Tag Archive for Cuts

POLL SHOWS DARLING SHOULD CUT TRIDENT NOT FRONTLINE PUBLIC SPENDING

September 9, 2009 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

OPINION POLL PUTS TRIDENT’S FINANCIAL FOLLY FIRMLY INTO FOCUS

As Chancellor Alistair Darling confirms Labour public spending cuts in a speech in Cardiff, the SNP seized on an opinion poll published today showing massive opposition to the Labour government wasting cash on a new generation of nuclear weapons, and called on the Chancellor to focus cuts on ‘white elephant’ projects like Trident and ID cards – and rule out real terms cuts by the Labour government in Scottish spending.

The ComRes poll for The Independent showed that the public overwhelmingly wants the government to scrap the Trident nuclear missile system and believes spending on health and education should be protected and rise each year.

Commenting SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP said:

“The SNP have a simple suggestion for Alistair Darling to cut his spending – abandon plans to spend £25 billion on a nuclear missile system we do not want or need and the vast majority do not want.

“With the debate about Westminster government cuts raging, this ComRes poll lays bare the incoherence of spending plans that include Trident.

“The position of Labour and the Tories in arguing for Trident is untenable in these difficult financial times.

“Labour must focus its cuts on unnecessary and unaffordable white elephant projects like Trident and ID cards – and in the teeth of recession Labour must rule-out slashing front-line services like health and education, and capital investment.

“The Prime Minister and Chancellor attack the Tories for planning cuts in UK spending and yet Labour are doing the exact same in Scotland. The Budget confirmed Labour’s plans for the first real terms cut in Scottish spending since the dark days of the Tory government in the 1990’s. It will mean a real terms cut in Scottish spending, and is the wrong choice in the middle of the recession.

“The SNP want the required savings to be made by the UK Government abandoning its foolhardy £25 billion plan to replace the Trident nuclear missile, saving up to £100 billion over its lifetime. And we are also calling on Labour to completely drop their proposals to spend billions on unwanted and unnecessary ID cards.

“The UK Government’s catastrophic financial failure underlines the need for Scotland to have responsibility to run our own affairs – with the ability to take the decisions needed to reflate our economy, contribute to recovery, and overcome the Downing Street downturn.”

BROWN BLUNDERS OVER SPENDING CUTS

June 10, 2009 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

DOWNING STREET DOUBLE STANDARDS ON INVESTMENT

The Prime Minister has been accused of double standards today (Wednesday) after claiming at Prime Minister’s Questions that the country faced a “choice between a government prepared to invest in the future and a Tory Party which is going to cut.”

SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP rounded on the Prime Minister over his claim, point out that the Scottish Government faces a real terms cut to its Budget of £500m from 20010/11.

Mr Hosie said:

“We all know the Tories plan spending cuts, but it is a bit rich for Gordon Brown to pretend he is not doing the exact same already. Labour and the Tories are peas in a pod when it comes to cuts.

“Gordon Brown’s boomerang blunder exposes the double standards of the Prime Minister’s position.

“Now that Gordon Brown has admitted that cutting public spending is the wrong thing to do, he must acknowledge the reality of his party’s damaging cuts agenda.

“Labour are planning to raid Scotland’s health, education and housing budgets by forcing the first real terms cut in Scotland’s public expenditure since the Tories in the 1990s.

“In contrast, the Scottish Government is focussed on investing in recovery from recession – today launching a skills support package to provide real financial support to businesses and individuals through the recession.

“The Prime Minister’s bluster demonstrates exactly why Scotland needs to be responsible for all of our own resources, with an independent Scottish Parliament controlling all revenue and spending in Scotland.”

RIGHT-WING ALLIANCE TARGET SCOTLAND’S SPENDING

February 5, 2009 Stewart Hosie MP No comments
LABOUR SCOTTISH SECRETARY MORE INTERESTED IN PARTY POLITICS THAN OPPOSING TORY CUTS

LABOUR SCOTTISH SECRETARY MORE INTERESTED IN PARTY POLITICS THAN OPPOSING TORY CUTS

Speaking following Scottish Questions today (Wednesday) SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP said that Tory plans to slash Scottish public spending had been “exposed for all to see”. Mr Hosie said that the three almost identical questions – on the Barnett formula and Scottish spending – were a massive embarrassment to Scottish Tory MSPs who are backing the Scottish Government’s budget.

Despite these questions Labour Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy exposed his party’s right wing alliance with the Tories by indulging in a bout of negative scaremongering against the SNP – an action for which he was pulled up by the speaker for using his office for party political purposes.

Commenting Mr Hosie said:

”The Conservatives plans to slash Scottish spending have been exposed for all to see. They are little different from Labour’s plans to cut £1 billion from Scotland’s budget.

”Behind David Cameron’s smiles and spin, just like Labour, the Tories are set on cutting Scotland’s budget.

“Apart from being extremely irresponsible at a time of recession, these bitter attacks are also acutely embarrassing for Scottish Tory MSPs who are backing the Scottish Government’s budget.”

During Scottish Questions Mr Hosie also called on Jim Murphy to “stand up to the Treasury” and ensure that the £1bn planned cut to Scotland’s Budget was reversed. Mr Hosie highlighted comments by the Labour First Minister of Wales who conceded that the Chancellor’s spending plans will mean almost £300 million of cuts in public services for Wales.

Mr Hosie said:

“Rhodri Morgan realises that this is the wrong time to cut public expenditure, and Jim Murphy should recognise that too. A Secretary of State for Scotland worthy of the title would be fighting the £1bn of cuts to the Scottish budget, not defending them.

“Instead Mr Murphy showed his partisan streak by failing to defend Scotland against cuts and was pulled up by the Speaker for using his office for party political purposes. He just exposed how London Labour plan a huge £1 billion cut in Scottish spending.

