Budget movement
Bit more movement on the budget front at Holyrood.
Still looking pretty likely that the £30bn package will be endorsed by MSPs tomorrow, one way or t'other.
Re that movement. Firstly, the Scottish government is publishing details of progress on its 36 largest capital spending projects.
It isn't the full month-by-month outline demanded by opposition parties - but it is internal detail showing what has and has not been spent to date on these big projects, .
Ministers say it demonstrates some projects have clearly been accelerated, countermanding any slippage elsewhere.
In plain language, there isn't spare money for the .
That is bad news for Labour who emphasised again today that it was "almost impossible" to envisage their MSPs voting for the budget without the reinstatement of Garl.
Spring revision
Particularly since, it has become totemic for Labour - but the party leadership insists that the cancellation of Garl is also an indication of where the budget falls down on improving infrastructure and sustaining the economy.
More movement. Ministers have announced their routine spring revision to this year's spending programme, for 2009-10.
The choice of programmes to benefit is carefully scripted.
There will be more for affordable housing - a key Labour demand. And more for college places - a key Liberal Democrat demand.
In other words, ministers are anticipating opposition suggestions for 2010-11 with action this year.
So how are things shaping? I think Labour will vote against, unless - against all expectations - they get the reinstatement of Garl.
The Tories want serious indications of measures to curb spending - including an independent review and the publication of all spending items costing more than £25,000.
Green vote
I think they'll get those - or something close - and may end up supporting the budget.
Ditto the Greens who have already been promised a £10m fund for wave and tidal power and are looking for more action on home insulation.
They won't get all they want but may - stress, may - vote "Yes" to the budget this year.
As for the Liberal Democrats, their prime demand has been for.
They'll get something on that.
They seem to me to be swithering between support and abstention - with abstention perhaps most likely on the grounds that they won't get all they want and have reservations about other aspects of the budget.
If that is the arithmetic, then the budget carries.
I'm 
Comments
or to comment.