EFFECTIVE attack by Iain Gray MSP today (in The Sun) on SNP plans for a “local” income tax. Iain rightly points out that with so many organisations opposing the plan, it would be “unpardonable folly” (now, where have we heard that before?) to proceed with it.
I don’t believe they will. Nor do I believe they ever intended to.
Alex Salmond is many things and “stupid” is not one of them. “Breathtakingly cynical” is, however. The SNP “government” desperately need excuses for the growing number of manifesto pledges they’re unable to deliver, and apart from their flagship referendum promise, this is the biggest one.
Of course, they could admit their own culpability. But let’s face it, that’s not going to happen, is it? Far easier to blame someone else: the classic “a big boy done it and ran away” excuse, the “big boy”, in this case, being the government (as opposed to “government”). Yes, the plans are fatally flawed, and yes, everyone – including members of the Scottish Executive – can see that. The SNP’s financial reasoning is about as watertight as… well, as something that’s not very watertight at all, actually.
No, the aim of Salmond and Co. is not to introduce a local income tax, or even a “local” income tax; their aim is to fail to introduce it, blame the UK government and then hold a referendum, citing Westminster’s alleged sabotage as a reason to break up our nation.
We should be grateful to Iain for exposing the plans as unworkable; the blame for this new tax’s ultimate non-introduction will lie full square in Bute House and nowhere else.
26:11 
Perhaps the only reason the SNP are unable to deliver on their manifesto pledges is they are a minority government. If you’re so keen for their promises to be implemented perhaps Labour MSPs should stop voting against SNP policies in Holyrood.
I don’t recall the Labour manifestos in 1999 and 2003 making reference to needing the Lib Dems to push through their agenda.
Although I agree with you that a local income tax is madness.
By the way you never did tell me how many doctors, policeman and other “essential public services” you had to cut back on to pay for the £2.7 billion Crewe and Nantwich election bribe.
You set ’em up, I’ll deliver the punchline:
“growing number of manifesto pledges they’re unable to deliver…”
such as a referendum on the EU treaty.
If todays headlines have any truth in them, it looks as though the Fuhrer cannot even deliver on his own fiscal rules.
Does Labour spend our money like it was Zimbabwean Dollars? Does the Pope wear white pants?
The SNP are the government – minority or not. Failure to implement policy is failure to find consensus and that failure rests with the SNP alone.
Labour are not the only opposition….
Scottish Labour mambers seem to find it peculiarly satisfying to block SNP manifesto policies and then run around shouting “broken manifesto promises!!” in the hopes that people won’t realise that if the SNP had a simple majority they’d implement them immediately…
And you know what Richard, with the Daily Record peddling Labour propaganda to the Glasgow working and non-working masses, it might just work.
Are Scottish Labour REALLY shouting “broken manifesto promises” about the SNP? I mean … REALLY?
Good Grief! I think I must have slipped into a strange parallel universe where the ridiculous is somehow seen as normal.
Where’s the Doctor and his Tardis when you need him?
Not entirely sure, but there are three, possibly four hour-long specials planned for 2009 with season five starting in 2010.
I started reading the article but like with everything Iain Gray says or does I got bored really quickly and started doing something else.
Just try to find me a more boring and overrated Labour politiciain.