What the Nationalist Government is Good at?

Alex Salmond was havering on, and on, and on on Question Time last night at times you wondered just what was the point of the BBC paying for the other four guests, or David Dimbleby to turn up in Peterborough for in the first place. However, he kept on going on about the strengths that Scotland and Scots had.



Therefore I am going to highlight courtesy of Lib Dem MSP Jeremy Purvis something that we agree that the SNP are good at.



I can almost sense the intake of breathe from the collective SNP Blogosphere and Cybernats around North Britain as they take in what I have just said. But yes I did say I want to acknowledge one thing that the SNP government at Holyrood is good at.



Ok guys you can breathe out again now.



That one thing is risk management. Not in the classical sense I hasten to add but as Jeremy wrote in today's Scotsman:

"The SNP is almost constitutionally unable to be blamed for anything – either a
council should be doing more under the historic concordat, the SNP claim
councils have a record amount of money, or Westminster hasn't given the Scottish
Government enough money in the first place. "

Yes, the SNP have rick aversion, blame avoidance, innocence and light call it want down to an art.

Jeremy does have a point though you have to listen to most of Alex Salmond's answers to any challenge be that on Question Time, or in FMQs or any other forum and you can see where he is going. Every sentence that seems to come out of Alex Salmond's does one or the other. We need more money from Westminster, or we've given so much to the councils. It's like a child saying "Aw dad I need more money." Before going off and spending it on more and more stuff, but setting strict guidelines on just how much he will spend but the quality of perfection being sought from the good producers.


There are 3,599 targets in operation. They cover every base of SNP policy. So fall down on a target and you should be doing more, because they have been given record extra money.


Of course should a SNP led council, like say West Lothian, fail to deliver expect to hear the lament that though we have given record amounts Westminster haven't given us enough.

Just wait. You'll hear it carry on. Not enough money, boo hoo. Record spending what are you doing with it.

Ignoring the fact that the record spending doesn't nearly cover everything expected. Or you can't lay all blame for things you expecting and responsible for elsewhere if you're claiming to have provided to record amounts for the tasks.