SEVEN candidates were quizzed on poverty spending cuts and unemployment at a hustings in Easterhouse.

 

Labour's Margaret Curran and Natalie McGarry of the SNP clashed over further austerity and which party would mean more pain for people in Glasgow.

Labour, SNP, Tories, Greens, LibDems, Ukip and the SSP were all represented at the event hosted by FARE in Easterhouse.

Ms McGarry when questioned by an audience member said that SNP plans would see austerity continue for longer until the budget was balanced.

But she said it would be to protect the most vulnerable for the worst excess of current cuts.

Ms Curran denied Labour had voted for £30bn of further cuts.

Ms Curran said:"there has been some misrepresentation of this. The £30bn cuts vote is not true. The vote was for a Charter of budget Responsibility. All the main parties say they believe in balancing the books."

She said Labour would grow the economy and said there were taxes that needed to be increased. She said: "you need to say where you are getting money from. It's time for the better off to shoulder the burden more."

Ms McGarry was asked about the Institute of Fiscal Studies report stating the SNP would spend less and lead to longer austerity.

Ms McGarry said the SNP wants to increase spending by 0.5% which she said the IFS said would extend austerity longer.

She said: "I would be happy to take a wee bit more austerity if we can protect the poorest."

She said communities like Easterhouse can't take any more cuts.

Ms McGarry added: "If that means it take longer to pay off debt an austerity lasts a wee bit longer I'm happy to do that."

For the Greens, Kim Long said her party would cut Trident. She said "it's immoral". She added: "We would end the bonus culture and tie the pay rises of chief executives to that of the lowest paid worker in the organisation."

Liam McLaughlin SSP candidate said he wanted a £10 minimum wage to allow £11bn to be saved on tax credits which he said propped up multi-national firms paying low wages.

He said: "let's make legislation for a dignified Living Wag, not just encourage firms to pay it."

Gary McLelland, spoke for the LibDems, Andrew Morrison for the Conservatives and Arthur Thackery for Ukip.