Desperate Nicola Sturgeon gets out the ‘begging bowl’ for Westminster, where the evidence of substantial numbers of new jobs creation, ‘pie in the sky’ again?

Dear All

When Nicola Sturgeon took on the job of infrastructure sec, she probably didn’t realise that it was a mistake.

You can’t win independence by trying to buy votes through construction projects.

And less we forget there are only so many projects that can be built at anyone time due to funding constraints.

Should have stayed at the health brief!

How many times can you be photographed with a shovel?

Anyway, it appears that Ms. Sturgeon, in her role of ‘Bobette the Builder’ has launched a call for Westminster to increase spending on major building projects.

I wonder if the coalition government will sing ‘Bobette the Builder, she can’t do it’ when it comes to getting extra dough out of Osborne!

Scottish Government has published a list of £800 million-worth of ‘shovel ready’ projects that could begin construction before the end of 2013-14; this is part of the artificial bubble that the SNP Government wants to create as a prosperous Scotland under their watch.

And it is an artificial bubble; part of the money is going to be coming from stripping budgets and funnelling cash to her department.

This will leave many in lurch in terms of services provided by council, NGOs and Charities.

We have already seen 80,000 college places lost under the SNP Government and college funding cut.

The wrong political strategy to adopt, at the wrong time!

Ms. Sturgeon is attending the British-Irish Council in Cardiff and continuing the theme of finance secretary John Swinney, more money from George Osborne.

Osborne isn’t the sympathetic type and I don’t see Sturgeon getting anywhere near the £800 million she wants, a few titbits maybe if the wind is blowing in the right direction.

Ms Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, said:

“The scale of the UK Governments cuts to public investment are acting as a key drag on economic growth. They are too deep, too quick and are holding the whole of the UK back. The Scottish Government is taking forward a range of initiatives to stimulate our economy.

You may remember the SNP Government was forced to admit that their influence to stimulate the economy is limited.

She added:

“A key action is a major programme of investment in capital infrastructure - despite the significant cuts by the UK Government to our capital budget of around a third between 2010-11 and 2014-15. But there is only so much we can do within our limited powers. That is why we are calling on the UK Government to provide a much needed stimulus to the economy through increasing capital investment which creates jobs and increases confidence in the short term, and creates long term assets for sustainable growth.”

If the SNP Government had carried out public sector reform, then Scotland would be better placed to weather problems, sadly they didn’t, everything worthwhile in terms of ideas has been shelved until after indy because there is no debate on anything unless it centres round that.

Ms. Sturgeon added:

“The Chancellor must act in his Autumn Statement in December – the whole of the UK economy needs it. We are ready to put extra spending to immediate use in Scotland, stimulating growth and creating substantial numbers of new jobs.”

Where’s the evidence that substantial numbers of new jobs will be created? I think unless we are seeing some detail this is looking increasingly like another one of her ‘pie in the sky’ adventures based on wishful thinking.

Ironically, it isn't the sword of Damocles above Nicola Sturgeon's head but rather the spade of Damocles which will impact on her future success. 

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University