A good day to bury a bad budget

For immediate release 25 January 2012

Commenting on today's Scottish budget debate, Greens have expressed concern that this important debate has coincided with the First Minister's 'international press conference' on the referendum consultation.

Green MSPs have repeated their calls for a reversal to the counterproductive cuts to Scotland's colleges, housing, public transport and active travel budgets at the same time as a huge increase in funding for motorways.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

"Today's budget debate will receive a fraction of the coverage that it deserves, and I question why the Scottish Government has chosen to organise its agenda in this way. It's a bad budget, and it deserve full attention and scrutiny at every stage.

"John Swinney's rhetoric on achieving broad agreement on this budget would be more credible if he acknowledged the many voices condemning his cuts to colleges and sustainable transport. The SNP risks snuffing out their 'progressive beacon' if they choose to fund misguided capital projects such as the Aberdeen bypass rather than investing in young people and a low-carbon transport system."