Better budget?

February 16th, 2009

As it turned out, the world as we know didn’t come to an end when the Scottish Government failed to get its budget through parliament last week.

Our schools and hospitals averted financial collapse and the threatened Scottish election was put on hold for another few years.

It is clear that the scenes last week in Parliament, of government ministers scurrying around the chamber cutting deals, was viewed with dismay from those looking in.

That type of last minute horse-trading is not look on favourably by a public concerned where their taxes are being spent and I believe those involved will have learnt their lesson.

But the only surprise for me at the budget’s initial failure to win support was that people were surprised.

After all, this is a parliament of minorities and important pieces of legislation like the budget shouldn’t be just rubber-stamped.

In the aftermath, we have shown that when the will is there, and minds are focussed, we are able to fast track an agreement for the budget.

Hopefully it has also produced a model for future negotiations, with honesty and openness at its core.

Of course, there will be those who have their doubts about how this was handled and how it will be handled in future.

Whatever our concerns, I ask myself one simple question – do we have a better budget now than we did first time around?

I think so, and I am sure those 8,000 apprentices whose jobs were created in the revised budget will agree.