Citizen Smart: SNP Government Record

Showing posts with label SNP Government Record. Show all posts

22 Mar 2009

Schools, pure mince, and apprentices

Brian Taylor has done some excellent detective work on his latest blog - one on the various claims and counter claims over the Scottish Government's schools building programme.

It is a bit of a read - it's a complex subject - and Brian with his BBC hat on pulls his punches in terms of conclusions. But I'll say what Brian couldn't - Alex is telling porkies.

Don't believe me? - read Brian's blog and the numerous posts that follow it - some from obviously well informed sources who know who commissioned what and when. And Eck's info - delivered in response to Ian Gray at FMQ on 12 March - is near 90% mince, pure mince. All from that "overworked" Civil Service of his.

I don't quite know what I expected from an SNP Government when I enthusiastically voted for one in May 2007. I knew independence was a long term project, and that some of the manifesto's policy promises were, shall we say, ambitious. But would the truth be too much to ask for?

And as a related postscript, I see Ian Gray has been left with egg on his face by the news that Lewis Doig, the Tranent apprentice supposedly facing unemployment and now in search of his Scottish Government apprenticeship guarantee, has in fact got a job. Indeed, was in a new job when Ian Gray raised his case live on TV during FMQs last Thursday. How shabby, what crap research - did you team not think to check?

A curse on both your houses. Scotland deserves better, could do better, will do better.

The truth is out there.

16 Mar 2009

There ain't no cure for these SNP blues?

From The Scotsman: 16 March 2009

"LABOUR yesterday hailed a poll which shows the party has overtaken the SNP in Holyrood voting intentions.

It comes amid falling support for an independence referendum. A YouGov survey found the SNP remains ahead on the constituency vote with 35 per cent, compared with Labour's 34 per cent. But on the regional vote Labour is on 32 per cent and the SNP on 30 percent.

This would give Labour 49 seats – up three, while the SNP would drop to 44 – down three. "

I say

That Labour is ahead at Westminster and to a lesser extent Europe comes as no great surprise - but getting that vote out will be a problem for the comrades in June so maybe not as rosy as it appears

Nor do the figures on independence referendum voting intentions surprise. Let's get real - the middle of a global recession ain't good time to go it alone. Thank god for Tavish's veto, long may he reign

But worrying is that the SNP Government is apparently behind on its own Holyrood patch, a patch where it controls the agenda, and only a few months ago it was comfortably ahead. Of course some of this slippage will be related to the global situation. But let's not kid ourselves this reflects some self inflicted damage; The humiliating abandonment of Local income Tax - and the pathetic reasons given: The failure to build new schools or hospitals: the catastrophically bad social housing outcomes ( yes -more money allocated ,but fewer house starts - what happens when you let duff anglo civil servants walk all over you with reject Blairite policies, Nicola ): That single tranferible excuse of a non existent £500 million cut - two years from now : That RBS link, including the ridiculous decision ot continue with Sir Fred’s sugar daddy, turned tax dodger, Sir George Mathieson as the Scottish Government's chief economic advisor ( a joke amongst the business community and politically astute, who all know he's still there for one reason - he's Eck's chum ): Creative Scotland.

And Ian Gray's Scottish Labour party - much better than that of Wendo . Understands it is in opposition and is playing the long game. Exploiting issues such as the ones listed above, and generally just more astute. And Jim Murphy - a winner. Look at his record from NUS to Eastwood - he is no clown.

Yes, there are some things that are outwith SNP control, but not all. Here the new heavyweight reinforcements of Alex Neil, Mike Russell and the fresh thinking of Keith Brown will help. But Nicola on Housing and a lesser extent health, and Fiona Hyslop and education ( try doing a single thing New Labour would not have done), and a few others - shape up or ship out.

The requirements now are altogether bigger than outmaneuvering a few lefties within the SNP caucus, or driving Margo and Dorothy-Grace out (what a waste of great folks) to get yourselves a bit higher up that list. It's now big issues, big forces - so get the finger out

Let this poll - and it's only a poll, and only one - be a warning.

The Unionist's gloves are off - time to bite back. But with measurable results, not slogans. Because, come polling day the SNP Government will be rightly judged on its record - and on quite a few vital fronts it ain’t that good. But two full years to put it right - but only if the SNP recognises these failures, not rally round the culprits.

And John Swinney – you are a star. Sort out the rest of them.

15 Mar 2009

The SNP Myth of the £500m cut and related matters

From Today's Scotland in Sunday

"Finance Secretary John Swinney is warning public sector chiefs that their budgets face being frozen until 2014, as the UK Treasury attempts to rein in spending. After inflation, the freeze would be equivalent to a 10% cut in spending on education, health and transport in Scotland, threatening every school, hospital and road project in the country.

Ministers have so far restricted themselves to predictions of a £500m cutback in spending in 2010, but Swinney has now privately prepared a longer-term analysis ahead of the UK Government's budget in April.

It predicts there will be no extra cash coming to Scotland from the Treasury until the middle of the next decade.The Finance Secretary is now demanding that massive savings be made across the public sector before the cuts kick in next year."

I usually support the SNP, little time for Labour

But on this latest spin, and on the ever repeated single transferable excuse of the current £500 million pound "cut", the SNP is just playing the politics of grievance.

Do they not understand basic Kenysian economics? - if you spend your way out of a recession, the consequences of this are restraints on public spending as you move out of it. This is the case the world over, would be the case in an independent Scotland, any kind of Scotland you care to imagine - except the Disneyland version,

As for the £500 million pound cut - it only applies to efficiency savings on existing programmes - a 1% reduction spread over three years, applied UK wide to all spending department in the face of a deflationary recession in which the private sector and voluntary sectors are typically taking cuts of 10% or more. And Government department wise, John Swinney has the easiest of tasks - the Scottish Civil Service is the most inefficient and flabby part of the entire regime.

There is no net cut. UK Government spending keeps rising and will rise even more in April's budget. Is the SNP not following what Brown is pushing for through the G20 ? A worldwide reflationary package which could see a £100bn increase in UK public spending, with close to £10bn of new money coming to Scotland. Yet John Swinney and his team are briefing on "cuts" They are either just thick or deliberately misleading. Take your pick?

This ain't serious politics for serious times - just posturing, getting excuses in early over the shambles, nae the myth, that is the Scottish Futures Trust. And no attempt whatsoever to deal with the blatant waste of resources and inherent inefficiency of the Scottish Civil service which is the real drain on everything - how, for example, a much hyped £100 million boost to affordable housing in Scotland has actually led to falling output. The system is than bad ( how Labour squandered billions on increased NHS spending to see it asked up by more pen pushers and a near doubling in doctors wages) Yet John Swinney seems to be protecting this system and chooses instead to lambast "London Labour" about non existent "cuts". Cuts, when Darling is provably - the Tories would say recklessly - increasing public spending

I do despair sometimes at the sheer dishonestly of some of the nats in high places, and the sheer gullibility of all the Nat bloggers who will no doubt condemn me as a "unionist stooge".

Go look at the figures? Go keep a copy of your own posts and remind yourself how stupid you will look on Budget day, 22 April.

Independent Scotland? Independent brains would be a start