Letter: Finance flaws

There is something sterile and demoralising about the debate about the Holyrood elections (leader, 16 March) and the somewhat bitter and twisted assertion by George K McMillan that Scotland is not a country (Letters, 15 March).

The drivers in the Labour-led devolution campaign were to thwart the SNP and prevent the Conservatives from governing Scotland. The English West Midlands, too, voted Labour, and had to suffer the Tories. They were not offered devolution - but Labour's problem was that Scotland was a nation!

Devolution retained the Westminster block grant. There was no appetite for the 3p income tax-varying power, so the money available to whatever party held power was virtually finite and it has to operate within the limited resources.

The other McMillan (Iain, director of CBI Scotland) deserves no credit for continually griping about the politicians. He ignores the fact that if more is to be spent in one area, there is less to spend elsewhere.

So far as Scotland "falling behind" England is concerned, that is his cherished devolution at work. In any event, if England spends more on education through tuition fees or a graduate charge, there would be no Barnett consequences. So we have to consider the options.

Thus far, the SNP favours no tuition fees, and Labour has fallen into line. A graduate charge would not pull in any funding in the short term; the Scottish Government would have to put the money up front pending the charge clicking in much later. Does Iain McMillan favour tuition fees or the graduate charge? And what does he make of the Scottish Government's obligation to spend 75 million to provide free places for EU students?

I doubt whether any party will put forward a manifesto intending to deceive or be in denial about the reality of the funding available. Regarding the SNP, no party has done more to highlight the realities and the constraints. Perhaps, as a member of the Calman Commission, he favours implementing its flawed income tax proposal and meeting extra education costs from that source.

Labour is responsible for the constitutional chaos that we have. Only the unionist parties support Calman and the Scotland Bill, so it will pass through Westminster unhindered, but who will take the blame when it all goes pear-shaped?

Douglas R Mayer

Thomson Crescent

Edinburgh