I think you just made me sure
Labour's justice spokesman Richard Baker brought one of our favourite songs to mind today, with an outburst (reported in the Herald) that lays bare just exactly how stupid Scottish Labour still thinks the electorate is. A study by the OECD has found that the pay gap between the highest and lowest earners has grown more quickly in the UK than in any other high-income country since 1975, with a particularly sharp rise since 2005. With no detectable shame, Baker was quickly moved to note in response that:
"This survey only confirms what Labour has been saying for months now. Under the Tories the rich get richer and the poor get poorer."
We hesitate, readers, to point out anything so blindingly obvious for fear of insulting your intelligence, but… of the six years between 2005 and now, Labour was the UK government for five of them. Of the 36 years between 1975 and the present day, Labour was in charge for almost exactly half (17 out of 36), and for 13 of the last 14.
Of course, we shouldn't be surprised that the lot of the poor didn't improve over that time – as Labour MP and Baker's prospective new leader in Scottish Labour, Tom Harris, has sneeringly reminded us recently, "We weren't set up as some sort of charity to help the poorest in society". But that Baker genuinely appears to believe everyone will already have forgotten Labour's record in power speaks more about the attitude of Scottish Labour than we could ever do.
"Brassneck"
(The Wedding Present, 1989)
No, I sent you that letter
To ask you if the end was worth the means
Was there really no in-between?
And I still don't feel better
I just wondered if it could be like before
And I think you just made me sure
But then that's typically you
And I might have been a bit rude
But I wrote it in a bad mood
I'm not being funny with you
But it's hard to be engaging
When the things you love keep changing
Brassneck
Brassneck
I just decided I don't trust you anymore
I just decided I don't trust you anymore
The first time you came over
Do you remember saying then you'd stay for good?
No I didn't think you would
Well we couldn't have been closer
But it was different then and that's all in the past
There, I've said it now at last
You grew up quicker than me
I kept so many old things
I never stopped quite hoping
I think I know what this means
It means I've got to grow up
It means you want to throw up
Brassneck
Brassneck
I just decided I don't trust you anymore
I just decided I don't love you anymore
I know, you weren't listening were you?
I'll just go, whenever you'd prefer to
I said it means a lot when you use an old phrase
But then so what? We can't have it both ways
I know, you're not bothered are you?
Even so, I'm not going to argue
He won't object, keep writing to me
Just don't forget you ever knew me.
