As the reality of massive rises in our energy bills arrives in our In-Box or Letter Box, households and businesses are struggling to find how they will pay. Faced with, at the same time, rises in basic foods, mortgages and rents – we ask – What is going on?

There have been 3 major events affecting the costs we are facing.

1. The decision by the UK Government to leave the largest free trade market in the world – the European Union
2. The Covid pandemic
3. Russia invading Ukraine

The UK left the EU with no plan in place just a promise on the side of a bus that was broken before the paint was dry. This made the UK economy susceptible to any unforeseen global disasters. That came along in the form of a virus that spread rapidly, shutting down travel, affecting trade and in the UK (so far) killing 216,887 – with even more people suffering from long Covid. And to make matters even worse, Russia invaded Ukraine affecting supplies of oil and gas.

If that was not enough to contend with throughout this whole period the UK has been led by an incompetent Government with a revolving door of Prime Ministers. A Tory Party driven by a right wing, anti-immigrant, anti human rights agenda has exposed as never before the deep chasm there is between the direction the UK is on and that which Scotland wishes to take.

It’s good news for some

Shell has announced profits for 2022 of £32.2billion ($39.9b).

BP has announced £23billion profits after tax for 2022

Norwegian state-owned oil company Equinor has announced £62billion in profits for 2022.

You don’t have to be an economics professor to look at those figures, then at your energy bill, and notice that there is something very wrong.

Those who kept us going throughout the two periods of lockdown in 2020, the frontline workers, are now having to take industrial action for pay claims they put on hold whilst the Covid pandemic spread through our communities.

Churches and other local groups are opening their doors as centres where people can keep warm and get a hot meal. Foodbanks have never been busier.

It is the job of Government to manage the economy using the taxes we pay them to provide, not just their own wages, but the services citizens require to remain healthy both in mind and body. So intent has the Tory UK Government been on pursuing its right wing agenda – that Scotland hasn’t voted for since the middle of the last century – that it has completely failed the ordinary working people.

Scotland chose in 2014 to stay within the UK. Would it make that same choice now?

Fiona Grahame