Scottish Government funding crisis created by SNP, paid for by working Scots

This week, 17 years of economic failure and financial mismanagement came home to roost for the SNP. In a desperate attempt to plug the budget blackhole at the heart of Scottish finances, Shona Robison took an axe to Scotland’s already overstretched public services.

Her vague statement provided little insight but it did confirm job losses and budget cuts are coming. From healthcare to education to justice, Scottish institutions are already creaking under the weight of years of SNP incompetence.

These cuts will hollow out services even more and hit the poorest communities in Scotland hardest. And despite the misery these cuts will cause, the government still hasn’t actually fixed the problem. The statement was a cobbled-together collection of sticking-plaster solutions, designed only to buy the Scottish Government another year.

The SNP is always adamant that someone else is to blame for their decisions, but experts say otherwise. The Scottish Fiscal Commission confirmed much of the budgetary pressure comes from the Scottish Government’s own choices; the Fraser of Allander said this crisis was caused by SNP government decisions made last year and incompetent planning around public sector pay.

No amount of SNP deflection can change this simple fact: the Scottish Government’s budget went up, but it’s still making cuts. SNP mismanagement and waste led us here. A crisis made by the SNP, paid for by working Scots.

The nationalists are insulting the intelligence of voters by pretending a Labour government that has been in office for mere weeks is to blame. This SNP government is incapable of taking responsibility for its many mistakes.

Finance Secretary Shona Robison can't hide the fact that 17 years of economic failure and financial mismanagement are coming home to roost for the SNP (Picture: Andrew Milligan) | PA

There are record-high waiting lists in Scotland’s fully devolved NHS. Exam results declined and the attainment gap widened in Scotland’s fully devolved education system. Police officer numbers in fully devolved Police Scotland are the lowest since 2007. But the SNP insist it’s nothing to do with them.

As more and more Scots suffer as a result of SNP incompetence, ministers’ attempts to deflect responsibility feel like salt in the wound. The least the public deserve is honesty, particularly when they’re being asked to pick up the bill for government failure.

There’s no room for SNP spin while patients are languishing on NHS waiting lists, children are stuck in temporary accommodation, and workers are worried about redundancy. But far from using her statement to provide some sorely needed transparency (or better yet, an apology), the Finance Secretary dusted off the same old tired excuses.

She doubled down on an NHS budget gap of £1.1bn identified by NHS Scotland chief executive Caroline Lamb and added further cuts of £115m, reducing mental health services, primary care and the independent living fund for disabled people. 

One thing has been clear throughout this sorry saga: this SNP government is completely out of steam, has lost its way and hasn’t had a fresh idea in years. For too long, Scotland has been trapped in a cycle of decline under the SNP, with services collapsing while taxes rise.

But change is possible. In the general election, Labour got rid of one dysfunctional government, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to oust another. Scottish Labour will put an end to SNP chaos, prioritise growth, end the waste and secrecy, and treat taxpayers’ money with respect.

Jackie Baillie MSP is Scottish Labour’s deputy leader