The Independant Budget Review was published this week, setting out potential areas of savings that could be made by ScotGov in 2010-11 and beyond. They include pay freezes, privatizing Scottish Water, dropping free care for the elderly, reforming funding for higher education and all sorts of other nasties. This is going to be a big challenge to all politicians in Scotland, across the political divide. As the Cabinet Secretary for Almost Everything, John Swinney (above) will however have to declare his hand first, and is under huge pressure to do so at the moment to allow others to plan ahead. He is trying to put off declaring his views for as long as possible, hoping that something will happen that will allow him to avoid being branded as the evil axe-man. The SNP were hoping to be saltering in to this autumn with an Independance election taking place in November. Not much talk of that now.
The above photo is taken from Scotland on Sunday today.........a touch of humour being used to illustrate a very serious matter that will effect all of us over the next few years.
Very few people would begrudge John Swinney his job at present.....all politicians will have to be up to the mark very shortly. Expect more colourful journalism like this.
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