War & Militarism Morning Star
Reform Scotland deputy leader branded ‘disgrace’ after accusing government of ‘genocide’
REFORM’S Scotland deputy leader was slammed as a “disgrace” after admitting he accused the SNP of a “genocide” against working-class people merely “to make a point.” Glasgow MSP Thomas Kerr had said t
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Glasgow MSP Thomas Kerr had said that he considered ministers responsible for the drugs death of his own father.
“I don’t know what else you would call that other than a systematic either failure from the Scottish government or a deliberate killing of working-class people because what we’re seeing is in communities like this, in the east end of Glasgow, if you stay in a community like this, the latest figures show that you’re 15 times more likely to die than if you stay in the middle-class area,” he said.
“So, I do think there is a genocide of the working class,” he added. “I do now think it’s deliberate from the SNP that what we’re seeing is hundreds of working-class people losing their lives every single year.
“The reason I used (the word genocide) is because politicians need to start taking this issue extremely seriously.”
Pressed on if he really believed the death of drug-users was a deliberate action by the state, he said it was “either that or it’s incompetence on a mass level.”
Having been elected to Holyrood in May after years as a Tory councillor, Mr Kerr claimed he had seen incompetence but “also the sinister side of some of the politicians” in the Parliament.
Drugs minister Maree Todd slammed his comments as a disgrace.
She said: “These suggestions are entirely untrue and this language is deeply irresponsible.
“We will continue to widen access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and life-saving naloxone.”
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