SNP "end of austerity" is load of bollocks

[David Johnson]

As I expected, the SNP manifesto economic plans, far from ending austerity, prolong it for the Scottish people. In short, Nicola Sturgeon is Nick Clegg in knickers.



According to the IFS which is the nearest thing we have to an independent assessor of all the political parties' economic plans -

"It found that while the SNP would increase total public spending in real terms each year (by 0.5 per cent) "departmental spending would be broadly frozen between 2014?15 and 2019?20, and departmental spending outside of the NHS and aid could be facing a cut of 4.3 per cent". Real-terms cuts to all departments between 2010-11 and 2019-20 would amount to 9.1 per cent under the SNP, 12.1 per cent under the Conservatives, 5.9 per cent under the Lib Dems and 4.6 per cent under Labour. In the case of unprotected areas (everything excluding international development, the NHS and education), the SNP is forecast to cut by 22.2 per cent, the Tories by 27.6 per cent, the Lib Dems by 18.3 per cent and Labour by 13 per cent."

"Their stated plans do not necessarily match their anti-austerity rhetoric," the IFS concludes of the SNP

Looks like the Scottish voters for independence had a lucky escape!

[Essex Lad]

Not really as you can bet your bottom dollar that the price of a deal with Labour will be another referendum.

[number 6]

EL, there can't be another referendum for donkeys years. You can't have a once iin a lifetime vote like that then ask for another just because you think people have changed their mind.

[Arginald Valleywater]

Tell that to Mc Sturgeon and her gang of English haters...would love to see the BBC do a "Who do you think you are?" and find both sides of her family weren't Scottish.

[Essex Lad]

Er, the EU do.

[Peter]

Essex Lad wrote:

> Er, the EU do.

Yep, I seem to remember the Irish having to vote again after picking the 'wrong' option first time round.

[Essex Lad]

As did the French.

[Milk Tray Man]

... and the Danes.

[Peter]

Our EU overlords don't seem to like their people democratically coming up with the 'wrong' answer, do they?

Reminds me of the line from the US president in 'Love Actually'

"You can have whatever you want. As long as it's what we want"

[David Johnson]

Well we will see, but I think you are paying far too much attention to the Tories and their 90% of the British press' scare stories.

I don't think the SNP will have that kind of influence to get the go ahead for another referendum.

1.Miliband has stated that there will be no coalition with the SNP. That is not going to happen.
2. What could happen is Labour in charge of a minority government with other parties such as the SNP in a confidence and supply agreement where the SNP will vote on an individual law basis. In that situation, Labour will refuse to agree to a referendum being given for Scottish independence.
3. If the Labour party puts forward a budget which the SNP vote against then they will bring down the government and the SNP will be known as the party that put Cameron and the Tories back in office. Not a record that the SNP would like to have.
4. The thing to keep in mind is that there is no one more scared of the reality of Scottish independence than the leadership of the SNP. In the referendum, they wanted everything to stay the same: use the same currency; have the same monarch, carry on being in NATO, carry on being in the EU, carry on watching the BEEB etc. etc.
5.Nicola Sturgeon knows what side her bread is buttered because she is even rowing back on full fiscal autonomy for Scotland stating that it could take many years before it was implemented. In the Scottish referendum vote the SNP argued that they would be up and running with full fiscal autonomy as an independent nation by 2017. I suspect the fact that the IFS anticipate oil income to be 10% of the SNP estimate for 2016/2017 may well be a factor.

Come on lads, get with it. The SNP are the pantomime party of British politics. They are no more of a risk to Britain than my gran is. Unfortunately for the Scottish voters they appear to have naively bought the SNP line about everything being the fault of Westminster.