Budget jargon

September 21st, 2009

The Scottish Government unveiled their budget amid a blizzard of big numbers and jargon this week.

Given the state of the nation’s finances caused by the global recession, there is a general tightening of belts all around the country.

And the Scottish Government is no different going by the statement to the parliament on Thursday.

Having listened to the lead-up, the statement and the commentary afterwards, my sympathy is with the people at home trying to make sense of it all.

All the talk of real terms increases, inflation adjustments, accelerated capital, flexibilities, Barnett consequentials and efficiency savings would confuse anyone.

And that is before you get to unhelpful acronyms like EYF and CSR.

Anyone would think the politicians and the arms of government don’t want people to know how they are spending their money.

The starting point for me was the independent confirmation from the Director General of Finance that the budget was a real terms increase of 1.3 per cent.

That’s an increase of £600 million, making the current budget more than double what the first Scottish Government had to spend more 10 years ago.

There may be a debate about the overall money available but there should not be an argument about having to spend that money wisely.

With jobs being lost, overtime being cut, houses not selling and household budgets being squeezed, ordinary people are making choices, spending less and demanding more value.

So why should government expect to be any different?

Whether you call them cuts or efficiency savings, the truth is the one thing we can’t afford to be economical with.