LONDON PARTIES ALL HAVE SCOTLAND'S BUDGET IN THEIR SIGHTS

LONDON PARTIES ALL HAVE SCOTLAND'S BUDGET IN THEIR SIGHTS

ONLY SNP LOCAL AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONS CAN PROTECT SERVICES

Following today's BBC Scotland Politics Show, in which all three London
parties confirmed they are intent on cutting Scotland's budget, SNP
Treasury spokesman Stewart Hosie said:

"Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems are all hell-bent on slashing
Scotland's cash. Whether it is Labour's 'deeper and tougher' cuts, the
Tories' 'Cameron Cut' or the Lib Dems' own 'Clegg Cut', every passing day
brings further confirmation that they want to inflict damaging cutbacks to
Scotland's public services.

"Tweedledum, Tweedledee or Tweedledem, it makes no difference - all three
London parties have the same cuts agenda when it comes to Scotland.

"George Osborne's refusal to rule out a so-called 'needs assessment' of
Scotland's budget merely confirms the reality of the Cameron Cut, which
has now been underlined by Derek Brownlee's support for a Tory UK
Government railroading through a carve-up of Scotland's budget without the
consent of Scotland's national Parliament - and against the Treasury's own
rules.

"The Cameron Cut has holed the Tory campaign in Scotland below the
waterline, causing their support to plummet.

"Labour and the Lib Dems are no better, and Jeremy Purvis has today backed
Lib Dem manifesto author Danny Alexander in calling for the Liberals' own
needs assessment formula for Scotland - the Clegg Cut. While Alasdair
Darling continues to threaten "deeper and tougher" cuts than those under
Margaret Thatcher.

"But there is another way. A balanced parliament will help protect
Scotland from these savage cuts, and if Scots voters want a balanced
parliament they should vote for SNP local and national champions."