Scotland, p.26
Scotland, page 26
James surveyed the room. He could sense their unease and see the confusion on their faces.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘You will have immense power to make change. It will take some getting used to.’
The Conservative leader stood. ‘Very worthy ideas, I’m sure. But you can’t just take away the assets of private companies. Some of the care homes are owned by major companies, with millions of pounds tied up in the properties, and as for the land it may be owned by organisations with immense political power.’
‘Why not? We just did. Every care home in Scotland is now the property of the Scottish government and its people. Managers and employees will be offered positions. Shareholders and owners will no longer take massive profits. Is that a problem for you? Think about it – every care home will suddenly benefit from the full rates they charge, and the excess will go back to councils to build more. Everything will be better; carers will be paid more, and facilities will be vastly improved. As for the land, if it does not have a useful purpose or a private house, then it can be requisitioned for the benefit of all. New homes will be built for people, not for rental profit for absent landlords.’
‘But the government will be sued; the court cases will be massive.’ The ex-conservative leader shook his head. ‘It’s naive.’
‘Not in Scottish courts. We are not constrained by old laws or the financial world, or the courts of any other country. Elsewhere, they can do as they like. Energy security using green production, care homes, and housing, are just three of the problems we intend to resolve immediately. There are a lot more.’
‘How will we pay for this?
James paused. ‘Our system will be based on four core principles which will form the basis of our economic and political philosophy. They are firstly—’
Maggie stepped forward and touched his arm. ‘I’ll do this bit.
‘The only way it is possible, is by changing the system. We will simply stop the upward flow of money from the many to the few, from people to companies, from the workers to the rich. This happens with every pound you spend. From the bankers investing your savings and taking home million-pound salaries, from the interest rates on your mortgages, from the profit on the rent from your homes, from your food, from your health and care systems, from your electricity and gas and fuel. From everything you buy. The rich manipulate our tax systems and abuse the same system to further maximise their profits. We will simply stop the upward flow of wealth – that is our first policy.
‘We will develop a fair economy by the tax system’ and by rewarding the workers and producers of the goods for their work. We will eliminate poverty.
‘We will build a better place by making citizenship a thing to be proud of and appreciated, so that all feel they belong, are participating, but also contributing.
‘We will build a future by putting sustainability over growth. We will prioritise home-grown food and products against imports, and not only for food, but for expertise, goods, infrastructure, and energy. We will make it ourselves, build it ourselves, and grow it ourselves. And be self-sufficient in green energy. We will be a model for how the world has to change.
‘We are not just talking sustainability only on climate or the conservation of nature, but sustainability of jobs, of businesses, of culture, of happiness and wellbeing. We intend to make this country something out of the ordinary. Something great. Something special. New Scotland. This is your chance to do something worthwhile that will live on. You can make history.’
She looked around the chamber. ‘Are you with us?’
A surprising number of people added volume to the cheers and applause, and James saw that even some of the ex-Conservatives put their hands together. He noted without any dismay how Maggie had managed to capture the crowd much better than he would have.
He did not want to add anything to ruin the mood. He wanted them all to leave on a note of optimism.
‘James?’ Maggie said.
‘Remember, this is not just a New Scotland we are building. It is a better one,’ he said. ‘You can choose to be part of it or not, but either way you will be living in it. I hope to see every one of you tomorrow. If you decide to join us, to shape the future, to make this vision into reality, then come back here tomorrow. Take the oath of allegiance to the New Scotland and be ready to start work.’
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David Lee Knight, Scotland
