David Maddox: Minister's electric shock

The SNP spin machine is a pretty effective one and certainly ahead of the game in Scotland at the moment.
But it appears that the party spindoctors paid for by the tax payer may have taken their eye off the ball for a recent publicity stunt in Glasgow by Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson when he was test driving an electric car or perhaps they left it to their civil service colleagues.
The footage run by the BBC showed the minister testing the car in a cordoned off area which is normally used for disabled parking. This at a time when a bill has gone through Holyrood protecting disabled parking, as pictured below.

So not only was the minister denying disabled people parking spaces, it is possible he may have actually been breaking the law.

The author of that bill, Labour Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie, has called on Mr Stevenson to apologise and make a donation to charity in recompense.

David Maddox: Budget - Margo MacDonald speaks, SNP in trouble

Independent MSP Margo MacDonald has implied she may vote against the budget or at least abstain because John Swinney has not offered enough for affordable housing in Edinburgh at a time when the capital "is facing a social tragedy" in housing.
Support is melting away for the SNP's budget.

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie says that the budget can be passed on February 14 and be well in time for Scotland's accounting timetable.