm unfortunately old enough to remember the state of the country the last time Labour lost power in the Callaghan era. An urban myth has grown up in Scotland that a big, bad THATCHER came in and decimated the country.
Well let me tell you, the COUNTRY WAS ON IT'S KNEES, very similarly as it is now. The economy was fucked after THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT who had been in thrall to their Union paymasters much as today's lot are to UNISON, left office with soaring unemployment, record bankruptcies and company failures, record public debt, record balance of payments deficit and the pound on it's knees. Willie Ross, the then Scottish Secretary pledged to resign if the Scottish unemployment total reached 100,000.
Today it's been announced that it's now reached 216,000 in Scotland and in Willie Ross's day the total included everybody who was 'economically inactive' which it doesn't today. That is an increase of 55,000 SINCE LAST MONTH. IN SCOTLAND! That's the equivalent of a town the size of Motherwell, Hamilton and Wishaw put together. Where's your RAVENSCRAIG now? I don't hear the sound of shrill union voices in protest!
But They shout, "it's a global downturn"! GLOBAL, MY FUCKING ARSEHOLE! This is LABOUR'S MESS and don't LET THE LABOUR BASTARDS OR THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND FORGET IT!
