The substantive Scottish response to Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget may have taken three days to come. But it was worth waiting for.
There was nothing diplomatic about Nicola Sturgeon’s assessment.
Instead, the first minister went straight for the jugular, describing Friday’s statement as, in turn, morally abhorrent, fiscally reckless and a catastrophic disaster.
It is clear that Mr Kwarteng won’t be on the first minister’s Christmas card list.
But policy, not personality, is what matters here.
The chancellor is taking a massive gamble with the public finances.
And, on first glance, the money markets are less than sure about the new direction of travel.
The first minister has set her face against Mr Kwarteng’s plan and she may very well be proved right.
And therein lies the problem for those of independent mind.
Ms Sturgeon has long bemoaned the lack of economic levers at her disposal.
With such differing visions, the mini-Budget has again cast a spotlight on Scotland’s inability to chart its own course.
It’s hard to overstate the scale of the economic crisis caused by Friday’s UK budget. While the very richest get tax cuts, ordinary people – already hit by soaring inflation – are about to be hit by rising interest rates. The House of Commons should be in emergency session now. https://t.co/9cKl9TsdQj
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) September 26, 2022
It is a fight with a long road yet to travel.
But as that plays out, what must not be lost are those who are suffering and in need right now.
They are real people, not pawns in a political game.
And they need protection and help without delay.
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