POLL SHOWS DARLING SHOULD CUT TRIDENT NOT FRONTLINE PUBLIC SPENDING

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.”

CHANCELLOR SHOULD TAKE OWN ADVICE ON CUTS

SPENDING CUTS RISK CHOKING OFF RECOVERY

SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP has called on the Chancellor to act on his own advice after Alistair Darling, delivering the Callaghan lecture in Cardiff today, warned cutting public spending now would risk "choking off" the recovery and prolonging the downturn.

Mr Hosie pointed out that Scotland faces a real terms cut to its Budget of £500m from 20010/11 as a result of Labour cuts.

Mr Hosie said:

“Alistair Darling needs to put his money where his mouth is and rule out Labour’s planned spending cuts to Scotland ’s budget. The Chancellor is absolutely right that cutting frontline spending now risks choking off recovery and prolonging the downturn – and he needs to act on his own advice.

“Now that Alistair Darling has admitted that cutting public spending before the recession has ended 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.

“Alistair Darling’s double standards show 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 .”

HOSIE COMMENTS ON LLOYDS LOSSES

SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP has commented on the announcement of losses today (Wednesday) by the Lloyds Banking Group.

Mr Hosie said:

“The black horse bank is up to its ears in the red - and we must hope that the level of these staggering debts has peaked and results will improve in the months ahead.

“Lloyds blame HBOS for dragging it down, and it is quite clear that Gordon Brown sold the country a con with his cut and shut merger of the two banks.

“This announcement, along with news that Northern Rock is borrowing an extra £11 million a day from taxpayers, and that bank lending to businesses has dropped by a record amount over the last quarter, all underline just what a mess the economy is in as Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling go off on their holidays.”

SNP SEEK ASSURANCES OVER ELECTION TV DEBATES

The SNP is seeking guarantees that the party will have a place in any UK-wide TV debate between party leaders ahead of the next General Election. The party’s election campaign co-ordinator Stewart Hosie MP today (Sunday) confirmed that he would be writing to broadcasters to make sure that the party would be part of any UK-wide broadcast.

Mr Hosie said:

“Scotland has a long tradition of party leader debates, and it is high time that we had them at UK level for the next General Election.

“Peter Mandelson has raised the issue again, and although it might have made Gordon Brown choke on his cornflakes when he heard it, the political parties and broadcasters should seize the initiative.

“And the broadcasters must meet their obligations to audiences across the UK – and so that would have to include Alex Salmond’s participation in any election debates involving Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

“We are obviously prepared to be flexible about options for the format, but the broadcasters’ public service obligations require them to be fair to their audiences in Scotland, and indeed Wales.

“Both the SNP and Plaid Cymru are now parties of government, the polls indicate we are aiming for substantial success at the General Election, and our voice must be heard. We will certainly be writing to the broadcasters at an early stage about this issue, so that they can be in no doubt about the position.”

TIME FOR ACTION OVER BANK LENDING

CHANCELLOR’S WARM WORDS NOT ENOUGH

Commenting on the meeting between Chancellor Alistair Darling and banking bosses over the costs of borrowing for small and medium sized businesses today (Monday), SNP Treasury Spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP said:

“It is essential that the banks – many of them effectively publicly owned – start lending again to small and medium sized businesses.

“I am sure that every MP including myself has been approached by local businesses about not being able to access new and cheaper lending facilities or being offered extortionate rates.

“That has to end and the Chancellor must follow his warm words with action now. For months he has been making these warnings to the banks and we have not seen any improvement in the situation.

“Alistair Darling has had months to sort this problem out and this time must follow through or lose what remaining confidence he has left with the business community.”

GERS SURPLUS SHOWS INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND WOULD PROSPER

£2.3 BILLION BUDGET BONUS FOR SCOTLAND

SCOTLAND’S RESOURCES PROPPING UP GORDON BROWN’S OVERDRAFT

SNP MP and Treasury Spokesman Stewart Hosie has welcomed the publication of Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland 2007/08 which in highlighting Scotland’s £2.3 billion three year surplus confirms Scotland’s ability to prosper as an independent country and adds to the
case for full fiscal autonomy.

The three year surplus, in contrast to UK Government deficit over the same period puts pay to the claims of the Calman Commission on fiscal autonomy and to the Scotland Office’s contrived efforts to fiddle the figures.

Commenting on the publication of Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland report 2007-08 which confirms Scotland’s economic potential Treasury Spokesman Stewart Hosie MP said;

“With this three year surplus of £2.3 billion even GERS is showing Scotland would be in a far healthier financial position than the UK as a whole.

“It is clear that the flow of resources is from Scotland to the rest of the UK, not the other way round and with oil revenues projected to reach £13 billion in 2008/09 Labour’s ridiculous attempts to talk down Scotland’s economy and fiddle the figures have been exposed.

“Even before this recession Scotland’s revenues have been propping up Gordon Brown’s overdraft instead of being invested in our economic future.

“In fact these latest figures are only the most recent to show Scotland in a consistently stronger financial position than the UK as a whole with far more sustainable revenue and expenditure.

“The SNP have long known that Scotland could flourish as an independent country, now GERS shows that Scotland would be a prosperous nation with a budget surplus.

“Today’s GERS figures, added to those of the last two years finally put to rest the daft arguments spouted by the London based parties for years. The naysayers and doom-mongers of Scotland’s economic future will need to rethink their position.”

“With Independence and full fiscal autonomy Scotland will be well placed to thrive, as we invest our resources in Scotland’s future.”

BROWN PUTS POLITICAL SURVIVAL BEFORE ECONOMIC ACTION

SNP REDOUBLE RECOVERY ACTION WHILE STRUGGLING BROWN SHELVES PLAN

The contrast between the London Labour government and the SNP Scottish Government was further highlighted today with the Scottish Government setting out an updated Economic Recovery Programme a day after it was reported that the UK government's “next steps” recovery plan - which was due for publication today - was shelved by Gordon Brown because Ministers did not have enough new ideas to produce a convincing package.

The Scottish Government's programme sets out an updated Economic Recovery Programme so Scottish households and business can benefit from a range of measures to help them through the recession – including an extra 31 million pounds set to support new housing across Scotland.

SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP said:

"Gordon Brown seems more concerned about his own political survival than the economic recovery of the country. If he and his Ministers have run out of ideas then they should look to the Scottish Government for inspiration.

"On the day that the Prime Minister has been forced to shelve his ‘next step’ plan because of a lack of ideas, the Scottish Government has stepped up its economic recovery programme with new measures and new money.

"The update to the Scottish Economic Recovery Programme builds on the many actions already underway, and comes on the same day as Scottish Development International publishes strong annual results showing the Scottish Government is pursuing the right programme to promote recovery and protect jobs in Scotland from the current downturn.

"Labour really are out of ideas and out of time. It is little wonder more than half of those questioned for a poll over the weekend said that Gordon Brown's continued presence as prime minister is damaging the country.

"And with Labour and the Tories planning damaging spending cuts for Scotland - even as Scottish oil revenues swell the Treasury's coffers by 30 billion pounds over the next five years - SNP success at the General Election is essential to stop the Westminster cuts and keep our economic recovery on track.”

BROWN BLUNDERS OVER SPENDING CUTS

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 .”