Is Scotland in good hands?
News that Alex Salmond, the leader of the ruling SNP in Scotland, has been somewhat liberal with his recent comments about housing budgets and assistance has caught the attention of opposition parties. In a move which was designed to show that Alex Salmond could call upon extra funding when required he announced an 'extra' £100 million to boost affordable housing in the country, failing to mention that this is money which had been earmarked for the 2010/11 tax year.
While Salmond was recently voted one of the best ever Scottish politicians in a public vote he seems to prefer spin over substance in many situations. He has a gift of talking himself out of a hole as well the ability to woo the voters on controversial issues. In many ways he is starting to resemble the Tony Blair government of old and Mr Blair's ability to capture the imagination of the public and keep them on his side.
However, politics is not all about spin and PR as at some point Alex Salmond will be caught out unless he backs up these promises with cold hard new cash. He has cleverly blamed the UK government for a lack of funding in some areas and begun a seemingly endless battle with the Brown government, but this will not bail him out forever.
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