Budget

SNP budget passed.

With the budget now passed into law and the SNP spending plans being put into effect, Scotland is moving ahead again with progressive and far-sighted policies to encourage business growth, counter the poverty and disadvantage caused by the Labour Government in London. An excellent budget for Scotland.

Labour's voting was bizarre. The SNP Government accepted a Labour amendment because it neither added nor took away from the motion (in terms of impact), so the Labour amendment was passed. Then Labour refused to vote for the budget - Labour MSPs abstained (with the exception of Cathy Craigie who voted against).

Who, exactly, thinks it's a good idea to win your amendment and then not vote for the motion? It's like making your dinner and then throwing it at the wall instead of eating it. Iain Gray justified it by saying doing that meant that Labour won their amendment but didn't have to vote for the SNP budget. We can all only aspire to those giddying heights of intellectual supremacy ...

Helen Eadie must have taken over as leader and no-one told us.