We are fed up telling you this. Free prescriptions, free student fees are great if we can afford it but where is the money coming from to replace it. From you the low priority people on their list like Grandparents, Pensioners, Families, and the disabled.
They are election gimmicks that Alex Salmond will whine it was not our fault we could not keep our manifesto promises.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/Scottish-Election-2011-39Sums-don39t.6760528.jp
Scottish Election 2011: 'Sums don't add up in party promises'
By Tom Peterkin
Published date 1st May
SCOTLAND'S political parties have failed to explain how they will fund expensive manifesto pledges and are loath to admit that tightening budgets will cost jobs, claims a highly respected think tank.
The election manifestos of the main parties steer clear of the difficult decisions required to turn round the economy and "largely ignore" the problem of rising unemployment, the Centre for Public Policy for Regions (CPPR) suggests.
Analysis of party promises suggests that commitments such as the council tax freeze will not be met by the efficiency savings that have been built into future budgets, calculating the SNP pledge to freeze council tax for the next five years would cost £700 million - the equivalent of £140m a year.
The report adds that such a freeze "simply adds pressure" on other parts of the budget.
"It means that this money is unavailable to invest in hospitals, schools or roads," it says.
The SNP has promised a five-year council tax freeze, while Labour has committed itself to a two-year freeze. Both the Conservatives and the Lib Dems also favour maintaining the levy at its current level.
The report states: "At best, the 2 per cent generic efficiency savings that the parties are dependent on will only meet new demand, new inflation and new wage-cost pressures. It will not fill emerging funding gaps in costed manifesto pledges, neither will it pay for 'uncosted' manifesto pledges."
Yesterday report author John McLaren said: "This has been a disappointing election for those voters looking for a clear insight into how the different parties intend to deal with the unpalatable consequences of a tightening budget."
The report says that youth unemployment is to rise sharply, and that some sort of student fee arrangement, fewer universal benefits (such as the SNP's free prescriptions policy) or taking Scottish Water out of direct government control will have to be introduced after the election.
According to the CPPR, the parties are also reluctant to talk about the impact of efficiency savings on voters.
The report said that the savings would "inevitably" cause job cuts, with a reduction in non-health-related jobs by up to 8 per cent by 2015. Those who remain in jobs will suffer up to a 12 per cent reduction in spending power by 2015.
"The manifestos of the four main parties have little (and often nothing) to say about productivity, how to boost innovation and research and development, and what is needed to tackle youth unemployment," the report adds.
Analysis of party promises suggests that commitments such as the council tax freeze will not be met by the efficiency savings that have been built into future budgets, calculating the SNP pledge to freeze council tax for the next five years would cost £700 million - the equivalent of £140m a year.
The report adds that such a freeze "simply adds pressure" on other parts of the budget.
"It means that this money is unavailable to invest in hospitals, schools or roads," it says.
The SNP has promised a five-year council tax freeze, while Labour has committed itself to a two-year freeze. Both the Conservatives and the Lib Dems also favour maintaining the levy at its current level.
The report states: "At best, the 2 per cent generic efficiency savings that the parties are dependent on will only meet new demand, new inflation and new wage-cost pressures. It will not fill emerging funding gaps in costed manifesto pledges, neither will it pay for 'uncosted' manifesto pledges."
Yesterday report author John McLaren said: "This has been a disappointing election for those voters looking for a clear insight into how the different parties intend to deal with the unpalatable consequences of a tightening budget."
The report says that youth unemployment is to rise sharply, and that some sort of student fee arrangement, fewer universal benefits (such as the SNP's free prescriptions policy) or taking Scottish Water out of direct government control will have to be introduced after the election.
According to the CPPR, the parties are also reluctant to talk about the impact of efficiency savings on voters.
The report said that the savings would "inevitably" cause job cuts, with a reduction in non-health-related jobs by up to 8 per cent by 2015. Those who remain in jobs will suffer up to a 12 per cent reduction in spending power by 2015.
"The manifestos of the four main parties have little (and often nothing) to say about productivity, how to boost innovation and research and development, and what is needed to tackle youth unemployment," the report adds.
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