Editor’s NotE
MANDY RHODES
PPA Scotland Columnist of the Year 2007
mandy@holyrood.com
Compromised position
W
ith all the brouhaha over the budget it is perhaps worth be winners that he disregarded or simply forgot the power of
stating the obvious that politicians in different parties smaller parties than his and if that is the case then he needs to
have different priorities so arguing for their cause is an inevi-
It’
null
s the
remember when the SNP was not in government and reflect
table consequence of a democracy. It may have made good
Lib Dems
on how he felt to be dismissed as leading a disparate group of
pantomime over the last week but compromise is also an inevi-
that have
ne’er do wells that operated on the fringe of politics. And then
table part of minority government. It is clear that the SNP did
come out
when the Bill failed, the SNP threw its toys out of the pram and
not expect to see its initial budget voted down and Parliament threatened to resign. It would have been a far more dignified
witnessed the indignity of a deflated Mr Swinney who, even
of this the
result for the public not to have witnessed this unseemly row
with his desperate, last minute and frankly, indefensibly pugna-
best
but in a remarkable reversal of fortunes, that had little to do
cious attempts to get the Greens on board, failed to understand with political strategy on the part of the SNP and more to do
principle over policy. Patrick Harvie has unfairly been called with the cowardice of others, within a matter of days, the SNP
many things over the last few days but what has not been called
null
went from being the losers to the winners and the Greens from
into question is his fundamental adherence to the principle of troublesome irritants to the unlikely villains of the piece. In
a sustainable future. For some, particularly in these straitened the face of this catastrophe, Labour secured some additional
economic times, the Greens’ belief in investing in the future apprentices. But the real coup de grace comes from the un-
environment is dismissed as a luxury we can ill afford but Pat- likely quarters of the Lib Dems who immediately flip-flopped,
rick and his colleagues would argue that we can’t afford not to realising the consequence of what they had helped happen.
invest in it. Home insulation may be seen as political padding They abandoned their daft tax plan and agreed to co-operate.
but to the Greens it is a crucial plank of their agenda. John In fact it’s the Lib Dems that have come out of this the best. In
Swinney should perhaps take time from his celebrations to re- his quiet way, Tavish Scott has forced the First Minister to talk
mind himself that it was his job to get the Budget Bill voted to the Calman Commission which he had steadfastly refused
through and he initially failed in that task. He should question to do. Ok, this may have been knocking on a temptingly ajar
why that was. Why was it that he door – after all, where else is the
couldn’t bend a little more and money going to come from for
show a great deal more grace SFT other than new borrow-
and favour to his political op- ing powers – but all the same,
ponents, well in advance of the whether Tavish walked into
vote rather than in full view of the trap or created one, he has
all? The Greens should have turned around the perception
been in the bag, the Tories and that he was a politician with an
Margo already were and yet on unworkable plan into one that
decision day, it all went horribly can take part in grown-up talks
wrong. Given, that the Budget that involve more than just hov-
Bill now passed varies so very lit- ering up what crumbs are left on
tle from the one that the Finance the table. Tavish Scott has se-
Secretary first proposed, one can cured not just the passing of the
only reflect on the fact that the Budget Bill but also a mature,
SNP was unable to persuade long-term direction for the good
its political sparring partners to of Scotland’s future economy.
jump on board because of its ap- Well done, Tavish, I think you
proach to negotiations. Perhaps are back. Rescued from obscu-
John Swinney was so conscious rity by common sense and com-
that Labour could not be seen to promise. HM
SINCE LAST TIME . . .
...lunch with the ever thoughtful Malcolm Chisholm…attended the fairly downbeat 10th anniversary of the Sunday Herald where I had to
buy my own drink…read, with increasing annoyance, the Guardian supplement dedicated to the day the snow fell on London …watched in
disbelief Channel 4’s new reality programme which pits children against each other as they struggle to live in a world without adults…
| www.holyrood.com | Holyrood magazine | 9 February 2009 |
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