SNP's reaction to Labour's Budget just exposed how foolish they really are – Jackie Baillie

Take Budget day for example, one of the dramatic high points of the political year. For sheer theatre, it’s up there with the opening of parliament and it’s wonderful combination of ancient tradition and lively backbench commentary – originally from Dennis Skinner and now continued by our own Torcuil Crichton.

Crucially, however, Budget day is also a day of huge significance to our country. The decisions taken have a profound impact on our country and its economy.

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Responsible and progressive

Gordon Brown’s Budgets of the late 1990s and early 2000s slashed poverty, raised wages and supported small businesses. George Osborne’s Budgets during the coalition years took a sledgehammer to the welfare state and ushered in austerity. And the less said about the Kwartang/Truss mini-Budget catastrophe the better.

Political careers are made and broken by Budgets. One minute you are at the helm of the UK’s economy, the next you have been outlasted by a burger topping.

So it was no surprise that the SNP, Tories and Reform had all laid the groundwork to attack John Healey’s first Budget. Unfortunately for them, the reality was quite different. It was forward thinking, responsible, progressive and rooted in Labour values.

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The Chancellor promised breathing space and that is what he delivered. He abolished standing charges on energy bills – putting cash into family pockets. He delivered £100 of cost-of-living support for homes in council bands A-D, which will benefit millions in Scotland if the SNP follow suit.

Mr Healey followed Michael Marra’s suggestion and raised taxes on our big banks to ease the pressure on working people. We came to the rescue of the banks during the financial crash, and it is right that they should come to the aid of people struggling with the cost of living today.

And he committed to re-industrialising the UK to face the threats of a dangerous world. This could be a gamechanger for Scotland.

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SNP’s nonsensical attack lines

But it seemed the SNP had failed to read the Budget or listen to the Chancellor. They had no welcome for the additional £18 billion for Scotland since Labour took office. Instead they reacted with the same lines they had been using before the Budget – despite the fact that they no longer made any sense.

Betrayal! Cried John Swinney and Stephen Flynn, claiming that funding for the Acorn project was being scrapped. Only it wasn’t. I wonder why Mr Flynn would be happy for Mr Swinney to make a fool of himself in public?

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Not to be outdone, Mr Flynn was quick to post a video attacking the Chancellor for failing ‘Scottland’ – wherever that is. It’s a funny kind of nationalist who can’t spell the name of their own country.

However, the coup de grace came from the ever-enjoyable SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan. He attacked the Chancellor savagely for scrapping the standing gas charge for households. Only to be reminded that he called for that very same thing to happen just a short while ago. Oh dear.

It seems there is no budgeting for foolishness.

Jackie Baillie is MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader and her party’s spokesperson for health