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Sir,

 

I am normally immune to the hot air constantly pouring forth from the mouths of our elected representatives, but this week Angus MacNeil MP reached a whole new level of hypocrisy with his statements on Carer's Allowance and I feel moved to respond.

 

I can only assume that Mr MacNeil is one of those people who thinks problems are solved by throwing an extra few quid at those who are most directly affected. Let us hope that his remit never extends to drugs and alcohol abuse then. For those of us who are in receipt of Carer's Allowance it isn't about our benefit - something that quite honestly is just as well for our politicians.

I appreciate that this may be a difficult concept for your average self-serving politician to grasp, but carers do what they do out of love, compassion and respect. The notion that this can have any kind of financial value is ridiculous - where would you stop? National Minimum Wage? Living Wage? National Average Wage? How about an MP's wage, or is what a carer does of less value to society and humanity than what you do Mr MacNeil? The annual increase of £600 would probably buy you 3 or 4 days residential care by the way.

 

The truth of the matter is that you could take our Carer's Allowance away, and we would keep on caring. That's just what we do, and for lots of us there is one burning question in our minds. 'What happens when I can't do this? What happens when I am too old, or too frail, or when I die? What happens to my loved one then?'

 

It is in the answers to these questions that the party which you represent, Mr MacNeil, has dumped on the carers of Scotland from a very great height indeed. Irrespective of how much money Holyrood receives or doesn't receive from Westminster it is your party that allocates the NHS funding and it is your party which has cut it in real terms. How ashamed are you that your party, the self proclaimed protectors of NHS Scotland, has a worse track record on NHS spending than a Tory government in Westminster?

 

On top of this, the squeeze that your party has put on local councils, including our own, is abominable. Hospital beds are blocked by those awaiting care home places, highly caring professional people are on zero hours contracts and given insulting 15 minute slots to visit clients. I'm sure you'd love to blame the councils themselves for this but wouldn't it be fairer to observe that the aim of this squeeze has been deliberate - blame Westminster Tories, blame local councils, but if something is wrong you mustn't blame the SNP.

 

Tell us Mr MacNeil, what was so important that your party has failed to protect NHS Scotland funding? Tell us also what was so important that your party decided to severely compromise the ability of every local council in Scotland to provide social care? Please though, don't tell us how much the SNP care about carers. It simply isn't true.

 

Ewan Cameron

7 Sraid A Phrionnsa,

Creagorry

Isle of Benbecula

Letter: Hypocrisy over Carer's Allowance

1 May 2015