OUR BELOVED MONARCH'S FACE BEFORE AND AFTER TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT

Osborne, one is down to ones last trillion.
What are you going to do about it?

All for one?

How marvellous.

Doncha just love this union? Here we are, all in it together, pooling and sharing our poverty and misery, so that she can get a couple of million pay rise. Fair!

DID THE LIBERALS JUST WANT MORE DEVOLUTION WHEN THEY HAD NO POWER TO GRANT IT?

The Liberal Democrats seem to me to be a little inconsistent in their requests for a more devolved Scotland, most particularly on the following matters which have been brought to my attention.

I wonder if their minds have been changed for them by their bosses in London, who have had their minds changed for them by THEIR bosses in London...the Tories?

The Crown Estates - In 1998 the LibDems proposed amending the Scotland Bill to devolve the Crown Estates to the Scottish Parliament. Now Michael Moore is saying they will oppose this.

European representation - In 1998 the LibDems proposed amending the Scotland Bill to allow Scottish Executive (now government) Ministers to have the right of statutory representation in the Council of Ministers. Now they are suggesting that they will oppose this.

Corporation Tax - In his submission to the Calman Commission on behalf of the Scottish LibDems the then leader Tavish Scott called for corporation tax to be devolved with "all revenues accruing directly to the Scottish Parliament". Now they are opposing this.

Excise duty - In his submission to the Calman Commission on behalf of the Scottish LibDems the then leader Tavish Scott called for tobacco and alcohol duties, along with fuel duty and vehicle excise duty, to be devolved with "all revenues accruing directly to the Scottish Parliament". Now they are signalling they will oppose this.

Broadcasting - In the LibDems' Steel Commission it was said that there should be much greater accountability to the Scottish Parliament and regular reporting from the BBC with a formal role for the Scottish Parliament in the charter renewal process. No positive response to the Scottish Government's similar proposals have been received.

Borrowing powers - In his submission to the Calman Commission on behalf of the Scottish LibDems the then leader Tavish Scott called for proper borrowing powers for Scotland and said they "should not be a one-way process, imposed by the Treasury and the UK Government on the Scottish Parliament ... [but] by agreement a new framework of rules as to how, when and to what extent, Scottish borrowing powers could be exercised." To date all they have allowed is a fastracking of the limited Scotland Bill proposals.