I WAS very interested to read the report of the visit from Mr Starmer to Greenock on Saturday June 1, even if he did appear to think he was in Glasgow.

Now I know we have an election and politicians are promising the world , even though they say they aren’t. Over the past weeks something that has really caught my attention, given that we are all being battered with high energy bills, is  this  'Great British Energy Company' that Labour are talking about.

How is that going to work and how would Scotland benefit?

So I thought I would take a look. Is the plan for a publicly-owned company to generate additional energy? Apparently not, it’s actually an investment vehicle. Ok? So who would be investing? Keir Starmer says that a large portion of this would be from private investment. Labour say that  as well as providing cheaper energy, profits from this company would go to taxpayers. Does this sound plausible?

When I looked at the energy situation and saw just how much renewable energy, which is the cheapest form, is produced in Scotland and supplied to the rest of the UK I had to ask why we are being hammered with high bills. It doesn’t make sense!

From what I can see, Scotland is giving far more than it is getting out of the present energy arrangement and Scottish households are paying far more to heat our homes than we should need to.

Some more thoughts about a Labour government, seeing as they are sticking with Tory financial policies. At the moment we don't pay for prescriptions in Scotland,they do in England. In Scotland our young people have access to higher/further education without having to fork out massive tuition fees. In Scotland our children are supported from birth, starting with the baby box which contains clothing from newborn up to six months, a mattress and mattress protector, two fitted sheets, thermometers, a changing mat a bath towel and books. Child benefits such as the Best Start Grant up to £707.25 (one off). The Scottish Child Payment can give £25 per week.

In fact, there are 13 benefits which are only available in Scotland which indicates to me that the choices that are made by the Scottish Government (bearing in mind that they are on a restricted  fixed income) are on the whole made with the wellbeing of the people of Scotland front and centre.

Are they perfect? No. Do they get it wrong sometimes? Of course they do.
What do Labour think about this?

Given that they will have their hands on the UK purse strings, will they realise that not only is it morally right to focus the economy on the wellbeing of the population it's also fiscally sensible and the more we invest in lifting people out of poverty the healthier and more productive they will become.

Or will they decide that it’s more important to spend Scotland's money to help pay for nuclear weapons which we should never be able to use?

Politics is about choice. Only Independence with access to all our finances will enable Scotland to make the best choices for the wellbeing of our people.

Irene McLeod
Wemyss Bay