Squealing about cuts

Forget all the comparisons with the rest of the UK. The bottom line is that Scotland spent more than it earned last year. Even taking the most generous view of income, by splitting North Sea revenues geographically rather than per capita, we overspent by £3.4bn. That is a heck of a lot of money. Calton has always maintained that the SNP would have to raise taxes in an independent Scotland in order to finance their profligate spending. Now it transpires that, secretly, they are planning cuts instead, including cuts to our pensions. The SNP have also started to realise that oil revenues are volatile - nice to see that you've caught up guys. Better late than never. Now that we are all singing off the same page, how about coming clean with the costs of becoming independent, such as setting up our own tax system, foreign office, defence etc etc etc? Or does Calton have to get the claws out before you'll squeal?