David Maddox: Budget - Harvie's twists and turns (2)

Latest is that the Greens are now thinking of abstaining. Talks are going on as we speak with John Swinney and Alex Salmond. But if they do abstain the words of James Mackenzie, the Greens' spin doctor, in the weeks leading up to this debate may come back to haunt them.
He said over and over again: "In the current political mix, an abstention is a vote in favour of the budget without getting any of the credit."

As an amusing aside, Liberal Democrat chief whip Mike Rumbles has just lectured Alex Neil on his lack of spirit of co-operation. This is the same Rumbles who was sent in for the Lib Dems' one and only meeting of budget negotiations on the basis that he was better at walking out in a huff than finance spokesman Jeremy Purvis.