IN general, I like to believe in the goodness of people. Especially those involved in public service, activism or politics.

That’s not to say, of course, that rank opportunism and blatant careerism doesn’t exist around the cabinet tables of either Scottish or UK Governments – they do.

Not to make it too personal but there’s a plethora of examples of politicians currently sitting in the seats of power, more than likely within portfolios they have no “real-life” experience outwith politics, who have pretty much just played the game of party activist to political staff member to elected representative.

It’s not great. It’s hardly unique to Westminster or Holyrood but it’s partly why we get the wrong politicians and it’s why we get the wrong policy decisions.

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Labour’s welfare reforms are one of those decisions. I don’t believe anyone – even those with naked political career ambitions or otherwise – sets out to make bad decisions in government.

I’d especially hope that those who are members of the Labour party – a party built upon the values of social justice, fairness, equality and, yes, built by the workers movement – don’t deliberately want to make people’s lives harder.

But that’s precisely what their welfare reforms do. They’re making it more difficult for those who already experience extreme difficulties in their lives to seek support.

That’s not the basis of good government and it’s not the change people voted for last year.

Austerity and cuts in public spending is the wrong course of action........

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