“It is totally unacceptable for the Treasury to chop £1 billion from Scottish spending – especially at a time when Scotland is in budget surplus, contributing far more to the UK exchequer than we get back in return.

“There is now no argument against fiscal autonomy for Scotland – the alternative is seeing our public spending being eroded year on year, and our public services being undermined.”

LABOUR “NO” VOTE WILL BE HEARD ACROSS SCOTLAND

January 28, 2009 Joe FitzPatrick MSP No comments

Speaking ahead of tonight’s budget vote SNP MSP Joe FitzPatrick warned the Labour party that should they become the first major party to vote against the budget they would be isolated across Scotland with council tax payers, businesses and communities all facing potential costs from Labour’s decision.

By voting against this year’s budget the Labour party would be voting against;

· £230 million of capital expenditure brought forward by the UK Labour Government’s pre-budget report
· support for 5000 jobs – particularly in the construction sector
· funding being brought forward for the SECC and the Edinburgh bioquarter, the Fife Energy Park, and road improvements across Scotland
· £50 million of additional spending in the NHS including building new health and dental centres in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Ayr and Inverness
· £70 million of early investment in affordable housing

In addition Labour will be voting against

· Council tax freeze and increased funding for local authorities
· £40 million increase in funding for free personal care
· Investment in tackling hospital acquired infection
· Investment to reduce waiting times and to cut prescription charges further
· Abolition of business rates for 120,000 small businesses
· More bobbies on the beat

Joe FitzPatrick said:

“If Labour become the first major party to reject a Scottish budget the SNP will make sure that decision is heard loud and clear by communities and businesses across Scotland.

“Labour will be voting against jobs, against business and against investment in our public services.

“They will even be voting against the UK Government’s decision to bring forward capital spending to help the economy at this difficult time.

“They will be forcing their own local authorities to cut back on services and increase council tax by between £130 and £400 to make up the difference.

“Midlothian council has already agreed a council tax freeze – Labour will be voting to take funding for that freeze away from them – leading to cuts in services.

“Iain Gray is so desperate not to look like “mince” this year he is threatening to make a dogs breakfast of Scotland’s economy.

“No major party has ever voted against the Scottish budget and Labour must realise the serious social, economic and political consequences of their actions.”

HOSIE ON INTEREST RATE CUT AND MONEY PRINTING

January 20, 2009 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

‘CHANCELLOR MUST CONSIDER SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS’

Commenting on the announcement today (Thursday) of a further 0.5% cut in interest rates by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, SNP Treasury Spokesman Stewart Hosie MP said:

“As we head into a recession, any action to make it as short and shallow as possible is welcome, but the scale of this and recent cuts shows how critical the situation has become and confirms that the banks are not yet lending again to businesses and individuals.

“The UK Government must take further measures to ensure money starts flowing. In addition to this cut they must review the 12.5 % dividend they are expecting from the recapitalised banks.”

In response to reports the Chancellor is considering printing more money to help boost the economy, Mr Hosie added:

“I would urge the Chancellor to think carefully about the very serious implications this move. What Treasury officials will describe as quantitative easing will conjure up images of wheelbarrows full of worthless cash for everyone else – and risks future inflation and a further serious weakening of sterling.

“In addition to monetary policy, the economy needs a fiscal stimulus. Analysis produced by the Scottish Government suggests that a programme of capital investment of equal value would have safeguarded twice as many jobs as the recent VAT cut.

“If the UK Government was really committed to supporting the Scottish economy, they would scrap their planned £1 billion cut to Scotland’s budget in 2010 and 2011 which pose a major threat to jobs and services in Scotland.”

SNP STEP UP CAMPAIGN AGAINST LABOUR SPENDING CUTS

December 4, 2008 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

“FIRST THE ‘SLEEKIT BILLION’, NOW UP-FRONT CUTS”

Scottish National Party MP Stewart Hosie today stepped up the campaign against the billion pounds of cuts that the UK Labour government are threatening to impose on Scotland’s budget over 2010/11 and 2011/12.

Applied equally across UK Departmental Expenditure Limit budgets, the £5 billion cuts proposed by the UK Government in each of these two years would cut Scotland’s budget by £380 million a year. And the reduction of the health department’s capital budget in England of £1.4 billion in 2010/11 would cause a recurring cut in the Scottish Government’s capital budget of around £125 million.

Earlier this year, the SNP highlighted £1 billion of spending that was being withheld from Scotland by the Treasury – including the £120 million of Scotland’s fossil fuel levy, the Scottish Government’s own underspend, and the failure to apply the Barnett Formula to spending south of the Border in areas such as prisons spending, London Olympics regeneration, and police and firefighter pensions.

Treasury Spokesman Stewart Hosie said:
“First, we had London Labour’s sleekit, backdoor spending cuts in Scotland – withholding a billion pounds of spending that could and should be flowing through the Scottish economy to help fund a reflationary funding programme.

“And now, Labour are proposing a billion pounds of upfront cuts to the Scottish Government’s budget, at a time when record Scottish oil revenues are flowing to the London Exchequer – £55 billion over the coming six years compared to £41 billion during the previous six.

“Scotland needs to escape from the financial straightjacket imposed by Westminster, which is why we need the full financial freedom of independence – a Scottish parliament and government with real economic powers so that we can make the right decisions for Scotland.

“A range of small European nations – such as Norway and Finland, and indeed the Eurozone as a whole – are projected to keep on growing, while the UK plunges into recession.

“The case for independence is compelling, and Labour’s budget cuts will be a dominating issue in Scottish politics over the next two years in the run up to the Scottish Government’s planned referendum.”

 

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