As
the wheels increasingly fall off the Tory election battle jalopy, their
Scottish branch office has managed to claim that a vote for the Tories in
Scotland is a vote both for and against the same policy. Apparently, if voters in Scotland vote Tory,
they’re voting to keep the winter fuel allowance as a universal benefit in
Scotland whilst introducing a means test on the benefit in
Englandandwales. And because it would
not be a standalone piece of legislation, but part of the budget, it would not
be affected by the legislation on English Votes for English Laws, so any Tories
elected as part of ‘Theresa May’s Team’ from Scotland would be whipped into
supporting the means test, whilst leaving the party’s MSPs free to oppose it in
Scotland.
It
gets better; because of the effect of the Barnett formula, the savings following the imposition of a
means test in Engalndandwales would reduce the budget available to Scotland,
which would then have to cut other spending to finance the continuation of the
benefit. So the Tory MSPs get to oppose an
unpopular policy being introduced elsewhere by their own party, demand that the
SNP doesn’t follow the Westminster Government on this policy, and then
criticise any savings made elsewhere to pay for the policy. Win-win, eh?
But
how do they manage to keep a straight face?
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