Women vote No

It is only a few weeks since the latest Rich List figures were published, in which we learned that Scotland’s 100 richest people have “surged to new heights” with their wealth rising 19 per cent in the past year.

The SNP’s plan to cut corporation tax below even what UK Chancellor George Osborne will set would make those already phenomenally rich people even richer. So how will this contribute to fairness and equality?

One might also hope that women ministers, some of whom are working mothers themselves, would understand that child-care needs don’t stop at age five.

But even in the case of the under-fives, the SNP has asserted the programme has to wait until independence because otherwise the taxes paid by mothers newly into work would presently go to the UK Treasury.

By this logic, no attempt should be made to bring any jobs at all to Scotland at present, because the taxes paid would, and I quote the First Minister speaking about these women’s jobs, “go into George Osborne’s back pocket”.

Has any female Nationalist protested against this notion of equality and fairness?

Did these ministers confess that their government had cut thousands of part-time places at our further education colleges, to the obvious detriment of those whose caring responsibilities prevent them from entering full-time courses?

They produce a white paper in which there is very little that addresses concerns of particular interest to women.

And they wonder why most women are voting No. They could try looking at Labour’s achievements in both Westminster and Holyrood for a start.

Maria Fyfe

Ascot Avenue

Glasgow