Slainte George!

At last - a budget for savers! About time too! There is something perverse about a society which rewards those who are up to their necks in debt while punishing the prudent (and by prudent, Calton means those who behave responsibly and put something by for their future, not the Gordon Brown "boom and bust" definition of prudent). There is no point in having an economic recovery if it is based on debt-fuelled consumer spending. We've been there and done that and, while it felt nice at the time, it didn't last. We need a recovery based on more manufacturing and greater exports and Calton is pleased to see that heavily energy-dependent industries are to be given a helping hand. Scrapping the planned fuel duty rise will benefit not just families but businesses and is also a welcome decision. All in all, Calton sees very little to complain about this year and a lot to be happy about, including the fact that there is no extra tax on his favourite malt. Slainte George!

SNP - losing touch with reality?

Calton is seriously concerned about the collective mental health of the SNP government. They seem to be increasingly losing touch with reality and are, instead, living in a world of their own making. Having tried to bully Westminster into accepting a currency union with an independent Scotland by stating that it would "make sense", they now accuse Westminster of trying to bully them now that Westminster are refusing to play the game. It seems that the SNP are so lost in their own assertions they are unable to cope when someone introduces a note of reality. Interviewed on Newsdrive today, SNP MP Stewart Hosie was completely unable to accept the fact that it looks like all three main parties at Westminster are going to give currency union the thumbs down tomorrow. He clung to the idea that it is only a bluff, like a drowning man clings to a plank of wood. Well good luck with that, Stewart. As far as Calton is concerned, Osborne, Balls and Alexander will bring some much-needed clarity to the independence debate if they rule out a currency union. Far better that we know where we stand before we vote in September, rather than believing all the SNP's assertions and Oprah-style positive thinking. It is now becoming crystal clear that the SNP are so convinced of their alternative reality that they have no plan B for an independent Scotland's currency. They cannot imagine anyone not agreeing with them. It seems to Calton that such an attitude is bordering on the delusional.

Ahm no playin wi you

It doesnae matter how much you want to play - if the other team grab the ball and walk off the pitch, you're scuppered. If the other team are the rUK with George Osborne as manager, they'll probably take the goalposts as well. OK, so John Swinney can throw a strop and refuse to pay oor share o' the debt. Nah nah ni nah nah! (Thumbs nose.) Or the SNP could grow up and realise that they can't always have things all their own way. That would be a good starting point for negotiations in the event of Scottish independence, instead of all the current assertions from the Scottish Government which seem to completely ignore the fact that, if rUK don't want to play ball, there's nothing we can do about it. If Swinney is genuine about having a "rational and considered discussion" with Westminster, it's time he actually put his mouth where his money is and got on with said discussion. At the moment there's far too much rhetoric and not nearly enough reality.

We need to talk about benefits

George Osborne is quite right in saying that we need to have a debate on whether the state should be paying for those who clearly do not want to work. In seeking to ensure that children do not have to go to bed cold and hungry in modern Britain, we have created a situation where, instead, they are being used as income sources by the likes of Mike Philpott. Which is more damaging, Calton wonders? Children should be valued for themselves, not for the money they bring into the home, and some are still going to bed cold and hungry in 2013. Scrapping the subsidy for renewables which we are all paying through our fuel bills would be a good start to solving that particular problem, as would reducing fuel duty, which affects the price of nearly everything we buy in our supermarkets. Shifting the focus away from topping up the earnings of the low paid via tax credits to supporting businesses to pay a higher hourly rate would also help. The increase in the tax-free allowance to £10k is already helping to take many low-paid workers out of the tax system and Calton is very much in favour of it - one of the few things he agrees with the Westminster Libdems on. Work needs to pay and welfare should only be for those who really need it, not the work-shy.

Hoping for a landslide

Whether or not you agree with capping banker's bonuses, it is very worrying that the UK is not in control of the decision, which is being forced through by a majority vote in the EU. This is a decision which should be made in Westminster, not Brussels. No other European nation has a financial centre to compare with London. It is a major driver of our economy and needs to be protected by our parliament. George Osborne is doing his best but the real problem is our continued membership of the EU, which is not in our best interests. What is it going to take for our politicians to realise this? A landslide victory for UKIP in next year's European Parliament elections? Here's hoping!

Thankyou George

At last! A politician who listens! Calton is really pleased to hear that George has decided to give us a break by scrapping the planned 3p increase in fuel duty. For many small businesses diesel is the main cost and so keeping the price down is crucial if we want them to survive and grow. The high cost of fuel is also hitting rural areas very hard, indeed, some parts of Scotland are turning into a petrol desert with the closure of filling stations.  There has to be a better way of subsidising petrol and diesel prices in rural areas - are you listening Danny?

The three monkeys

If anyone was in any doubt as to which party Pete Wishart belongs to, his performance in Brian's Big Debate earlier today in Aberfeldy, when he refused to answer questions on what independence would actually mean for Scotland, confirmed him as a fully paid-up member of the SNP. (That's the See No Problems with independence because we've got our hands firmly clamped over our eyes party). Fortunately the electorate are not so daft, or not in Aberfeldy at any rate.

Meanwhile, John Swinney emulated his dear leader by not-answering-the-question-by-going-on-the-attack in response to George Osborne's comments to the BBC on the effect of independence on the Scottish economy. Calton wonders just how cast-iron the SNP's position is that an independent Scotland will keep the pound - they seem to be back-tracking on some of their other policies at the moment, policies which seemed to pretty cast-iron a few months ago but are now full of rust.

Perhaps the SNP's new symbol should be the three monkeys with their hands over their ears, eyes and mouth - because they ain't listening, they can't see any problems with the way they are heading and they certainly aren't answering the questions the voters want answered.

Doing a U-turn on fuel duty

There is nothing wrong with doing a U-turn unless you happen to be travelling on a dual carriageway and so Calton welcomes today's announcement on the postponement of the 3p fuel duty rise from this August to next January. George Osborne has obviously been listening to the views of the electorate and, in particular, the Fair Fuel campaign. Now all we need is a fair and effective way of subsidising fuel costs for our rural communities, both island and mainland.

In support of Fair Fuel

Given that our economy needs a bit of a leg up, and given that diesel is a major component of the costs of many small businesses, Calton thinks it makes sense to reduce the tax on fuel and is a supporter of Fair Fuel UK. So are the SNP, however there are precious few Scottish MPs from other parties who have signed up to the campaign - just a couple of Labour MPs. If your MP is not on the list, email them to ask them why not! The more MPs who sign up, the more George Osborne will have to listen. High fuel costs are crippling Scottish businesses and hindering economic recovery. We need a break!