A brief run-down of various things

Sir George Mathewson stepped into the election campaign, backing Alex Salmond and independence. Tony Blair dismissed the former Chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland's comments as 'self-indulgent'. The counter-attack, of course, backfired: Mathewson is famous for working to turn an economic basket case vulnerable to foreign takeover into one of the world's major companies with global interests, while Blair of course will be remembered for his part in a war based on weapons of mass destruction that never actually existed. I therefore bow to Blair's superior experience and knowledge of self-indulgence.

Brian Souter offered the SNP £500,000, prompting an angry reaction and allegations that the SNP are going backwards on gay rights. Needless to say, I disagree with that assessment: the SNP's voting record shows that the majority of its MSPs are pro-equality and it's worth remembering that Souter is a long-standing supporter of independence. Grant Thoms has had more to say about this and his comments are well worth a read.

Adam Ingram, the UK Armed Forces Minister talked about how if independence were to happen, the English Navy would never arrange for ships to be built in 'foreign Scotland'. Ingram would do well to remember that for him, it's the Navy that would be foreign rather than Scotland: he is the MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow. He's also overlooked the fact that grey ships have ended up being built not at Ferguson's shipyard on the Clyde, but at the Remontowa shipyards in Poland. Which Act of Union incorporated Poland into the UK?

Finally, the Budget: Gordon Brown has thrown a hand-grenade into the election campaign with his plans to cut the rate of income tax to 20%, but to abolish the 10% 'starter rate' from next year. The other parties will now have to work out their response to that, given the tax-varying powers available to MSPs. However, possible bad news for graduates: Brown will be selling off £6bn of the student loan book to the private sector. There are already dark mutterings about commercial rates and graduate debt could be about to rise sharply. On hearing this news, I began to shake profusely. I am not a happy bunny.