Alex Salmond clashes with Alistair Darling
As the whole of the UK is being forced into substantial efficiency savings in public sector services an almighty clash has taken place between Alex Salmond, leader of the Scottish executive, and Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling. Alex Salmond is furious that the Scottish budget looks set to be cut by around £500 million a year with Alistair Darling suggesting that savings to cover any shortfall could be made from public sector services.
Alex Salmond has for some time been a severe thorn in the side of the UK government and his aggressive stance, while good for newspapers, has provided very little assistance to the Scottish economy. Each and every thing which has gone wrong in Scotland has been laid firmly at the door of the UK government which is starting to wear a little thin with Scottish voters. While officially the reduction in the Scottish budget has yet to be calculated, it is widely known that it will be in the region of £500 million and could potentially see thousands of public sector employment positions put at risk.
The fight between Alex Salmond and the UK government goes on and while Alex Salmond grabs the headlines Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling have their hands firmly on the purse strings.
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