Budget 07: Deal Or No Deal?

12.00.00am GMT Thu 15th Nov 2007

Today's Scottish Budget has exposed that the SNP Government's sums don't add up. According to the Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland, Nicol Stephen, today's Budget consisted of sham promises and shifty auditing.

Following the Budget statement in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Stephen said:

"John Swinney should have used his statement to admit what we all know; that the SNP sums simply don't add up. It would have been difficult. But it would at least have been honest.

"Instead, this is a Budget of sham promises and shifty auditing. A Budget of deception, spin and half-truths. And on the public services that the people of Scotland care about most, this Budget deceives the most.

"On class sizes, on police officers, on nursery schools, the SNP have failed to fund their commitments. On the environment, on housing, on free personal care, the SNP promises are unravelling. And student debt remains the ultimate SNP sum that didn't add up.

"And we know that they know. What is shocking is that they now don't care.

"They have spent the last three weeks telling journalists that they will be forgiven for all their broken promises if they can freeze the council tax. Today, they haven't even delivered that.

"How many councils, across the whole of Scotland, have given John Swinney a commitment to freeze council tax? How many councils across the whole of Scotland have given a commitment to deliver class sizes of 18? How many councils have promised to deliver 1000 new police?

"Look at the fiasco of that police announcement on Monday. They started the day with the promise of 1000. By lunchtime it was down to 500. By the end of Newsnight Scotland it was possibly zero - but it was hard to say precisely because, said the bold MacAskill, sometimes officers are away on training courses and can be hard to count.

"Crystal clear in opposition. Now it unravels.

"For John Swinney, the question is 'deal or no deal?' Is there a deal with councils so that there is not a single child in a class of more than 18? Or is that dropped? Is there a deal to deliver 1000 extra police? Or is that dropped? And will John Swinney take responsibility if council tax rises by a single penny, anywhere in Scotland in the next three years? Deal or no deal?"