EDITORIAL: Labour and Liberal Democrats betray Scotland in childish ‘victory’ downing the Government’s budget

The Scottish Government’s budget was lost at Holyrood today (28th January). This has cast an unforgiving light on the lack of maturity and sense of responsibility of the Scottish Labour and Scottish Liberal Democrat groups at the Parliament. It has left the Green Party looking like two – yes two – shrill jilted lovers complaining that they weren’t offered a deal early enough.

So it’s about deals, not about Scotland, not about a Government that has taken Scotland to a world-leading position in the development of renewable energies. It’s about deals, not about a Government taking political risks in its forest leasing scheme in order to pursue climate change measures without hitting the taxpayer as hard as would otherwise be necessary.

But the problem was that the Green’s weren’t brought into the big room early enough – all two of them.

This marriage of playing politics on the one hand and suffering from self regard above their station on the other leaves Scotland in crisis. The country now has no budget in place at a time when its economy is suffering hard from the UK’s financial crisis with business failures and significant job losses.

To sharpen awareness of just how bad the situation is, tonight the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that the UK will plunge more deeply into recession than any other major country. Our output will fall this year by 2.8% – the worst retraction among the advanced nations.

It’s not as if there was anything actually wrong with the budget. It is universally acknowledged that Finance Secretary John Swinney has, from the outset, been an outstanding and responsible performer in this role. No previous Labour/Lib-Dem Finance Minister since devolution has come anywhere near him in ability and attention to the profundity of his responsibilities. His abilities throw into relief the ineptitude of UK Chancellor, Alistair Darling.

This was a case of the Labour and Liberal Democrat party groupings – distinguished only by their joint failure in the past to rise to the challenges of governing Scotland – overturning a minority administration for the sake of causing embarrassment to their rival party in power.

Do they really think that their supporters will feel they’ve done a good job for Scotland today?

The Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Anabel Goldie, whose group supported the Scottish Government’s budget, angrily described the Labour and Lib-Dem groups as ‘seeing themselves as passengers in Scottish politics rather than as players with responsibilities’ at this time of recession.

Under Ms Goldie’s leadership the Scottish Conservatives have been the only party of opposition to recognise and carve an independent but responsible line through the new Scotland.

Independent MSP Margo MacDonald – recently revealed as a singularly honourable MSP submitting a negigible expenses claim, voted for the budget.

First Minister Alex Salmond is unequivocal that if the budget cannot be got through – and a timetable has now been set to offer it again – he will have no option but to go to the country in an election. As he says, a Government that cannot get its budget through cannot govern.

Given their past performance and this supreme act of political irresponsibility, there can be little chance that the Scottish people will find the appetite to trust the Labour/Lib-Dem coalition to take power. This is particularly the case in the current recession where Scotland and the UK faces unprecedented economic difficulties.

Finance Secretary John Swinney has the choice of doing deals to try to gain some more support – or putting the unaltered budget back to the vote.

For Argyll sees the second choice as the only one to take. Mr Swinney has already made responsible compromises in the preparation of his budget. Making more in a scramble for already tainted votes would be uncharacteristic of a hugely capable man whose budgets have always been marked by a strategic vision for the development of the country.

Let the parties that have brought this country to its knees take responsibiity for their action and face the electorate. Mr Salmond says that his party, the Scottish National Party is, as of now, on an election footing. Bring it on. Scotland deserves much better than this playground mess.

The photograph above, of Finance Secretary John Swinney, is reproduced here under the Creative Commons licence.