LOTHIAN MSP TAKES ALEXANDER TO TASK ON INEQUALITY
Alison Johnstone, Green MSP for Lothian, is accusing the UK Government of paying lip service to the chronic inequality in society.
Alison, a member of the Scottish Parliament's economy committee, today quizzed Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander as part of the committee's inquiry into the economics of independence.
She questioned Mr Alexander's use of what she called the "narrow prism" of GDP growth and highlighted that the UK is one of the most unequal societies in the developed world.
Alison said:
"We know that fairness matters more than national wealth to people deciding how to vote in September, and the chance to tackle the chronic inequality ignored by successive Westminster governments is one of the most compelling reasons to vote Yes. For the Chief Secretary to claim this can be better tackled by sticking with the status quo proves how disconnected from reality he and his colleagues are.
"It was also interesting to note that Mr Alexander failed to answer my perfectly reasonable point about post-Yes currency negotiations. Is he really suggesting that whoever forms the UK Government in 2015 would be unwilling to negotiate in a respectful way?"