Hamish Macdonell - Making the books balance
THE deadline passed today for any amendments to the Scottish Government's budget - without any being tabled.
But this is not quite as clear as it sounds. The budget can still be changed right up until the moment that John Swinney sits down at 5pm next Wednesday at the end of the budget debate.
Swinney can introduce late changes himself and amendments can be put down on the budget motion itself, although these have to be general, not specific spending plans.
So Swinney will hold talks with Labour, the Tories and the Greens tomorrow. Labour wants more emphasis on skills, the Tories want town-centre regeneration and the Greens want money for home insulation.
Swinney will do his best to reassure all three without giving too much away. If he agrees to their demands tomorrow, they will come back with more and more demands every day between now and next Wednesday.
This means the brinkmanship will go on until 5pm next Wednesday but ministes believe they will get their budget.
The bottom line is that, in the current economic climate is anybody really prepared to play politics and block a budget which will do things like accelerate capital funding for infrastructure?
SNP ministers are gambling that the opposition will not take that chance but, as usual, no-one will really know for sure until next week.
ends
But this is not quite as clear as it sounds. The budget can still be changed right up until the moment that John Swinney sits down at 5pm next Wednesday at the end of the budget debate.
Swinney can introduce late changes himself and amendments can be put down on the budget motion itself, although these have to be general, not specific spending plans.
So Swinney will hold talks with Labour, the Tories and the Greens tomorrow. Labour wants more emphasis on skills, the Tories want town-centre regeneration and the Greens want money for home insulation.
Swinney will do his best to reassure all three without giving too much away. If he agrees to their demands tomorrow, they will come back with more and more demands every day between now and next Wednesday.
This means the brinkmanship will go on until 5pm next Wednesday but ministes believe they will get their budget.
The bottom line is that, in the current economic climate is anybody really prepared to play politics and block a budget which will do things like accelerate capital funding for infrastructure?
SNP ministers are gambling that the opposition will not take that chance but, as usual, no-one will really know for sure until next week.
ends
Labels: budget, Hamish Macdonell, John Swinney.
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17:29
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